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How do you make a sentence


Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences - Grammar

Definitions and Examples of Basic Sentence Elements

The Mastering the Mechanics webinar series also describes required sentence elements and varying sentence types. Please see these archived webinars for more information.

 

Key: Yellow, bold = subject; green underline = verb, blue, italics = object, pink, regular font = prepositional phrase

 

Independent clause: An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb and is a complete idea.

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.

Dependent clause: A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It must be attached to an independent clause to become complete. This is also known as a subordinate clause.

  • Although I like spaghetti,…
  • Because he reads many books,…

Subject: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that does an action. Determine the subject in a sentence by asking the question “Who or what?”

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.

Verb: Expresses what the person, animal, place, thing, or concept does. Determine the verb in a sentence by asking the question “What was the action or what happened?”

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.
  • The movie is good. (The be verb is also sometimes referred to as a copula or a linking verb. It links the subject, in this case "the movie," to the complement or the predicate of the sentence, in this case, "good.")

Object: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that receives the action. Determine the object in a sentence by asking the question “The subject did what?” or “To whom?/For whom?”

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.

Prepositional Phrase: A phrase that begins with a preposition (i. e., in, at for, behind, until, after, of, during) and modifies a word in the sentence. A prepositional phrase answers one of many questions. Here are a few examples: “Where? When? In what way?”

  • I like spaghetti for dinner.
  • He reads many books in the library.

English Sentence Structure

The following statements are true about sentences in English:

  • A new sentence begins with a capital letter.
    • He obtained his degree.
  • A sentence ends with punctuation (a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point).
    • He obtained his degree.
  • A sentence contains a subject that is only given once.
    • Smith he obtained his degree.
  • A sentence contains a verb or a verb phrase.
    • He obtained his degree.
  • A sentence follows Subject + Verb + Object word order.
    • He (subject) obtained (verb) his degree (object).
  • A sentence must have a complete idea that stands alone. This is also called an independent clause.
    • He obtained his degree.

Simple Sentences

A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb, and it may also have an object and modifiers. However, it contains only one independent clause.

Key: Yellow, bold = subject; green underline = verb, blue, italics = object, pink, regular font =prepositional phrase

Here are a few examples:

  • She wrote.
  • She completed her literature review.
  • He organized his sources by theme.
  • They studied APA rules for many hours.

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses.   These two independent clauses can be combined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction or with a semicolon.

Key: independent clause = yellow, bold; comma  or semicolon = pink, regular font; coordinating conjunction = green, underlined

Here are a few examples:

  • She completed her literature review, and she created her reference list.
  • He organized his sources by theme; then, he updated his reference list.
  • They studied APA rules for many hours, but they realized there was still much to learn.

Using some compound sentences in writing allows for more sentence variety.

Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Dependent clauses can refer to the subject (who, which) the sequence/time (since, while), or the causal elements (because, if) of the independent clause.

If a sentence begins with a dependent clause, note the comma after this clause. If, on the other hand, the sentence begins with an independent clause, there is not a comma separating the two clauses.

Key: independent clause = yellow, bold; comma = pink, regular font; dependent clause = blue, italics

Here are a few examples:

  • Although she completed her literature review, she still needed to work on her methods section.
    • Note the comma in this sentence because it begins with a dependent clause.
  • Because he organized his sources by theme, it was easier for his readers to follow.
    • Note the comma in this sentence because it begins with a dependent clause.
  • They studied APA rules for many hours as they were so interesting.
    • Note that there is no comma in this sentence because it begins with an independent clause.
  • Using some complex sentences in writing allows for more sentence variety.

Compound-Complex Sentences

Sentence types can also be combined. A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Key: independent clause = yellow, bold; comma  or semicolon = pink, regular font; coordinating conjunction = green, underlined; dependent clause = blue, italics

  • She completed her literature review, but she still needs to work on her methods section even though she finished her methods course last semester.
  • Although he organized his sources by theme, he decided to arrange them chronologically, and he carefully followed the MEAL plan for organization. 
  • With pizza and soda at hand, they studied APA rules for many hours, and they decided that writing in APA made sense because it was clear, concise, and objective.
  • Using some complex-compound sentences in writing allows for more sentence variety.
  • Pay close attention to comma usage in complex-compound sentences so that the reader is easily able to follow the intended meaning.

Sentence Structure Video Playlist

Related Resources

Knowledge Check: Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences

5 tips to make constructing English sentences easy

English grammar can often seem strange. We have so many rules for making sentences and almost as many exceptions to those rules. On a basic level, though, most English sentences follow a similar structure. Follow these five tips to make constructing English sentences easy.

