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SENTENCE STRUCTURE

SENTENCE STRUCTURE. Understanding the correct usage of commas will increase your ability to:. Vary your sentence structure Make your writing more exciting and enticing Indicate the grammar of a sentence Help the reader put the pauses in the right places

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SENTENCE STRUCTURE

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  1. SENTENCE STRUCTURE

  2. Understanding the correct usage of commas will increase your ability to: • Vary your sentence structure • Make your writing more exciting and enticing • Indicate the grammar of a sentence • Help the reader put the pauses in the right places • Indicate literary qualities such as rhythm, direction, pitch, tone and flow

  3. A FEW NECESSARY DEFINITIONS • A CLAUSE is a group of words. • The SUBJECT of a sentence NAMES and tells WHO or WHAT the sentence is about. • The horse…, Our team…, The big, bad wolf… • The PREDICATE of a sentence tells more about the subject and includes the verb. • -bucked me off. –won the game. –loves to learn.

  4. Independent clauses are sentences that stand alone. They have a SUBJECT and a PREDICATE. Thus, an independent clause is a COMPLETE sentence. Dependent clauses are groups of words that DO NOT stand alone. They DO NOT express a complete thought. They are DEPENDENT on more words to be a complete sentence. Independent Clauses & Dependent Clauses

  5. INDEPENDENT VS DEPENDENT • An independent clause is a WHOLE sentence: The student studied for the test. • A dependent clause is NOT a whole sentence: When the student studied for the test….. It has a subject and a predicate, but NEEDS MORE to make the sentence COMPLETE.

  6. Compound Sentences • Use a comma to separate independent clauses (whole sentences) when they are joined with a conjunction (FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). • The class was over, but the students refused to leave. (Two whole sentences joined with a comma and a conjunction.)

  7. COMPOUND SENTENCES • Compound sentences are called compound because they are TWO sentences joined together with a comma and a conjunction. • Whole sentence+comma+FANBOYS+whole sentence. • Independent clause + , + conjunction + independent clause • The class was over, butthe students refused to leave.

  8. Check It Out • The class was over. WHOLE SENTENCE=INDEPENDENT CLAUSE= SUBJECT (The class) & PREDICATE (was over.) • The students refused to leave. WHOLE SENTENCE=INDEPENDENT CLAUSE= SUBJECT (The students) & PREDICATE (refused to leave.)

  9. Again • Join two WHOLE SENTENCES (independent clauses) with a comma and a fanboy (conjunction) • We want to read more, so we are turning off the TV and reading. • School is over, yet we still want to learn. • We can do our work now, or we can come in after school.

  10. EXCEPTION!!!! • DO NOT add a comma if the second clause is NOT a whole sentence!!!! • Jennifer likes to ride horses but doesn’t know much about training. • Jennifer likes to ride horses. WHOLE SENTENCE (independent clause) • doesn’t know much about training -NOT A WHOLE SENTENCE (no subject)

  11. INTRODUCTORY WORDS • Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase or clause. • Yes, we want to learn as much as we can. • First, we will always pay attention. • No, we will never forget to do our homework. • In that case, we will get good grades. • Otherwise, we won’t get a good education. • Of course, we will take responsibility for getting a good education.

  12. No, Yes, First, Secondly, Last, Actually, Also, Well, Eventually, Otherwise, However, Finally, Oh, Meanwhile, Thus, Hence, Okay, Therefore, Suddenly, Honestly,…… Of course, In that case, As I was saying, In conclusion, Before leaving, To begin with,…. LIST OF POSSIBLE INTRODUCTORY WORDS

  13. Dependent Clauses at the beginning of sentences • Use a comma to separate a dependent clause from the rest of the sentence if it BEGINS a sentence. Remember, dependent clausesdepend on more words to make a complete sentence. • Since the students were paying attention, they learned a lot. “Since the students were paying attention,” is the dependent clause. It needs MORE words to be a complete sentence.

  14. List of words that Dependent Clauses usually begin with • Since….., Even though…, • After….., Rather than…, • Because…, If…., • Before…., Now that…, • Although…, Even if…, • Whenever…, Whether or not…, • Unless…, While…, • Until…., • Though…., • In order to…,

  15. Examples of sentences that BEGIN with DEPENDENT Clauses • Because he did all of his homework, his grade went up. • If you make the best of the situation, it won’t seem too bad. • Since she was so smart and worked hard, she was able to take advance classes. • Whenever he’s in a difficult situation, he always tries to make the best of it. • Unless you pay attention and try, you won’t learn much.

