The Sentence Subject and Object

EVERY SENTENCE NEEDS A SUBJECT AND A FINITE VERB. In English, the position and order of words in a sentence are important as they give the sentence meaning. John bit the fat baby does not have the same meaning as The fat baby bit John. The normal word order in English is: Subject + Verb + Object

Predicate

A sentence is a complete thought expressed in words. To express it, it must have a subject and a predicate. (The predicate contains the finite verb!) See page 7 of your Subject - expresses WHO or WHAT is performing the action. English Handbook and Study Guide. Predicate the rest of the sentence that tells us what the subject does. Direct Object - this is the noun or noun equivalent that is affected by the action of the verb. Indirect Object - tells you to whom/what or for whom/what after the Direct Object Subject Predicate DIRECT OBJECT INDIRECT OBJECT (what?) President Zuma addressed his new cabinet. She gave a dictionary to her daughter.

Reminder what is a finite verb? Finite means complete For a verb to be finite it has to meet four criteria: It must have a subject It must have a tense

It must indicate a number

It must indicate person (1st, 2nd, 3rd)

For example, in the sentence She drove me crazy! the subject of the verb drove is she, the event happened in the past and only one person drove me crazy. There are also non-finite verbs. These verbs fail to fulfil all three requirements to be finite verbs. For example , Whistling through the trees is not a complete sentence because whistling is a non-finite verb. In this example, the verb whistling does not have a subject (what was whistling?) and you can not determine the number (was one thing whistling, or were many things whistling?). SENTENCES CAN BE CLASSIFIED BY THE STRUCTURE OF THE CLAUSES. Simple sentences Simple sentences contain one main, complete thought. Simple sentences have one subject and one finite verb (in other words, one main clause). For example Harry met Sally and I love English are both simple sentences.

Compound sentences Compound sentences consist of two simple sentences that are joined together by coordinating conjunctions such as and or but or are linked by a semi-colon. Both clauses that make up the compound sentence are equally important. For example the sentence I am a teacher but my sister is a doctor could be divided into two simple sentences.

Complex sentences Complex sentences consist of a main clause (a simple sentence) as well as one or more subordinate clauses that provide extra information. A subordinate clause cannot stand on its own. It does the work of a noun (a noun clause), an adverb (an adverbial. Clause) or an adjective (an adjectival clause). Adjectival clauses are usually introduced by relative pronouns (who, that, which, whom, whose). There are eight categories of adverbial clauses.

Adverbial clause of Time Place Manner Reason Purpose Result Concession Condition

Answers the question When? Where? How? Why? For what reason? What was the outcome? What was admitted or conceded? Under what condition?

Can be introduced by the adverbial connector When, whenever, before, after Where, wherever Like, as, as if Since, because, as So that, in order that Sothat Although, even though If, unless, providing

Example

I get nervous whenever we write exams. That is the school where I used to go. She started to cry as if she were a baby. I am grounded because I received such bad marks. I am working hard so that I will pass. I am so hard-working that I have already started studying. Although he is not too good at English, he tries hard. If you help me, I will pass.

Compound Complex Sentences These sentences contain more than one main clause as well and at least one subordinate clause. e.g. When Im at school, I enjoy socialising but I hate doing work. In this sentence When Im at school is a subordinate clause whilst I enjoy socialising and but I hate work are both main clauses that could stand alone.

A CLAUSE is like a sentence it also contains a finite verb but it forms part of a sentence.
SENTENCES CAN BE CLASSIFIED BY THEIR ARRANGEMENT It is not always necessary to put the main clause or idea first in a sentence. Placing the main thought in different positions in the sentence can change the emphasis of what you are saying to achieve different effects and add variety to your writing. Below are the different types of sentences classified according to how they are arranged.

A loose sentence The main thought or clause appears at the start of the sentence.

e.g. Beat the mixture until the pudding has a smooth texture. A periodic sentence The main thought or clause appears at the end of the sentence.

e.g. With aching feet and skin that had been blistered by the sun, he hobbled ofer the finish line.

A mixed sentence The main thought appears in the middle of the sentence.

e.g. Eager for a holiday, the people flocked to the coast without considering how busy the roads would be. These sentences can help to add variety and interest to your writing Balanced sentences The two ideas in the sentence are given equal importance e.g. The degree course is internationally recognised but the diploma course provides more practical experience.

Links: Use these links to test your knowledge of the above: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/clauses/ex5.htm http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/sentence_types_quiz.htm http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/exlist/exlist.htm http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1553 http://learningnerd.wordpress.com/2006/09/12/english-grammar-types-of-sentences/ http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/area/grammar/gram.html http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/grammar/AlphaExer/SentParts.htm http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/grammar/AlphaExer/SimpSub1.htm http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/grammar/AlphaExer/subject.htm http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/grammar/AlphaExer/verbs.htm http://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/quizzes/grammar/AlphaExer/sentence1.htm