Introduction:
This page contains some basic information about sentence
structure (syntax) and sentence types. It also includes examples of common
sentence problems in written English. ESL students who understand the
information on this page and follow the advice have a better chance of
writing well.
Subject/predicate: All sentences are about something or someone. The
something or someone that the sentence is about is called the subject of the
sentence. In the following sentences the subjects are shown in red. Note
how the subject is often, but not always, the first thing in the sentence.
John often comes late to class.
My friend and I both have a dog named Spot.
Many parts of the Asian coastline were destroyed by a tsunami in
2004.
The old hotel at the end of the street is going to be knocked down
to make way for a new supermarket.
Sitting in a tree at the bottom of the garden was a huge black bird
with long blue tail feathers.
The grade 7 Korean boy who has just started at FIS speaks
excellent English.
On Saturdays I never get up before 9 o'clock.
Before giving a test the teacher should make sure that the students
are well-prepared.
Lying on the sofa watching old films is my favourite hobby.
The predicate contains information about the someone or something that is
the subject. The example sentences above are shown again, this time with
the predicate marked in green.
John often comes late to class.
My friend and I both have a dog named Spot.
Many parts of the Asian coastline were destroyed by a tsunami in
2004.
The old hotel at the end of the street is going to be knocked down
to make way for a new supermarket.
Sitting in a tree at the bottom of the garden was a huge black
bird with long blue tail feathers.
The grade 7 Korean boy who has just started at FIS speaks excellent
English.
On Saturdays I never get up before 9 o'clock.
Before giving a test the teacher should make sure that the
students are well-prepared.
Lying on the sofa watching old films is my favourite hobby.
Simple subject/predicate: As you can see from the example sentences
above both the subject and the predicate can consist of many words.
The simple subject is the main word in the subject, and the simple
predicate is the main word in the predicate. The simple subject is always
a noun/pronoun and the simple predicate is always a verb.
In the following sentences the simple subject is shown in red and the simple
predicate is shown in green.
My ESL teacher speaks a little Russian.
The young girl with the long black hair fell from her bike yesterday in
heavy rain.
At the back of the line in the cafeteria yesterday was a large
brown dog with a yellow collar around its neck!
My friend and I are going on holiday together this year.
Your mother or your father must come to the meeting.
Sitting in a tree at the bottom of the garden was a huge
black bird with long blue tail feathers.
From the last three examples sentences above you will notice that the
simple subjects and simple predicates can be more than one word.
Advice: To write strong, clear sentences you must know who or what you
are writing about (subject) and what you want to say about them or it
(predicate). Your writing will be more interesting if the subject is not the
first thing in every sentence you write.
Sentence types: One way to categorize sentences is by the clauses they
contain. (A clause is a part of a sentence containing a subject and a
predicate.) Here are the 4 sentence types:
Simple: Contains a single, independent clause.
o I don't like dogs.
o Our school basketball team lost their last game of the season
75-68.
o The old hotel opposite the bus station in the center of the town
is probably going to be knocked down at the end of next year.
Compound: Contains two independent clauses that are joined by a
coordinating conjunction. (The most common coordinating
conjunctions are: but, or, and, so. Remember: boas.)
o I don't like dogs, and my sister doesn't like cats.
o You can write on paper, or you can use a computer.
o A tree fell onto the school roof in a storm, but none of the
students was injured.
Complex: Contains an independent clause plus one or more
dependent clauses. (A dependent clause starts with a subordinating
conjunction. Examples: that, because, while, although, where, if.)
o I don't like dogs that bark at me when I go past.
o She did my homework, while her father cooked dinner.
o You can write on paper, although a computer is better if you
want to correct mistakes easily.
Note: A dependent clause standing alone without an independent
clause is called a fragment sentence - see below.
Compound-complex: Contains 3 or more clauses (of which at least
two are independent and one is dependent).
o I don't like dogs, and my sister doesn't like cats because they
make her sneeze.
o You can write on paper, but using a computer is better as you
can easily correct your mistakes.
o A tree fell onto the school roof in a storm, but none of the
students was injured, although many of them were in
classrooms at the top of the building.
Advice: Writing that contains mostly short, simple sentences can be
uninteresting or even irritating to read. Writing that consists of mostly long,
complex sentences is usually difficult to read. Good writers, therefore, use a
variety of sentence types. They also occasionally start complex (or
compound-complex) sentences with the dependent clause and not the
independent clause. In the following examples the dependent clause is
shown in red:
Although it was raining, we decided to go fishing.
If it doesn't rain soon, the river will dry out.
Because the road was icy and the driver was going too fast, he
was unable to brake in time when a fox ran into the road in front of
him.
Note: Sentences can also be categorized according to their function. [More]
Note: Independent clauses are also called main clauses. Dependent clauses
are also called subordinate clauses.
Do a quiz to identify clause types. Do a quiz to identify sentence types.
Problematic 'sentences': To write a correct sentence, you need to have a
good understanding of what a sentence is. Students who don't have this
understanding, or don't take care, often include problem sentences in their
writing. Native English speakers are just as likely to write problem sentences
as ESL students. There are three main types of problem sentence:
Run-on sentences: These are two sentences that the writer has not
separated with an end punctuation mark, or has not joined with a
conjunction. (Click the following run-ons to see where they should be
separated into two sentences.)
o I went to Paris in the vacation it is the most beautiful place I
have ever visited.
o It's never too late to learn to swim you never know when you
may fall from a boat.
o If you're going to the shops can you buy me some eggs and
flour I want to make a cake.
o I like our new math teacher, she always explains the work very
clearly.
o He was late to school again, his bus got caught in heavy traffic.
Advice: It is helpful to read your written work aloud. When you
speak, you will make natural pauses to mark the end of your
sentences or clauses. If there is no corresponding end punctuation
mark in your writing, you can be almost certain that you have written
a run-on sentence.
Sentence fragments: Fragment sentences are unfinished sentences,
i.e. they don't contain a complete idea. A common fragment sentence
in student writing is a dependent clause standing alone without an
independent clause. In the each of the following examples the
fragment is the second 'sentence', shown in red:
o I don't think I'm going to get a good grade. Because I didn't
study.
o She got angry and shouted at the teacher. Which wasn't a very
good idea.
o He watched TV for an hour and then went to bed. After falling
asleep on the sofa.
o She got up and ran out of the library. Slamming the door
behind her.
o I have to write a report on Albert Einstein. The famous
scientist who left Europe to live in the USA.
o After riding my bike without problems for over a year, the chain
broke. 40 kilometers from my house!