Enjoy? Try downloading our eBooks! And find more tips on how to best present yourself on paper using perfect English grammar, alongside other useful examples.

  1. Get the words in the right order. The most common order for parts of a sentence is: subject, verb, object (if present).

Steve kicked the ball.

In this sentence, the subject is ‘Steve’, the verb is ‘kicked’ and the object is ‘the ball’. To help you remember this structure, try making an example with someone you know well as the subject and something they do often for the verb and object.

  1. Parts of speech aren’t always just one word. A subject, verb, or object is sometimes made up of several words so make sure you look at the structure of a whole sentence rather than just individual words if you want to get it right.

People who practice a lot get higher scores.

In this sentence, the subject is ‘people who practice a lot’. We can call a subject made of several words a ‘subject phrase’ or ‘predicate’.

  1. There are two types of object. Sometimes you will see sentences with two objects. If that’s the case, we split them into two types:

Direct – the object with which the subject has a direct connection.

Indirect – the object with a weaker connection to the subject.

I bought some flowers for my mother.

In this sentence, ‘flowers’ is a direct object and ‘my mother’ is an indirect object. The indirect has a preposition before it if we want to use it at the end of the

sentence.

I bought my mother some flowers.

In this sentence the direct and indirect objects are in a different order. When the direct comes last, we don’t need to use a preposition.

  1. Compound sentences follow the same structure but do it twice. A compound sentence is one made of two clauses (sections). In this case, the sentence uses a conjunction to join two halves of the sentence, each of which has the same structure.

I cooked dinner and my father bought some drinks.

Subject Verb Object + Subject Verb Object

  1. Learn the exceptions to the rules. There are some sentence structures, for example, the passive voice, that work slightly differently. Once you are comfortable with declarative sentences, take some time to explore other sentence structures as they will give you language more variety and are a fun challenge to learn.

So, now you have some tips on how to make English sentences easily, have a go yourself in the comments section below. If you know any exceptions to the rules, share them with the other readers.

Want to learn more? Visit our website to start learning English online today!

Article related: Regular and irregular verbs

TOP 30 mobile apps for learning English

Have you heard of an app that makes you do English assignments every time you open social media? And what about the dictionary of English slang with detailed articles? Or an app that checks grammar in sentences? We have collected 30 apps for iOS and Android that will help you learn English in a fun and effective way.

To write this article, LinguaTrip.com co-founder Dmitry Pistolyako installed and tested 152 English learning apps on his phone. 😅

Universal English learning apps

Duolingo

Website • App Store • Google Play

A popular language learning app used all over the world. Cool interface. Lessons are organized by topic and focus on life goals, such as ordering at a restaurant or asking someone out on a date. There are many topics, the lessons are short, but a little monotonous: first you make sentences from the words given to you in Russian, then in English, and at the end of the lesson you write the translation yourself. There are even pronunciation exercises that try (with varying degrees of success) to recognize your speech.

For each completed lesson, they give out the local game currency - diamonds. You can use it to buy a new costume for an owl mentor, freeze the game for several days so as not to lose progress, or open a special theme. There is a paid subscription that removes intrusive ads. You can also take the standardized Duolingo-style English proficiency test, which, along with IELTS and GMAT, is accepted by hundreds of universities around the world.

The best part of the app is the daily reminders. The application will write you letters, show notifications, build visit schedules. It really works: you will feel ashamed in front of the owl, and you will go through the daily portion of the lessons.

Lingualeo

Website • App Store • Google Play

Lingualeo is Dima's favorite among the apps in this section.

Lingualeo has more varied lessons than Duolingo: there are real texts, articles, book excerpts, videos, original podcasts and clips, as well as entire courses on tenses and other aspects of English. All materials contain clickable subtitles and translation. The exercises are interactive, some of them are for listening, and some grammar courses require a subscription to a premium account. There is also gamification: by doing exercises, you earn meatballs that you feed to the lion.

Semper

Google Play

Lessons in Semper are grouped by topic and created by different users. From this all the problems: the quality of the lessons is very different, it is difficult to choose a good one. There are no different types of content either, so the lessons are monotonous. But there is one feature in Semper, because of which you should not write off the application.

Imagine you're studying for the GMAT, but you can't resist browsing your friends' social media feeds. You click on the social network icon, but first you see a short task with a word from the GMAT vocabulary and several translation options. You remember the translation, you answer, you see the result, and after that you go to social networks. Great idea that works: one task is not annoying, and the practice is constant.

