WHAT IS A SENTENCE A set of words that is complete complete in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main clause and sometimes one or more subordinate clauses
Phrase & Clause A phrase A phrase or or clause clause is is part of a sentence. This is an example of a sentence: The dog is is happy. In this sentence, 'The dog' is the subject, and 'is' is the verb.
Phrase
This is an example of a phrase: The happy dog There is no verb, so we do not know anything about what the happy dog is doing. It is not a sentence.
Clause A clause is a sentence within a sentence. Example:
They milked the cows, and then made cheese and butter . This sentence has two co-ordinate (~equal) clauses, linked by 'and'.
Parts of Speech Adjective (easy, happy, good, Adjective (easy, wonderful, ...) Adverb (easily, Adverb (easily, happily, well, fast, quickly, ...) Conjunction (and, Conjunction (and, but, ...) Preposition (in, Preposition (in, on, at, ...) Pronoun (he, Pronoun (he, she, her, him, they, ...) Noun (boy, Noun (boy, girl, dog, book, ...)
Types of Sentence: Sentence: 1. 2.
3.
A simple sentence is sentence is one clause. The dog is happy . A compound sentence is sentence is many clauses. These clauses are joined together with conjunctions conjunctions,, punctuation,, or both. The dog is punctuation happy, but the cat is sad . A complex sentence is sentence is one clause with a relative clause. clause. The dog, which is eating the bone, is happy
Kinds of Sentences I.
II.
A declarative sentence, sentence, or declaration, is the most common type of sentence. It tells something. It ends with a full stop . (The (The dog is happy .) .) An interrogative sentence, sentence, or question, asks something. It ends with a question mark ? (Is (Is the dog happy?) happy?)
Kinds of sentences III. An exclamatory sentence, sentence, or exclamation, says something out of the ordinary. It ends with an exclamation mark ! (That (That dog is the happiest dog I have ever seen! ) IV. An imperative sentence, sentence, or command, tells someone to do something. (Give (Give the dog a bone.) bone. )
PUNCTUATION
Importance of Punctuation marks Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication--to control speeds, provide directions, and prevent headon collisions. collisions. A period has has the unblinking finality of a red light; the comma is a flashing yellow light that asks us only to slow down; and the semicolon is a stop sign that tells us to ease gradually to a halt, before gradually starting up again
1.End Punctuation A sentence may end with a period ( .) mark (?) II. A question mark exclamation point point (! (!). III. An exclamation I.
QUESTION MARK Use a question mark after mark after direct questions,, as in this exchange: questions
The Grandson: Grandson: Is this a story book? Grandpa: Grandpa: Yes, Yes, it is.
The boy asked if that was a story book.
EXCLAMATION EXCLAMA TION MARK Exclamation point at point at the end of a sentence to express strong emotion.
2.COMMA 1.Use a Comma Before a Coordinator Use a comma before a coordinator (and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so) so ) that links two main clause. "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you but you are doomed if you don't try." (Beverly Sills)
2. Use a Comma to Separate Items in a Series Use a comma between words, phrases, or clauses that appear in a series series of of three or more: "You get injected, inspected, detected, infected, neglected, and selected." (Arlo Guthrie) "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to
3.Use a Pair of Commas to Set Off Interruptions Use a pair of commas to set off words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence: "Words are, are, of course, the course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.“ (Rudyard Kipling)
3.COLONS (:) Use a colon to set off a summary or a series after a a complete main clause: It is time for the baby's birthday party: a white cake, strawberry-marshmallow ice cream, and great gifts.
4.DASHES (--) Use a dash to set off a short summary after a complete main clause: At the bottom bottom of Pandora's Pandora's box lay lay the final gift--hope.
We may also use a pair of dashes in place of a pair of commas to set off words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence with additional-but not essential— essential —information.
5.SEMICOLONS (;) Use a semicolon to separate two main clauses not clauses not joined by a coordinating conjunction: conjunction : Those who write clearly have readers; those who write obscurely have commentators.
6.Apostrophe 1. Use an Apostrophe to Show the Omission of Letters in a Contraction Use the apostrophe to form contractions contractions:: I'm (I am) You're (you are) he's (he is) she's (she is) it's* (it is) we're (we are) they're (they are) isn't (is not)
aren't (are not) can't (cannot) don't (do not) who's (who is) won't (will not) Be careful to place the apostrophe where the letter or letters have been omitted , which is not always the same place where the two words have been joined. * Don't confuse the contraction it's (meaning, it's (meaning, "it is") with the possessive pronoun its: its: It's the It's the first day of spring. Our bird has escaped from its cage. its cage.
2.Use an Apostrophe with -s for Possessives of Singular Nouns Use an apostrophe plus -s to -s to show the possessive form of a singular noun, even if that singular noun already ends in -s: -s: Harold's crayon my daughter's First Communion Sylvia Plath's poetry Dylan Thomas's poetry today's weather report the boss's problem Star Jones's talk show Victoria Beckham's husband
3.Use an Apostrophe Without -s for Possessives of Most Plural Nouns To form the possessive possessive of a plural noun that already ends in -s, -s, add an apostrophe: the girls' swing set (the swing set belonging to the girls) the students' projects (the projects belonging to the students)
If the plural noun does not end in s , add an apostrophe plus - s :
-
The children's toys (the toys belonging to the children) The men's training camp (the training camp belonging to the men
4.Use an Apostrophe with -s -s When Two or More Nouns Possess the Same Thing When two or more nouns possess the same thing, add an apostrophe plus -s to -s to the last noun listed: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream Emma and Nicole's school project (Emma and Nicole worked together on the same project)
5. Do Not Use an Apostrophe with Possessive Pronouns Because possessive pronouns already pronouns already show ownership, it's* not necessary to add an apostrophe: yours his hers its* ours theirs However, However, we do add an apostrophe plus -s to -s to form the possessive of some indefinite pronouns: anybody's guess one's personal responsibility
When two or more nouns separately possess something, add an apostrophe to each noun listed: Tim's and Marty's ice cream (Each boy has his own ice cream.) Emma's and Nicole's school projects (Each girl has her own project.)
Quotation Marks
Sometimes referred to as quotes or inverted commas, are punctuation marks used in pairs to set off a quotation quotation or or a piece of dialogue dialogue.. Here are five guidelines for using quotation marks effectively . 1. Direct Quotations Use double quotation marks (" ") to enclose a direct quotation: After telling an audience that young people today "think work is is a four-letter word," Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said she apologized to her daughter. daughter.
Indirect quotations Indirect quotations
There are summaries or paraphrases of someone else's words. Do not use use quotation marks around indirect quotations: Paul said, "I'm satisfied." Paul said that he was satisfied.
2. Titles Use double quotation marks to enclose the titles of songs, short stories, st ories, essays, poems, and articles. My favorite E. B. White’s essay, "Once More to the Lake," was a letter that White wrote to his brother a week after their mother's death. Do not put put quotation marks around the titles of books, newspapers, or magazines; instead, italicize or underline those titles.
3. Quotations Within Quotations Use a pair of single quotation marks (' ') to enclose a title, direct quotation, or piece of dialogue that appears within another quotation: Josie once said, "I have never read much poetry, but I love the sonnet 'Be Bop a Lula.'"Notice that two separate quotation marks appear at the end of the sentence: a single mark to close the title and a double mark to close the direct
4. Commas and Quotation Q uotation Marks When a comma comma or or a period period appears appears at the end of a quotation, quotation, put it inside the quotation mark: "Gluttony is an emotional disease," Peter DeVries once wrote, "a sign that something is eating us."
