English Grammar Lessons

Introduction to Sentence Structure

The two fundamental parts of every English sentence are the subject and the predicate. A simple sentence can also be described as a group of words expressing a complete thought. Subjects can be described as the component that performs the action described by the Predicate.

SUBJECT + PREDICATE = SENTENCE

A simple sentence or independent clause must have a verb. A verb shows action or state of being. The subject tells who or what about the verb.

SUBJECT + VERB = SENTENCE

Sentence Structure Vocabulary

The sentence format consists of a subject and a predicate.

The subject names the topic and the predicate tells about the subject.

A sentence with one subject and one predicate is called a simple sentence.

The receiver of actions is called the object.

A group of words used as a single value without subject or predicate is called a phrase.

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

Principal or independent clauses can form sentences.

A compound sentence contains two or more principal clauses.

A clause which cannot form a sentence is called a dependant clause.

A complex sentence contains a principal clause and one or more dependant or subordinate clauses.

A compound-complex sentence contains two principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.

Four Kinds of Sentences

Four kinds of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory.

1. A declarative sentence makes a statement. Example: The hockey finals will be broadcast tomorrow.

2. An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request. Example: Pass the puck to the open man.

3. An interrogative sentence asks a question. Example: Do you know the rules of hockey?

4. An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling. Example: Stop that man!

Declarative, imperative, or interrogative sentences can be made into exclamatory sentences by punctuating them with an exclamation point.

The Six Basic Sentence Construction Patterns

1. No Verb Complement The simplest structure is one without a verb complement. In traditional grammar, all verb complements are either nouns or adjectives. Examples 1. Canada wins.

2. Direct Object Verb Complement The defining characteristic is the presence of a direct object. Example: Boys love hockey.

3. Indirect and Direct Object Verb Complements Both indirect and direct objects are present. Indirect objects are placed immediately after the verb. Direct objects that are noun phrases follow the indirect object. Example: Dad gave [(me)(a puck)].

4. Predicate Nominative Verb Complement The predicate nominative verb complement is a noun or a pronoun that redefines, renames, or classifies the subject of the sentence. The verb in a predicate nominative sentence pattern is always a linking verb, such as be, seem, or become. Example: He became a coach.

5. Predicate Adjective Verb Complement The predicate adjective is an adjective that modifies the subject of the sentence. The verb is always a linking verb, such as be, seem, smell, look, taste, or become. Example: The game became difficult.

6.Direct Object and Objective Complement The verb complements are a direct object and an objective complement. An objective complement is a noun or an adjective that occurs after the direct object and describes the direct object. Example: The class made [(me)(bilingual)].

Exercises

1. Four young soldiers led the troops into battle2. In less than two hours, the entire cake had been eaten.3. For most of his career, Jim has ridden his bicycle to his office.

4. Two beautiful goldfish in the pond were eating the insects on the top of the water.

5. Until that last telephone call, I was having a wonderful day.6. Last week's fire was started by an arsonist from a nearby town.7. Her latest statement to the press was carefully worded.8. Novels by E. L. Doctorow are my favorite.9. The farmers in that part of the county are planting their fields

this week.10. Eat your food slowly. – You

Identify the Subject and Predicate

1. The large vehicle is mostly used for military transport.

2.  The film's structure creates a context in which the main character's manic anger and violence is believable.

3.  His attitude about taxes was openly hostile.

4.  Grazing and illegal hunting must be controlled for native animals to survive.

5.  The climber used an ice axe to ascend Mount Everest.

6.  I don't think there is danger of a large scale war.

7.  The caret is a very useful symbol when you are proofreading and need to insert text.

8.  A steamer ferry links Rameswaram, India, with Mannar, Sri Lanka.

9.  The group has repeatedly used technology to evade government controls.

10.  Many government agencies in Florida require their employees to be able to speak Spanish.

11.  A market economy is based on buyers and sellers.

12.  The vintage movie network will accommodate viewers who still want classic movie titles.

13.  The president hopes to create conditions to negotiate peace.

14.  A king's ring was a symbol of his authority in medieval times.

15.  The speaker chosen to deliver the commencement address at the spring ceremony is Thomas Taylor, Ph.D.

Write the words in the correct order to form a sentence.1.  Subject:in Public transportation Rome

Predicate:elaborate is an system. bus provided by

2.  Subject:grandfather MyPredicate:during the battalion entire war. commanded an

3.  Subject:father mother My and Predicate:have very amiable a relationship.

4.  Subject:concept ThePredicate:very looks promising.

5.  Subject:SallyPredicate:significant her a advantage. her gives experience believes

6.  Subject:and NFL NBA ThePredicate:and steroids test for them. prohibit

7.  Subject:injury spinal A cordPredicate:can death. even or cause paralysis

8.  Subject:expert The Predicate:be predict. said to speculative would too it

Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, or Exclamatory?Write whether the sentence is declarative, imperative, interrogative, or exclamatory.

