Sentence Structure

University of the Sacred Heart

Department of Humanities
Center for Language Development
Across the Disciplines

LAD
 Objective

To provide the student

with pointers on how to
construct sentences
 Simple Sentence

A simple sentence has one subject

and one predicate

 Simple Sentence
Observe how a simple sentence is
constructed:

We went to San Juan yesterday.

 Simple Sentence

Pronoun Verb Prepositional phrase

We went to San Juan .

Simple subject Complete predicate

 Compound Sentence
 A compound sentence has more than

one part that can stand alone

(independent clauses)

 Independent clauses are connected by

coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive
adverbs or a semi-colon.
Compound Sentence

We went to San Juan, and

most of us danced all night.

 Compound Sentence
Subject Verb Prepositional phrase

We went to San Juan,

Coordinating Predicate
Conjunction
and most of us danced all night .

Subject Verb Modifying phrase

 Compound Sentences
 My parents caught a severe cold;
consequently, they had to cancel
their vacation.
Conjunctive
Adverb

Some people like basketball;

others prefer baseball.
Semi-colon
 Complex Sentence
 A complex sentence has at least
two parts: one that can stand
alone and another one that cannot

The part that cannot stand alone is

linked to the rest of the sentence
by a subordinating conjunction
 Complex Sentence

Since my boyfriend and I wanted to have fun,

we went to San Juan yesterday.

 Complex Sentence

Since we wanted to have fun,

Part that cannot stand alone
Subordinating
Conjunction
Subject Predicate

we went to San Juan yesterday.

 Compound-Complex
Sentence
 This type of sentence has more than
one part that can stand alone, and at
least one that cannot

 Notice how the different conjunctions

link the different parts of this sentence
 Compound-Complex
Sentence

Since we wanted to have fun,

my boyfriend and I went to San Juan yesterday,

and we danced all night.

 Compound-Complex
Sentence
Subordinating
Conjunction

Since we wanted to have fun,

Part that cannot stand alone

my boyfriend and I went to San Juan,

Coordinating Subject Predicate

Conjunction

and we danced all night.

For More Information
Index English Grammar and Composition
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index2.

Tons of Fun with Grammar

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/flin/103_handouts/senten
ces_and_phrases.htm

Grammar Book Table of Contents

http://www.grammarbook.com/exercises/grammar/
cnt_gram.html
 Thank You
Center for Language Development Across the Disciplines
Prepared by: Thalia N. Nazario-Santiago
Coordinator for the Center for Languages and Cultures
April-June 2003
Revised by: Patricia Kidd
August 2004
Revised by: Prof. Delia Serrano
January 2005