ASSIGNMENT #3 DIANA WRIGHT

GRAMMAR
INDEX
1. SENTENCES STRUCTURE
• What is Sentences Structure?

2. SIMPLE SENTENCES

3. COMPOUND SENTENCES

4. COMPLEX SENTENCES

5. TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

• How to identify a transitive verb?
• How to identify a intransitive verb?
• Transitive or Intransitive? Some verbs can do both.
• Phrasal verbs and transitivity.

6. Active vs. Passive Voice

• What’s the difference between active and passive voice?

• When to use active and passive voice?

7. What are Modal Verbs?

• Example of Modal Verbs.
SENTENCES STRUCTURE

1. WHAT IS SENTENCES STRUCTURE?

• Sentence structure is the way a sentence is

arranged, grammatically. The sentence
structure of your writing includes where
the noun and verb fall within an individual
sentence.
• Sentence structure depends on the
language in which you're writing or
speaking. It's common in English for a
simple sentence to look like this: "She
throws the ball." In this case, the sentence
structure is "Subject, verb, object." There
are many ways to make the sentence
structure much more complicated while
still providing a framework for the
information you're conveying and being
grammatically correct.
 2. Simple Sentences
A simple sentence has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a subject, a verb,
and a completed thought.
Examples of simple sentences include the following:
• Joe waited for the train.
"Joe" = subject, "waited" = verb
• The train was late.
"The train" = subject, "was" = verb
• Mary and Samantha took the bus.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "took" = verb
• I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station.
"I" = subject, "looked" = verb
• Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station early but waited until noon for the bus.
"Mary and Samantha" = compound subject, "arrived" and "waited" = compound verb  
The use of compound
subjects, compound verbs,
prepositional phrases (such as "at
the bus station"), and other
elements help lengthen simple
sentences, but simple sentences
often are short. The use of too
many simple sentences can make
writing "choppy" and can prevent
the writing from flowing smoothly.  

A simple sentence can also be

referred to as an independent
clause. It is referred to as
"independent" because, while it
might be part of a compound or
complex sentence, it can also stand
by itself as a complete sentence.
3. COMPOUND SENTENCES
A compound sentence refers to a sentence
made up of two independent clauses (or
complete sentences) connected to one another
with a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating
conjunctions are easy to remember if you
think of the words "FAN BOYS":
• For -  And – Nor – But – Or – Yet - So
• Examples of compound sentences include
the following:
• Joe waited for the train, but the train was
late.
• I looked for Mary and Samantha at the
bus station, but they arrived at the station
before noon and left on the bus before I
arrived.
• Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus
station before noon, and they left on the
bus before I arrived.
• Mary and Samantha left on the bus before
I arrived, so I did not see them at the bus
station.
Coordinating conjunctions are useful for
connecting sentences, but compound
sentences often are overused. While
coordinating conjunctions can indicate
some type of relationship between the
two independent clauses in the
sentence, they sometimes do not
indicate much of a relationship. The
word "and," for example, only adds one
independent clause to another, without
indicating how the two parts of a
sentence are logically related. Too many
compound sentences that use "and" can
weaken writing.

Clearer and more specific relationships

can be established through the use of
complex sentences. 
4. COMPLEX SENTENCES
A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or
more dependent clauses connected to it. A dependent clause is similar
to an independent clause, or complete sentence, but it lacks one of
the elements that would make it a complete sentence. 
• Examples of dependent clauses include the following:
• because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon
while he waited at the train station after they left on the bus
• Dependent clauses such as those above cannot stand alone as a
sentence, but they can be added to an independent clause to form a
complex sentence.
Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions. Below are
some of the most common subordinating conjunctions:
• after
• although
• as
• because
• before
• even though
• if
• Since
• though 
• unless 
• until 
• when 
• whenever 
• whereas 
• wherever 
• while 
A complex sentence joins an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses.
The dependent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the independent clause, as in the following:

1.Because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not see them at the station.
2.While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was late.
3.After they left on the bus, Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station.

Conversely, the independent clauses can go first in the sentence, followed by the dependent clause, as in the
following:

4.I did not see them at the station because Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station before noon.
5.Joe realized that the train was late while he waited at the train station.
6.Mary and Samantha realized that Joe was waiting at the train station after they left on the bus.

