sentences.

notebook

March04,2015

Sentencesdemystified:
Whatisasentence?
Typesofsentence
Fragments
Runon
Commasplices

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Whatisasentence?
Asentenceisagroupofwordswhichexpressesa
completethought.Asentenceshouldcontaina
subjectandaverb

whoorwhat

whataboutit
(alsoknownasthepredicate)

play.

Children
verb

Thehappychildrenplayedwiththeirtoysnoisily.
subject

predicate

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Someterms

subject

verb

independentclause
conjunction

dependentclause

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Typesofsentence
SIMPLE SENTENCE
A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a
verb, and it expresses a complete thought.

Somestudentsliketostudyinthemornings.

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Typesofsentence
COMPOUND SENTENCE
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by acoordinating
conjunction. The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

ItriedtospeakSpanishandmyfriendtriedtospeakEnglish.

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Typesofsentence
COMPLEX SENTENCE
A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent
clauses. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after,
although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which.

Theteacherreturnedthehomeworkaftershenoticedtheerror.

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Typesofsentence
COMPOUND/COMPLEX SENTENCE
The compoundcomplex sentence is so named because it shares the characteristics of both
compound and complex sentences. Like the compound sentence, the compoundcomplex has
two main clauses. Like the complex sentence, it has at least one subordinate clause. The
subordinate clause can be part of an independent clause.

Thedoorofthemorningroomwasopen,andasIwent
throughthehall,IcaughtaglimpseofUncleTommessing
aboutwithhiscollectionofoldsilver.

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subordinatingconjunction

dependentclause

independentclause

subject

predicate

Thedoorofthemorningroomwasopen
andasIwentthroughthehall,Icaughta
glimpseofUncleTommessingaboutwith
hiscollectionofoldsilver.

coordinatingconjunction

independent
clause

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Nowonderstudentscan'twritein
sentences:they'recomplicated!

Thebasicstructurecanhelptoworkout
wheretheyaregoingwrong...

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Commonproblems:fragments

Whatisafragment?

anincompleteidea

e.g.

Becausemanypeoplenowhavemobile
phones.

thisisa
dependent
clause

Becausemanypeoplenowhavemobile
phones,publicpayphonesarebecomingharder
tofind
thisisthe
wrongtype
ofverb

Craigbeingthemosttalentedpersononhis
footballteam.

Craigisthemosttalentedpersononhisfootball
team

Forexample,theintroductionofiPadsintothe
classroom.

thereisno
verbhere

Forexample,theintroductionofiPadsintothe
classroomhasbeensuccessful.

Makesurewehaveasubject,mainverb,
andacompleteidea
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Commonproblems: runon
whenweput2ormoreindependent
clausestogetherwithouttheproper
punctuation...
Amandahasagoodjobsheneverhasto
worryaboutmoney.
Fromthesecondfloorcameacryforhelp
firefightersrushedintotheburningbuilding.
tofix,insertacoordinatingconjunctionora
semicolon
Amandahasagoodjob,sosheneverhasto
worryaboutmoney.
Fromthesecondfloorcameacryforhelp
firefightersrushedintotheburningbuilding.
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Commonproblems: commasplicing
Whenastudentconnectstwoindependent
clausestogetherwithjustacomma.

Thefansinthestadiumpushedforward,
peoplebegantopanic

becausethesearetwo
completeideasweneeda
coordinatingconjunction

Thefansinthestadiumpushedforward,
andpeoplebegantopanic
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