Making sentence in english


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

Basic English sentence structure | Wordy

All the parts of speech in English are used to make sentences. All sentences include two parts: the subject and the verb (this is also known as the predicate). The subject is the person or thing that does something or that is described in the sentence. The verb is the action the person or thing takes or the description of the person or thing. If a sentence doesn’t have a subject and a verb, it is not a complete sentence (e.g., In the sentence “Went to bed,” we don’t know who went to bed).

Here’s your quick introduction to the basic English sentence structure.

Simple, compound, and complex sentence structures

There are three types of sentences: simple, compound, and complex. The type of sentence is determined by how many clauses, or subject–verb groups, are included in the sentence. A simple sentence structure has one independent clause: “I rode my bike.” A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses: “I got in my car, and I drove into town.” In that sentence, both clauses can stand on their own as complete sentences. A complex sentence includes an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses: “I got in my car and then went to town.” In that sentence, “I got in my car” works as a complete sentence but “then went to town” does not.

Most sentences in English are constructed using one of the following five patterns:

  1. Subject–Verb
  2. Subject–Verb–Object
  3. Subject–Verb–Adjective
  4. Subject–Verb–Adverb
  5. Subject–Verb–Noun

The subject is the person or thing taking an action or being described in the sentence. The verb is the action the subject takes.


Subject–Verb

This type of sentence begins with a core sentence such as “Jane walks.” Here, “Jane” is the subject and “walks” is the verb. Different parts of speech can be added to expand the sentence.

You can add an adverb to make the sentence “Jane walks quickly,” or you can add an expression of time to tell when she walks, e.g., “Jane walks all morning.”


Subject–Verb–Object

These sentences begin with a core sentence such as “She is playing a piano.” In this sentence, “She” is the subject, “is playing” is the verb, and “a piano” is the object.

You can add elements to expand the sentence, such as an adjective (e.g., “She is playing a small piano”) or an adverb (e.g., “She is playing the piano beautifully”).


Subject–Verb–Adjective

This type of sentence begins with a core sentence like “He is handsome.” Here, “he” is the subject, “is” is the verb, and “handsome” is the adjective.

Like the other types of sentences, you can expand on the sentence by adding other parts of speech, such as “He is very handsome,” where “very” serves as an adverb.


Subject–Verb–Adverb

These sentences begin with a core sentence such as “The girl walked away.” In this sentence, “the girl” is the subject, “walked” is the verb, and “away” is the adverb.

You can add elements to this type of sentence, such as “The girl slowly walked away,” where “slowly” is an adjective describing how the girl walked.


Subject–Verb–Noun

Sentences of this type begin with a core sentence such as “The professor is a woman.” Here, “the professor” is the subject, “is” is the verb, and “a woman” is the noun. As with the other sentence types, you can add words or phrases to expand on the sentence. For example, you can add the adjective “intelligent” and the adverbial phrase “at the university” to say “The professor at the university is an intelligent woman” to describe the professor more and tell where where she works.

Now that you know how to form sentences in English – based on your new knowledge of the basic English sentence structure, check out our article on Basic English punctuation to learn how to properly punctuate them.

Bonus info: style guides for media are a great way to learn about clear and consise writing – a good place to start is the BBC News style guide.


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Sentence construction

The rules for constructing sentences in English are quite strict. Unlike the Russian language, there is a clear word order here. If you know the basic construction of an English sentence, you can build any phrase.

The members of a sentence in English, as in Russian, are divided into main and secondary.

The main members of the sentence are those due to which the grammatical basis of the utterance is formed. Without them, the proposal would not make sense. The main members are the subject and the predicate. nine0003

Examples:

(Who?) They (what were they doing?) thought. — They thought.

Who?) The cat (what is he doing?) is coming. – The cat is going.

(What?) The apple (what will it do?) will fall. — The apple will fall.

Subject

As a rule, the subject is expressed by a noun or pronoun, this is the main character of the sentence, answering the questions “who?”, “What?”.

