For Writing Classes

SENTENCE VOCABULARY

Sentence Types

A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and a finite verb and expressing a complete thought.

A declarative sentence makes a statement: The sun rose.

An interrogative sentence asks a question: Did the sun rise?

An exclamatory sentence indicates surprise or other strong emotion: How beautiful the dawn is.

An imperative sentence expresses a command: Get up earlier tomorrow.

Sentence Structure

A simple sentence is a single independent clause without dependent clauses: I left the house.

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses: I did not wish to go, but she was determined to bring me along.

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses: After he had cleaned up the kitchen, Tom fell asleep in front of the television.

A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses: We had hoped to go climbing, but the trip was postponed because she sprained her ankle.

Clauses

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a predicate.

An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone as a sentence: February is a cruel month.

A dependent clause is a clause that is grammatically subordinate to or dependent on an independent clause. The car hit the tree that stood at the edge of the road. The car hit the tree when it went out of control.

Common Errors

A run-on sentence is a sentence that contains no punctuation between independent clauses. A spell-checker is a great tool it doesn't catch the distinction between words that have similar sounds such as your and you're.

A comma splice is a name we teachers use for a sentence that uses a comma as the punctuation mark between independent clauses. A spell-checker is a great tool, it doesn't catch the distinction between [. . .] Join independent clauses with a comma and one of the seven coordinating conjunctions (and, or, so, for, but, nor, yet) or with a semicolon. Or you can put a period at the end of the first independent clause and make the second one a new sentence.
NOTE: I see an awful lot of comma splices in direct quotations written by student journalists. Take this one as an example: "I do everything at the pizza shop except cook the pizzas," he said, "I need the money so it's my only choice to work."