Sentence Structure for DummiesThe Ultimate User Guide

What is sentence structure?

It means:

Not having fragments

Keeping verb tense consistent

Having good comma usage

Examples

Let’s look at some examples bad sentence structure.

Went to the movie. Walked to the store

He was very excited, because the movie is great.

He was happy interested and joyous.

What are fragments?

Fragments are sentence segments that do not form a complete sentence.

They might be missing a part of sentence like a subject or a verb.

Examples

I to the store

This sentence is missing a verb.

Went to the store.

This sentence is missing a subject

Verb Tesnses

If one doesn’t keep their tense consistent, then they confuse the reader.

You should choose one tense and stick with it.

Past, Present, or Future

Examples

These are some examples of inconsistent verb tenses in use.

She had would go to the store.

John did gone to Charlottesville.

Are you starting to get the idea?

Comma Usage

There are many rules for how commas can be used and it can often be challenging to figure it out.

The next slide will have just some of a few common mistakes.

Examples

John went to the store and bought eggs bacon grits and pancakes.

Correct: John went to the store and bought eggs, bacon, grits, and pancakes.

Alex was tired but he still had to run the race.

Correct: Alex was tired, but he still had to run the race.

Additional Resources

Moodipedia recommends using http://www.chompchomp.com for extra help

Go to http://www.quia.com/shared for games about sentence structure.