Sentence Writing Tutorial Week 3

 

Hello everyone.

This is the intermediate/advanced sentence writing tutorial, week 3 of 8.

We will get started at 4:45.

 

You can see all of the class notes on my blog: haleyshec.blogspot.com

Write it down so you will have it: haleyshec.blogspot.com

My email is ahaley@vsb.bc.ca.

 

 

Agenda:

·      Simple sentences

·      Begin Compound sentences

 

Next week:

·      Continue compound sentences

·      Begin Complex sentences- adverb clauses

 

Next week is the final week before we take out Xmas Break. Xmas Break will be two weeks. The 4^th installment of the sentence writing tutorial will be January 4 at 4:45.

 

 

SIMPLE SENTENCES

 

Simple Sentences

 

Four types of sentences-

simple   compound   complex   compound-complex

*See last week’s notes for an overview of those.

 

 

--- SIMPLE SENTENCES

simple sentence- most basic form of a sentence in English, simple but powerful, very useful

ADVICE: If you have something really important to say, say it with a simple sentence.

simple sentences- direct, clear, focussed, short

e.g. thesis statement for an essay, topic sentence for a paragraph, important or weighty information

 

Notice that there are some important requirements for a simple sentence:

1. Must have a subject and a verb.

2. Must express a complete thought.

3. Must only have one clause.

4. ** Begins with a capital letter and ends with a period or question mark. Exclamation points are unusual in school writing. !!

** For all sentences.

 

 

A simple sentence is one main/independent clause that has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

 

clause – a group of words with a subject and a verb, SV

 

Most teachers say: one simple sentence – a complete idea

 

Subject and a Verb

Subject and a Predicate

 

The old dog was walking slowly around the park with a stick in his mouth.

 

main subject – just one word, noun ‘dog’

complete subject- main subject plus andy modifers, adjectives, articles

‘the old dog’

 

verb – action word ‘was walking’

verb= simple predicate

complete predicate – verb plus everthing else

‘was walking slowly around the park with a stick in his mouth.’

 

The old dog was walking slowly around the park with a stick in his mouth. SV

 

 

SIMPLE SENTENCE- SV, Subject + Predicate

 

 

Different forms of simple sentences:

-SV

It is misty tonight.

 

-SSV

Joe and Alison are friends.

Canada and China have close trading relations.

Handwashing and masking are excellent ways to prevent the spread of Covid19.

 

-SVV

The kids are playing and are yelling.

Canada harvests and exports billions of tons of softwood annually.

 

-SSVV

You and I hike and bike in the summer.

Canada and the US agree on defense but disagree on trade.

 

So far- SV   SSV   SVV   SSVV

 

You can write a lot with just those forms of simple sentences.

 

-Imperative -command, tell someone to do something

(You) Close the window. we don’t say ‘you’, implied subject

Close the window, please.

Come in.

Sit down.

Have something to eat.

Be careful!

(You) Wash your hands! implied subject

 

imply(v) – mean/suggest something but not say it

 

commas when using ‘please’

Please come in.

Come in, please.

https://prowritingaid.com/grammar/1008092/Should-I-use-a-comma-before-or-after-%E2%80%9Cplease%E2%80%9D-in-a-sentence

 

 

-Interrogative – question

What time is it?

Is that your phone?

Do you know that person?

When is the test?

Are you tired today?

 

You are tired. SV

Are you tired? SV change order, flipped

What time is it? S? ‘time’ or ‘it’?

 

 

 

Examples of Simple Sentences:

1.    Joe went to the store. SV

2.    BC is experiencing severe flooding in many areas around the province. SV

3.    Sarah and Jessie are going swimming. SSV

4.    Trudeau and Biden met this week for high level discussions. SSV

5.    The frog jumped and landed in the pond. SVV

6.    The nurse took the patient’s blood pressure and checked his heart rate. SVV

7.    Keep your eyes open for bargains. NO SUBJECT- implied subject “You”

Imperative- command, tell someone to do something

 

(You) Be careful!  don’t say ‘you’, everybody understand that it is there,

implied subject – imply(v) – suggest something but not say it out loud

 

5. The pizza smells delicious. SV

6. There is a fly in the car with us. SV

‘Here’ and ‘there’ are not subjects. They always point to something else.

There is/are people on the street. subject verb agreement

There is/are a person on the street.

Here is your cell phone.

Here are your keys.

 

***Very common error***

***#1 mistake that everyone makes***

Here are your cell phone. XXX

Here is your keys. XXX

 

TRICKY subject verb agreement – verbs change to match the subject

e.g. Mary live lives in Vancouver. agr

 

NOTE: At a college level, mistakes in subject verb agreement are a big deal.

It is worth putting practice time into subject verb agreement.

 

7.    Look on top of the refrigerator for the key. “you” implied subject- imperative

8.    Please close the door. sounds more polite IMPERATIVE

9.    Close the door, please. IMPERATIVE

10.           Take the dog for a walk, please. IMPERATIVE

11.           Please take the dog for a walk. IMPERATIVE

 

12.           Will you help me with the math homework? Interrogative-

ask a question – flip the verb around

You are happy today.

