The document discusses different types of sentences, including declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. It defines what constitutes a complete sentence and identifies the key components of a sentence, such as the subject and predicate. The document also covers topics like sentence fragments, compound subjects and predicates, and different sentence structures like simple, compound, and run-on sentences.
The document discusses different types of sentences, including declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. It defines what constitutes a complete sentence and identifies the key components of a sentence, such as the subject and predicate. The document also covers topics like sentence fragments, compound subjects and predicates, and different sentence structures like simple, compound, and run-on sentences.
The document discusses different types of sentences, including declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. It defines what constitutes a complete sentence and identifies the key components of a sentence, such as the subject and predicate. The document also covers topics like sentence fragments, compound subjects and predicates, and different sentence structures like simple, compound, and run-on sentences.
complete thought. Different kinds of sentences have different purposes. A sentence can make a statement, ask a question, or give a command. A sentence can also express strong feeling. All sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark. The punctuation mark depends on the purpose of the sentence. Kinds of sentences:
Sentences can be divided into the following
four kinds (not types) on the basis of the purpose they serve: Declarative sentence Interrogative sentence Imperative sentence Exclamatory sentence Declarative sentence
A declarative sentence makes a statement. It
ends with a period. EXAMPLE Edgar Allan Poe wrote suspenseful short stories. EXAMPLE John and Stephanie whisper about a surprise party for Maria. Interrogative sentence
An interrogative sentence asks a question. It
ends with a question mark. EXAMPLE Did Poe also write poetry? EXAMPLE Would you like some cookies? Imperative sentence
An imperative sentence gives a command or
makes a request. It ends with a period or exclamation point. EXAMPLE Go walk the dog. EXAMPLE Get out there and walk the dog! Exclamatory sentence
An exclamatory sentence expresses strong
feeling. It ends with an exclamation point. EXAMPLE What a great writer Poe was! EXAMPLE How I enjoy his stories! Sentences and sentence fragments Every sentence has two parts; a subject and a predicate. EXAMPLE Sentence Emily Dickinson wrote poetry. Subject Predicate The subject part of a sentence names whom or what the sentence is about. The predicate part of a sentence tells what the subject does or has. It can also tell what the subject is or like. A sentence fragment does not express a complete thought. It may also be missing a subject, a predicate, or both. Correcting sentence fragments FRAGMENT PROBLEM SENTENCE The poems. The fragment lacks a The poems lay in predicate. What did the Dickinsons bureau poems do? for years. Wrote about The fragment lacks a This famous poet emotions. subject. Who wrote wrote about her about emotions. her emotions? Of meaning. The fragment lacks a Her poems contain subject and a many layers of predicate. meaning. Subjects and Predicates A sentence consists of a subject and a predicate that together expresses a complete thought. Both a subject and a predicate may consist of more than one word. EXAMPLE: Complete Subject Complete Predicate Charles Dickens novels are still popular today The complete subject includes all the words in the subject of a sentence. The complete predicate includes all the words in the predicate of a sentence. Not all words in the subject or the predicate are equally important. EXAMPLE: Complete Subject Complete Predicate The young Charles Dickens wrote many articles. Simple Subject Simple Predicate The simple subject is the main word or word group in the complete subject. The simple subject is usually a noun or a pronoun. A noun is a word that names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of one or more nouns. The simple predicate is the main word or word group in the complete predicate. The simple predicate is always a verb. A verb is a word that expresses action or a state of being. Sometimes the simple subject is the same as the complete subject. Sometimes the simple predicate is the same as the complete predicate. Identifying the subject In most sentences, the subject comes before the predicate. EXAMPLE: Subject Predicate Washington Irving described New York in his stories.
Other kinds of sentences, such as questions, begin
with part or all of the predicate. The subject comes next, followed by the rest of the predicate. EXAMPLE: Predicate Subject Predicate Are people still reading his stories?
To locate the subject of a question, rearrange
the words to form a statement. SUBJECT PREDICATE Did Irving write many funny stories? Irving did write many funny stories.
The predicate also comes before the subject in
sentences with inverted word order and in declarative sentences that begin with here is, here are, there is, there are. EXAMPLE: Predicate Subject Over the paper raced Irvings pen. EXAMPLE: Predicate Subject There is Irvings original manuscript. In imperative sentences (requests and commands), the subject is usually not stated. The predicate is the entire sentence. The word you is understood to be the subject. Understood subject Predicate
(You) Look for the authors name on the cover.
Compound subjects and compound predicates A sentence may have more than one simple subject or simple predicate. A compound subject consists of two or more simple subjects that have the same predicate. The subjects may be joined by and, or, both.and, either.or, or neither.nor. EXAMPLE: Compound subject Charlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte were sisters. When the two simple subjects are joined by and or by both.and, the compound subject is plural. Use the plural form of the verb to agree with the plural compound subject. When simple subjects are joined by or, either.or, or neither. nor, the verb must agree with the nearer simple subject. EXAMPLES: Neither Charlotte nor Emily is my favorite author. Neither her sisters nor Charlotte was outgoing. Neither Charlotte nor her sisters were outgoing. In the first sentence, Emily is the nearer subject, so the singular form of the verb is used. In the second sentence, Charlotte is the nearer subject, so the singular form of the verb is used here too. In the third sentence, sisters is the nearer subject, so the plural form of the verb is used. A compound predicate consists of two or more simple predicates, or verbs, that have the same subject. The verbs may be connected by and, or, but, both.and, either.or, or, neither. nor. EXAMPLE: Compound Predicate Many students read and enjoy novels. The compound predicate in this sentence consists of read and enjoy. Both verbs agree with the plural subject, students. Simple, Compound, and Run-On Sentences A simple sentence has one subject and one predicate. EXAMPLE: Simple Sentence Eudora Welty lived in Jackson, Mississippi. A simple sentence may have a compound subject, a compound predicate, or both as in the following example. EXAMPLE: Simple Sentence Jeff and I read and enjoy Weltys stories. Compound Subject Compound Predicate A compound sentence is a sentence that contains two or more simple sentences joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or) or by a semicolon. EXAMPLE: Compound Sentence Welty is a novelist, but she also writes essays. Welty is a novelist; she also writes essays. Simple Sentence Simple Sentence A run-on sentence is two or more sentences incorrectly written as one sentence. To correct a run-on, write separate sentences or combine the sentences. Correcting run-on sentences RUN-ON CORRECT Welty wrote novels she wrote essays. Welty wrote novels. She wrote essays. Welty wrote novels, she wrote essays. Welty wrote novels, and she wrote essays. Welty wrote novels; she wrote essays.