Complex sentences are often more effective than compound sentences because a complex sentence indicates
clearer and more specific relationships between the main parts of the sentence. The word "before," for
instance, tells readers that one thing occurs before another. A word such as "although" conveys a more complex
relationship than a word such as "and" conveys.
The term periodic sentence is used to refer to a complex sentence beginning with a dependent clause and
ending with an independent clause, as in "While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train was
late."

Periodic sentences can be especially effective because the completed thought occurs at the end of it, so the first
part of the sentence can build up to the meaning that comes at the end.
5. TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE
VERBS

TRANSITIVE VERBS INTRANSITIVE VERBS

• A transitive verb is one that • An intransitive verb will
only makes sense if it exerts make sense without one.
it's action on an object. Some verbs may be used
both ways.

A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether it

requires an object to express a complete thought or not.
  How to Identify a Transitive Verb
Transitive verbs are not just verbs that can take
an object; they demand objects. Without an object
to affect, the sentence that a transitive
verb inhabits will not seem complete.
EXAMPLE: Please bring coffee.
In this sentence, the verb bring is transitive; its
object is coffee, the thing that is being brought.
Without an object of some kind, this verb cannot
function.
EXAMPLE: Please bring.
Bring what, or who? The question begs itself
because the meaning of bring demands it.
​ ere are some more examples
H
of transitive verbs and their objects.​
​
The girls carry water to their village.​
Juan threw the ball.​
Could you phone the neighbors?​
I caught a cold.​
She loves rainbows.​
Lila conveyed the message.​
​ ach of the verbs in these sentences
E
have objects that complete the verbs’
actions. If the objects were taken out,
the results would be illogical and
questions would be raised in the mind
of the reader; for example, Lila
conveyed. Conveyed what?
 • How to Identify an Intransitive Verb
An intransitive verb is the opposite of
a transitive verb: it does not require an
object to act upon.
EZAMPLE: They jumped.
The dog ran.
She sang.
A light was shining.
None of these verbs require an object for
the sentence to make sense, and all of
them can end a sentence. Some
imperative forms of verbs can even make
comprehensible one-word sentences.
EXAMPLE: Run!
Sing!
A number of English verbs can only
be intransitive; that is, they will
never make sense paired with an
object. Two examples of intransitive-
only verbs are arrive and die. You
can’t arrive something, and you
certainly can’t die something; it is
impossible for an object to follow
these verbs.
 Transitive or Intransitive? Some Verbs
Can Be Both
Many verbs can be classified as both transitive and intransitive depending on how they
are used in a sentence.

EXAMPLE: Urged by the others, she sang.

She sang the national anthem at the hockey game.
After he cleaned up, he left.
He left the gift on the table.

To decide whether the verb is being used transitively or intransitively, all you need to
do is determine whether the verb has an object. Does she sing something? Does he
leave something? The verb is only transitive when the answer is yes.
When in doubt, look it up. In the dictionary, verbs will be listed as transitive,
intransitive, or both right under the pronunciation key, and any possible differences in
meaning between the two uses will be given as well.
 Phrasal Verbs and Transitivity
Phrasal verbs can also be classified as transitive or intransitive.

Cindy has decided to give up sweets while she diets.

I hope Cindy doesn’t give up.

Give up is just one of many phrasal verbs that can be transitive or intransitive.
Whether give up has an object or not will alter the meaning it conveys. The first
sense of give up means “to forgo something,” whereas the second sense means “to
stop trying.”

EXAMPLE: If we refuse to learn about transitivity, the Grammar Police will blow up
our building.
When the Grammar Police confronted her about her verbs, she blew up.

The first sense of to blow up means to explode, whereas the second sense means “to
express rage.”
Transitive or intransitive
6. Active vs. Passive Voice

ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

• Active voice means that a • Passive voice means that a
sentence has a subject that subject is a recipient of a
acts upon its verb. verb’s action.