The noun is used in its standard dictionary form, singular or plural. nine0003

Examples:

a product - products (product - products)

a magazine - magazines (magazine - magazines)

a university - universities (university - universities)

The article may be definite, indefinite, or absent at all, depending on the object/person implied.

As for pronouns, personal pronouns in the nominative case are most often used as the subject: I (I), we (we), you (you), he (he), she (she), it (this / it), they (they). nine0003

And also some indefinite and negative pronouns: someone/somebody (someone), no one/nobody (nobody), everyone/everybody (everyone), something (something), nothing (nothing), everything (everything) , each (each).

In colloquial speech, it can be replaced by this (this), that (that).

In an affirmative sentence, the subject comes at the beginning of the sentence before the predicate.

Predicate

This part of the sentence is expressed by a verb and is the key to building sentences in English, because it shows at what time the action happened, is happening or will happen. The predicate answers the question “what to do?”. nine0003

There can be two verbs in the predicate, auxiliary and semantic.

Auxiliary verb - a verb that is used to express time. As such, it does not have such a meaning in itself and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it.

Examples:

For Present Simple - do / does
For Past Perfect - had
For Future Continuous - will be nine0003

The main or semantic verb is a verb that expresses an action performed by the subject.

Examples:

She runs. - She is running.

We went. - We are going.

I want to be there. - I want to be there.

Secondary members of the sentence are those that explain the main ones. Without them, the sentence will still make sense, since they are not the grammatical basis of the sentence. The secondary members include definition, addition and circumstance. nine0003

Definition

This sentence member answers the questions “which?” and "whose?". The definition stands next to the subject or object and describes its properties; it can be expressed in almost any part of speech.

In most cases, the definition is expressed as:

  • Adjectives: nice (cute), brave (brave).
  • Participles: sold (sold), crying (crying).
  • Participle turnovers: made of plastic (made of plastic), laughing out loud (laughing out loud). nine0080
  • Numerals: first (first), thirty (thirty).
  • Noun in the possessive case: Nick's (Nick), Diana's (Diana).
  • Personal pronouns in the objective case: my (my), your (your).

Examples:

I see a beautiful girl next to him. - I see (what?) a beautiful girl next to him.

My red cat is lying on the windowsill. - (Whose?) My (what?) red cat lies on the windowsill.

A definition can be placed before the subject or object.

Examples:

Her wavy hair is so beautiful. Her wavy hair is so beautiful.

I have read a great book. — I read a wonderful book.

The adjective expressed by the participial phrase usually comes after the subject and object.

Example: The girl singing on stage is my sister. The girl singing on stage is my sister. nine0016

Complement

According to the construction of sentences in English, the complement is placed after the predicate. It can be expressed as a noun or pronoun, answers case questions.

Examples:

I see a girl with him. - I see (who?) a girl (who?) with him.

She is reading a book to the children. She reads (what?) a book (to whom?) to children.

There are two types of add-on: nine0003

  • Direct - an object that does not answer questions of the accusative case "whom?", "What?".
  • Indirect - an addition that answers all other case questions "who?", "what?", "to whom?", "what?".

If two types of object are used at once in one sentence, the direct one is used first, and then the indirect one.

Example: I play a computer game with her. — I play a computer game with her.

Circumstance

This part of speech denotes place, cause, time, manner of action, and the like. The circumstance is related to the predicate, but it can be used both at the beginning and at the end of the sentence. The first option is less common. The circumstance informs “where?”, “When?”, “How?”, “Why?” some action has taken place.

Examples:

My red cat lies on the windowsill. — My red cat lies (where?) on the windowsill.

Yesterday I saw her with him. — (When?) Yesterday I saw her with him. nine0003

He behaved differently. - He behaved (how?) differently.

The circumstance can be expressed as:

  • Adverb: today (today), slowly (slowly).
  • Noun with a preposition: in Paris (in Paris), behind the scenes (behind the scenes).