Busuu

Website • App Store • Google Play

Busuu has an original dialogue exercise where you insert missing words into a two-person chat. There are also small written exercises that English-speaking users check. These are not professional teachers, but with multiple people correcting mistakes and leaving comments at once, it's a very effective way to practice written English.

There is also a course for travelers in the application, but only in a premium subscription. Without a subscription, most of the test tasks do not work either. Try the free part and decide for yourself if it's worth it.

We have collected for you useful and modern vocabulary used by native English speakers. Sign up for the online intensive "Vocabulary Everyone Wants" and upgrade your vocabulary.

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Lingvist

Website • App Store • Google Play

A little-known but useful app for English learners. There are texts, listening, grammar articles, verification tests. Great emphasis on learning words. However, there is a minus - the materials are designed mainly for the language level Intermediate (Average).

The best day to start learning English is now. But where to start? We offer a plan of five simple effective steps that will help you learn a language faster.

Dictionaries for Android and iOS

reDict

Website • App Store

Dima's favorite Russian-English dictionary.

Russian-English dictionary for iOS with a nice interface. Included: transcription and voice acting of words, thesaurus, grammar articles. There is a possibility of text recognition for translation, but it does not work well, try Google Translate instead. In-app purchases expand the already huge list of thesaurus words and definitions. Alas, there is no Android version.

Google Translate

Website • App Store • Google Play

The official Google app. This is not only a dictionary, but also a translator: it successfully translates entire phrases. There is handwriting translation, voice recognition and - the most interesting - text recognition from the camera in real time. The quality of the translation is not very good, but it looks impressive. You can download an English-Russian or any other dictionary and work with it offline.

In the article "Online translators from English to Russian" we compare translators, check their effectiveness and give advice on how to work with them.

Website • App Store • Google Play

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The official app of one of America's oldest dictionary publishers. There is transcription, voice acting of words, recognition of voice input. Feature - built-in quizzes on definitions and spellings of words. You can also install the "word of the day" widget in the notification center. The paid version disables ads and expands the thesaurus, but you can get by with the free version.

Dictionary.com

Website • App Store • Google Play

This dictionary has detailed definitions and a description of the origin of the word. You can see the transcription and pronunciation of the word by syllable. The notification center widget not only shows the word of the day, but also offers to guess its meaning. The free version displays ads. But the main disadvantage is that this is not an offline dictionary, it needs the Internet to work.

Why is it better to learn words with Google Images rather than a dictionary? 36 life hacks for learning English quickly.

Word memory apps

Most of the apps below use the interval method. They remind you of the words when you start to forget them. This is the most effective way to learn new vocabulary.

Memrise

Website • App Store • Google Play

Memrise helps you memorize words and phrases using spaced repetition. Words are voiced, for many a video of their pronunciation is recorded by different people on the street. There are excellent ready-made lists of words and phrases for different levels and on different topics. Memrise founder Ed Cook can memorize a thousand random numbers and ten shuffled decks of cards in an hour. Perhaps he should be trusted!

The best way to use the Memrise app and website is to keep your progress in sync. On the site, you can add pictures and / or text associations to complex words. This creates a strong association and is great for remembering. This functionality is not implemented in the mobile version.

Easy ten

Website • App Store • Google Play

On the one hand, it's a great idea to learn ten words a day, this is the optimal amount. On the other hand, this is an exclusively paid version, and you need to make a monthly subscription. But you still try, because the quality of the application is really on top. If it doesn't work, take a closer look at the Upmind application from the same developers.

AnkiApp

Website • App Store • Google Play

Clone of the legendary Anki app adapted for mobile platforms. The only way to learn words is flipping flashcards. You are shown a word, you turn over the card, see the translation and answer whether you remembered it and how difficult it was. Depending on your answer, the application changes the period after which it will show it to you again.

You can add cards yourself using pictures and different fonts. There are thousands of ready-made sets from different sources and of different quality, which are added, including by the users themselves. Understanding this variety and finding something suitable is quite difficult, and the search does not work very well. But you can find sets of not just words, but also, for example, irregular verbs.

Tinycards

Website • App Store

Dima's favorite application with flash cards.

Developed by the creators of Duolingo. Great interface, nice to use. There are several ways to test memorization. But with ready-made kits, the same problem as in the case of AnkiApp - the quality varies greatly, it is difficult to choose the right one.

Phrasal Verbs

App Store

Application for learning English phrasal verbs: add up, find out, etc. Each phrasal verb has a picture, pronunciation, and examples. There are also short jokes, each with a few phrasal verbs in the text.

