Sentence Structure: Subject(chủ ngữ) + Predicate(vị ngữ)

Core of Subject = Head noun

Core of Predicate = Conjugated Verb (verb with a tense)
I / go to school.
Subject = I
Predicate = go to school

My friend whom I love very much just met me yesterday.

Head noun = friend
Core of Predicate = met

Appositive:
My friend, Nguyên, is going to meet me tomorrow.
Nguyên = appositive
Appositive = a noun (phrase) that refers to another noun (phrase)

I just met Nguyên who is my best friend.

I just met Nguyên, my best friend.

Sam just got sick, a piece of news that made me so happy.

Essential/restrictive/defining appositive:
US President Barrack Obama just visited Vietnam.
Non-essential/non-restrictive/non-defining appositive
Barrack Obama, the US president, just visited me.
Non-essential appositive = the US president

Object
I met my friend.
Direct Object = my friend.
I gave my friend a doll.
Direct object = a doll
Indirect object = my friend
I gave a doll to my friend.

A Slumber did my Spirit Seal

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
A slumber (Subject) did my spirit seal;
I had no human fears:
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.

No motion has she now, no force;

She neither hears nor sees;
Rolled round in earth's diurnal course,
With rocks, and stones, and trees.

A slumber sealed my spirit.

I had no human fears:
She seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthly years.
She has no motion, no force now.
She neither hears nor sees

She is rolled around in earth’s diurnal course with rocks, stones,

and trees.

Aristotle
Diurnal >< nocturnal

Sentence Fragment = incomplete sentence: missing important

parts: Subject, conjugated verb, main clause

J. K. Rowling, a British novelist, whose fame as an

innovator in the field of fantasy may come to equal
that of J. R. R. Tolkien. ......

S1: J. K. Rowling
P2: ???
S2: whose fame as an innovator in the field of fantasy
P2: may come to equal that of J. R. R. Tolkien.
A British novelist who is famous as an innovator, J. K. Rowling in
the field of fantasy may come to equal that of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Faulty Comparison:
E.g. My fingers are longer than Mai.
 My fingers are longer than Mai’s
 My fingers are longer than those of Mai.
 My fingers are longer than Mai’s fingers.

Ambiguous (Unclear) Pronoun:

I just saw Yến Chi and Quỳnh Chi. She’s the best student I’ve had
for years.

My father, Sam, loves teaching music. The noble profession/the

respected art/It is his passion.

Nguyên loves reading that horrible novel about murdering

innocent children, a healthy hobby/a masterpiece/an evil
obssession that really excites him.

He promised me that he would never promise again. But he broke

his promise again.

J. K. Rowling, who is a British novelist and whose fame as an

innovator in the field of fantasy may come to equal that of J. R. R.
Tolkien.

S1: J. K. Rowling
P1: ???
S2: who
P2: is a British novelist
S3: whose fame as an innovator in the field of fantasy
P3: may come to equal that of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Cường and goes to school.

 Cường goes to school.
 Cường and Sam go to school.
 Cường takes a bazooka and goes to school.

Clause = Subject + Predicate

(1) Simple Sentence = 1 independent clause

I go to school.
An and I go to school. (Simple Sentence with Compound Subject)
I go to school and sleep. (Simple Sentence with Compound
Verb/Predicate)
An and I go to school and sleep. (Simple + Compound Subject +
Compound Verb)

(2) Compound Sentence = at least 2 independent clauses

i. coordinating conjunction (Coordinators)

, for
I stayed at home, for I was sick.  Compound
I stayed at home because I was sick  Complex
, and
, nor I don’t like carrots, nor do they like me.
, but
, or
, yet
, so

Để nối 2 mệnh đề độc lập ấy ta dùng:

FANBOYS+ dấu phẩy: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Dùng dấu chấm phẩy (Semicolon), dấu hai chấm (Colon), dấu
gạch ngang (Hyphen)
Bách is dirty, but I like him.
I like Bách, but he’s dirty.
Although Bách is dirty, I like him.
Although I like Bách, he’s dirty.

ii. Punctuation semi-colon ; colon : dashes –

Semi-colon: used for Further info + Contrast
Việt food is spicy; Thai food isn’t. (contrast)

The past is not dead; it is not even past. (William Faulkner)

(further info)

The past is not dead; furthermore, it is not even past.

The past is not dead, furthermore, it is not even past. XXX

The past is not dead; it is not even past.

Nguyên stayed up late; therefore, he got sick.

Nguyên is a kind person; for instance, he donated his fortune to

me, a stranger.

Colon: used for Further info/elaboration + Summary + Introduce

Quotations

Today, I missed the bus, I saw a black cat, and I came across
Vinh: it was such a bad day! (summary)

I had a bad day today: I missed the bus, I saw a black cat, and I
came across Vinh (elaboration)

Comma Splice = Faulty Compound Sentence because a comma is

used to connect independent clauses.

(3) Complex sentence = at least 1 dependent/subordinate clause

+ at least 1 independent/main clause

Subordinating conjunctions (subordinators): as, when, while,

after, before, as soon as, until, once, immediately, if, unless,
provided, as long as, although, whereas, while, which, who,
whom, that, when, where, why, because, as, since, since, that
(noun clause), than, so that, as … as, etc.
I am sick, for I eat bad food.
I am sick because I eat bad food.
Because I eat bad food  sentence fragment.

I am sick; therefore, I go to school.

I have three best friends, all of them are in prison now.  comma
splice

Step 1: Check if it is a compound sentence or not.

Step 2: If yes, check for fanboys or RIGHT punctuation
Step 3: If no, then comma splice.

I have three best friends, all of them are in prison now. X

 I have three best friends, but all of them are in prison now.
 I have three best friends, all of whom are in prison now.
 I have three best friends; all of them are in prison now.
 I have three best friends. All of them are in prison now.

(4) Compound complex sentence = at least 2 independent clauses

+ at least 1 dependent clause

Mai is sick with Covid, so she goes to school more often because
she wants to share Covid with her best friends.

- Read notes
- Read Writing Essentials + Do the test at the end
- Read punctuation, chapters 37-41