There are two main word orders in English: direct and reverse. The direct is used in affirmative and negative sentences, the reverse is used in questions. nine0003

The English sentence differs from the Russian one in word order. In Russian it is free, in English it is strictly defined.

Example: Mother was cleaning the frame. - Mom washed the frame. / Mom washed the frame. / Mom washed the frame.

The structure of affirmative and negative sentences

The direct word order in an English sentence is as follows: the subject comes first, the predicate comes second, and the object comes third. In some cases, circumstance may come first. In an English sentence, the main verb may have an auxiliary verb. nine0003

Affirmative sentence word order:

1. Circumstance.
2. Subject (possibly with a definition).
3. Predicate.
4. Addition (possibly with a definition).
5. Circumstance.

Examples

Yesterday I learned English words - Yesterday I learned English words.

Yesterday (adverb) I (subject) learned (predicate) English words (addition with definition). nine0003

My little sister will visit me in three days - My little sister will visit me in three days.

My little sister (subject with definition) will visit (predicate) me (addition) in three days (circumstance).

The word order in the negative English sentence is also direct. In order to show negation, the particle not is used, which corresponds to the Russian particle “not”. Also, in a negative sentence there is always an auxiliary verb, it is to it that not adjoins. nine0003

Negative sentence word order:

1. Circumstance.
2. Subject (possibly with a definition).
3. Auxiliary verb + not.
4. Main verb.
5. Addition (possibly with a definition).

Examples

Yesterday I did not learn English words

Yesterday (adverbial) I (subject) did not (auxiliary verb + not) learn (main verb) English words (addition with definition). nine0003

My little sister will not visit me in three days - My little sister will not visit me in three days.

My little sister (subject with definition) will not (auxiliary verb + not) visit (main verb) me (object) in three days (circumstance).

The structure of interrogative sentences

When a question is asked in Russian, sometimes it can be determined only by the intonation of the speaker that it is a question. When constructing English sentences in the form of a question, the subject and predicate are reversed - the reverse word order is used. But only a part of the predicate is placed in the first place - the auxiliary verb, and the main verb still comes after the subject. nine0003

Example

They live in the city. — They live in the city.

Do they live in the city? — Do they live in the city?

Interrogative sentence word order:

Auxiliary verb.
Subject (possibly with a definition).
Main verb.
Supplement (possibly with definition)
Circumstance.

Examples

Did I learn English words? — Did I learn English words?

Did (auxiliary verb) I (subject) learn (main verb) English words (object with definition)?

Will my little sister visit me in three days? Will my little sister visit me in three days?

Will (auxiliary verb) my little sister (subject with attribute) visit (main verb) me (object) in three days (circumstance)?

nine0003

You can use a short answer when answering a question. But in English you can't just say Yes/No, such an answer can be considered rude or unfriendly in some cases. A well-formed short answer should, in addition to Yes/No, contain a subject and an auxiliary verb.

Examples

Question: Do they work in the office? Do they work in an office?

Answer: Yes, they do. / No, they don't. - Yes. / No. nine0003

Question: Has he visited the British Museum? / Did he visit the British Museum?

Answer: Yes, he has. / No, he hasn't. - Yes. / No.

Question: Will you call me? - Will you call me?

Answer: Yes, I will. / No, I won't. - Yes. / No.

Question: Do you like tea? — Do you like tea?

Answer: Yes, I do. / No, I don't. - Yes. / No.

Alternative grammatical constructions of English sentences

The construction of English sentences may in some cases deviate from the norm. Modern English is extremely rich in grammatical structures. Some of them are not the norm in the generally accepted sense, but reflect modern language trends. These include contraction (reduction), ellipsis (omission), insert (insert), preface and tag (introduction and tag).

Contraction - abbreviation

This phenomenon is quite familiar and understandable in most cases. nine0003

Examples: can't = cannot, don't = do not, I'm = I am

Abbreviations are considered a sign of conversational style, however, the above forms are the norm, that is, their use does not contradict the established grammatical rules. According to the rules of colloquial English, it is possible to combine auxiliary verbs with modal ones when abbreviated, even with a negative particle not.

