UNITI: NTRODUCTION TO SENTENCES When you have completed this unit, you will be able to— identify simple, compound, and complex sentences; write simple, compound, and complex sentences; use compound subjects and compound verbs in the sentences you write; write sentences that use a series; and use sentence variety to achieve more interes writing, We often say that the mains of languages are the sentences. The ability to use a language is when ‘we are able to produce ideas into sentences. ‘Ihe sentences can be produced in form of written or spoken languages. Siew NTE Sentences are a basic unit of text, The extent to which essays, reports, seminar papers are effective hhas much to do with the content and mastery of sentences. It is helpful, therefore, to be knowledgeable about the structure of sentences and the rules and the conventions which govern their use. This enables a writer to more confidently explore ways of expressing his/her thoughts to others. A sentence signals at least one unit of thought that the writer wants the reader to absorb. It could be as simple as: The Gold Coast is an enjoyable place to be. . A tall man is standing next to the car. Oras extensive as: The Gold Coast is Australia’s premier tourist region which has caused overdevelopment on what were once some of most beautiful coastal areas on the eastern seaboard. 1. A tall man wearing a dark suit is standing with his arms folded next to an old, red taxi. ‘The two fundamental parts of every English sentence are the subject and the predicate. © SUBJECT + PREDICATE = SENTENCE A sentence can be analyzed into subject and predicate, The predicate is all the rest ofthe sentence after the subject. Most English sentences have three parts: a subject, a verb, and an object or complement. These sentences are called SVO sentences. In order to identify the three parts of an SVO sentence, first find the verb. After finding the verb, look for the subject. The subject usually comes before the verb. Last, find the object or complement. The object or complement comes after the verb.1 Confidence in writing sentences is raised by knowledge of their structure. Practical use of this, knowledge should give texture and variety to your writing. Experienced writers use a variety of sentences to make their writing interesting and lively. Too many simple sentences will sound choppy and isunature, while (oo many long sentences will be difficult to read and lard understand. There are four main types of sentences. SIMPLE SENTENCES The simple sentence often makes its point coneise, for it ean be the shortest of the sentences. A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought. In the following simple sentences, subjects are in bold and verbs are underlined: The package arrived, Canals vary in length and width. Juan and Arturo drove from Connecticut to Tennessee in one day. The ape-man in the gray loincloth, a wooden spear in his hand, attacked, John Gordon goes to the library and studies there every day. Note that a sentence can contain a compound subject (c) and long subject (d), and a sentence can contain a compound verb (¢). COMPOUND SENTENCES A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses or consists of two or more simple sentences separated by conjunctions (joining words). That means that there are at least two units of thought within the sentence, either of which can stand by itself as its own sentence ‘There are three ways to join independent clauses to form a compound sentence. by a coordinator (or a coordinating conjunction): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Helpful hint: ‘The first letter of each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS Eg, The economy stagnates, and prices rise. Anna Falk played tennis, so her husband went shopping instead. Sam wanted to study law, but he was rejected by the university he applied to. Except for very short sentences, coordinators are always preceded by a comma. by a conjunctive adverb, e.g., She did not want to go at that time; however, she still went with him. by a semicolon or colon (relatively rare) e.g., He never went to the snake house again; he had been revolted by the alligator. ‘The three ways can be summarized in the following table: ferries Ron nariand besides, moreover, also additional ideas but, yet however, nevertheless, still, nonetheless opposite site Or Otherwise choice So consequently, therefore, thus, accordingly, hence result ‘The compound sentence is useful in conveying matters of shared importance or strong similarity oreven contrast, Compound sentences can make writing rich and colorful. While beginning writers generally lear to write simple sentences first, compound sentences provide more detail and make paragraphs more interesting and engaging, COMPLEX SENTENCES ‘The complex sentence gives depth to writing, reduces the number of words used and through its main clause-subordinate clause shows levels of relationships. A complex sentence consists of at least one main (independent) clause joined by one or more subordinate (dependent) clauses. A main clause can stand by itself; a subordinate clause cannot. (It relates to the main clause). Consider the example below: As it was summer, the holiday brought many people to the beach. ‘The subordinate clause in the sentence is clear. As it was summer: it cannot stand by itself; it is dependent on the main clause the holiday brought many people to the beach. To put in other words, ina complex sentence, one idea is generally more important than the other one. The more important idea is placed in the independent clause, and the less important idea is placed in the dependent clause. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since, after, although, ot when, while, even though, if or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which, whether, wh-questions and sometimes if: Consider the examples below: . Since the economy stagnates, high prices find new buyers. Men who are not married are called bacheloi Some people think it would be better to our environment and economy if people only ate locally produced food. That the Earth's temperature is sing concerns scientists, Scientists believe that the Earth's temperature is rising. There are two possible positions for a dependent adverb clause: before or after thi clause. (1) If it comes before the independent clause, itis followed by a comma, \dependent Although women could own property, they could not vote. (2) Ifthe dependent adverb clause comes after the independent clause, no comma is used. Women could not vote although they could own property. COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES Compound-Complex sentence, although less common, pushes the possibilitics further. A compound-complex sentence consists of at least two main clauses with at least one 3subordinate/dependent clause. For