Basic Elements of Every Sentence

SUBJECT VERB
 Basic Elements

SUBJECT VERB

Mary plays tennis.

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE?

Is a group of words

together that express
one complete thought.
It includes a subject
and a verb/predicate.
Simple Sentence
Simple Sentence
 A simple sentence has one

independent clause that has a

subject and a verb and expresses

a complete thought.
SUBJECT VERB

Mary plays tennis.

one subject one verb

We went to San Juan yesterday.
 Pronoun Verb Prepositional phrase

We went to San Juan .

Simple subject Complete predicate

 SIMPLE SENTENCE
with compound subject

Tom and Mary play tennis.

Tom and Mary play tennis.

Compound Subject

&
 SIMPLE SENTENCE
with compound subject
and
compound predicate

Tom and Mary play tennis and

swim.
Tom and Mary play tennis and swim.

Compound Subject Compound Predicate

& &
Compound Sentence
Compound Sentence
A compound sentence has more than

one part that can stand alone

(independent clauses).

 Independent clauses are connected by

coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive
adverbs or a semi-colon.
We went to San Juan, and

most of us danced all night.

 Subject Verb Prepositional phrase

We went to San Juan,

Complete predicate

Coordinating Predicate
Conjunction

and most of us danced all night .

Subject Verb Modifying phrase

 Using a Semicolon
Independent Clause ; Independent Clause

I love living in the city ; there are so many things to do.

Independent Independent
Clause Clause
 COMPOUND SENTENCE:
SEMICOLON

Tom has benefited from his exercise

program; he is slim and energetic.
Compound Sentence

Use of Coordinating Conjunctions

SUBJECT PREDICATE

SUBJECT PREDICATE
 Using a Coordinating
Conjunction
Independent Clause ,coordinating conjunction Independent Clause

He couldn’t watch the show , so he decided to

tape it.

Independent Independent
Clause Clause
 FANBOYS
Easy way to remember conjunctions…

F  For 
A  And 
N  Nor 
B  But 
O  Or 
Y  Yet 
S  So 
Compound Sentence
Tom swims,

and

Mary plays tennis.

 COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.

Clause 1 Clause 2
Independent Independent
 COMPOUND SENTENCE:
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

Tom swims, and Mary plays tennis.

Comma before “and”

in compound
sentences!
COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS

MOREOVER
HOWEVER
OTHERWISE
THEREFORE
 Using a Transition/
Conjunctive adverbs
Independent Clause ; transition , Independent
Clause

I love San Francisco ; however, I hate the traffic.

Independent Independent
Clause Clause
 COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS

Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.

Clause 1 Clause 2
Independent Independent
 COMPOUND SENTENCE:
CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS

Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.

Note: Semicolon
before conjunctive
adverb and comma
after conjunctive adverb!
 CONJUNCTIVE ADVERB:
AT THE BEGINNING, IN THE
MIDDLE,AT THE END

Bob is handsome; moreover, he is rich.

Bob is handsome; he is, moreover, rich.
Bob is handsome; he is rich, moreover.
 Practice Exercises

Now you are ready to practice what

you’ve learned.
 Simple or Compound?
Directions: Read each sentence. Then decide if it is a
simple sentence or a compound sentence. Write the word
“simple” or “compound” on the line.
____1. Text messaging is not new, yet few adults use it.
____2. The contest will not take place until June, but
we already have four entries
___3. He and his friends have to be there early to
warm up.
___4. I don’t agree with her and pouted.
____5. The wind shifted, and it blew rain in through
our window.
ASSIGNMENT:
Write a short dialogue using
simple and compound sentences.
CRITERIA:
Content=10points
Organization=5 points
Grammar=5 points
TOTAL=20 POINTS