English Grammar: Sentences and Clauses

Sentence Structure and Clauses

• A complete thought is expressed through a sentence consisting of a subject and a predicate.
• Clause vs. Sentence: A clause may be a complete thought (independent) or not (dependent), whereas a sentence always conveys a complete thought.
• A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause with no dependent clauses.
• An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a verb.
• A dependent clause cannot stand independently as a complete sentence.

Types of Sentences

• An exclamatory sentence is used to convey strong emotion or surprise, typically ending with an exclamation mark.
• The usual word order for an exclamatory sentence is similar to declarative sentences, generally following the pattern of subject-verb-object for clarity.

Paragraph Structure

• The topic sentence serves as the main idea or central theme of a paragraph, guiding the reader on what to expect.
• A concluding sentence wraps up the paragraph, reinforcing the main idea and providing closure.

Sentence Types and Their Characteristics

• A compound sentence consists of at least two independent clauses connected by coordinating conjunctions (such as and, but, or).
• The key difference between a descriptive paragraph and a narrative paragraph lies in purpose: descriptive paragraphs focus on detailing sensory information, while narrative paragraphs tell a story or relate events.

Function of Words

• The word 'so' can function as a conjunction indicating consequence or as an adverbial modifier to intensify a statement.