SENTENCE ELEMENTS

Sai Gon University, HCMC

E-mail: tvanh@sgu.edu.vn

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 Parts of speech
+ Changeable group:
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
+ Unchangeable group:
Conjunctions
Prepositions
Pronouns
Interjections
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 KINDS OF VERBS
(From the angle of sentence patterns)
-Transitive verbs (Vt): There must be objects
behind them.
Ex: eat, like, check, play, love, write, etc.
- Intransitive verbs (Vi): There are no objects
behind them.
Ex: sleep, live, yawn, appear, work, etc.
-Linking/intensive/copula verbs (Vl): They are
be, become and seem, and any verbs that can
be replaced by one of these three verbs.
Ex: It gets cold = It becomes cold.
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 Transitive verbs may be divided into
monotransitive, ditransitive and complex
transitive.
- Monotransitive verbs:
Ex: He reads a book.
- Ditransitive verbs:
Ex: He buys me a book/ He buys a book for me.
- Complex transitive verbs:
Ex: We call him Teo.

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 Besides, verbs may combine with
prepositions, so there are two more kinds
of verbs: monotransitive prepositional and
ditransitive prepositional
1/Monotransitive prepositional verbs:
Ex: They talked about her story.
2/Ditransitive prepositional verbs:
Ex: The picture reminds me of my country.

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 Basic Sentence Patterns
TO BE (Patterns 1,2,3)
Pattern 1: N(S) Be (V) Adj (C)
Ex: Food is good.
Sometimes a prepositional phrase can replace
an adjective.
Ex: The teacher was in bad mood.
Pattern 2: N(S) Be(V) Adv (C)
Ex: The girl is here.
The game will be at three o’clock.

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Pattern 3: N1(S) Be(V) N1(C)
Ex: My brother is a doctor.
LINKING/INTENSIVE VERB (Patterns 4 and 5)
Pattern 4: N(S) Vl ADJ(C)
Ex: The acrobat seems young.
The screw worked loose.
The defendant stood firm.
Pattern 5: N1(S) Vl N1(C)
Ex: He remains a doctor.
She becomes a lecturer.

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 Linking Verbs
Be, Become and Seem are linking verbs.
Any verb which may be replaced by one of
these verbs is called a linking verb.
Ex: 1/ He gets to school.
2/ He gets some food.
3/ He gets sad.
Only gets in sentence 3 is a linking verb
because it may be replaced by becomes.

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He goes to the club.
His face goes red when he meets her.
They came to the fair.
His dream came true.
Jack runs to the stadium.
Jack’s money runs short.
Jack runs a factory.
INTRANSITIVE VERB
Pattern 6: N(S) Vi [intransitive]
Ex: The sportsmen cried.
The sportsmen were crying in the stadium.
TRANSITIVE VERB (Patterns 7,8,9)
Pattern 7: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) [monotransitive]
Ex: The boy caught a ball.
He loved a doctor.
Pattern 8: N1(S) Vt N2 (IO) N3 (DO) [ditransitive]
Ex: He gave her some flowers. (He gave them to her).
He gave some flowers to her.
She was given some flowers.
Some flowers were given to her.
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Pattern 9: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) a. N2(C)
b. Adj(C)
c. Pro(C)
d. Adv(C)
e. Pre. Part. (C)
f. Past Part. (C)
g. Prep Phrase(C)
h. Inf. Phrase / To BE(C)
i. bare infinitive phr (C)
a. The basketball team chose Charlotte captain.
b. He considered her brilliant.
c. I thought the caller you.
NOTES: This is a complex transitive verb.
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d. We supposed him upstairs.
e. She saw him crying.
f. I believe him seated.
g. We considered her in the way.
h. We thought Chico to be a fine player.
i. We heard him sing a song. (complete
action)
(We heard him singing a song). (a part of
action)

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Attribute: (định ngữ) modifies nouns. It stands
before or after nouns. (Noun modifier)
Ex: A full bag; a bag full of gold
The car in front of the building
The car stops in front of the building.
Adverb: (Trạng ngữ) modifies verbs, adjectives,
other adverbs, phrases, clauses and sentences.
(Verb/Adj/Adv/Phrase/clause/ sentence modifier)
Ex: She sings beautifully.
He is very tall. He runs very fast.
The car just in front of the building.
Generally, he is reliable. 13
 Conventional Colors
Subject: black
Verb: red
Complement: green (two kinds)
Object: blue (two kinds)
Attribute: brown
Adverb: violet/purple

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 SENTENCE PATTERNS (Summary)
•Main elements: Subject, Verb, Complement,
Object (Direct Object, Indirect Object)
•Subordinate (minor) elements: Attribute,
Adverb
Pattern 1: S + Be + C (Adj /Prep. Phr.)
Pattern 2: S + Be + C (Adv)
Pattern 3: S + Be + C (N)
Pattern 4: S + Vl + C (Adj)
Pattern 5: S + Vl + C (N)
Pattern 6: S + Vi [intransitive]
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Pattern 7: S + Vt + DO [monotransitive]
Pattern 8: S + Vt + IO + DO [ditransitive]
Pattern 9: S + Vt + DO + a. C (N)
b. C (Adj)
c. C (Pro)
d. C (Adv)
e. C (Pre. Part.)
f. C (Past Part.)
g. C (Prep Phrase)
h. C (Inf. Phrase)
i. C (bare infinitive phr)

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The nine above sentence patterns include only
main elements (Subject, Verb, Object, and
Complement). There are two kinds of
Complements: Subject Complements (1, 2, 3,
4, 5) and Object Complements (9). There are
also two kinds of Objects (Direct Object/thing
and Indirect Object/person)
Besides main elements, there are two minor
elements to enlarge sentences: Attribute
(modifying nouns) and Adverb (modifying
verbs, adjectives, adverbs, phrases, clauses
and whole sentences).
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 S
N O N phrase/clause
C
Attribute N Adj phrase/clause
V
Adj
Adv Adv Adv phrase/clause
Phrase
Clause
Sentence
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He gives me a pen.
I am given a pen.
A pen is given me. (wrong)
A pen is given to me.
He buys me a pen.
I am bought a pen.
A pen is bought me. (wrong)
A pen is bought for me.
To and For are used in this pattern.

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 Sentence
+ 4 main elements: S, V, O, C
+ 2 subordinate elements: Attr, Adv

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Analyze the sentence elements:
1. He showed me his card. (P.8)
S V IO DO
[ditrans]
2. Mary writes some letters.
3. They live in Ca Mau.
4. Today it is windy.
5. Jimmy will fly to London.
6. Martha looks happy now.
7. They call her Peggy.
8. The room gets dirty.
9. Don’t drink it!
10. Who(m) are you phoning? 21
11. He made her some milk.
12. Mary does some exercises.
13. They work in Da Lat.
14. Today it is cloudy.
15. Jimmy drove to London.
16. Martha seems happy now.
17. They call him Jimmy.
18. The house becomes clean.
19. Turn it on!
20. Why are you crying?
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21. Today is Thursday.
22. When will he leave for Ha Noi?
23. In the room stands a man.
24. There he comes.
25. How fast the horse runs!
26. Jack seems very excited today.
27. Mai often helps them.
28. They appointed her the chairman.
29. Henry called her yesterday.
30. The engineer will hold a meeting.
31. The last will analyze sentence 31. 23
22. When will he leave for Ha Noi?
When will he leave Ha Noi?
23. In the room stands a man. (a)
In the room a man stands. (b)
In the room he stands. (c)
In the room stands he. (d)
32. “I’m tired”, he said. (a)
“I’m tired”, said he. (b)
“I’m tired”, Tom said. (c)
“I’m tired”, said Tom. (d)
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 Prepositions
Prepositions Particles Adverbs
- Before nouns - Before nouns - No nouns
- Meaningful - Meaningless - Meaningful
1. The book is in the drawer.
2. He hands in his paper.
3. The teacher comes in.
4. Jack stands up.
5. Mary looks up some new words.
6. They swim up the stream.
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7. Mary sat down sadly.
8. The ship went down the river.
9. He looked down upon them.
10. They are surprised at the news.
11. We are at SGU now.
12. That ‘s the news which he was amazed at.
13. The machine is out of order.
14. Watch out! It is dangerous.
15. They found out a wicked scheme.
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16. That’s the man whom he talked to.
17. He is looking forward to his parcel.
18. Jack threw the ball to his friend.

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 We have just studied the
sentence elements at the level
of words. Now we will study
the ones at the level of
phrases.

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 PHRASES
- Functions:
+ Noun phrases: They play the roles of S,
O, C.
+ Adjective phrases: They modify nouns.
+ Adverb phrases: They modify verbs,
adjectives, other adverbs, phrases,
clauses or whole sentences.

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- Forms:
+ Infinitive phrases = To V: They can be N., Adj.
or Adv phrases.
Ex: To master English is not easy.
The first man to fly into space is Gagarin.
Students go to school to learn English.
+ Gerund phrases = V-ING: They are N. phrases
and play the roles of S, C and O.
Ex: Mastering English is necessary.
Her hope is mastering English.
She likes mastering English.
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+ Prepositional phrases = Prep. + …: They
begin with prepositions and play the roles
of N, Adj. and Adv. in the sentences.
Thi No is in a brick kiln.
The tree in front of the house is blooming.
The car stops in front of the house.
+ Present participle phrases = V-ING: They
play the roles of Adj. and Adv. in the
sentences.
Coming home, she rushes into the kitchen.
The boy coming home is her son.
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He likes coming home.
+ Past participle phrases = P.P. (V-ED): They play
the roles of Adj. and Adv. in the sentences.
Attacked by a dog, the boy was frightened.
The girl tightened to the tree was crying.
+ Absolute phrases = present participle or past
participle: They play the roles of adverbs in the
sentences. In complex sentences, we can reduce
the subordinate by means of absolute phrases.
Ex: When spring comes, it is warm.
Spring coming, it is warm.
+ Verbless phrase: Linking verbs may be deleted.
When she was at the age of 18, she fell in love.
At the age of 18, she fell in love. 32
+ The same subjects:
When he comes home, he looks very happy.
> Coming home, he looks very happy.
Present participle: adverb phrase
+ Different subjects:
When Lan comes, Diep looks very happy.
Lan coming, Diep looks very happy.
Present participle: absolute phrase

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+ The same subjects:
When the young ape was wounded, it felt
painful.
> Wounded, the young ape felt painful.
Past participle: adverb phrase
+ Different subjects:
When the young ape was wounded, the
mother ape felt painful.
> The young ape wounded, the mother ape
felt painful.
Past participle: absolute phrase 34
 The difference between absolute phrases and
present/past participle phrases
+ We use present/past participle phrases when the
subjects are the same.
Ex: When the mother ape saw the young ape
wounded, the mother ape was painful.
 Seeing the young ape wounded, the mother ape
was painful.
+ We use absolute phrases when the subjects are
different.
Ex: When the young ape was wounded, the mother
ape was painful.
 The young ape wounded, the mother ape
was painful. 35
 This is Lan, who is a beautiful student.
> This is Lan, a beautiful student.
Apposition > appositive
Learning English?
- Learning English is her hobby.
I met a boy learning English.
Learning English, she feels happy.

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 Exercises:
Identify the forms and functions of the underlined
phrases:
1. She puts some mails into the box.
2. The man in black is his teacher.
3. Some students get the ball to play a game.
4. The police caught the tallest man to enter the
hall.
5. The woman sitting on the bench seems sad.
6. The woman sitting on the bench seems sad.
7. The man accused of breaking the car goes to
court.

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8. Learning English makes her happy.
9. Jack enjoys fishing in the lake.
10. Jack enjoys fishing in the lake.
11. Why do you like to travel to Da Lat?
12. Fishing in the lake, he feels relaxed.
13. By the river he is sitting with his friends.
14. How does she want to hang the picture?
15. Martha reads a book, lying in a hammock.
16. Called by someone, he turned about.
17. The teacher coming in, the students stand up.
18. To borrow some books, he goes to the library.
19. She hopes to borrow some books.
20. The first student to borrow some books is Mary38
 We have just studied the
sentence elements at the level
of phrases. Now we will study
the ones at the level of
clauses.

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He has stolen a watch. (sentence)
He commits that he has stolen a watch.
(clause)
That he has stolen a watch is committed (by
him). (clause)
He feels regretful because he has stolen a
watch. (clause)
He returns the watch which he has stolen.
(clause)
To acquire
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 If a clause plays the role of the subject, the
object or the complement in the sentence,
it will be called a noun clause.
If a clause plays the role of the attribute
(modifying a noun) in the sentence, it will
be called an adjective clause.
If a clause modifies a verb, an adjective, an
adverb, a phrase, a clause or a sentence
in the sentence, it will be called an adverb
clause.
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 Noun clauses
In the sentence, noun clauses play the roles of subjects, objects or
complements.
1. Subject:
Ex: Who he is is a secret.
S
That the Taliban was destroyed makes us relieved.
S
How rich he is does not matter.
S
What he says is false.
S
How she is makes him worried.
S
What he does does affect their marriage.
S
It is that that that that that is holding.

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Where he will move is clear.
S
When he will move is clear.
S
2. Object:
Ex: He said that he had bought a second-hand car.
O
She wonders if he remembers her birthday.
O
He knows what he should do.
O
Mary told me when she had stolen the purse.
O
He explained why he had been there.
O
The captain showed where the target was on the map.
O
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 He confessed which he had chosen.
O
The victim notified the policeman who had hurt him.
O
3. Complement:
Ex: The question is why she was absent from her class.
C
Why he is rich seems what everybody wants to know.
S C
Thanks to his teacher, he becomes what he is today.
C
After his graduation, his problem appears where he works.
C

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4. Object of a preposition
Ex: We are surprised at what he has just confessed.
O
He thanked me for what I had done for him.
O
She is interested in when the fair is open.
O
We have paid our attention to who will be elected
the prime minister.
O

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5. Appositive to a noun:
Ex: The news that the Hau Giang bridge is
going to be built excites people in the
Mekong delta.
The story that Romeo and Juliet killed
themselves makes us sad.
The report that Binladen is still alive is not
convinced.

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The news that the Hau Giang bridge is going
to be built excites people in the Mekong
delta.
The news that he has just heard excites
people in the Mekong delta.
The story that Romeo and Juliet killed
themselves makes us sad.
The story that Grandmom told makes us sad.
The report that Binladen is still alive is not
convinced.
The report that was announced on radio is
not convinced. 47
 6. Real subject:
Ex: It is sure that English will be learned by
more and more people.
It is a pity that a lot of Africans die of
hunger every year.
It was terrible that thousands of people
were killed in WTC buildings.
• It is formal subject. The underlined part is
real subject.
IT + BE + ADJ + THAT CLAUSE
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7. Complement of predicative adjective
Ex: We are very happy that some of you
win national prizes.
I am certain that some of you will win
national prizes.
She was glad that you visited her.
S + BE + Adj + THAT Clause

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8. Object complement:
Ex: My teacher makes me what I am
today.
They elect him what he is now in the
company.
She caused him how miserable he was.
She has made him how he is now.

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 Adjective clauses
1. WHO:
Ex: Binladen, who was in charge of the
plane crashes into the World Trade
Center, has been chasen by the US
forces.
We are talking about the fireman who
bravely saved a boy in the burning house.
Those who learn well will find their life
pleasant.
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2. WHOM:
Ex: Giuliani, whom the Americans elected
mayor of the year, was very devoted to his
duty.
Jack likes the friend whom I introduced to
him.
Thomas, whom the students at school
admire very much, have studied
excellently.

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 3. WHICH:
Ex: The book which she bought is very interesting.
I always remember the coach which took us to
Ha Noi.
The roses which are grown in her front yard are
in full bloom.
4. WHOSE:
Ex: We admire doctor Hoang, whose two children
study excellently.
The book whose cover is torn is mine.
Those whose ambition is great may be
successful some day.
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5. OF WHICH:
Ex: The book the cover of which is torn is
mine.
The book whose cover is torn is mine.
We collected money for the temple the
roof of which was blown away by the
typhoon.
We collected money for the temple whose
roof was blown away by the typhoon.

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6. THAT:
Ex: I always remember the coach that took us to
Ha Noi.
The book that she bought is very interesting.
The doctor that has two excellent children is Mr
Hoang.
We admire the doctor that you introduce.
The roses that are grown in her front yard are in
full bloom.
It is the communist party that has led our
people to one after another success.
It was the blue scarf that she wanted yesterday.
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It will be Hau Giang bridge that helps local
people travel more easily.
Yuri Gagarin was the first man that flew
into space.
The most beloved leader that is
recognized in Vietnam history is Uncle Ho.
The only hope that he is expecting is his
wife's return.
He seized any chance that he was given.
We saw a farmer and a buffalo that were
walking to the field.
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He likes that that that that that has given him.
What he can can can can other things.

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7. ø: No Relative pronoun
Ex: The book she bought is very interesting.
We admire the doctor you introduce.
The girl he loves lives next door.
8. WHICH: It stands for the whole preceding
clause.
Ex: He studies excellently, which makes his
parents proud.
The door was locked, which forced them to sleep
outside.
* It is also called connective clause. It always
follows the main clause and there is a comma (,)
between the two clauses.

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 9. WHERE:
Ex: We know the village where Uncle Ho
was born.
* WHICH... Prep = Prep + WHICH =
WHERE
Ex: She buys the house in which she stayed
formerly.
She buys the house which she stayed in
formerly.
She buys the house where she stayed
formerly.
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We know the village where Uncle Ho was
born.
We know the village which Uncle Ho was
born in.
We know the village in which Uncle Ho was
born.
We know the village which you visited.
The book which he lends me is old.
The book where I put some money is old.
The war-invalid where there are some shell
fragments feels painful in winter. 60
10. WHEN:
Ex: The day when Uncle Ho declared the
independence of Vietnam is September 2nd.
* WHICH... Prep = Prep + WHICH = WHEN
Ex: I remember the day on which I first met my
wife.
I remember the day which I first met my wife on.
I remember the day when I first met my wife.
The day on which lovers exchange presents is
Valentine.
The day when lovers exchange presents is
Valentine.
The day which girls wait for is Valentine.
The day that girls wait for is Valentine. 61
 11. WHY:
Ex: We do not know the reason why she is sad.
* WHICH... For = For + WHICH = WHY
Ex: We do not know the reason for which she is
sad.
We do not know the reason which she is sad
for.
The reason for which she moved to another
company is economic.
The reason why she moved to another company
is economic.

62
The book which I have read is interesting.
The book where I put some money is interesting.
We do not know the reason why she is sad.
We do not know the reason which she explains.
We know the village where Uncle Ho was born.
We know the village which we visited.
I remember the day when I first met my wife.
I remember the day which is July 2nd.
I remember the day which he has just mentioned.
Notes: S, O, C > which; Adv. of place > where;
Adv. of time > when; Adv. of reason > why. 63
12. AS: After SAME and SUCH.
Ex: That girl is wearing the same dress as I
am.
He never hears such a story as you tell.
13. BUT: After NOTHING, NOBODY, ETC.
Ex: There is nobody but likes delicious food
and beautiful clothes.
We find nothing but is worn out for all
time.

64
 Adverb clauses
1. Adverb clause of place:
Conjunctions: where, wherever
Ex: A wife often goes wherever her husband
goes.
The old man comes back where he was born.
The hunter crawled where a deer lay.
The ants move wherever there is something
sweet and delicious.
The old man comes back to the village where
he was born. (Adj.CL)
I don’t know where he was born. (N.CL) 65
2. Adverb clause of time:
Conjunctions: When, While, After, Before, Until,
Since, As, As soon as, No sooner... than, As
long as, By the time, Once, Scarcely
(Hardly) ...when, etc.
Ex: It gets cold when winter comes.
After he had passed level B examination, he
felt relieved.
I will wait until you come back.
No sooner had she come home than she went
into the kitchen.
We feel happy once we have done something
for somebody.

66
 By the time the police arrived, the robbers had
gone away.
The Christmas tree will have been decorated
when it is dark.
3. Adverb clause of manner:
Conjunctions: As, As if, As though, In that
Ex: Jack spends a lot of money as if he were
rich. (In fact, he is poor).
He supports his family in that he sells waste
glass and duck feather.
He works hard as a slave does.
67
When you are in Rome, do as the Romans
do.
He walks slowly as if he were sick.( In fact,
he is fine).
He walks slowly as if he is sick.( It is true
that he is sick).
4. Adverb clause of cause:
Conjunctions: Because, Since, As, Seeing
that, Now that, etc.

68
Ex: Vietnamese people are admired by friends all
over the world because they have defeated
many powerful aggressors.
Seeing that her mother was ill, she stayed at
home.
Now that English has become popular, a lot of
people learn it.
Since a lot of people pour into streets during the
rush hour, there are often traffic jams.
As the younger brother had worked very hard,
he had saved a lot of money.
The climate has become severe because the
environment has been destroyed.

69
5. Adverb clause of purpose:
Conjunctions: So that, In order that, Lest, For
fear that, In case, etc.
Ex: We learn hard so that we can get level C
certificate in August.
He locked the door carefully lest some thief
might not enter the house.
The little girl broke her money box in order that
she could donate all of it to the victims of the
flood.
He covers the pile of sand with a plastic sheet
for fear that it will be wet in the rain.

70
6. Adverb clause of concession:
Conjunctions: Though, Although, As, Even
though, Even if, However + Adv/Adj, No
matter what( who, where, how, etc),
Whatever + nouns, Whoever, Whether...
Or not, In spite of the fact that, etc.
Ex: Hard as he tries, he fails.
No matter how rich he is, she will never
marry him.
Whether you like English or not, you
should try hard to learn it.
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Whatever difficulties he meets, he will be
able to overcome them.
Poor as he was, he won a national prize.
It doesn't matter what you say, I will not
forgive you.
No matter where he lives, everybody
loves him.
He can enter university although all his
four limbs have been paralyzed.

72
7. Adverb clause of comparison:
Conjunctions: as, than.
Ex: Today it rains as heavily as it did
yesterday.
We made more progress last year than
the year before.
More people learn English than any other
foreign language.
Not so much oil was exploited in the past
as today.
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8. Adverb clause of result:
Conjunctions: so…that, such…that
Ex: He runs so fast that they can not follow him.
He made so many mistakes that the teacher
was very angry.
He has so little money that he can not buy even
a loaf of bread.
She has so few books that she can read all of
them in a few days.
He had drunk so much wine that he lay in bed
all day.
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Special cases:
He is such an intelligent boy that he can
enter university at the age of ten.
He is so intelligent a boy that he can enter
university at the age of ten.
Such…that:
Mr Smith has such an intelligent son that
he is very proud.
He drank such contaminated water that he
had diarrhea.
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Inversion:
Ex: So many mistakes did he make that the
teacher was very angry.
Such an intelligent son does Mr Smith
have that he is very proud.
So little money does he have that he can
not buy even a loaf of bread.
So fast does he run that they can not
follow him.

76
9. Adverb clause of condition:
Conjunctions: if, unless, supposing,
provided, as long as, so long as, etc.
Ex: If it rains well, the farmers will get good
crops.
You can use my telephone if you need.
If he wanted to learn well, he had to keep
silent in class.
Jack would have passed the test last time
unless he had spent so much time in the
nightclub.
77
Mixed condition:
Ex: If he had learned hard in the past, he
might pass the exam now.
Inversion:
Ex: Were I you, I would learn English hard
Had the World Trade Center not been
destroyed, leader Omar and his men
would not have been attacked.

78
10. Adverb clause of reservation:
Conjunctions: Except that, for the fact that
Ex: It is a good teaching period except that a lot
of students are absent.
• The same clause can play three roles:
I don 't know where he lives.
N. CL
She will go where he lives.
ADV. CL
She knows the house where he lives.
ADJ. CL

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 Identify the subordinate clauses in the following sentences
1. If you learn English well, you can find a good job in the future.
2. That diamond is precious is known clearly.
3. The place where the accident has taken place is blocked by
the police.
4. When he will leave the company is kept secret.
5. The reason why an apple thrown into the air falls down is
explained with gravity.
6. While he was in Phong Nha cave, he bought some
grapefruits.
7. The pagoda to which a lot of pilgrims come is famous in the
area.
8. A lot of tourists have come to Hue because it is known for the
royal palaces and old tombs.
9. She sings as well as a lark does.
10. Although the flagpole was strong, the wind blew it down.

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11. What he has said is true.
12. She will move where her father works.
13. We do not know where her father works.
14. She points to the office where her father works.
15. The lesson that the teacher taught was very
interesting.
16. The lesson that gravity was explained was very
interesting.
17. It is natural that iron sinks in water.
18. It was so cold that some old people died.
19. He wants to know whose child has broken his
window.
20. The man whose child has broken the window
will compensate it.
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A sentence which is composed of a noun,
adjective, adverb clause (a subordinate
clause) and a main clause is called a
complex sentence. The conjunction which
combines these clauses is called a
subordinate conjunction.
A compound sentence is composed of two
or more independent clauses and the
conjunction which combines these clauses
is called a coordinate conjunction.

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 Compound sentences
Two simple sentences that are combined with a
coordinating (coordinate) conjunction will
become a compound sentence. The two simple
sentences are called independent clauses.
Coordinate conjunctions are classified into four
groups:
AND group (addition): and, both…and, not only
… but also, in addition, moreover, what is more,
etc.
Ex: He reads a report and he drinks coffee. (Full)
He reads a report and drinks coffee. (normal)

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- BUT group (contrast): but, yet, however,
whereas, nevertheless, while, etc.
Ex: She is beautiful, but she learns badly.
Ly Thong was wicked, while Thach
Sanh was kind.
- OR group (choice): or, otherwise, or else,
whether … or, etc.
Ex: You must learn hard, or you will be
jobless.

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- SO group (consequence): so, therefore,
hence, consequently, accordingly, etc.
Ex: He learns hard, so he gets good marks.
Hoa learns well; therefore, her parents
are pleased.
*Notes: At home, look up “for” as a
conjunction.
He gets good marks, for he learns very hard.
He gets good marks because he learns very
hard.

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 BECAUSE vs. FOR
BECAUSE is in a complex sentence; FOR is
in a compound sentence.
FOR cannot be used in the following cases:
1/ answering a question with WHY.
2/ at the beginning of a sentence.
3/ after NOT and BUT.
He cannot study Japanese NOT because he
is lazy BUT because he is poor.

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Good luck!

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