  16. Adverbial Clauses(These are also dependent clauses) • Use a comma to set off an adverbial clause (usually the “when part”) from the rest of the sentence when it BEGINS a sentence. • After school’s over, let’s go home and study. • When? After school’s over • When we study hard, we do well in school. • When? When we study hard

  17. More About Adverbial Clauses All you’re really doing is switching the order of the sentence, so you need to put in a comma to indicate that the sentence is out of its regular order! Regular order: Let’s go home and study after school’s over. Switched order: After school’s over, let’s go home and study. (Notice the COMMA)

  18. We do well in school when we study hard. When we study hard, we do well in school. Jennifer got bucked off this past fall. This past fall, Jennifer got bucked off. We are going on a raft trip over spring break. Over spring break, we are going on a raft trip. More Switching

  19. PARTICIPLE PHRASES • Use a comma to set off a participle phrase that begins a sentence. A participle is a verb ending in –ing or –ed. • Leaving the school, we were caught in traffic. • Dancing wildly, Bob tried to impress the girls. • Annoyed by the noise, Jane turned off the TV. • Jumping up and down, the students cheered for sentence structure.

  20. NOUN OF ADDRESS(or Direct Address) • Use a comma to set off a noun in a DIRECT address. This is when the person is being DIRECTLY spoken to. • My foot hurts, Joe. (Joe is being DIRECTLY spoken to – or addressed.) • My foot hurts Joe. (In this case, the foot is hurting Joe – Joe is NOT being spoken to.)

  21. More Examples of Direct Addresses • Billy, Jean is coming over. (Billy is being told that Jean is coming over.) • Billy Jean is coming over. (Someone is simply saying that Billy Jean is coming over. NO ONE is being directly addressed.) • Please clean your room, Sandy. • Please, Sandy, clean your room. • Sandy, please clean your room.

  22. LISTS • Use commas to separate words or groups of words in a series, or list, of three or more. • Mrs. McMillion ran to the front of the room, did a dance, sang a song and collapsed on a chair. • She bought apples, pears, grapes and bananas for the fruit salad.

  23. Adjectives • Use commas to separate two or more adjectives that precede a noun. Of course, you remember that adjectives are describing words! • She was a wise, kind, wonderful teacher. • I read a juicy, enticing book. • The big, ugly monster was under my bed.

  24. Appositives • Use commas to set off appositives from the rest of the sentence. (Think of appositives as you are “positive” this is who the person is.) • Mrs. McMillion, our English teacher, loves to torture us with sentence structure. • Scott, a reporter, wrote that article. • Kelsey, my student, won the spelling bee.

  25. INTERRUPTERS • Use commas to set off words or phrases that interrupt the sentence and are not really needed. • There weren’t enough tickets, of course, to go around. • We were, however, hoping to find a ticket on the ground. • Money, as you know, doesn’t grow on trees. • I’m planning, therefore, to get a job.

  26. MORE INTERRUPTERS • Mrs. McMillion is expecting her students, since they have all been taught thoroughly, to apply the comma rules perfectly. • What matters most, I hope you all realize by now, is kindness. • Things turn out the best, as you may have learned by now, for those that make the best of the way things turn out!

  27. Extra Information at the End Use a comma to separate extra information at the end of a sentence. This information is a small comment that doesn’t have a subject and is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Examples: His sister was a condition of life he had learned to live with, like spiders. It is important to learn to read well, obviously.

  28. The Ones You Already Know • CITY comma STATE: Livingston, MT • Dates: Monday, April 15, 1998 • Backwards names: Higgins, Bob • Addresses written all on one line: • 22 Maple Road, Madison, Wisconsin 78990

  29. JUST FOR FUN Look at the difference that punctuation makes: A woman, without her man, is nothing. A woman: without her, man is nothing. How much do you want honey? How much do you want, Honey? What is this thing called love? What is this thing called, Love? Go get him doctors. Go get him, doctors. Wendy, my student won the spelling bee. Wendy, my student, won the spelling bee.

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