Writing 1

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Sentence structure

Why is sentence structure important?

If you want to write clearly, it’s important to pay attention to sentence


structure. It tells the reader what you’re talking about, who the subject is,
and why this topic is worth writing about. Using just a subject and
predicate can make your writing repetitive. If you challenge yourself to
improve your sentence structure, you can pull the reader in and write
interesting, informative pieces.

Grammatical errors and poor sentence structure can tear your writing
apart. You’ll only need a subject and predicate to form a complete
sentence but adding other parts to your sentence can give it description
and complexity. Learn what the parts of a sentence are and how you can
use them to elevate your writing.

What is a sentence?

A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense. It begins with


a capital letter and ends with a full stop. It always contains a finite verb.
A sentence may be a statement, question, exclamation or command.

What are the different parts of a sentence?

The different parts of a sentence are a subject, predicate, object,


complement, and modifier. These different parts of a sentence can add
variety to your writing style—and depending on where you place each
part, they can change the meaning of your words.

a- Subject
The subject of a sentence tells your reader who or what the sentence is
about. This can be a person, pronoun, place, or thing. There are typically
three types of subjects you can use in your writing.

 Simple subject. This is a one-word subject that is typically a noun or


pronoun. An example of this type of subject is: He ate the pizza. He is
the simple subject in that sentence.
 Complete subject. This includes the simple subject along with
additional adjectives or modifiers that describe the person, place, or
thing. For example: The neighbor’s black cat drank the milk. In this
example, the neighbor’s black cat is the complete subject.
 Compound subject. A compound subject includes multiple simple
subjects. For example, you could write: Sam and Lisa went shopping
for clothes. There are two simple subjects, or one compound subject, in
this sentence: Sam and Lisa.

Exercise:1

Underline the subject in each sentence and decide whether its asimple,
compound or complete:

1- The cat and the dog run down the road.

2- The boy ate his diner.

\3. The sewer and the pipe were full of rats.

4- The old man trudged down the street.


.On Sunday morning, three dogs chased three children 5
.His cousin studies at that college -6
.The greatest magician of all time will perform here next week -7
.To obey is to follow a command or request -8
Five student from university of Fezzan will participate in the -9
.coming Olympic Games
10- Just south of Tokyo sprawls the port city of Yokohama.
b- Predicate
This next part of a sentence describes what your subject is doing. You can
use an action verb or a linking verb to tell your reader what actions your
subject takes. There are also three types of predicates that you can
incorporate in your sentence structure. These predicates are:

 Simple predicate. This is a one-word predicate that is an active verb. If


you want to use a simple predicate, you could write: Jill danced. In this
example, Jill is a simple subject, and danced is the simple predicate.
 Complete predicate. A complete predicate includes a linking verb and
either a direct or indirect object or phrase. For example, you could
write: The pilot flew the plane. While flew is the simple predicate and
a linking verb, flew the plane is the complete predicate because it tells
the reader what the pilot flew.
 Compound predicate. A subject and at least two verbs or actions form
a compound predicate. For example, you could write: Lisa bought
shoes and ate lunch at the mall. In the example, Lisa is the simple
subject. Bought shoes and ate lunch at the mall are the compound
predicate because they describe two actions Lisa takes.

c- Objects
Although you only need a subject and predicate to form a complete
sentence, there are other parts of a sentence that you can use to beef up
your writing. Direct and indirect objects are nouns that follow your
predicate and describe what or who the subject took the action upon.
Consider these examples:

 Lisa bought shoes. This sentence uses a direct object to describe what
Lisa bought.
 He gave his sister a hug. This example includes a direct object, a hug,
and an indirect object, his sister. The direct object describes what he
gave, and the indirect object describes who he gave it to.

d- Complements
There are two types of complements you can use to add description to
your sentences. These complements describe your subject or object. They
are typically nouns, pronouns, phrases, or adjectives and follow the verb.
For example, you could write:

 The man is tall. Tall is a complement, or adjective, that describes the


man.
 Her hair was long before she cut it. Long describes the subject: her
hair.
 They painted their house black. Black is an object complement that
describes the color they painted their house.

e- Modifiers
The modifiers you use in your sentences are adjectives and adverbs that
describe your subject or predicate. While they’re not required parts of a
sentence, they do add layers to your writing. For example, you could
write:

 The big dog jumped on my bed. In this example, big describes the dog.
 They walked slowly. Slowly describes how the subjects are walking.

