Types Of Sentences

Types of Sentences

Clauses are the building blocks of sentences. A clause is a group of words that contains (at least) a subject and a verb.

Clause Not a clause

ecology is a science to protect the environment

Subj. verb

There are two kinds of clauses: independent and dependent.

An independent clause contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. It is a sentence by itself, and it is formed with a subject and a verb and often a complement.

Subject Verb (Complement)

She eats

She eats fresh vegetables.

A dependent clause begins with a subordinator such as when, while, if, that, or who. A dependent clause does not express a complete thought, so it is not a sentence by itself. When it is used by itself, it is an incomplete sentence, and it is an error. A dependent clause is formed with (and introduced by) a subordinator, a subject, and a verb.

Subordinator Subject Verb (Complement)

…because she eats fresh vegetables

The following are a few of the most common subordinators.

Subordinators

after before that when which because

although even though though whenever while so that

as, just as how unless where who

as if if until wherever whom

as soon as since what whether whose

Kinds of Sentences

A sentence is a group of words that you use to communicate your ideas. Every sentence is formed from one or more clauses and expresses a complete thought.

The four basic kinds of sentences in English are simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex (we will not see this last one). The kind of sentence is determined by the kind of clauses used to form it.

Simple Sentences

A simple sentence is one independent clause.

English grammar is easy.

English grammar is easy but requires practice.

English grammar and Spanish grammar are easy but require practice.

Notice that the second sentence has two verbs, is and requires. This is called a compound verb. The third sentence has both a compound subject –English grammar and Spanish grammar- and a compound verb –are and require. All three examples are simple sentences because they have only one clause.

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence is two or more independent clauses joined together. There are three ways to join the clauses:

1. With a coordinator

Independent clause, + coordinator + independent clause

The listening section is the first part of the TOEFL test, and the reading section is the third part.

There are seven coordinators, which are also called coordinating conjunctions. Remember them by the phrase FAN BOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)

Punctuation note: There is a comma after the first independent clause.

The meanings of the seven FAN BOYS are:

For – to add a reason

And – to add a similar, equal idea

Nor – to add a negative equal idea

But – to add an opposite idea

Yet – to add an unexpected or surprising continuation

So – to add an expected result

But and yet have

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