The Sentence

1. Grammar Boot Camp The Sentence

2. What is a sentence? • Working in pairs, write a working definition of a sentence. • Now let’s look at what a serious dictionary has to say.

3. Dictionary Definition • Sentence- a grammaticalunit of one or more words that  expresses an independentstatement , question, request, command, exclamation, etc., and that typically has a subject as well as a predicate, as in John is here.  or Is John here?   In print or writing, a sentence typically begins with a capital letter and ends with appropriate punctuation; in speech it displays recognizable, communicative intonation patterns and is often  marked by preceding and following pauses.

4. Definition • Let’s try for something simpler. • A group of wordsexpressing a complete statement, inquiry or command.

5. Which of these is a sentence? • The dog ran. • The dog. • Ran down the road. • Last week, the dog. • Sit! • What is the time? • Mr. Jones’s red fire engine. • Anyone who has a heart. • The answer, my friend. • I hope you had the time of your life.

6. Subject + Predicate • Subject: What we are talking about • Predicate: The action associated with the subject • This phrase contains the verb and other information.

7. So which are sentences? • The dog ran. • subject + predicate = sentence • The dog. • Subject only = fragment • Ran down the road. • Predicate only = fragment. • Last week, the dog. • Subject only = fragment • Sit! • Implied subject + predicate = sentence

8. So which are sentences? • What is the time? • Subject + predicate = sentence • Mr Jones’s red fire engine. • Subject only = fragment • Anyone who has a heart. • Subject only = fragment • The answer, my friend. • Two possible subject = fragment. • I hope you had the time of your life. • Subject + predicate = sentence.

9. Fragments • Sometimes you will use fragments in your writing. • But they are not full sentences. • Use them with care.

10. A fragment for emphasis • Example: I walked into the room and the dog was on the bed. The dog. The bed.

11. A fragment for partial thoughts • “I decided to go to the shop for...” he said, “I can’t remember what for.”

12. Four kinds of sentences • Simple sentences • Compound sentences • Complex sentences • Compound-complex sentences • But first we need to understand about clauses.

13. Clauses • The building blocks of sentences. • Independent clause • Can stand alone as a complete sentence. • The dog raced down the road. • The tennis balls were smashed across the court. • Dependant clause • Only part of a sentence; it cannot stand alone. • To follow the ball. • After colliding with the racquet.

14. Simple Sentence • One independent clause. • Just one thought. • Indiana sat down on her bed. • Can contain more than one subject or object. • Indiana and Emmylou slept on the floor and the couch.

15. Your turn • Write two simple sentences.

16. Compound Sentence • A sentence that has two or more independent clauses. • Usually joined by a conjunction. • example:. unless, because, but, rather than. • Conjunctions create a relationship. • This is an excellent way to demonstrate the connection between events and information.

17. Compound Sentences • Basic: Indiana smells nice. • Basic: Indiana just had a bath. • Compound: Indiana smells nice because she just had a bath.

18. Compound Sentences • Basic: Emmylou was frightened by the thunder. • Basic: Emmylou jumped into my lap. • Compound: Emmylou jumped into my lap because she was frightened by the thunder.

19. Compound and the Semi-Colon • You can also make a compound sentence using a semi colon. • This is useful when you don’t want to, or don’t need to, explain the connection between the ideas. • Example:. Emmylou jumped into my lap; she was frightened by the thunder.

20. Conjunctions • Let’s take a quick detour and look at some conjunctions.

21. Conjunctions • There are lots of words used as conjunctions but only a few simple types. • Conditional • Reason • Choice • Contrast • Location • Result • Time

22. Conjunctions: Conditional • Shows a conditional link between clauses. • Unless • Provided that • If • Even if • Indiana will stay on the couch unless she hears the fridge door open.

23. Conjunctions: Reason • One clause is the reason for the other. • Because • As • As If • Indiana sat on the floor because Emmylou was on the couch.

24. Conjunctions: Choice • Demonstrates choices or options. • Rather than • Than • Whether • Or • Indiana likes to sleep inside rather than sit outside.

25. Conjunctions: Contrast • Contrasts one clause with another. • Rather than • Than • Emmylou runs faster than Indiana.

26. Conjunctions: Location Shows location connection. • Where • Whereas • Last week it was raining in Williamstown where I was riding my Zen bike.

27. Conjunctions: Result • One clause is a result of the other. • In order that • So • So that • That • I left out the book so that Emmylou could eat most of it.

28. Conjunctions: Time • Show a time connection between the clauses. • While • Once • When • Since • Whenever • After • Before • Until • As Soon As.

29. Conjunctions: Time • Notice how the meaning is slightly different each time. • Indiana barks while it is dark outside. • Indiana barks once it is dark outside. • Indiana barks when it is dark outside. • Indiana has been barking since it became dark outside. • Indiana barks whenever it is dark outside. • Indiana barks after it is dark outside. • Indiana barks before it is dark outside. • Indiana barks until it is dark outside. • Indiana barks as soon as it is dark outside.

30. Your turn • Write your own compound sentence with: • a reason conjunction, • a result conjunction, • a conditional conjunction, • a semi-colon in place of a conjunction, • a contrast conjunction, and • a time conjunction.

31. Time to get back to our sentences

32. Complex Sentence • A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependant clause. • Although Indiana is not very bright, she is a wonderful pet. • Although Indiana is not very bright (dependant clause), she is a wonderful pet (independent clause).

33. Complex Sentences • Identify the independent and dependent clauses in this complex sentences. • Since I was starving, I went out for a drink and a pizza. • After seeing the movie, I decided that I would not bother watching For Your Consideration again on DVD. • Although I was very tired, I could not sleep.

34. Your turn • Write two complex sentences.

35. Compound-Complex Sentence • A sentence that has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependant clause. • These are the most complicated sentences but perfectly simple really. • Identify the two independent clauses and the dependant clause in the following examples.

36. Compound-Complex Sentence • Indiana went to the shops although Emmylou, being terribly tired, stayed home to snooze. • I wanted to stay in bed but I decided, after a brief mental struggle, to get up and go to work. • We could study sentences for ever, it is tempting, or play at little, by this I mean just one, game of silent ball.

37. Quick Quiz • What type of sentence is each of these? • Because it was raining, I went inside. • I was playing video games and the rain stopped. • I looked outside, just to be sure, and saw that the rain had started again. • The rain fell down.

38. Quick Quiz • The rain fell some more and I moved onto a new video game. • It was great but... • The roof fell in. • The power shorted out because of all the water, as you’d expect. • So I went back to bed.

39. Time for some answers...

40. Quick Quiz - Answers • Because it was raining, I went inside. • (complex) • I was playing video games and the rain stopped. • (compound) • I looked outside, just to be sure, and saw that the rain had started again. • (compound-complex) • The rain fell down. • (simple)

41. Quick Quiz - Answers • The rain fell some more and I moved onto a new video game. • (compound) • It was great but... • (fragment) • The roof fell in. • (simple) • The power shorted out because of all the water, as you’d expect. • (compound-complex) • So I went back to bed. (fragment, dependant clause).

42. Now it’s your turn • Write. • Four simple sentences. • Three compound sentences. • Two complex sentences. • One compound-complex sentence.