Academic Writing

“The Sentence in English”

Academic Writing
Learning Goal

By the end of this week, students will be able to identify,

improve, and write good sentences in English.
Academic Writing
Come up with your own definition of a sentence.
What is sentence?

read I book every a day

I read a book every day.

You, Come!
I eat.
 What is a sentence?

THE SENTENCE

A sentence is a set of words that are put together to

express a complete thought; typically contains a
subject and a predicate.
Academic Writing

Example:

Many determined women have succeeded in their professional lives.

S P
What kinds of sentences are there?

According to the intention or purpose, there are

 What is a declarative sentence?

A declarative sentence simply makes a direct statement or

expresses an opinion. In other words, it makes a
declaration. This kind of sentence ends with a period.

Examples:

She plays the piano, and he sings along. (makes a statement)

My friend is an excellent engineer. (expresses an opinion)

 What is an interrogative sentence?

An interrogative sentence asks a question, and it ends

with a question mark.

Examples: falling intonation

When are you going to turn in your writing assignment?

Do you know what the weather will be tomorrow?

rising intonation
 What is an exclamatory sentence?

An exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses

great emotion such as excitement, surprise, happiness,
anger, sorrow, sadness, etc., and ends with an exclamation
point.

Examples:

I won´t do that!

I got an A on my book report!!!!!!

I’m very, very sorry!!

 What is an imperative sentence?

An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a

request. It usually ends with a period.

Examples:

Close the door, please.

Sit down now.

Don´t lie to me.

 Identify the kind of sentence
1. What a wonderful day!
2. Your face is frightening the baby!
3. Stand up.
4. Where are you going after work?
5. My doctor told me to take these vitamins.
6. Ask Doris for the recipe now.
7. Could you solve the puzzle?
8. Go to the supermarket.
9. Harrison loves to play outside.
Write sentences of your own:
1) Declarative:

2) Interrogative:

3) Exclamatory:

4) Imperative:
Let’s watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t-OBDZxWNQ
What kinds of sentence structures can we
create in English?

Simple sentences

Compound sentences

Complex sentences

Compound-complex sentences
What kinds of sentence structures can we
create in English?
Peter and Mary hopped there, and Louis and John jumped the
rope.

A simple sentence may also have two subjects and two verbs as in
the examples:

John and Fred joined the Marines.

Dolphins and elephants are highly intelligent creatures.

He ran and won the competition.

They skipped and jogged all the way down the lane.

Peter and Mary hopped and jumped together .

SS participate in and give examples of sentences. Block chat.
Take a pic so the this can be seen later for feedback
Give examples.
The art of the sentence

I have online classes every Wednesday.

I love going to the cinema
every Sunday.

Camila and Peter are

She takes her dog out every
training and studying
morning.
together after class.
What kinds of sentence structures can we
create in English?
You use a coordinating conjunction to join individual words, phrases, and
sentences.
 COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

When to use each Coordinating Conjunction:

UsUse Coordinating Conjunction

To communicate addition and

To communicate contrast but, yet
To communicate a result/effect so
To communicate a reason/cause for
To communicate a choice or
To communicate a negative choice nor
F – for I drank some water, for I was thirsty.
She put on a sweater, for it was cold outside.
A – and He was tired, and he had a headache.
N – nor She doesn’t drink milk, nor does she eat butter.
I can’t whistle, nor can I sing.
B – but Tom studied a lot, but he didn’t pass the test.
O – or He can buy the book, or he can borrow it from the library.
Y – yet Tom studied a lot, yet he didn’t pass the test.

S – so Maria was thirsty, so she drank some water.

SS participate in and give examples of sentences. Block chat.

Give examples.
Take a pic so the this can be seen later for feedback

The art of the sentence

Susan doesn't like football, nor I was tired, so I took a nap.

does she like baseball.

They have been studying APA rules for many hours, but they realized there was
stillmuch to learn. Mary went to see his son, but
he wasn't at home.
Combine the following clauses using an appropriate
coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS):

1. Energy needs are not going to decrease. Energy sources are not going to
increase.
_______________________________________________________________
Energy needs are not going to decrease, nor are they going to increase.

