Types of Sentences

Syntactic Structure

Resource Person: Adeela Madad

Sentence:
A sentence is a complete set of words that conveys meaning.
- Sentences can be categorized on the basis of syntax and pragmatics.

Syntax:
Syntax in English sets forth a specific order for grammatical elements like subjects,
verbs, direct and indirect objects, etc. For example, if a sentence has a verb, direct
object, and subject, the proper order is subject → verb → direct object.

Pragmatics:
Pragmatics is the study of how context contributes to meaning. The field of study
evaluates how human language is utilized in social interactions, as well as the relationship
between the interpreter and the interpreted.
Syntactic Types of Sentences:
Grammatically, sentences can be categorized according to their syntactic structure:

● Simple
● Compound
● Complex
● Compound-complex

Grammatical classifications of sentences focus on their structure and the arrangement

of clauses within them.

(Let’s first go through the preview of syntactic arrangement of the clauses before
exploring the types of sentences.)
Syntactic Structure of a Sentence:
A sentence is composed of one or more clauses. A clause contains a subject and verb.
Independent and Dependent Clauses
There are two types of clauses: independent clauses and dependent clauses. A sentence
contains at least one independent clause and may contain one or more dependent
clauses.
An independent clause (or main clause)
- is a complete thought.
- can stand by itself.
A dependent clause (or subordinate clause)
- is an incomplete thought.
- cannot stand by itself
Simple Sentence:

A simple sentence is made up of one independent clause and no dependent

clause.

Remember, an independent clause contains a subject and a predicate and

expresses a complete thought. On the other hand, a dependent clause
contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought and
therefore cannot stand alone. For example:

Johnny rode his bike to school.

Who is your best friend?

Compound Sentence:

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses. A comma and a

coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) or semicolon join the clauses.
There are no dependent clauses in a compound sentence.

In some cases, they can be separated by a colon.

Examples of compound sentences include:

● I was thirsty, so I drank water.

● She searched through her entire closet; she could not find her denim jacket.

How can you tell if you have a compound sentence? Swap out your semicolon, colon, or
coordinating conjunction for a period. If you now have two distinct, complete sentences,
you’ve got a compound sentence.
Connecting two independent clauses:
You can connect two independent clauses together, or even more.

I am vegan, and my partner is pescatarian, but we live above a BBQ restaurant.

Basically, there are two ways to connect independent clauses: Add a coordinating conjunction or use a colon
or semicolon.

Coordinating conjunctions are the main type of conjunction and the most common ones. You may
recognize the seven coordinating conjunctions as the FANBOYS: (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So)

(Be aware that so can act as either a coordinating conjunction or a subordinating conjunction.)

You can use coordinating conjunctions to connect independent clauses. Just place a comma after the first
independent clause and add the appropriate coordinating conjunction before the second independent
clause.

It was a calculated risk. I’m bad at math.

It was a calculated risk, but I’m bad at math.

Complex Sentence:

A complex sentence comprises one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

If the dependent clause precedes the independent clause, then a comma is needed to connect them. But if the
independent clause is first, then the clauses are joined with subordinating conjunctions.

While an independent clause can be its own sentence, a dependent clause can’t. Dependent clauses rely on the
independent clauses in their sentences to provide context.

Dependent clauses appear after a conjunction or marker word or before a comma. Marker words are words like
whenever, although, since, while, and before. These words illustrate relationships between clauses.

The following are complex sentences:

● Before you enter my house, take off your shoes.

Subordinate Conjunctions:

You can spot a dependent clause by identifying the - after

subordinating conjunction. A subordinating - as
conjunction creates a dependent clause that relies on
- before
the rest of the sentence for meaning. The following - although
- if
list provides some examples of subordinating - because
conjunctions. - though
- even though
- while - since
- unless - when
- until
- whereas
Connecting Independent clause:
Independent and When I go to the movies, I usually buy popcorn.
Dependent clause:
dependent clauses: When I go to the movies, I usually buy popcorn.
Connecting independent and
dependent clauses is easy—after Independent clause:
all, dependent clauses are
designed to be connected.
I don’t like the ocean because sharks scare me.
Dependent clause:
All you need is either a I don’t like the ocean because sharks scare me.
subordinating conjunction (e.g., if,
because, before/after, although,
once) or a relative pronoun (e.g.,
Pointer:
where, when, wherever, whenever). If the dependent clause comes first, use a comma between the two clauses.
You can also turn an independent
Wherever you go, I will follow.
clause into a dependent clause just
by adding a subordinating If the independent clause comes first, no comma is necessary.
conjunction or relative pronoun.
I will follow wherever you go.
Compound-Complex Sentence:

A compound-complex sentence combines complex sentence and compound sentence forms.