Examples: Mike couldn't've known about it. Mike didn't know about it. You shouldn't've gone there. You shouldn't have gone there. nine0016

In colloquial speech, abbreviation can be used if there is a subject expressed by several nouns.

Examples: Mark and Jenny've passed the exam. Mark and Jenny passed the exam. The President and his team're going to the summit. — The President and his team are going to the summit.

Ellipsis

In colloquial speech, a part of a traditional English sentence structure can be omitted if the meaning of the utterance is preserved. This phenomenon saves time and makes speech more fluent. Most often, words are skipped at the beginning of a sentence or not far from it. nine0003

You can omit:

  • Auxiliary verb

    Example: How are you doing? - How are you? Ellipsis: How are you doing? - How are you?

    Example: I'm alright, thanks. - I'm fine, thank you. Ellipsis: Alright, thanks. - OK, thanks.

  • Subject + be/will

    Example: I'll see you later. - See you later. Ellipsis: See you later. - See you later. nine0003

    Example: I'm not sure about that. — I'm not sure about that. Ellipsis: Not sure about that. - Not sure.

  • Parts of the interrogative form (often with the verbs see, hear, think)

    Example: Are you going with us? - Are you coming with us? Ellipsis: Going with us? - Are you coming with us?

    Example: Would you like some lemonade? - Would you like some lemonade? Ellipsis: (Some) lemonade? — Lemonade?

    Example: Do you want some water? - Do you want water? Ellipsis: Want some water? - Do you want some water?

    Example: Have you got a little time? — Do you have some time? Ellipsis: Got a little time? - Do you have time?

    Example: Do you like it? - Do you like it? Ellipsis: Like it? - Like?

  • noun

    Example: I can't complain. — I can't complain. Ellipsis: Can't complain. - Not complaining. nine0016

    Example: I don't know. - I don't know. Ellipsis: Don't know. - I do not know.

  • Article

    Example: The delivery man's here. - The courier is here. Ellipsis: Delivery man's here. - The courier is here.

  • It and there

    Example: It might get colder tomorrow. - It might get colder tomorrow. Ellipsis: Might get colder tomorrow. - It might get colder tomorrow.

    Example: Is anybody there ? - Is there anyone there? Ellipsis: Anybody there? - Is there anyone? nine0016

The grammatical structures in Russian and English do not match, so the difference between a full and an elliptical sentence is not always visible in the translation, which sometimes may not be literal.

It is also possible to omit words at the end of a sentence, especially in short answers.

Examples

Question: Will you be at the meeting? - Will you be at the meeting?

Answer: I should be. - Should.

Question: Are you singing at the gala concert? — Do you sing at the gala concert?

Answer: I hope to. - Hope.

Insert - insert

Inserting a word or expression in the construction of English sentences performs some communicative functions. For example, thinking out loud, emphasizing attention, agreeing, etc. Insertion usually helps speech sound more fluid and logical, it is not used in writing. nine0003

Insert examples:

  • Well - an expression of doubt or pause before returning to the subject of the previous discussion.

    Well, I haven't been there yet. Well, I haven't been there yet.

  • Right - attracting attention, persuading that the listener agrees with what is being said.

    Right. Can you switch off your phones, please? - So. Could you please turn off your phones?

    You're OK, right? "You're all right, right?" nine0003

  • I mean - paraphrase, explanation, clarification.

    I speak this language, I mean, English. — I speak this language, I mean English.

  • You know - the belief that the listener understands what is being said.

    I really liked French cuisine, you know, frogs' legs and so on. “I really liked French food, you know, frog legs and so on.

  • nine0079 OK - the belief that the listener agrees with what was said, usually stands at the end of the statement.

    See you at 5, OK? See you at 5, okay?

  • Now - change the topic or return to the previous topic.

    That was interesting. Now, who wants to listen to another story? - It was interesting. Now, who wants to hear another story?

