Allan Haley
Blog: haleyshec.blogspot.com
Everything that you see on this screem will be posted in the blog. I
will post to the blog immediately when we finish at 5:30.
Simple
Sentences
Four types of sentences-
1.simple 2.compound 3.complex
4.compound-complex
We will cover these in detail over the next five or six weeks.
SIMPLE
simple sentence- most basic form of a sentence in English
simple but powerful
carry weight
very useful, valuable tool for you to use
MY ADVICE: If you have something really important to say, say it
with a simple sentence. e.g. topic sentence of a paragraph
simple sentences- direct, clear, focussed, usually short
e.g. thesis statement for an essay, topic sentence for a paragraph,
important or weighty information- Use a simple sentence
Notice that there are some important requirements for a simple
sentence:
1. Must have a subject and a verb. SV S- subject
V-verb
2. Must express a complete thought/complete idea.
3. Must have only one clause, independent clause, main clause
4. ** Begins with a capital letter and ends with a period or
question mark.** For all sentences.
NOTE: Exclamation points are unusual in school writing. !!
Avoid using exclamation points unless you are expressing strong
emotion.
For school writing, a period is almost always a better choice.
REVIEW: 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 S+V
Subject and a Predicate
SIMPLE SENTENCE
The dog was walking.
The old yellow dog was walking slowly around the park with a stick
in his mouth. added information old slowly prep phrases
SV
main subject – just one word, noun ‘dog’
complete subject- main subject plus and 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 sentences are not all short. They are often short, but some
can be quite long.
SIMPLE SENTENCE- SV, Subject + Predicate
Different forms of simple sentences:
-SV subject + verb
It is
foggy tonight.
It is
rainy today. ‘rainy’(adj)
It is
raining today. ‘is raining’(verb)
The car is running
rough.
The dog is asleep.
-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.
handwashing masking - gerund ‘ing’ noun,
looks like a verb, but it is a noun
Washing your hands and wearing
masks are excellent ways to prevent the
spread of Covid19. washing wearing –
gerunds 'ing’ nouns, looks like a verb
-SVV
The kids are playing and
are
yelling. auxiliary ‘are’ controls both verbs
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.*
*Sounds very professional and high-level. Actually, it is just a
simple sentence.
like + infinitive “to eat” “to work”
like + gerund “eating”
“working”
Thaya loves to sing Sri Lankan folk songs.
Thaya loves singing Sri Lankan folk songs.
I like to eat ice cream.
I like eating ice cream.
like love hate begin continue prefer
Mei hates arguing with her stepmother.
Mei hates to argue with her stepmother.
Mei began doing yoga last October.
Mei began to do yoga last October.
Clara prefers reading books more than watching movies.
Clara prefers to read books more than to watch movies.
So far- SV SSV SVV
SSVV
You can write a lot with just those forms of simple sentences.
How many Ss can you have?
SSSV Sarah, Joan, and Dora go downtown every Friday night.
Sarah, Joan, and Dora go downtown every Friday night. Also, Betty
and Mei go, too. 2 simple sentences SSSV. SSV.
Two more types of simple sentences:
-Imperative - command, tell someone to do something
Close the window, please.
(You) Close the window. We
don’t say ‘you’, an implied subject
imply(v)- mean/suggest something but not say it
implication(n)
Examples of imperative sentences:
Come in.
Sit down.
Have something to eat.
Be careful!
(You) Wash your hands! implied subject
Clean your room.
Walk the dog.
Put your shoes away.
MORE POLITE – use the magic word ‘please’
Comma usage with ‘please’
Two ways:
Come in.
Please come in.
Please open the window.
Come in, please.
Open the window, please.
**You will find differences in comma usage – not a hard rule,
convention, authentic usage, may not be in a grammar book, just how literate people
write
Good guideline to follow.
Sit down.
Please sit down.
Sit down, please.
-Interrogative – interrogate(verb) interrogation(noun) question, ask
something
It is easy to mess up the verb form when writing questions.
Examples of interrogative sentences:
What time is it?
Is that your phone? That is your phone.
Do you know that person?
When is the test?
Are you tired today?
What’s your name?
Should we try it again?
Can I help you? FANCIER May I be of assistance?
NOTE: ‘May’ sounds a little more polite and professional than ‘can’.
Can I borrow a pencil?
May I borrow a pencil?
REVIEW OF SIMPLE SENTENCES
SV
SSV
SVV
SSVV
Imperative
Interrogative
Examples of Simple Sentences:
1.
Joe went to the store. SV
2.
Last year, BC experienced 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/There
‘Here’ and ‘there’ are not subjects. They always point to something
else.
Here is your pen. I
found it.
Here is/are your earrings.
I found them.
TRICKY SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT with ‘there’ and ‘here’
There is/are people on
the street. subject verb agreement
There is/are person on
the street
There is/are a bear in
the park.
There are some bear cubs
in the park.
Here is your cell phone.
Here are your keys.
Here is/are your glasses. ‘glasses’ plural
Here is/are your sweater.
Here is/are your jeans/pants.
Here is your t-shirt.
*If you get this wrong, it’s a small mistake.
Your hair is black.
There is/are one pair of
pants/jeans on the chair.
glasses- plural Here are
your glasses.
pair of glasses – singular Here is your pair of glasses.
Sarah got a new pair of glasses. She got 1 thing.
*There is a pair of glasses on the table. Whose pair of glasses is
that?
*There are glasses on the table. Whose glasses are those?
that- one thing
those- two or more things
hair
eyelashes
eyebrows
moustache
beard
sideburns
chops
goatee What is this?
jeans- plural
pair of jeans - singular
I need to buy two pairs of pants.
I need to buy a pair of pants.
The scissors are really sharp.
The pair of scissors is really sharp.
Mei bought a pair of scissors.
SOMETIMES Mei bought a scissors. YOU MAY HEAR PEOPLE SAY THAT
Give me a scissors, please. UNUSUAL
MORE LIKELY Give/Hand me the scissors, please.
Give me a pair of scissors, please.
Models for simple sentences
SV SSV SVV
SSVV Imperative-command Interrogative-question
Massachusetts is a state on the eastern seaboard of the US. SV
Jun found some staples and a pair of chopsticks in her desk.
Her laptop is really light.
Mei’s hair is/are light brown.
His hair is wet. His hairs are wet.
The hair on my arms stood up.
The man’s hair is falling out. The man’s hairs are falling out.
***Most common error***
***#1 mistake that everyone makes***
Subject verb agreement
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.
When I was a teaching assistant at UBC, my professor told me to fail
papers that has subject verb agreement errors. I disagreed with him, but he was
the boss.
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?
15. 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
resources to explore:
- https://englishgrammarhere.com/example-sentences/50-examples-of-simple-sentences/
- https://examples.yourdictionary.com/simple-sentence-examples.html
HOMEWORK:
Write a few simple sentences from your own
imagination. Use some different styles: SV SVV SSV SSVV Imperative
Interrogative.
