This is leading on from my first advice on grammar which is here. Now you've got all the names of the different words down, you can start to put them together into sentences.
A simple sentence is a group of words that is complete in itself and
contains only one finite verb, which is a verb with a subject.
A subject is a noun or pronoun that is the one doing the verb. It usually comes before the verb For example: Andrew ran. (The subject is Andrew.) The dog ate the bone. (The dog is the subject). I am a girl. ("I" am the subject.)
An object is a noun or pronoun that is having the verb done to them. For example: The dog ate the bone. (The bone is the object). You are a lawyer. ("A lawyer" is the object).
A simple sentence can be a statement or an exclamation or a question or a command.
A statement states a fact and is the simplest kind of sentence. Some examples are:
- Trains are very useful things.
- They carry us from place to place.
- Some trains run by electricity.
All statements have these things in common:
- The statement tells us some fact.
- The statement begins with a capital letter.
- Each statement ends with a full stop.
When a sentence is used to convey a tone expressing a strong feeling such as anger, surprise, amusement, hate, etc., an exclamation mark is used. This is an exclamation. This kind of sentence is usually a very short one and is used only for a special purpose. Some examples are:
- How we laughed!
- What an idiot I felt!
- How I hated being late!
When we wish to know something, we ask a question. When a sentence is a question, it begins with a capital letter and ends with a question mark.
- Which one of these do you like?
- Doesn't Tom like ice-cream?
- When is your next birthday?
A simple sentence can be used to give a command. In such a sentence, the subject is sometimes omitted.
- Lie down, Fido.
- Stand over there in the corner.
- Don't forget to bring your umbrella.
Simple sentences can then be joined together using conjunctions to form other more useful ones.
Combined sentences - Two or more simple sentences joined by conjunctions such as "and" or "but".
She hurried to the kitchen and returned with a big plate of sandwiches.
Complex sentence - One principal clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
While we were waiting, we sat on the seats, which were around the room.
Compound sentence - Two or more principal clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.
The big car swerved and rocked when the driver tried to miss the post that was close to the kerb.
In English the order of the words can be changed around to give emphasis to a certain part of the sentence, or to add variety. But be careful as sometimes changing the word order can obscure the meaning.
The following is an example of how the normal order can be changed:
- His hand suddenly grasped mine.
- Suddenly, his hand grasped mine.
The main thing with all these grammatical guidelines is that the more you practice, the easier it gets. Also the more you read, the more you become familiar with sentence structure and you get a better feel for how best to communicate ideas in writing.
All this grammar is meant to help you communicate as effectively as possible with other people and get your ideas across. Which is really the whole point anyway!
(April 2007) (