  • Like - a pause, an indication that the statement is not completed and further information on the topic follows. nine0002 I didn't join them because it was, like, dangerous. “I didn't go with them because it was, well, dangerous.

Inserts can be used not only by the speaker, but also by the listener for one purpose or another.

Question: There's been another bank robbery. There was another bank robbery.

Answer: Really? - Truth?

(insert used to show interest to the speaker) nine0003

Question: I’m sick and tired of his behaviour. “I'm fed up with his behavior.

Answer: Uh huh. - Well, yes.

(insert used by the listener to show tolerance, understanding what his interlocutor is saying)

Preface and tag

Preface - an introductory word or phrase. Tag is a word (phrase) following the main statement. Both phenomena are used to make sure that the listener follows the train of your thoughts, understands what is being said. nine0003

Introductory phrase example: That night club, what’s it called? - What's the name of that nightclub?

Example tagged: What is she doing, that girl? What is she doing, that girl?

An introductory phrase or word can also be used to introduce a new topic.

Example: Ireland, what a lovely country it is! Ireland, what a beautiful country!

Simple sentences in English

WAR

All dictatorships create external enemies and repression to sit on the throne forever.

If you can't tell the truth from a clever lie, then think about laws, about freedom of speech, how often and where power has changed.

CNN News BBC News Telegram Wikipedia

Sentence - is a separate statement that has intonation and semantic completeness. A sentence is a word or group of words, organized according to the rules of grammar, that carries a specific message, question, exclamation, or call to action. nine0003

  • It's raining. - It's raining.
  • Go outside! - Get outside!
  • What are you doing? - What are you doing?

Sentences of the English language, as in Russian, depending on how many grammatical bases (combinations of subject and predicate) in the sentence, are divided into simple and complex sentences.

  • Simple sentences
  • There is my house. - This is my house.
  • I have to go to the university. - I have to go to the university.
  • Complex sentences
  • There is the house where my family lives. This is the house where my family lives.
  • I have to go to the university now but I will come back soon. I have to go to the university now, but I will be back soon.

Simple sentence (a simple sentence) is a sentence in which there is only one grammatical basis (one combination of subject and predicate).

  • Kate likes dogs. Kate loves dogs.
  • We go jogging every Sunday. We go jogging every Sunday.
  • They didn't go to school last year. They didn't go to school last year.

Simple sentences for the purpose of saying

All simple sentences , depending on the purpose of the statement, can be narrative , interrogative , imperative , exclamatory .

Narrative sentences

Declarative sentence (declarative sentence) - a sentence that communicates a certain fact or information in affirmative or negative form . The intonation of such a sentence is mainly descending, direct word order is used (subject before the predicate). nine0003

  • My name is Paul. - My name is Paul.
  • Kate is good at cooking. Kate cooks well.
  • I don't like honey. - I don't like honey.
  • George hasn't finished his work yet. George has not finished his work yet.

In English, as a rule, there can be only one negation in the sentence , in contrast to the Russian language, where there can be a double negation (using together the particles not, neither and negative pronouns, adverbs, etc.) . nine0003

  • I know nothing. - I know nothing.
  • I don't know anything. - I know nothing.
  • We met no one yesterday. We didn't meet anyone yesterday.
  • We didn't meet anyone yesterday. We didn't meet anyone yesterday.

The double negative in English can be used to further strengthen the negative, but this is not common.

  • I ain't got no money. - I don't have any money.
  • We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control. “We don't need any education, we don't need any thought control.

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentence (interrogative sentence) - a sentence that expresses a question. They are formed using indirect word order (predicate before the subject), as well as interrogative words. Interrogative sentences are discussed in detail in the article types of questions. nine0003

  • Who is there? - Who's there?
  • What are you doing now? - What are you doing now?
  • Do you like learning English? – Do you like learning English?

Imperative sentences

Imperative sentence (imperative sentence) - a sentence that encourages the interlocutor to act, that is, it expresses an order, request, command, invitation, etc. Such sentences often omit the subject you (you, you), as it is clear from the context, the verb is used only in the infinitive form without the particle to .