English Phrasal Verbs

Google Play

The best phrasal verb app for Android. Enables the spaced repetition mechanism. Completely in English, so suitable for language levels from Intermediate (Average) and above.

You can also write down new words in the old fashioned way in a notebook, but not in a simple one, but in our bright diary LINGUABOOK 2.0. Suddenly the phone will charge?

WANT DAILY BOOK

Mobile apps for learning English grammar

LearnEnglish Grammar

AmE: Google Play • App Store

BrE: Google Play • App Store

There is no doubt about the effectiveness of The British Council resources: with their materials they will be able to hone the nuances of English grammar even the natives. The LearnEnglish Grammar app has 25 English grammar topics, 600 interactive activities, and over a thousand questions with gap filling, multiple choice, and word matching. The application has two versions - with British and American English.

English Tenses Practice

Google Play • App Store

This application is dedicated to the difficult topic of English tenses. All times are collected in a visual table, for each there is a short explanation and education scheme, as well as examples and practical tasks to train. You can work offline. We recommend the application to those who are going to take the IELTS or TOEFL exams.

How to learn all English tenses, we tell in our article. For more explanations on English tenses, check out our 12-in-1 Tenses Handbook.

want tutorial

Color Verbs

Google Play

Color Verbs is an Android app for learning and repeating irregular verbs. There are pictures, examples of use and voice acting for verbs. There is a practice mode. Contains only 200 of the most popular verbs, but for levels below Advanced (Advanced) this is quite enough.

IVERBS Irregular Verbs

App Store • Google Play

Effective application for learning irregular verbs in English. 187 irregular verbs are voiced by native speakers to help improve pronunciation. There are also colorful illustrations with which it is easier and faster to memorize verbs. It is possible to make your own lists, highlighting words in different colors. Plus applications - there are flash cards that will help with the repetition of already learned verbs.

Our Grammar is all you need guide will help you deal with recalcitrant English grammar once and for all.

I WANT TO LEARN GRAMMAR

Learn English by video

FluentU

Website • App Store

A great app that few people know about. The heart of FluentU is videos for different language levels. Complex vocabulary for each video is analyzed separately with examples and pictures. There are subtitles for the video, for any word of which you can also see an explanation. The application has a free 14-day period, then you need to subscribe.

TED

Website • App Store • Google Play

TED are regular conferences that you can watch on the app. Vocabulary of different levels, charismatic speakers, different topics, among which you will definitely find something to your taste. All videos have subtitles in English, for the most popular - and in Russian. Try it, you'll like it.

YouTube

Website • App Store • Google Play

Hardly any description is needed here. 😄 The largest video archive in the world. A huge number of recordings of TV shows, video blogs and even video lessons in English. Find something for yourself and watch regularly, it's one of the most fun ways to learn English. Subscribe to our channel, for example. ☺️

16 Netflix series to improve your English

How to learn English from audio series

Documentary series to watch: Tiger King and more

Read articles, watch videos and listen to news broadcasts - all with a perfect British accent.

CNN News

Website • App Store • Google Play

Same features as the BBC app, but with an American accent instead of a British one. And the American way of looking at the news.

One of the pieces of advice given to English learners is that if you have a free minute, spend it on English. Repeat the words, read a post by an English-speaking blogger on social media, learn a line from your favorite song, or watch a short video on the new streaming service Quibi .

Apps for learning English conversation

Urban Dictionary

Website • App Store • Google Play

The official application of the main English slang dictionary. Three functions: word of the day, search and a list of random articles. Maximum immersion in colloquial jargon. Caution: Lots of foul language.

Genius

Website • App Store • Google Play

The Genius.com app is the largest collection of lyrics with commentary. A great way to learn English from your favorite songs. Right in the application you turn on the clip, read the text and sing along. If you do not understand the meaning of certain expressions (especially true for hip-hop), see the comments: there you can often see an explanation from the artist himself!

What are rappers Eminem, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Jay Z and Drake singing about?

Smigin Travel

Website • Google Play

An interesting idea: the application helps to connect words into phrases that will be useful on trips, for example, to a cafe, hotel, emergency. This solves a common problem for beginners who know single words but can't make sentences out of them. Although the application is intended for travel, these standard phrases are the basis of communication, so it is quite possible to learn spoken English with its help. Alas, only one theme (cafe) is available for free, the rest need to be bought.

Language exchange apps

The best way to improve English — start speaking it. Language exchange apps will help you improve your speaking skills, where you can communicate with native speakers.

