Putting It All Together: Constructing Sentences
Congratulations. Now that you've examined words, phrases, and clauses, you can put 'em all together and —
Grammarians get technical with sentences, just as they do with the parts that make up the sentences. Sentences are classified in both the way they're arranged (this is called sentence type) and in the way they function.
Surveying Sentence Types
You can determine the type of sentence by looking at
A simple sentence has one independent clause and no subordinate clause:
This sentence has one subject
A simple sentence may have compound subjects or verbs, but it has only one complete thought (one independent or main clause).
A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses (two main clauses) but no subordinate clause (no dependent clause):
This sentence has two independent clauses joined by
Remember that independent clauses are joined by a comma plus one of the boysfan words (
A complex sentence has one independent clause (main clause) and one or more subordinate clauses (dependent clauses):
This sentence has one independent clause
Using complex and compound-complex sentences helps to keep your writing from being monotonous. A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses (main clauses) and one or more subordinate clauses (dependent clauses):
This sentence has one subordinate clause
Fathoming Sentence Function
Sentences function in four different ways; they can be declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory.
A declarative sentence makes a statement:
An interrogative sentence asks a question:
Sometimes you have a combination of sentence types.
The first part is a declarative sentence, and the second part is called a tag question.
An imperative sentence issues a command, makes a request, or gives instructions:
An exclamatory sentence expresses strong emotion: