englishsentencestructure-190904105732.pptx

GUIDE TO SENTENCE STRUCTURE

1. Sentence Structure

2. Before we begin…. Let’s look at the types of sentences people use: Simple sentences Compound sentences Complex sentences Compound-complex sentences

3. Simple Sentences Simple Sentences: These are sentences that express a complete idea: e.g. She was in the class The exam is tomorrow A simple sentence needs a subject (the thing ‘doing’ the action) and a main verb (the action) Simple sentences are also called “ independent clauses ” (because they are complete and don’t need any support)

4. Compound Sentences Compound sentences are formed by connecting two (or more) simple sentences with the words and/but/so/nor/or/for/yet (also called conjunctions ) : e.g. She was in class , but she arrived late e.g. The exam is tomorrow , so you need to revise tonight . Note: there should be a comma before each conjunction, but this rule is not always followed

5. Complex Sentences Complex sentences are formed by using an independent clause (simple sentence) with a dependent clause (or switch them round). The independent clause expresses a complete idea, but the dependent clause (also called a subordinate clause ) does not. There are many words you can use to form complex sentences , and they can refer to concession (e.g. although, despite), time (e.g. since, while), reason (e.g. because, as), subjects (e.g. which, who) e.g. Although she completed her literature review , she still needed to improve it Because it was exam day tomorrow , it was important to revise The nursing assignment was difficult as they needed to critically analyse the article If you want to practice these types of words, look at the Canvas Linking Words page, or the web links below this presentation.

6. Compound-Complex Sentences C ompound-complex sentences are formed with by combining a range of independent and dependent clauses together. Often, this sentence type will have three parts: e.g. The assignment was completed , but he felt the reference list was not complete , even though he had spent two hours compiling it . e.g. Although the exam was tomorrow , they did not feel confident they would pass , since they had not been to the revision classes . Remember : there are many different ways to form compound-complex sentences, but they are useful if you want to write long sentences

7. Do I need to know all this? If you are having problems organising your sentences, it can be useful to see if you are structuring them well , e.g. do your sentences have subjects and verbs? Are you writing a complex-sentence correctly? If you find the sentence terminology confusing (clauses, subordinates, dependent etc.), then don’t worry – just make sure you are structuring your sentences clearly .

8. Sentence Problems The next section looks at common problems when forming sentences: Sentence fragments Run-on sentences Comma splices Choppy sentences Stringy sentences

9. Sentence Fragments Look at the following sentences: Although the course was well organised The new book very simple to understand Organised the students into different classes Can you see what they problems are? They are all incomplete because they are all missing something . Therefore, these sentences are sentence fragments.

10. Sentence Fragments Possible ways to correct the sentence fragments: “Although the course was well organised” is a dependent clause, so needs an independent clause added to it to make sense “The new book very simple to understand” is missing a verb e.g. The new book was/is very….. “Organised the students into different classes” is missing a subject e.g. The teacher organised the students…..

11. Run-on Sentences / Comma Splices These two types are very similar and are often found together For example: 1. Over indulgence in fast food can lead to weight gain it can also cause health problems in later life 2. Over indulgence in fast food can lead to weight gain , it can also cause health problems in later life Can you see the problems?

12. Run-on Sentences / Comma Splices If you think both sentences are correct, then maybe you have problems with run-on sentences and comma splices: “Over indulgence in fast food can lead to weight gain it can also cause health problems in later life” is a run-on sentence because it has no punctuation to separate the sentence parts (i.e. 2 independent clauses). 2. “Over indulgence in fast food can lead to weight gain , it can also cause health problems in later life” is a comma splice, because it is using a comma to separate the sentences parts.

13. Run-on Sentences / Comma Splices Run-on sentences and comma splices can both be corrected the same way: Using a semi colon : “…..can lead to weight gain ; it can also……” Using a full stop : “….. can lead to weight gain . I t can also ……” Using a conjunction : “ “…..can lead to weight gain and it can also……” Note : these mistakes are very common, but can be corrected very easily  If you make these mistakes, try and recognise them so you can improve your sentences.

14. Choppy Sentences Look at the following sentences and see what problems there are: The findings are presented here. They appear to show that the results are inconclusive. This was expected.

15. Choppy Sentences Choppy sentences are those where the ideas are divided into short sentences. The three sentences would be more effective if the ideas were combined by removing some words and adding others. For example : T he findings presented here appear to show the results are inconclusive, but this was expected.

16. Stringy Sentences Look at the following sentence and see what problems it has: Many students attend classes all morning, and then they work all afternoon , and they also have to study at night, so they are usually exhausted by the weekend.

17. Stringy Sentences Because the sentence has too many clauses, it is over-long and so becomes a list of parts strung together. There are many ways to correct it, but one way is to have two sentences, and introduce the second sentence with a word or phrase : Many students attend classes all morning, and then they work all afternoon. Because of this , they also have to study at night, so they are usually exhausted by the weekend. Stringy sentences are the opposite of choppy sentences.

18. Extra Practice To write effectively, you need to use a range of sentence types (simple/compound/complex/compound-complex) and also recognise the mistakes you make e.g. run-on sentences; too many choppy sentences. Look at the links below this presentation for more examples and ideas on sentence structure. Additionally, our other Canvas pages have ideas on linking words, cohesion and punctuation , which are all connected to good sentence structure .