In this lesson,
you'll learn about the grammatical parts of a sentence, the common
word order for a sentence, and some basic patterns for sentences.
Sentence
A
sentence is a group of words that expresses a writer's thought
or idea. The grammatical parts of a complete sentence (or an independent
clause) are:
A subject
(noun part)
A predicate
(verb part)
An appropriate
mark of punctuation
A
sentence may also contain an object part—a word or words that
follow and receive the action of the predicate—-yet this object
part isn't necessary for the sentence to be complete.
They throw.
(The subject is "they," the predicate is "throw," and the mark of
punctuation is a period. Although this sentence is short, it is complete.)
Every
month, Bob and Jan throw a party.
(The subject is "Bob and Jan," the predicate is "throw," and the mark
of punctuation is a period. Also, the object part is "a party.")
Sentences
as "Complete Thoughts"
Many
students have been taught that a sentence needs to express a "complete
thought." However, there are some difficulties with defining a sentence
in this way.
First,
one person's idea of a complete thought is likely to differ from another
person's; therefore, although a sentence may be grammatically complete,
some readers may think the thought it expresses is "incomplete." Second,
with rare exceptions, a sentence exists within the context of other
sentences that contribute to its meaning. Therefore, most sentences
don't seem to express a "complete thought" when they are considered
by themselves. Instead, the completeness of their thoughts usually
is revealed when sentences are written in paragraphs.
As
a result, it's best to think of a sentence in terms of its grammatical
parts—subject, predicate, and punctuation—rather than whether
its "thought" is "complete." If the necessary grammatical parts are
present, the sentence will be complete.
Common
Word Order in a Sentence
Scholars
who study languages have determined that English sentences are constructed
with a standard word order, which they have termed "SVO." This means
that, in most instances, the words in English sentences will be placed
in the following order: the subject part (S), the predicate part (V),
the object part (O), and the mark of punctuation.
The
roses bloom in red and pink hues.
(The subject part is "the roses," the predicate part is "bloom," the
object part is "in red and pink hues," and the mark of punctuation
is a period.)
Sometimes,
professional writers—-especially creative writers and poets—change
the order of the words in a sentence to create a particular effect:
In
red and pink hues the roses bloom. (Although this sentence contains
the same grammatical parts as the one above, its word order has been
changed to emphasize the colors of the flowers.)
In
most pieces of academic writing, however, readers expect sentences
to follow the standard SVO word order. Student writers, therefore,
should use this word order unless their instructors have encouraged
them to do otherwise.
Basic
Patterns for Sentences
Sentences written in English often follow a basic pattern. The basic
patterns for a single sentence, also known as an independent clause,
look like this:
Pattern
1: Independent clause. I enjoy taking a walk.
Pattern
2: Dependent phrase/clause, + independent clause . In the morning, I enjoy taking a walk.
Pattern
3: Independent clause + dependent phrase/clause. I enjoy taking a walk in the morning.
Note:
Unlike an independent clause, a dependent phrase/clause will lack
either a subject, a predicate, or both. As a result, it's never
a complete sentence.
When
more than one independent clause is included in a sentence, the basic
patterns look like this:
Pattern
4: Independent clause + , and + independent clause . I enjoy taking a walk, and I love going for a run.
Note:
The following words can be substituted for "and": for, nor, but,
or, yet, so (or you can remember the word "fanboys").
Pattern
5: Independent clause + ; + independent clause . I enjoy taking a walk; I love going for a run.
Exercise
1: Label the following sentences as either "complete" or "incomplete."
If the sentence is "incomplete," list the part that's missing. Type
your answers in the text box provided, then click Compare to check
your answers against ours.
(1) After a
long and hard day at work. (2) Kathy wanted to relax. (3) She called
her friend Joanne. (4) And asked her to see a movie. (5) Joanne
agreed. (6) So Kathy and Joanne went to the local cinema to see
the latest Adam Sandler flick.
Summary
A
complete sentence contains three grammatical parts: a subject part,
a predicate part, and an appropriate mark of punctuation. Most sentences
follow the SVO word order — subject, predicate and object (along
with punctuation). Basic sentence patterns describe the order of independent
clauses and dependent phrases/clauses in a sentence, as well as the
necessary marks of punctuation. As writers, it's important to be able
to use complete sentences so readers know exactly what we're trying
to express. If our sentences are incomplete, readers will be missing
a vital piece of information.