A compound-complex sentence contains one or more independent clauses and one or more
dependent clauses.

These are long sentences that communicate a significant amount of information. The clauses
don’t need to be in any specific order; as long as you’ve got at least two independent clauses
and at least one dependent clause, you’ve got a compound-complex sentence.

Here are a few examples of compound-complex sentences:

● I needed a new computer, so I got a laptop because they’re portable.

● The students were excited; they could go home early because of the power outage.
Colon and Semicolon:

The colon is used to introduce something described in the first part of the sentence. Usually a
colon introduces a list of nouns, but it can also introduce a new independent clause. Think of
the colon as punctuation that means as follows, which is/are, or thus.

When you’re using a colon to connect independent clauses, no other words or punctuation
are necessary.
We have the perfect replacement right here: Our new goalie will be Andre.

Likewise, you can also connect independent clauses with a semicolon. However, if you are
using a semicolon, the two clauses must already be closely related—so closely related that
the reader can easily understand why they’re connected by a semicolon.

Ingrid hated the summer heat; she grew up near the Arctic.

Just like with the colon, no extra words or punctuation are needed with the semicolon if the
two clauses are obviously related.
Common Mistakes:

Sentence fragments

Without an independent clause, a dependent clause is a sentence fragment, or a piece of a

sentence that’s missing the necessary parts to make it complete.

Incorrect: Because the traffic was bad.

You can always reword the dependent clause to turn it into an independent clause (such as by
removing the subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun). However, it’s easiest to simply
connect it to an independent clause.

Correct: Because the traffic was bad, I was late to my meeting.

Cont.

Run-on sentences

A run-on sentence, also known as a fused sentence, is when two or more independent clauses are joined
without a proper connection.

Incorrect: There is no alien life on the moon we would have seen it by now.

To correct a run-on sentence, you can connect the clauses using one of the methods explained above:
coordinating conjunctions, a colon, or a semicolon.

Correct: There is no alien life on the moon, or we would have seen it by now.
Correct: There is no alien life on the moon; we would have seen it by now.
Correct: There is no alien life on the moon: We would have seen it by now.

Alternatively, you can simply split up the run-on sentence and turn it into multiple sentences.

Correct: There is no alien life on the moon. We would have seen it by now.
Cont.

Comma splices
A comma splice is when clauses are joined by only a comma and nothing else.

Incorrect: It will be winter soon, we should go for a walk while the weather is nice.

In this case, you can simply convert the comma into a semicolon.

Correct: It will be winter soon; we should go for a walk while the weather is nice.

Depending on the context, you can sometimes add a coordinating conjunction to connect two independent clauses or add
a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun to turn one clause into a dependent clause.

Correct: It will be winter soon, so we should go for a walk while the weather is nice.
Correct: Because it will be winter soon, we should go for a walk while the weather is nice.

You can also turn the comma into a period to create two separate sentences.

Correct: It will be winter soon. We should go for a walk while the weather is nice.
Functions of Each Syntactic Type of a Sentence:

Functional Purposes of Each

Type:
.
.
.
 The End

. IS EVERYTHING CLEAR?

YES?

NO?
QUIZ TIME!!!!!
1. Gone with the Wind was rejected from many publishers before the novel touched the heights of success.

Sentence type:

Function:

2. Even though Eva put a great deal of effort, her final results did not reflect the truth of her genius, the
countless nights showcasing insomniac tendencies, and a deep contemplation of self-worth.

Sentence type:

Function:

3. More and more people are showing up at the deposition to weaken the plaintiff.

Sentence type:

Function:
4. The firm is proposing lower numbers for the last quarterback after the merger, and the consultants are
trying to overcome the shortcomings for the first quarter of the next year.

Sentence type:

Function:

5. Homeless teens face intense obstacles, but when it comes to schooling, they do have the chance to receive
an education if they enroll in a special program.

Sentence type:

Function: