Grammar mini

lesson
Bianca Hernandez
Los Angeles Pacific University
What is word order?
Word order change in linguistics is the study of how words
are arranged in sentences to give readers a meaningful
comprehension.
Facts about word order
● A sentence at its most basic level has three parts the subject, the
object and the verb. (SVO)

Example: Subject + Verb + Object

She loves food

Bianca loves painting

● Languages vary not only in terms of phrase-by-phrase ordering, but also

in the relative locations of the subject, verb, and object inside a
clause. Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) and Subject-Object-Verb (SOV)
distributions make up more than 4/5 of all natural languages spoken
worldwide
Independent & dependent clause
What is the difference between dependent and independent
clauses? An independent clause is a group of words that
contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete
thought. A dependent clause does the opposite. Independent
clauses make sense on their own

Example: independent clause “Bianca ate tacos”

dependent clause doesn't make sense as its own

sentence “because she was hungry”
Four types of sentence structures
SIMPLE- requires a verb and subject. Consist of one independent clause. Ex: “I ran” or “ I
ran on the road.”

“He smiled.” or “He smiled at her.”

COMPOUND- consists of two or more independent clauses. Typically, a bridging word or phrase
connects the separate clause. Ex: “I worked.” or I worked and then I did homework. Or “ He
smiled

COMPLEX: Consist of one independent clause and one dependent clause. Ex: “ I did homework,
even though I was tired.” or “ While I love soccer, I prefer football.”

COMPOUND COMPLEX: Consist of two independent clauses and one dependent clause. Ex: I
worked, even though I was tired, and then I made dinner.”
MISPLACED
MODIFIERS
A word, phrase, or sentence that is
inappropriately spaced off from the word it
modifies or describes is known as a misplaced
modifier.

Sentences with this fault frequently sound

awkward, absurd, or unclear due to the split.
They may also be completely irrational

EX:At the restaurant Bianca found a beige

womens purse.

We need to move the modifier next to the word

it is trying to describe where it makes more
sense.

Ex: At the restaurant Bianca found a womans

beige purse.
 Several types of misplaced modifiers
Misplaced adjectives- The meaning is almost always distorted
when adjectives are improperly separated from the nouns they
modify.

Ex: My son ate a hot dish of oatmeal this morning

Correct way My son ate hot oatmeal this morning.

Dangling modifier: has nothing to modify

Ex: After the book, the movie made more sense.

Correct way: After I read the book, the movie made more sense.
References
Yule, G. (1996, June 1). The Study of Language. https://doi.org/10.1604/9780521560535

Misplaced Modifiers | Effective Writing Practices Tutorial | Northern Illinois University. (n.d.). Northern Illinois University.
https://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/grammar/misplaced-modifiers.shtml

B., & GmbH, L. N. (2021, March 18). How Does Word Order Work? Babbel Magazine.
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/what-is-word-order

Independent and Dependent Clauses - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University. (n.d.). Independent and Dependent Clauses - Purdue
OWL® - Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/independent_and_dependent_clauses/index.html