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Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences Search OASIS Search
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OASIS Writing Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences Report a broken link Print Page
Whether you're writing a research paper, crafting a personal essay, or sending a professional email, spotting key sentence parts and understanding how different
types of sentences work helps you communicate with clarity and style.
Basic Sentence Parts
Subject
Who or what does the action?
A subject is a person, animal, place, thing, or Example Example
concept that does an action. Determine the subject
I like spaghetti. He reads many books.
in a sentence by asking the question, “Who or
what?” I = subject He = subject
Verb
What is the action or state of being?
A verb expresses what the person, animal, place, Example Example
thing, or concept does. Determine the verb in a
I like spaghetti. He reads many books.
sentence by asking the question, “What was the
action or what happened?” like = verb reads = verb
Example: "Be" Verb
The movie is good.
The be verb is also sometimes referred to as a “copula” (or a “linking verb”). It links the subject, in this case “the movie,” to the complement or the predicate of the
sentence, in this case, “good.”
Object
Who or what receives the action?
A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that Example Example
receives the action. Determine the object in a
I like spaghetti. He reads many books.
sentence by asking the question, “The subject did
what?” or “To whom?/For whom?” spaghetti = object many books = object
Dependent Clause
Cannot stand alone. Must attach to an independent clause.
Example Example
Although I like spaghetti Because he reads many books
A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It
must be attached to an independent clause to This dependent clause introduces a contrast. This dependent clause introduces a reason
become complete. This is also known as a It suggests that despite liking spaghetti, or cause. It suggests that reading many
“subordinate clause.” something else is true, but we don’t have the books leads to some result or consequence,
rest of the information to know what that is. but we don’t know what without additional
information.
Independent Clause
Contains a subject and verb, forming a complete idea.
Example Example
An independent clause can stand alone as a I like spaghetti. Because he reads many books
sentence. It contains a subject and a verb and is a
I = subject He = subject
complete idea.
like = verb reads = verb
spaghetti = object many books = object
Prepositional Phrase
Begins with a preposition (like “in” or “at”) and tells where, when, or in what way.
Example Example
A phrase that begins with a preposition (like “in,”
“at,” “for,” “behind,” “after,” “during”) and modifies a I like spaghetti for dinner. He reads many books in the library.
word in the sentence. A prepositional phrase
answers one of many questions. Here are a few This prepositional phrase starts with “for” This prepositional phrase starts with “in” and
examples: “Where? When? In what way?” and provides information about when the provides information about where the
spaghetti is preferred. reading happens.
Types of Sentences
Simple Sentences Compound Sentences Complex Sentences Compound-Complex Sentences
A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb, and it may also have an object and modifiers. However, it contains only one independent clause.
Example Example Example
She completed her literature review. He organized his sources by theme. They studied APA rules for many hours.
She = subject He = subject They = subject
completed = verb organized = verb studied = verb
her literature review = object his sources = object APA rules = object
by theme = prepositional phrase for many hours = prepositional phrase
Common Sentence Challenges
Overly Broad Sentences Unnecessary Sentences
Writing broad, sweeping sentences can weaken your writing and fail to Sometimes it can be hard to determine what kind of knowledge a reader
engage readers. brings to your material. You should trust that a reader will understand
common concepts in everyday adult life.
Overly Broad Example Unnecessary Sentence Example
I used a variety of counseling tools on many occasions. An employee is defined as “a person who works for another person
or for a company for wages or a salary” (“Employee,” 2015, para. 1).
This sentence is too general and does not share much information. What
are these tools? How were they used, and when precisely? Chances are, an educated reader will already know what an employee is,
so this definition is not needed.
Possible revision to narrow the focus: As a counselor, I used active
listening, open-ended questions, and eye contact in my initial interviews
with clients.
Sentences Beginning with Coordinating Conjunctions Run-On Sentences and Sentence Fragments
Although starting sentences with coordinating conjunctions (like “and,” “but,” Sentence fragments lack key components of a complete thought, and run-on
or “so”) is common in informal writing, formal academic writing typically sentences incorrectly combine multiple complete thoughts.
avoids this practice.
Coordinating Conjunctions Example Run-On and Fragments Example
I gave my daughter a strawberry. But she said didn’t like it even Running through the park on Tuesday morning.
though she loved them yesterday. So I gave her a peach slice
instead. And then she asked for a strawberry. This is a sentence fragment. Who was running?
Revision: Joyce was running through the park on Tuesday morning.
Revision using a compound sentence: I gave my daughter a
strawberry, but she said didn’t like it even though she loved them
The experiment failed we had to start over.
yesterday, so I gave her a peach slice instead. Then, she asked for a
strawberry. This is a run-on sentence. Two independent clauses are incorrectly joined.
I cleaned our front windows in preparation for the party. But then my Revision: The experiment failed, so we had to start over.
toddler woke up from her nap. Needless to say, I cleaned them
again.
Learn More about Run-On Sentences and Sentence
Revision using an alternative connecting word: I cleaned our front Fragments
windows in preparation for the party. However, my toddler woke up from
her nap. Needless to say, I cleaned them again.
Check Your Understanding
Identify the independent clause in this sentence:
Although she enjoys reading, she prefers writing.
she prefers writing
Although she enjoys reading
What type of sentence is this?
The results of my study were inconclusive.
compound
simple
complex
What type of sentence is this?
Even though I discovered some answers to the questions, the results of my study were inconclusive.
compound
simple
complex
Check Your Answers
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