You may have learned that the passive voice is weak and incorrect, but it isn’t that
simple. When used correctly and in moderation, the passive voice is fine.
In English grammar, verbs have five properties: voice, mood, tense, person, and
number; here, we are concerned with voice. The two grammatical voices are active
and passive.
 What’s the difference between active
and passive voice?
Active voice
• When the subject of a
sentence performs the verb’s
action, we say that the
sentence is in the active voice.
Sentences in the active voice
have a strong, direct, and
clear tone. Here are some
short and straightforward
examples of active voice.
Active voice examples
EXAMPLE: Monkeys adore bananas.
The cashier counted the money.
The dog chased the squirrel.
• All three sentences have a basic active voice
construction: subject, verb, and object. The
subject monkey performs the action
described by adore. The subject the
cashier performs the action described
by counted. The subject the dog performs
the action described by chased. The subjects
are doing, doing, doing—they take action in
their sentences. The active voice reminds us
of the popular Nike slogan, “Just Do It.”
Passive voice
A sentence is in the passive voice,
on the other hand, when the
subject is acted on by the verb. The
passive voice is always constructed
with a conjugated form of to
be plus the verb’s past participle.
Doing this usually generates a
preposition as well. That sounds
much more complicated than it is—
passive voice is actually quite easy
to detect. For these examples of
passive voice, we will transform the
three active sentences above to
illustrate the difference.
Passive voice examples
EXAMPLE: Bananas are adored by monkeys.
The money was counted by the cashier.
The squirrel was chased by the dog.
Let’s take a closer look at the first pair of sentences,
“Monkeys adore bananas” and “Bananas are adored
by monkeys.” The active sentence consists
of monkeys (subject) + adore (verb)
+ bananas (object). The passive sentence consists
of bananas (object) + are adored (a form of to
be plus the past participle adored) + by (preposition)
+ monkeys (subject). Making the sentence passive
flipped the structure and necessitated the
preposition by. In fact, all three of the transformed
sentences above required the addition of by.
 When to use active and passive voice
• Using the active voice conveys a strong, clear tone and the passive
voice is subtler and weaker. Here’s some good advice: don’t use the
passive voice just because you think it sounds a bit fancier than
the active voice.
• That said, there are times the passive voice is useful and called for.
Take “The squirrel was chased by the dog,” for example. That
sentence construction would be helpful if the squirrel were the
focus of your writing and not the dog.
• A good rule of thumb is to try to put the majority of your
sentences in the active voice, unless you truly can’t write your
sentence in any other way.
 7. WHAT ARE MODAL VERBS?
Modals (also called modal verbs, modal auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliaries)
are special verbs which behave irregularly in English. They are different
from normal verbs like "work, play, visit..." They give additional
information about the function of the main verb that follows it. They
have a great variety of communicative functions.
Here are some characteristics of modal verbs:

•They never change their form. You can't add "s", "ed", "ing"...
•They are always followed by an infinitive without "to" (e.i. the bare
infinitive.)
•They are used to indicate modality allow speakers to express certainty,
possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, ability
 List of modal verbs Use of modal verbs:
Modal verbs are used to express functions such
can, could, may, might, will, would, as:
shall, should, must • Permission

Here is a list of modal verbs: • Ability

• Obligation
The verbs or expressions dare, ought • Prohibition
to, had better, and need not behave like
• Lack of necessity
modal auxiliaries to a large extent and
my be added to the above list • Advice
• possibility
• probability
 Examples Modal Verb Expressing Example

You must stop when the traffic lights turn

of modal
Strong obligation
must red.
logical conclusion / Certainty He must be very tired. He's been working all

verbs
day long.
must not prohibition You must not smoke in the hospital.

ability I can swim.

can permission Can I use your phone please?

possibility Smoking can cause cancer.

Remember ability in the past When I was younger I could run fast.

Modal verbs are followed by could polite permission Excuse me, could I just say something?

an infinitive without "to", possibility It could rain tomorrow!

also called the bare may

permission May I use your phone please?

possibility, probability It may rain tomorrow!

infinitive. polite permission Might I suggest an idea?
might
possibility, probability I might go on holiday to Australia next year.

need not lack of necessity/absence of I need not buy tomatoes. There are plenty of
obligation tomatoes in the fridge.

50 % obligation I should / ought to see a doctor. I have a

terrible headache.
should/ought
advice You should / ought to revise your lessons
to
logical conclusion He should / ought to be very tired. He's been
working all day long.
had better advice You 'd better revise your lessons