example, Independent —_ dependent independent 4 We thought that we would go, but we decided not to. Sometimes, students find it difficult to write effective complex sentences. It helps if thought is given to ways of linking ideas. Clarity about where to place the dependent part of the sentence (the subordinate clause) is needed. The students, who formerly were weak at essay writing, improved considerably as a result of reflecting upon the task. While many students were absent from the FSD party, it was still the most enjoyable event held this year. The Australian impressionist painters have received much acclaim because they were such strong nationalists In the examples above, the subordinate clause is variously placed within, at the beginning and at the end of the sentences, ‘Compound-Complex sentences allow many possible combinations, and their punctuation requires careful attention, Ete Iwanted to travel after I graduated from college; however, I had to go to work immediately. After I graduated from college, I wanted to travel, but I had to go to work immediately. Teouldn’'t decide where I should work or what I should do, so I did nothing. I wanted to travel after I graduated from college, but I had to go to work immediately. It was summer, and many people went to the beach, although the water was still cold. It is noted that with the skill to write good simple, compound, and complex sentences, you will have the flexibility both to convey your ideas precisely and entertain with sentence variety at the same time, Knowledge of sentence type sensitizes you to text and its possibilities. However, enthusiasm about writing in a topic, strong content knowledge, and a clearly stated thesis to defend are basic to good academic writing, BS Activity 1: Identify which are simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex eerThe recent downturn in the teleeommunications industry caused tens of thousands of programmers to lose their jobs for good and forced thousands more to move aeross the country. A.Simple —B. Compound C.Complex D. Compound-Complex Until she was 19 months of age, her sight and hearing were normal. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex Although most people say Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie, I prefer A New Hope, and that’s the movie | most often put in when I can’t decide what I want to wateh. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex When she was seven, she began her education in reading and writing with Anne Sullivan of the Perkins Institute for the Blind. A, Simple B. Compound "Complex D.C ‘Through persistence and stubbornness, Anne breaks through Helen's walls of silence and darkness and teaches her to communicate. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex Helen Keller leamed to read by the Braille system, and she learned to write by using a specially constructed typewriter. younnd-Complex. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex The writer of the book thinks that people on welfare are sometimes stigmatized in society. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex Ms. Keller's story needed ta he told, so in 1962, a heautifill movie was made about her life A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex Although the course is concerned with how issues in language testing and evaluation affect classroom practices, this carries no implication of narrowness in scope. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex “Life is either a daring adventure, or itis nothing." — Helen Keller A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex The teacher walked into the classroom, greeted the students, and took attendance, A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex Juan played football while Juanita went shopping. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex Juan played football, yet Juanita went shopping A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex Although paint isn’t necessary to make the house livable, it does make it much more pleasant to look at A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex he island was filled with many trails winding through the thick underbrush, a small lake, and dangerous wild pigs. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D, Compound-Complex Naoki passed the test because he studied hard and understood the material Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 517. The findings clearly indicate that more money should be allocated to the tertiary education sector if Da Nang is to remain a truly international city. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 18. The sea was dark and rough, and the wind was stony from the east. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D, Compound-Complex 19, Because the day was cloudy, they put off the picnic. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 20, All humans possess a complex spatial knowledge of their environment. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 21. Computers, laptops, and palmtops are similar technologies even though they come in different sizes. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 22. To make a good education for students in South Sudan, the government must has a concer about the education development. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 23, Some programmers of graphic design software know how to use their software to create pictures, fliers, and Web pages; oddly enough, despite strong technical backgrounds, many others do not. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 24, Because we had lots of cookies, we had a party, and our guests ate the freshly baked treats, A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex 25. Pomegranates are now found in many countries in the world. A. Simple B. Compound C. Complex D. Compound-Complex y 2: Add another independent clause to the following independent clauses to feo on een E.g,, The college campus is located in the center of the city; therefore it is very easy to do my shopping. Students can attend day classes; moreover,. Students can live in dormitories; otherwise,.... Ihave finished my math homework; however,..... ‘The instmictor gave us eight weeks to write our term papers; however, My roommate scored very—high onthe English placement test; therefore. yaepe anata te eet » Joggers were out running around the track although they were freezing cold. 1. Since she had a demanding job,. 2. Afcamping in the mountains or beaches is cheap, 63. Foreign travel is expensive even though... 4. Travelers must know the tipping standards of foreign countries unless. 5. Russia also sells flights in fighter jets while China. 2. Simple sentence with verb series 3. Simple sentence with inverted order 4. Complex sentence with dependent clause first 5. Complex sentence with dependent clause last