1.  Watch out for the squirrel!

2.  My great grandmother came to America as an immigrant from Russia.

3.  Give the customer his refund for the broken fan.

4.  You need some deodorant!

5.  Did Robert exceed his goals?

6.  How many raisins were in the bag?

7.  Quit being so cautious!

8.  Go get my screwdriver out of the workshop for me.

9.  Make sure you pay your bills on time.

10.  I was confident on the line because free-throw shooting is my strong side.

11.  The tiny sailboat overturned in the gale.

12.  Do you like coconut milk?

13.  The villagers were afraid the volcano would erupt soon.

14.  Your perfume stinks!

15. Jan read the barometer every 15 minutes before the storm.

Add the correct ending punctuation. Then write whether the sentence is declarative, imperative, interrogative, or exclamatory.

1.  Put a summary of your topic on my desk tomorrow morning____

2.  In 1955, a riot broke out at an Elvis Presley concert in Jacksonville, Florida____

3.  Your perfume stinks____

4.  Go hang up your blouse in the closet____

5.  That's my favorite song____

6.  Bill insisted his comments were taken out of context____

7.  He's so dishonest____

8.  Put the coleslaw on the table next to the potatoes____

9.  Why is that vulture circling around the rabbit____

10.  Who took this aerial shot of the White House____

11.  It takes a few years to cultivate oysters of a certain quality____

12.  Did the police find out who broke into the jewelry store____

13.  The climb to the top of the mountain is almost vertical____

14.  Make sure you pay your bills on time____

15.  She loves to swim and bask in the sun____

Introducing the Eight Parts of Speech

English grammar uses words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction,and the interjection. Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used. The same word can be a noun in

one sentence and a verb or adjective in the next.

VERBS

The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence. A verb or compound verb states something about the subject of the sentence. The verb depicts actions, events, or states of being.

A transitive or sometimes called an action verb passes action on to a direct object.

An intransitive verb does not indicate a transfer of action.

A linking verb joins a subject with a word that describes it.

A main verb indicates the primary or principal activity.

An auxiliary verb helps the main verb describe an action or state of being.

A modal verb indicates ability, obligation, permission, or possibility. Modal examples: can, may, must, should, could, might, ought, would.

A finite verb describes a definite and limited action or condition.

A non-finite verb shows an unfinished action or condition.

A ditransitive verb takes two complements, an indirect object and a direct object.

Monotransitive verbs take one complement, usually a direct object

An intransitive verb does not have any complements. Examples: Fred cried. Sally slept.

A prepositional verb is a multi-word verb consisting of a verb and preposition.

Phrasal-prepositional verbs are multi-word verbs consisting of a verb, adverb and preposition.

Verb Forms called Verbals

Infinitives are the word " to + verb" and they act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

Participles in past or present tenses act as adjectives

Gerunds in the "present tense participle form" act as nouns.

NOUNS

A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, or abstract concepts. A noun can function in a sentence as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, a subject complement, an object complement, an appositive, an adjective or an adverb.

Proper nouns are capitalized and include: name of a specific person, place, or thing, days of the week, months of the year, historical documents, institutions, organizations, religions, holy texts and religious followers.

A common noun is a noun referring in general to a person, place, or thing.

A concrete noun is a noun which names everything (or everyone) that you can perceive through the physical senses of touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell.

An abstract noun is a noun that names anything that you can not

perceive through your five physical senses.

A countable noun (or count noun) names anything (or anyone) that you can count and is a noun with both a singular and a plural form.

A non-countable noun (or mass noun) is a noun which does not have a plural form, and which refers to something that you could (or would) not usually count.

A collective noun is a noun naming a group of things, animals or persons.

