Week 2 Sentence Structure Tutorial
5-5:45
Zoom will close our meeting exactly at
5:45.
Al Haley- ahaley@vsb.bc.ca
All of these notes will be posted on my blog.
haleyshec.blogspot.com
REVIEW:
Four Sentence types:
SIMPLE
COMPOUND
COMPLEX
COMPOUND/COMPLEX
These are basic sentence styles that will
allow you to write anything, to express any thought or idea.
* Extra information to explore:
http://facultyweb.ivcc.edu/rrambo/eng1001/sentences.htm
--- SIMPLE SENTENCES
simple sentence- most basic
form of a sentence in English, simple but powerful, very useful
FREE ADVICE: If you have
something really important to say, say it with a simple sentence.
e.g. thesis statement for an
essay, topic sentence for a paragraph, important or weighty information
simple sentences- direct,
clear, focussed, short
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 Subject
Verb
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
Close the window, please.
(You) Close the window. We don’t say ‘you’, implied subject
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
more polite- commas when
using ‘please’
Please come in.
Come in, please.
FURTHER EXPLANATION ON COMMA
USAGE
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.
-SSVV
-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
INSTRUCTION ON SIMPLE SENTENCES:
-https://englishgrammarhere.com/example-sentences/50-examples-of-simple-sentences/
-https://examples.yourdictionary.com/simple-sentence-examples.html
*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.
MAIN
POINT: A compound sentence is to join two simple sentences together.
How
do you join them together?
FANBOYS – 7 coordinating conjunctions used for compound sentences
FANBOYS
– mnemonic -for and nor but or yet so
FANBOYS for and nor but or
yet so mnemonic, 7
coordinating conjunctions
MY
OPINION:
,
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
EXAMPLES
OF INAUTHENTIC USAGE for nor yet
-for
Maria
is carrying 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.
,
for SUBSTITUTE because
COMPLEX
SENT, ADVERB CLAUSE- will learn next week
NOTE:
‘for’ is used in prepositional phrases, but not for compound sentences
Mei
has a gift for you.
We
don’t use ‘for’ in compound sentences even though the grammar books say that we
do.
-nor Joan does not like dogs, nor does she like
cats. VERY UNUSUAL, NOT AUTHENTIC
ENGLISH, like a grammar book
MORE
LIKELY: Joan doesn’t like dogs or cats. SIMPLE
You
probably studied ‘neither...nor’.
ADVICE:
Forget ‘neither...nor’. We don’t talk like that.
-yet It is overcast today, yet it is still warm.
NOT AUTHENTIC, SOUNDS WEIRDLY FORMAL
MORE
LIKELY: It is overcast today, but it is still warm. AUTHENTIC
We
do use ‘yet’ as a time indicator in simple sentences.
‘yet’
Are
you finished yet? SIMPLE, NOT COMPOUND
MY
FREE ADVICE: Forget about ‘for’, ‘nor’, and ‘yet’ for compound sentences.
Why
learn them if we don’t use them?
Forget
about FANBOYS.
FANBOYS
***These
are the ones we use: so or but and ***
98%
of the time: so or but and
New
mnemonic: SOBA so or but and
Let’s
focus on SOBA.
soba
– Japanese buckwheat noodles
yakisoba-
Focus on the four coordinating conjunctions
that we use all the time:
, SOBA
** 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, but the dog is
awake. COMPOUND
The cat is asleep, and the dog is
awake. COMPOUND
*NOTE: You need the comma.
I will teach you the details of
punctuation.
COMPARISON OF SIMPLE AND COMPOUND
SIMPLE- SVV
Junko loves to dance but doesn’t like to sing.*
* no comma
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
COMMON ERRORS WITH COMMA USAGE
Junko loves to dance, but doesn’t like to sing. XXX
Junko loves to dance but she doesn’t like to sing. XXX
If you get it wrong, it’s not a major
problem. However, you can do it correctly with focus and practice.
The details are important.
REMINDER: SOBA is a
better alternative to FANBOYS
SOBA , so
, or , but , and
,
so = give a reason
SV,
so SV.
May’s
son lives in Boston, so she is eager to visit him.
Jin really wants a new violin, so she
is saving up her money to buy one.
You
want to go to Langara, so you are figuring out your prereqs.
,
or = have a choice, alternative
SV,
or SV.
You can work late tonight, or you
can stay late tomorrow.
Sarah will go dancing tomorrow
night, or she will stay home.
I
tell my kids this: You can work hard when you are young, or you can work hard
when you are old.
