Sentence forms
English
sentences are divided into statements, questions, commands, and exclamatory
sentences. The sentences are also divided into simple sentences, compound
sentences, and complex sentences.
Simple Sentences
A
simple sentence, also called an independent clause, has a subject and a
predicate and other necessary part of the sentence. A simple sentence has only
one clause.
The children were laughing.
(Who was laughing?)
John wanted a new bicycle.
(What did john want?)
We invited them. (Whom did we
invite?)
Attitudes of family members
or friends influence
us. (What influences us? )
We had coffee in a cafeteria.
(Where did we have coffe?)
You look as if you
hate each other. (How do you look each other?)
This man comes here ever day.
(How often does this man come here?)
He slipped and fell while he
was running. (O ne zaman kaydı ve düştü? When)
He failed to shoot the
target, for he couldn't see in the dark. (O hedefi niçin vuramadı? Why)
We gave a bone to our
dog. We gave our dog a bone.
Life goes on.
He wrote a letter to the
manager.
Simple
unextended declarative sentences is “Subject + Predicate”.
Anna teaches. Time flies. He
will understand.
Simple
extended declarative sentences is “Subject + Predicate + Object + Adverbial
Modifier”.
Anna teaches mathematics.
Tom has returned my books.
We are reading a story now.
He will understand it later.
Statement
or Declarative sentences:
A
statement uses the basic word order pattern: Subject + Predicate (+ object +
adverbial modifier).
Tom writes stories.
He talked to Anna yesterday.
My son bought three history
books.
Tom writes short stories for
children.
Commands
have the same word order as statements, but the subject (you) is usually
omitted.
Go to your room.
Listen to the story.
Exclamatory sentences have the same word order
as statements (the subject is before the predicate).
She is a great singer!
It is an excellent
opportunity!
How well he knows history!
What a beautiful town this
is!
How strange it is!
In some types of exclamatory sentences, the
subject (it, this, that) and the linking verb are often omitted.
What a pity!
What a beautiful present!
What beautiful flowers!
How strange!
Complex
Sentences
There are
five parts of a sentence: the subject, the predicate, the attribute, the object,
and the adverbial modifier. Accordingly, there are five types of subordinate
clauses: the subject clause, the predicative clause, the attributive clause,
the object clause, and several types of adverbial clauses.
A complex
sentence consists of the main clause and the subordinate clause connected by
subordinating conjunctions (e.g., that, after, when, since, because, if,
though). Each clause has a subject and a predicate.
I told him that I didn't know
anything about their plans.
Betty has worked as a secretary
since she moved to California.
If he comes back early, ask
him to call me, please.
Compound Sentences:
A
compound sentence consists of two independent clauses connected by coordinating
conjunctions (and, but, or). Each clause has a subject and a predicate. The
clauses in a compound sentence are joined by co-ordinating conjunctions:
We stayed behind and finished
the job, and then we went home.
John shouted, and everybody
waved.
We looked everywhere, but we
couldn’t find him.
They are coming by car, so
they should be here soon.
Maria lives in London, and
her friend Elizabeth lives in New York.
He wrote a letter to the
manager, but the manager didn't answer.
Narratives most often use
past-tense verbs and adverbs.
Sanford Meisner founded and directed the neighborhood Playhouse
in New York City.
The ambulance rescued the
injured men.
A helicopter saved the
injured.
The cars crashed into each
other in the middle of the intersection.
I was watching TV when suddenly
a car crashed through my wall.
I told the police exactly
what had happened.
We were just falling asleep
when a huge explosion lit up the sky.
I woke up late and rushed to
school, but on the way there something terrible happened.
Unfortunately, I had a car
accident. I was covered with blood and badly injured.
I promised myself I would
never do that again.
You
should begin a narrative paragraph with a topic sentence. This sentence
introduces your story and gets the reader interested. You should then add at
least three clear, descriptive ideas as body sentences. Some ideas can be
developed in one sentence, but some will need two descriptive sentences.
Writing specific details in chronological order makes the most sense. The
conclusion sentence completes the paragraph with a link back to the beginning,
a line of dialogue or a glance toward the future. For example, if you are
writing a personal story about how your trip abroad affected your life, end
with a sentence that talks about future plans to travel abroad or how you will
keep that spirit of adventure intact now that you are home.