A possessive noun indicates ownership or possession.

PRONOUNS

Pronouns as a part of speech can replace a noun, another pronoun, noun phrases and perform most of the functions of a noun.

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. The subjective personal pronouns: I, you, she, he, it, we, you, they".

An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns: "me, you, her, him, it, us, you, them".

A possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an indication of possession and defines who owns a particular object. The possessive personal pronouns: "mine, yours, hers, his, its, ours, theirs".

A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. The demonstrative pronouns: "this, that, these, and those''.

An interrogative pronoun is used to ask questions. The interrogative pronouns: "who, whom, which, what''.

Relative pronouns link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause. The relative pronouns: "who, whom, that, which.''

An indefinite pronoun refers to an unspecified person or thing. An indefinite pronoun depicts the idea of all, any, none, or some. The most common indefinite pronouns: all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, each, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one, several, some, somebody, and someone.

The reflexive pronouns identify the "self" such as: "myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.''

An intensive pronoun is a pronoun used to emphasize or highlight an attribute.

ADJECTIVES

An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. Many consider articles: "the, a, an" to be adjectives.

An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies. Gradable adjectives have a base, comparative and superlative form. The adjective happy is intensified in the following examples: "very happy, extremely happy, quite happy, happier, and happiest". Adjectives can have stative or dynamic and inherent or non-inherent properties.

An adjective can be modified by an adverb or by a phrase or clause

functioning as an adverb. Some nouns, many pronouns, and many participle phrases can also act as adjectives.

A possessive adjective is similar to a possessive pronoun. The possessive adjective modifies a noun or a noun phrase.

The demonstrative adjectives ``this, these, that, those, what'' are identical to the demonstrative pronouns, but are used as adjectives to modify nouns or noun phrases.

An interrogative adjective such as ``which or what'' is like an interrogative pronoun. The interrogative adjective modifies a noun or noun phrase rather than standing on its own.

An indefinite adjective is similar to an indefinite pronoun. The indefinite adjective modifies a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase.

ADVERBS

An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a complete clause by indicating manner, time, place, cause, or degree.

Adverbs have a complex grammatical relationship within the sentence or clause as a whole. An adverb can be found in various places within the sentence. An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, a clause or entire sentence. Adverbs are gradable with intensification and comparison.

A circumstantial adverb indicates manner, time or place.

A degree adverb specifies the degree or cause to which some property applies and answers questions such as: how, when and where.

The conjunctive adverb can join two clauses together. The most

common conjunctive adverbs: "also, consequently, finally, furthermore, hence, however, incidentally, indeed, instead, likewise, meanwhile, nevertheless, next, nonetheless, otherwise, still, then, therefore and thus."

A disjunct adverb comments on the sentence as a whole. Example: Honestly, I couldn't believe my eyes.

An interrogative adverb is used to construct interrogative sentences and "wh-questions" example: Why did you do that?

PREPOSITIONS

A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence.

A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence.

The most common prepositions: "about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, but, by, despite, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto, out, outside, over, past, since, through, throughout, till, to, toward, under, underneath, until, up, upon, with, within and without."

Complex prepositions consist of more than one word: along with, out of, up to.

CONJUNCTIONS

Conjunctions link words, phrases, and clauses.

Conjunctions are a part of speech and are a closed word class which includes coordinating words such as "and, but, and or", and

subordinating words such as "because, if, and when". Some conjunctions can also appear as prepositions or as adverbs.

Coordinating conjunctions ``and, but, or, nor, for, so, or yet'' are used to join individual words, phrases, and independent clauses. The conjunctions ``but'' and ``for'' can also function as prepositions.

A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of the relationship between the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s). The most common subordinating conjunctions: "after, although, as, because, before, how, if, once, since, than, that, though, till, until, when, where, whether and while".

Correlative conjunctions always appear in pairs -- you use them to link equivalent sentence elements. The most common correlative conjunctions: "both... and, either...or, neither...nor, not only.., but also, so...as, and whether...or." Usually correlative conjunctions consist of a coordinating conjunction linked to an adjective or adverb.

INTERJECTIONS

An interjection is a part of speech used to show or express emotion or illustrate an exclamation.

Interjections are used in speech to indicate emotion or transition. Interjections such as "yuk, ouch, eh" are used as exclamations in conversation.