COMMON
ERROR
You
can have a tea, or a coffee. XXX SIMPLE
FIX
You
can have a tea or a coffee. SIMPLE
You
can have a tea, or you have a coffee. COMPOUND
You can have a tea, or a
coffee. SV SIMPLE
You
can have a tea or a coffee.
You
can have a tea, or SV a coffee. COMPOUND
You
can have a tea, or you can have a coffee.
ADVICE:
When you are writing a sentence, always know what your SV is.
When
I proofread text, I check first for SV in every sentence. Most of the errors
will be about SV.
TWO
DIFFERENT WAYS TO GIVE THE SAME INFORMATION:
You
can have a tea or a coffee. SIMPLE
You
can have a tea, or you can have a coffee. COMPOUND
Which
way do you like more?
My
advice is to mix it up. Write a nice variety of sentence styles.
,
but = shows difference
Ling loves to go hiking, but she
doesn’t like cycling.
I like to visit the US, but I
would not want to live there.
,
and = add another element
I can get the cake, and you
get the plates.
Sarah plays volleyball, and Maria plays
soccer.
SO FAR
SV, SOBA SV.
AVOID STARTING A SENTENCE WITH SOBA
Ling likes to go hiking. But she
doesn’t like cycling.
VERY CASUAL, NOT GREAT FOR SCHOOL, BUSINESS
Practice:
Try some on your own. Write a few compound
sentences using SOBA from your own imagination.
I have choir/soccer/swimming/temple/school
tonight, so I can’t go to the movie with you.
wanna – NOT A WORD I wanna go to the park. XXX
want to- I want to go to the park.
gonna XXX
I am going to cut my hair.
Lazy Casual
texting language- not for school
--- COMPOUND SENTENCES
FOR HOMEWORK
“Compound Sentence Exercises”
1.
David likes to swim. He hates
to hike.
David likes
to swim, but he hates to hike. COMPOUND
David likes
to swim but hates to hike. SIMPLE
2.
John likes video games. John
likes reading.
3.
Stephen must study. Stephen
will not pass the test.
4.
Jill should show up on time.
Jill will not be able to enter.
5.
Susie loves to read books.
Susie loves to do her homework.
6.
Irene likes to draw. Rita likes
to draw.
7.
Michael likes basketball.
Stephen likes basketball..
8.
Make sure to get to the airport
two hours before your plane is due to leave. You will miss your flight.
9.
The dangers of smoking are well
known. Many people
continue to smoke anyway.
10.
It's important to put your
goals in writing. You must also be committed
to achieving them.
STEP 1 FOR COMPOUND
SENTENCES
SV, SOBA SV.
STEP 2
SV; SV.
Now, we will
go into a deeper level of compound sentences.
We already
know about , SOBA
The next
step is this ; semicolon
: colon
;
semicolon semi-half
quarterfinal-
8 teams left
semifinal- 4
teams left
final- 2
teams left
We use
semicolons in compound sentences.
Higher
level- fancier, prestige writing, polished, looks great
Well worth
learning!
Sometimes
people are nervous or uncertain about semicolons.
They aren’t
that bad.
Use ;
instead of , SOBA
Replace it
just like a Lego block.
,but = ;
David likes
to swim, but he hates to hike. *jeans and a t-shirt*
David likes
to swim; he hates to hike. -looks high level *nice suit*
THIRD STEP-
We’ll get there!
David likes
to swim; however, he hates to hike
John likes
video games, and he likes reading.
John likes
video games; he likes reading.
THIRD STEP-
We’ll get there!
John likes
video games; also, he likes reading.
6 ways to
write the same thing:
Susie loves to read books. Susie loves to
do her homework. 2 SIMP
Susie loves to read books and loves to do her homework. SIMP
Susie loves to
read books and do her homework. SIMP –
LESS REP
Susie loves to read books, and she loves to
do her homework. COMP
*Susie loves to read books; she loves to do
her homework. COMP
* This is not as common, not as clear. It
is an option.
Susie loves to read books; also, she loves
to do her homework. COMP
Susan is driving a car and listening to
music. SIMPLE- more natural sounding
Susan is driving a car and is listening to
music. REP
6 ways to write the same thing:
Irene likes to draw. Rita likes to draw.
Irene likes to draw, and Rita likes to
draw.
Irene likes to draw; Rita likes to draw.
Irene and Rita like to draw.
Both Irene
and Rita both like to draw. Choose one both
Irene likes to draw; also, Rita likes to
draw.
VERY NATURAL-SOUNDING – DON’T STRESS ABOUT
IT
Irene likes to draw, and also Rita likes to
draw.
If you can say the same thing in six
different ways, you are ready for anything.
No comments:
Post a Comment