Are you happy today? Interrogative

 

13.           I will pick you up today. verb will pick – simple future SV

14.           Will you pick me up today? will ... pick – still one verb, not two verbs SV INTERROGATIVE

 

will – helping verb, modal, modal auxiliary

will go

We will go hiking tomorrow.

Will you go with us?

 

can see

You can see the fireworks from my house.

Can you see the fireworks from my house?

 

10. The music is too loud. SV

 

Adapted from :https://www.softschools.com/examples/grammar/simple_sentence_examples/445/

 

 

 

Forms of simple sentences:

-SV subject verb

My dog is asleep.

The ice cream looks delicious.

Vancouver is a nice city.

 

-SSV subject subject verb

The rivers and trees are beautiful.

Your sister and mother fight all the time.

Peanut butter and bananas go well together.

 

-SVV subject verb verb

Sara swims and plays volleyball at the community centre.

Friends come and go.

 

-Imperative – command sentence, tell somebody to do something

(You) Come in. implied subject  We don’t say ‘you’, but that’s what we mean.

Be careful, please.   Please be careful.

Watch your step, please.   Please be careful.

Watch out.

Stay safe.
Shut up!

Get out!

Sit down.

Have a cookie.

Sleep well.

Eat healthy.

Stay cool.

Sit! Stay!

Stay tuned.

Get ready.

 

-Interrogative- question

What time is it?

Who are you talking to?

What are you doing tomorrow?

Is that your dog?

Would you like to have some tea?

Where is the book?

What’s for dinner today?

 

Extra information to explore:

-https://englishgrammarhere.com/example-sentences/50-examples-of-simple-sentences/

-https://examples.yourdictionary.com/simple-sentence-examples.html

 

 

 

 

--- COMPOUND SENTENCES

“Compound Sentences Explanation”

“COMPOUND SENTENCES

 

Sentence styles:

SIMPLE

COMPOUND

COMPLEX

COMPOUND-COMPLEX

 

*SIMPLE    SV

It is a little cloudy today. We will go for a walk on the beach. 2 SIMPLES

 

 

*COMPOUND – two simple sentences join together into one

It is a little cloudy today. JOIN We will go for a walk on the beach.

 

How do you join them together?

 

FANBOYS – 7 coordinating conjunctions used for compound sentences

FANBOYS – for and nor but or yet so

FANBOYS  for and nor but or yet so   mnemonic

 

, FANBOYS not realistic, not authentic English

 

 

In compound sentences: for nor yet rarely used in compound sentences by English speakers

taught in grammar books, but not often used

 

-for  

Maria is going to carry her umbrella, for it is going to rain. VERY UNUSUAL, sounds like a grammar book

MORE LIKELY: Maria is going to carry her umbrella because it is going to rain. COMPLEX SENT, ADVERB CLAUSE- will learn next week

 

-nor   Joan does not like dogs, nor does she like cats.  VERY UNUSUAL, NOT AUTHENTIC ENGLISH, like a grammar book

MORE LIKELY: Joan does not like dogs or cats. SIMPLE

Your probably studied ‘neither...nor’. We don’t talk like that.

 

-yet   It is overcast/cloudy today, yet it is still warm. NOT AUTHENTIC, SOUNDS WEIRDLY FORMAL

MORE LIKELY: It is overcast today, but it is still warm. AUTHENTIC

 

‘yet’ Are you finished yet? NOT COMPOUND

 

MY ADVICE: Forget about ‘for’, ‘nor’, and ‘yet’ for compound sentences.

 

***These are the ones we use: so or but and ***

 

Forget about FANBOYS. Use SOBA. so or but and    Mnemonic

 

Let’s focus on SOBA.

 

Some teachers teach , FANBOYS. for and nor but or yet so

for nor yet Not commonly used

Why learn them if we don’t use them?

 

Focus on the four coordinating conjunctions that we use all the time:

,SOBA

 

Easier to remember: yakisoba- Japanese noodles

 

 

**      FORM FOR COMPOUND SENTENCES:

SV, SOBA SV.

 

The cat is asleep. The dog is awake. 2 simple sentences

The cat is asleep. JOIN The dog is awake.

Join with , SOBA.

 

The cat is asleep, and the dog is awake. COMPOUND

The cat is asleep, but the dog is awake. COMPOUND

*NOTE: You need the comma.

I am teaching you the details of punctuation.

 

COMPARISON OF SIMPLE AND COMPOUND

SIMPLE- SVV Junko loves to dance but doesn’t like to sing.*

* no comma

Junko loves to dance, but doesn’t like to sing. XXX

* no comma in simple sentence

 

COMPOUND SV, SOBA SV.

Junko loves to dance, but she doesn’t like to sing.*

*need a comma

 

Can you see the difference?

Junko loves to dance but doesn’t like to sing. SIMPLE

Junko loves to dance, but she doesn’t like to sing. COMPOUND