Their types, uses and components. Devised by Jo Killmister, Skills Enhancement Program, Newcastle Business School

Transcription

1 Their types, uses and components

2 Definition of a sentence A sentence is: A complete thought or idea A two-unit construction, including a subject and a predicate Subject: what the sentence s idea is really about, what it refers to Predicate: what we are saying about the subject (At minimum, a predicate must consist of a verb, but a predicate s verb usually has an object as well, as in My program finishes next trimester. )

3 Classification of sentences Regular sentences are divided into the following types: simple compound complex. The bases of sentence classification are: the number of clauses in a sentence the relationship between those clauses. (Remember that a clause is a group of words consisting of a subject, verb and, perhaps, other words. It expresses an idea or thought, although it may share a sentence with other thoughts.)

4 Simple Sentences A simple sentence consists of one main clause for example, The storm flooded Newcastle s streets, or, Pharlap was a famous Australian racehorse. Subject: i) The storm ii) Pharlap Predicate: i) flooded Newcastle s streets ii) was a famous Australian racehorse Each of these constructions expresses a complete idea and so satisfies the definition of a sentence. It is very important in academe to develop your ideas in the form of well-constructed, complete sentences.

5 Compound sentences A compound sentence consists of two or more main clauses, equal in status. Here are two examples: 1. The storm flooded Newcastle s streets and caused a great deal of damage. 2. Pharlap was a famous Australian racehorse but died in America. Note that in each case there are two equal ideas linked by a conjunction such as and or but. (In these examples, The storm and Pharlap are each understood to be the subject of their particular sentence s second clause as well as the first.)

6 Complex sentences When a sentence consists of a main clause and one or more lesser clauses we call it a complex sentence. We call the lesser clauses in a complex sentence subordinate (or dependent ) because subordinate clauses, although they contain a verb, cannot be fully understood without the main clause. Because the clauses are unequal, in that one is the main clause and the other(s) is subordinate to it, their relationship is complex. The heart of that complexity is the precise nature of the relationship between the main clause and the lesser or subordinate clause. Note: choosing the right conjunction from words like although, unless and since to establish the nature of that relationship is very important to keeping your ideas clear in academic written tasks.

7 An example of a complex sentence: The storm, which occurred on June the 8 th, flooded Newcastle s streets. Here, the subordinate clause, the idea between the commas, adds a little bit of information about the time of the storm but is secondary to the main idea, The storm flooded Newcastle s streets. That main idea could stand alone without the subordinate clause. On the other hand, if we had to rely on the subordinate clause, we would not know what was so noteworthy about the occurrence on June the 8th. When we look at conjunctions (joining words) we ll look at their different types and roles. Some conjunctions can only be used for certain kinds of joining purpose. In the example above, the subordinate (or dependent) clause has been joined to the main clause with which, a relative pronoun which acts as a type of conjunction.

8 Four main uses of sentences So far, we ve looked at different kinds of sentence construction. Now, we ll look at how sentences can be used: Statements make declarations Questions request information Imperatives issue directions or commands Exclamations express strong emotion While you will have occasion to use all four in the course of your spoken English, your written academic English will, of course, chiefly consist of smoothly linked statements.

9 Basic punctuation of sentences Sentences always begin with a capital or upper case letter. End marks: Statements use full stops. (Full stops look like this.) Questions need question marks -? Exclamations need exclamation marks -! Imperatives may use either full stops or exclamation marks, depending on the degree of emotion behind the idea of the sentence concerned. (Of course, there are many other types of punctuation marks, which we will revise in a later series.)

10 Active & passive voice Apart from deciding whether to phrase a series of ideas in simple, compound or complex sentences, and what kind of function he or she wants the sentences to serve, a writer has to decide whether to use active voice or passive voice in each sentence. In the active voice, something is doing or being something. In the passive voice, something is having something done to it.

11 Active & passive examples Active voice: New South Wales electricity workers oppose the privatisation of the power industry. Ellen rode on an elephant. The Australian Tax Office is investigating twenty wealthy Australians. Passive voice: Privatisation of the power industry is opposed by New South Wales electricity workers. An elephant was ridden by Ellen. Twenty wealthy Australians are being investigated by the Tax Office.

12 Active/passive continued: Whenever possible, especially when writing for business purposes, whether academic or professional, try to use the active voice in your writing. It gives your expression a snappier, more energetic tone and helps you to express your ideas in more concise form. It is certainly wise to avoid writing in the first person ( I ) in academic writing, but there are many ways of doing so other than by resorting to the passive voice.

13 References: King, G. (2000). Good Grammar. Glasgow, UK: HarperCollins. (Some examples were drawn from this text.) Dr Jim Jose, Associate Professor, School of Economics, Politics & Tourism, for his guidance through my reference to his Study Skills Online (2000). Sinclair, C. (2007). Grammar: A Friendly Approach. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill. Recommended source of practice: Murphy, R. (2004). English Grammar in Use (3 rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: CUP. Units