What is a sentence?
The root of many problems with grammar and punctuation is the failure to identify just what it is that makes up a sentence. Obviously a sentence is made up of words, but they are of words of a particular kind and in a particular order. Once again, structure is everything.
We can have a simple sentence with only a single word, but most of our sentences have more than one, and this is when structure is important. [Single word sentences are usually used in conversation. We answer questions with a single word. We also give commands with a single word. But most non-conversational uses of language demand more than single word sentences.]
For the purposes of this explanation, a basic sentence contains either a subject [S] and a verb [V] or a subject [S], verb [V], and object phrase [O]. We all are familiar with these basic sentences since we use them so often in speech and writing.
Here are some examples. The baby laughs. [S + V] The baby is walking. [S + V] The baby walks down the hall. [S + V + O]
From these simple beginnings, we can create very long, complex, and often confusing sentences. But we should always keep in mind that the basic sentence expresses this information: someone does something [The baby laughs, is walking, walks down the hall, etc.]
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Let's look at variety, making complexity out of the simple elements of the sentence. |
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Let's look at even more variety. |
| Adding modifiers to the subject [We call these modifiers
adjectives.]:
The little baby and proud mother were laughing. [(Adj./ S + Adj./ S) + V] We can use phrases that act like adjectives. The hard to please child and the proud but stern mother were not laughing. [(Adj./ S + Adj./ S) + V] Adding modifiers to the verb [We call these modifiers adverbs.]: The child and her mother rarely argued with each other. [(S + Adj. / S) + Adv. / V + O] We can also use phrases that act like adverbs. He spoke with the authority of a learned man. [S + V / Adv.} Note: The prepositional phrase, "with the authority of a learned man," modifies the verb "spoke." It, therefore, acts like an adverb. [Note: There are many more ways to add variety to sentences. These ways are just beginnings based upon combining the simplest elements of a sentence: subject, verb, object phrase.] |
What is not a sentence?
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A Variety of Sentence Fragments |
| The sentence fragment is only a part of a sentence, usually
one that lacks a subject or a verb. The sentence fragment is usually an
after thought, something tagged on to a sentence. Here is a typical
example of a sentence fragment.
John is a friend of mine. My very best friend in the whole world. [Note: I'll use italics for fragments.] To avoid the fragment, usually all that is needed is a comma. Here is the correction. John is a friend of mine, my very best friend in the whole world. Here is another kind of sentence fragment. This one has a complete subject and verb; however, it is a dependent clause, depending on the main clause (or sentence) for it to be grammatically correct. My best friend is John. Who is really my very best friend in the whole world. Here is the corrected version. My best friend is John, who is really my very best friend in the whole world. Sometimes fragments appear before a sentence that it could connect to. Here is an example. My best friend in all of the world. John never lets me down. Correct this fragment, again, with a comma. My best friend in all of the world, John never lets me down. |
Keep it simple. A dependent clause is a phrase, a fragment. An independent clause is a sentence.
Now it's your turn. Go to the Exercises website for some review and practice.
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