  • Watch this! – Look at this!
  • Listen to me. - Listen to me.
  • Go and buy some bread, please. - Go buy some bread, please.

Sometimes in imperative sentences the pronoun you is not omitted in order to emphasize emotionally and strengthen an order or command. nine0003

  • You sleep now. - You're going to bed now.
  • We will rest and you drive. We will rest and you will drive the car.
  • I will go to the shop and you stay at home. - I'm going to the store, and you stay at home.

In order to form a negative imperative (prohibition or request), always use the auxiliary verb do in the negative form, even with verb to be .

  • Don't give me orders! - Don't order me!
  • Don't touch it, please. - Don't touch it, please.
  • Don't be so silly! - Don't be so stupid!
  • Oh, come on, don't be mad. “Oh come on, don’t be mad.

The verb to let (allow) is used to form an order, a command directed at third parties. To let is also used to offer help or ask for permission. nine0003

  • Let her go. - Let her go. (Let her go.)
  • Let him do whatever he wants. Let him do whatever he wants.
  • Let the children play with our dog. Let the children play with our dog.
  • Let me help you. - Let me help you.
  • Let us do this. - Let us do it.

Form let's (short for let us ) is used to suggest a joint action. In this sense, the full form let us is practically not used.

  • Let's go for a walk! - Let's go for a walk!
  • Let's play football outside. Let's play football outside.
  • Let's invite Paul and Janice to the party. Let's invite Paul and Janice to the party.

Exclamatory sentences

Exclamatory sentence (exclamatory sentence) - a sentence expressing certain emotions or feelings. Often such sentences begin with the words what and how , and end with an exclamation point .

In exclamatory sentences only direct word order is used. However, often a sentence can only consist of one or two words.

  • Marvelous! - Wonderful! (also with a hint of sarcasm)
  • How wonderful! - How wonderful!
  • It's such a beautiful life! - What a beautiful life!
  • What a lovely day it is. - What a wonderful day today.

Types of simple sentences according to the structure

Simple sentences according to their structure (presence or absence of some members of the sentence) are divided into two-part and one-part , as well as uncommon and common .

Two-part sentence

Two-member sentence (two-member sentence) - a sentence in which there are both main members of the sentence (subject and predicate), or one of them is omitted, as it is clear from the context or the previous sentence.

  • I don't like this book. - I don't like this book.
  • nine0079 We had a lot of fun in Brazil! Swimming in the ocean, drinking cocktails, dancing. We had a lot of fun in Brazil! We swam in the ocean, drank cocktails, danced.

Two-part sentences , in turn, are divided into complete and incomplete. Complete sentence (complete sentence) - a two-part sentence in which there is both a subject and a predicate.

  • The child smiled at us.
  • We've bought a lot of candies for you. We bought you a lot of sweets.
  • There was a big party at Caroline's place. Caroline had a big party.

Incomplete sentence Such sentences are often found in colloquial speech, dialogues.

  • Who did that? Mark, of course. - Who did this? Of course Mark. nine0016
  • What did he do? Nothing at all! - What he did? Nothing at all!
  • What were we doing? Just chilling and talking. – What did we do? They just relaxed and talked.

One-part offer

One-member sentence (one-member sentence) - a special type of sentence in which there is only one main member of the sentence, and it cannot be unambiguously defined as a noun or a predicate. Sometimes such sentences are called sentence-phrases .

One-part sentences can be expressed using a noun or an infinitive of a verb.

  • To be or not to be? - To be or not to be?
  • To stay here – alone, forgotten by everyone. – To stay here – alone, forgotten by everyone.
  • Spring! Birds singing, the sun shining, flowers in blossom. - Spring! The birds are singing, the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming.

Uncommon and common offerings

Unextended sentence (non-extended sentence) - a sentence in which there are no secondary members of the sentence, but there is only grammatical basis . Uncommon can be both one-part and two-part sentences.


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