Tandem

App Store • Google Play

Tandem — a large language exchange community with millions of users. You practice English, and in return you help someone who is learning Russian. There are no extra people here.

You register in the application and find an interlocutor with whom you can communicate with text or audio messages in a chat like WhatsApp. For the brave, there is a video chat. The application is good because you yourself choose the topic you want to talk about, and Tandem selects available interlocutors according to your wishes. You can talk not only about the grammar of English, but also about the culture, traditions and characteristics of a particular country.

The application has a built-in translator - in case you forgot a word and don't have a dictionary at hand.

If you are embarrassed to communicate with natives, read our teacher Nastya Ivbule's advice on how to overcome the language barrier. It's not as scary as it seems!

HelloTalk

App Store • Google Play

A global language learning and cultural exchange community that allows you to connect with natives. The interlocutor can be selected according to interests and goals in learning the language.

From the features of - chat with the ability to correct errors and check messages before sending to the interlocutor. All messages can be saved. There is also a built-in translator of text and audio into English, but this function is for the lazy, on the contrary, do you want to pump up your spoken language?

HiNative

App Store • Google Play

Community for English learners in the form of "question - answer". Suitable for those who are still embarrassed to communicate directly with native speakers or do not have time for friendly conversations, but just want to clarify some aspect of the language. You will be explained phraseological units, puns, slang, idioms and other wisdom of the language, which is not always written about in textbooks and which only native speakers know.

Questions can be asked not only by text, but also by audio messages, for example, asking users if you pronounce a particular word correctly. You can send pictures if it is an incomprehensible sign or document, as well as ask natives for advice on absolutely any issue.

Want more? The language must be learned in the country where it is spoken. You will improve your English faster if you go to an English-speaking country and immerse yourself in the language environment. Travel to a language school in England or USA is the best way not only to improve your language, but also to have a great vacation or vacation !

TO GO TO LEARN ENGLISH

Help with Russian, I need to make sentences.

But the people who chose this land loved their homeland, their harsh sea Syntactic parsing

Help please. Reading Read the text and do the tasks Health is the most valuable thing a person has, and it needs to be protected and strengthened. Every … th day we say “Hello!” to each other, which means we wish you health. And even in congratulations on a birthday, New Year or any other holiday, we first of all wish our friends, teachers and loved ones good health. I think that playing sports is one of the most affordable and enjoyable ways to take care of your own health. It is very important to lead a healthy lifestyle. After all, every person wants to live as long as possible, not get sick and always look good. It is not necessary to spend hours in the gym and perform heavy exercises. It is enough to do gymnastics in the morning, not to miss physical education classes, and after studying to do the kind of sport that you like. And you also need to eat healthy food, walk more and have an active life position. It is best to develop a daily routine from early childhood and monitor your diet. Sleep is of great importance in a person’s life, so it is important to get enough sleep and go to bed and wake up in the morning at the same time. It is useful to have breakfast with cereals, eat fish, vegetables, and dairy products. It is important to limit yourself to sweet and carbonated drinks. Swimming brings great benefits to the body. Swimming develops the body, makes it more resilient and developed. It is useful to walk more in the fresh air, ride a bike and walk a lot. It is not very good to sit in front of the computer for a long time and watch TV for several hours. A healthy lifestyle makes a person feel happier and more cheerful. After all, sport not only strengthens health, but also gives a good mood, a feeling of lightness and freshness. It invigorates in the morning and energizes every cell in the body, charging with positive energy for the whole day. There is an opinion that sport not only improves health, but also tempers character, makes a person more stress-resistant, strong-willed and strong-willed. Tasks1. Define the text style. A) official business B) journalistic C) artistic D) scientific 2. Determine the type of text. A) narrative B) description C) reasoning D) story with elements of reasoning​

please help ​

Fill in the missing punctuation marks and letters (lowercase or uppercase). If the sign is not needed, leave the input field empty. Finally, he turned to the friends … yam, who carefully looked at him Here, he said. The two documents appear to be copies of the same one. One is written in English, the second in French and the third in German. The few surviving words leave no room for doubt. - Is it possible to catch the meaning of the document asked Lady Glenarvan. It is difficult to say anything definite, dear Helen, the surviving words are too fragmentary. Or maybe they complement each other? the major asked. — Undoubtedly, said John Mangles. — a number of times sea water destroyed the same words in three documents. Comparing the preserved fragments of phrases, we will eventually get to their meaning. That's what we're going to do said Lord Glenarvan But we will do it gradually.

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