How to incorporate different sentence parts in your writing


Use these grammatical elements when you want to add interesting detail
and rhythm to your writing. When you want to keep your sentences short
and sweet, use a subject and predicate to avoid having a sentence
fragment. When you want to describe your subject or predicate,
incorporate modifiers. Use objects to describe what or who your subject
is doing something to or for.
Experimenting with sentence structures can ensure that your writing is
clear, direct, and conveys the meaning you want to give your readers—
while adding variety to your

Exercise 2

Decide whether the underlined words are subjects, direct objects or


indirect objects

1. She sent her friend an email .


2. Sally will help you with your housework
3. Where did you put the keys?
4. He gave them a bag full of money.
5. Alice wrote a book on the French revolution .
6. I need your help.
7. He offered her a flower.
8. My father bought us a new TV set.
9. John sold me his car.
10. I wish you good luck

Exercise 3: Decide whether the underlined words is Subject, complement,


indirect object or modifier:
1- He gave his sister a gift;
2- This funny girl makes me laugh a lot.
3- We painted our apartment blue.
4- the boy and his dog run down the street.
5- my younger brother studies math.
6- her sister work at the bank.
7- He gave her a red rose.
8- The teacher a warded her a gift, Simple Sentences

Types of sentence
Experienced writers use a variety of sentences to make their writing
interesting and lively. Too many simple sentences, for example, will
make your writing sound choppy and immature while too many long
sentences will make your writing difficult to read and hard to understand.
This handout explains three different types of sentences: simple,
compound, and complex.
Before we begin, there are a few terms that need to be defined:
Ex: dog, school, A person, place, thing, or idea Noun
rubber ducky
Ex: jumped, felt, are, An action or state of being Verb
were
Ex: The yellow puppy A noun or set of words that acts out Subject
the verb
Ex: The yellow puppy A structure that has a subject and a Clause
barked. verb
Ex: The yellow A structure that has a subject and Independent
puppy barked at the verb. It expresses a complete idea Clause
black cat. that can stand alone.
Ex: When the A structure that has a subject and a Dependent
yellow puppy barked verb but does not express a complete Clause
thought. It cannot stand alone
Ex: The yellow puppy A word that connects words, phrases, Coordinating
barked, and the black or clauses (for, or, and, yet, nor, so, conjunctions
cat jumped. but)
Ex: After the yellow A word that connects an independent Subordinatin
puppy barked, the clause to a dependent clause g
black cat jumped. conjunctions

1- A simple sentence is a basic sentence that expresses a complete


thought. It contains:
A subject
A verb
A complete thought Ex. The train was late.
Mary and Maggie took the bus.
2- Compound Sentences
A compound sentence contains two main clauses joined by a comma and
a coordinating conjunction or a semi-colon.
Compound sentences connect two simple sentences, but they often do not
show a clear relationship between the two parts
Ex. I waited for the bus, but it was late
3=-Complex Sentences
A complex sentence contains a main clause and one or more dependent
clauses.
If the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, add a
comma after the dependent clause. If the main clause comes first, no
comma is needed between the two.
Complex sentences can show a more specific relationship between the
parts of the sentence than a compound sentence.
4-A compound-complex sentence
Compound-Complex Sentences A compound-complex sentence
contains two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
This is the most sophisticated type of sentence you can use.
Ex.
Though Jack prefers watching comedy films, he rented the latest spy
thriller, and he enjoyed it very much.
EXERCISE4 – Identify the Type of Sentence
Identify whether the following sentences are simple, compound or
complex sentences. Also, mention which of the clauses is the main clause
and the subordinate clause.

1. I did not know that this food was meant only for the staff.

2. She is innocent, so she has appealed to the court.

3. If you are not ready with the song, it is better to let them know.

4. She will come home or I will stay back at her place.

5. In the evening, I am going to the park.

6. The sun looks amazing today.

7. I remember the day that we met very well.

8. Nithi is not keeping well, yet she decided to go to work.

9. After they reach the hotel, they will inform us.

10. We are going to the park.


Answers for Exercise 1
1. I did not know that this food was meant only for the staff.

Sentence Type – Complex sentence

Main Clause – I did not know

Subordinate Clause – That this food was meant only for the staff

2. She is innocent, so she has appealed to the court.

Sentence Type – Compound sentence

Main Clause – She is innocent

Main Clause – She has appealed to the court

3. If you are not ready with the song, it is better to let them know.

Sentence Type – Complex Sentence

Main Clause – It is better to let them know

Subordinate Clause – If you are not ready with the song

4. She will come home or I will stay back at her place.

Sentence Type – Compound Sentence

Main Clause – She will come home

Main Clause – I will stay back at her place

5. In the evening, I am going to the park.

Sentence Type – Simple Sentence

Main Clause – I am going to the park

6. The sun looks amazing today.

Sentence Type – Simple Sentence

Main Clause – The sun looks amazing today


7. I remember the day that we met very well.

Sentence Type – Complex Sentence

Main Clause – I remember the day very well

Subordinate Clause – That we met

8. Nithi is not keeping well, yet she decided to go to work.

Sentence Type – Compound Sentence

Main Clause – Nithi is not keeping well

Main Clause – She decided to go to work

9. After they reach the hotel, they will inform us.

Sentence Type – Complex Sentence

Main Clause – They will inform us

Subordinate Clause – After they reach the hotel

10. We are going to the park.

Sentence Type – Simple Sentence

Main Clause – We are going to the park

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