2. Ecologists know that burning fossil fuels causes holes in the ozone layer.
People continue doing it.
_______________________________________________________________
Ecologists know that burning fossil fuels causes holes in the ozone layer, but people
continue doing it
3. Nuclear accidents can happen. Nuclear power plants must have strict
safety controls.
_______________________________________________________________
Nuclear accidents can happen, so nuclear power plants must have strict safety
controls.
4. Doonesbury cartoons laugh at contemporary politics. Readers don't always
find this funny.
___________________________________________________________________
Doonesbury cartoons laugh at contemporary politics, but readers don't always ___
find this funny.
What kinds of sentence structures can we
create in English?
What kinds of sentence structures can we
create in English?
Independent Clause
An independent clause is a group of words that contains a
subject and verb and expresses a complete thought.
I had to take a taxi to go to the office.
Dependent Clause
A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a
subject and verb but does not express a complete thought.
Because I woke up late this morning

Because I woke up late this morning, I had

to take a taxi to go to the office.
Academic Writing
SUBORDINATING
Correlative Conjunction
SS participate in and give examples of sentences. Block chat.

Give examples.
Take a pic so the this can be seen later for feedback

The art of the sentence

Although he studied all night long, he failed the
exam.
Because of his bad
behaviour, he was punished.

Peter didn't want to see his friend

Because she woke up late, although his friend was eager to see
she missed the bus. him.

place a comma when you start the

sentence with a dependent clause.
LET’S PRACTICE:

1. Because you lost your money, _____________________________.

you could not take a taxi.

2. While you work on the cake, _______________________________.

I will clean the dishes.

3. If you need more time, ___________________________________.

I can help you with the chores.

4. Whenever you are ready, _________________________________.

please, give me your address

5. Even though students study hard for exams, __________________.

they get bad grades

6. After the party was over, __________________________________.

John cleaned up the house

7. ______________________________
I won't have time to rest unless I take less courses.

8. Although I have been here before, _________________________.

it feels like a new experience
Combine the following sentences using an appropriate
subordinate conjunction:

1. The US has been highly dependent on foreign oil for many years. Alternate
sources of energy are only now being sought.
____________________________________________________________________

2. Government and private agencies have spent billions of dollars advertising the
dangers of smoking. The number of smokers is still increasing.
____________________________________________________________________
Although government and private agencies have spent billions of dollars advertising
the dangers of smoking, the number of smokers is still increasing
3. Some students go to a vocational school to learn a trade. Some students go to
college to get a degree.
____________________________________________________________________
Some students go to a vocational school to learn a trade while others go to college
to get a degree.
4. Jessica prepared the potato salad and the roast vegetables. Ashley marinated the
chicken.
____________________________________________________________________
Jessica prepared the potato salad and the roast vegetables while ashley marinated
the chicken.
What kinds of sentence structures can we
create in English?

Compound-Complex Sentences

The compound-complex sentences must have two or more

independent clauses (making it compound) and one or more
dependent clauses (making it complex), one of which is
joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) and one by a
subordinating conjunction.
What kinds of sentence structures can we
create in English?
So, in order to have a compound-complex sentence, you
must have at least three clauses, two of which are
independent.

Example:

(I ate tuna for lunch), but (Steve ate a steak) (that

Independent clause Coord. Independent clause Subord.
Conj. Conj.
his mom made for him).
Dependent clause
SS participate in and give examples of sentences. Block chat.

The art of the sentence Give examples.

Take a pic so the this can be seen later for feedback
Find below some compound-complex sentences. Put parentheses around
each clause and then label each clause with an I for “independent” or a D
for “dependent.”

1. I love eating turkey at Thanksgiving, but my friend’s family eats lasagna

because his cousin is allergic to poultry.

2. After I swept the garage, I asked my dad for my allowance, but he only

laughed at my request.

3. Ron is running for student council president, but he will not win unless he

gets the seniors’ vote.

In groups, write a short text in which you include the four types of
sentences (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex). Share
it with the class.
 TA 3

The Sentence and The Sentence Problems Quiz

Saturday, April 15th (from 9 am. To 9 pm.)

30 minutes