How to create 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).

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.

2. 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.

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’.

3. 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.

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.

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.

4. 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.

Subject Verb Object + Subject Verb Object

5. 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

Sentences with the word "trees"

We found 80 sentences with the word "trees". Synonyms for trees. Meaning of the word. Characters. "trees" - morphemic analysis. Meaning of the word trees.

• Nightingales even flew into trees under our windows.
• When houses were being built, he himself showed where to make clearings, which bushes to plant, which trees to cut down.
• Palaces, priceless furniture, ancient trees , deep ponds remained the same as they were under the first owners. nine0008
• That same summer we went to check our trees .
• By eighteen zero-zero clean the hole, fertilize the trees !
• Centuries-old trees fell, chips flew for a thousand miles.
• Separate trees were lying around, apparently, the Germans did not have time to take them out.
• Fruit trees blossomed in the garden, and bright spring flowers gave me a new stimulus to life.
• Trees grew in the courtyard , mainly lindens.
• And in the spring we, your neighbors, planted the first fruit trees on our plots.
• How beautiful everything is around: green young greenery trees and grass, blue sky and bright dazzling sun!
• The trees of are shrouded in wet fog, and the crows are brushing off their feathers.
• For three years, one hundred thousand workers erected magnificent shrines, palaces and tombs, paved alleys with stone slabs, planted trees .
• If not for ditches and trees in three rows between houses and a narrow strip of panel, it would look like Black Sea cities.
• See insects and fish, trees and grass.
• I was pushing these trees into the oven, keeping the fire going.
• Here the steward began to swear that he did all this, did not spare any work on it, but that the trees were old.
• Having climbed over the wall, he cut off almost all trees and laid out a whole bag of ripe pears in front of friends.
• I could only see the trees covered with snow .
• It got to the point that some people ate linden bark (they stripped trees in the garden of the Hermitage). The
• and trees he first met were not oak or poplar, but palm, magnolia, and rosewood.
• Such trees exist, and there is a reverent delight before the highest professional honesty of a writer. nine0008
• In the fifth year, the Novospassky heir took chalk in his hands and let's paint pictures on the floor: here are trees , and here is the church.
• He was worried about what trees would become , how people would learn to create new varieties of fruits, what could be made from wood and what from metal.
• Large trees were used to build defensive structures on the bridgehead.
• Tropical trees were clearly visible to mariners , on the branches of which "many wild monkeys" rushed.
• The trees of grew thinner and thinner, and finally disappeared with one rise.
• If trees came across on the way , they were cut down for firewood, which was loaded into the sled.
• I like to go out on the porch and see trees and flowers that I planted myself.
• Ilyusha Krainov writes about how the trees cried with heavy tears and about the branch of help extended in time. nine0008
• It's a stupid idea, considering that I'm not a master of climbing trees m, besides, in the northern forest all trees are almost the same height.
• In the camp, this issue was resolved simply: people went to the mountains and cut low-growing trees there.
• Many surrounding trees are split: everything looks peeled.
• Cyrus first noticed the hoof prints on the ground, then noticed the wild trees .
• Fruit trees grew near each house: apple trees, apricots, plums, mulberry trees .
• Now these trees , this chapel and this house are gone.
• The choreographer, apparently, literally understood the words of the Greek myth that the singing of Orpheus made trees and rocks and rocks move.
• Irregularly shaped mounds were poured from the earth excavated during earthworks, on which trees and flowers were then planted . nine0008
• Huge trees grew around the building, their spreading crowns provided saving shade and coolness.
• Dark trees , black peat bogs, aching sadness, only occasionally softened by a pale smile of blossoming heather.
• https://sinonim.org/
• In the forest, packs often clung to trees and got upset, so the Cossacks had a lot of work to do.
• I saw how they, hopeless, with swollen bellies, were carried out under trees and stacked in a row.
• The proverb “Where is the village, and where are the trees ?” Probably they said about Ahsi.
• The aircraft takes off running and taxis under trees .
• The trees of in the gardens are covered with exotic fruits, and around the trees there are small decanters with golden taps.
• Fruit trees did not require any walking behind them, and excellent fruits grew.
• All Tauride Garden, and trees , and crows, and the moon.
• Tiles featured trees and floral designs to give the room the feel of a garden nook.
• The unbridled mob not only smashed the precious statues in the palace with hammers, but uprooted the centuries-old trees in its garden.
• But there was also something unusual about it: low dead trees glowed in the dark with a strange bluish light.
• The Phoenician ruler arrogantly refused to give the Pharaoh the felled Lebanese trees on credit.
• In the place where it bends, trees and forests are already showing .
• The girl immediately took me to her garden and showed me various trees that were not in Bryansk.
• It was obscured by trees and the buildings of the central streets (although low, but still blocking the distant distance).
• Roofs, trees and sparrows were already breathing in spring.
• Sunbeam through trees on bare hands. nine0008
• For a long time they showed the rooms in which he lived and the trees he planted .
• The real spring and its beauty began when all trees in the huge garden were blooming with different colors.
• A train appeared ahead and quietly passed through the trees .
• I saw a lot of them, even whole trees drifted .
• Tamarind trees , palms and oleanders bathed in sunlight.
• They covered the road in the forest trees , and in case the Messerschmitts returned, we could stop under the nearest tree.
• I planted some trees on some subbotniks.
• Very tall trees grew in the depths of the garden, among them an old, dilapidated chapel was hiding.
• The rest hid from the rain under the trees .
• I started putting out her hair, got distracted from the road, and when I turned to the steering wheel, the car was already halfway in the ditch and was moving straight on trees .
• The strength of the explosion was such that the trees on the Neva embankment were uprooted.
• The wings depicted huge stones and gnarled trees .
• The old trees are still standing, but the forest is continuously renewed, giving rise to more and more new trees from the countless riches accumulated by it.
• As she descended the hill, the trees and grass bowed before her.
• Trees , which were just planted then, are now tall. nine0008
• Of course, the problem was that the shells often hit trees , exploded or brought down trees .
• Centuries-old trees grew in the park, statues and vases made of expensive marble were reflected in the pond.
• Trees stood with their branches lowered from the weight of the snow.
• True, fruit trees scientific gardeners crossed so much that they brought out hybrids that really did not look like anything and did not meet the taste of the species. nine0008
• We eagerly look around: trees , trees , trees on both sides of the road.
• The cherries under which we dined in the summer have grown into tall and spreading trees .
• Or why there are trees there, but not here?
• I walked in front of the car to prevent it from crashing into trees .
• On trees they hung glass vessels of different colors with candles.