Types of Sentences: Structure and Function

Sentence Structure

• A clause sentence has both a subject and a verb and must have a complete thought.
• There are two types of sentences according to function:
  • Declarative sentence: makes a statement and ends with a period.
  • Imperative sentence: requests or commands and ends with a period or exclamation point.
  • Interrogative sentence: asks questions and ends with a question mark.
  • Exclamatory sentence: indicates a strong emotion and ends with an exclamation point.
• There are four types of sentences according to structure:
  • Simple sentence: has one independent clause only.
  • Compound sentence: has two independent clauses only, connected by coordinators or a semicolon.
  • Complex sentence: has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
  • Compound-complex sentence: has two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

Clauses

• A clause is a group of words with a subject and verb, and can have a complete or incomplete idea.
• There are two types of clauses:
  • Independent clause: has a subject and verb, and can stand alone.
  • Dependent clause: is a subordination clause, introduced by subordinators, and cannot stand alone.
• Subordination conjunctions:
  • After, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, if only, rather than, since, that, though, unless, until, when, where, wherever, whether, which, while.

Anthropology

• Anthropology is the study of humankind in all times and all places.
• Fields of anthropology:
  • Cultural anthropology: the study of living people and their cultures.
  • Linguistic anthropology: the study of language.
  • Archaeology: the study of past cultures.
  • Biological anthropology: the study of human evolution and biological characteristics.
• Anthropology is concerned with the study of human origin, globalization, social change, and world history.

Sociology

• Sociology is the study of human social behavior, relationships, and institutions.
• The Latin word “socius” means associate, and the Greek word “logos” means study of knowledge.
• Branches of sociology:
  • Social organization: the study of institutions such as family and schools.
  • Population studies: the study of census data.
  • Applied sociology: the application of sociological principles to solve social problems.
  • Social change: the study of social movements and social revolutions.
  • Human ecology: the study of the relationship between humans and their environment.
  • Social psychology: the study of thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Political Science

• Political science is the study of government and politics.
• The Greek word “polis” means city or state.
• The study of politics involves the study of power and how it is gained, used, and lost.
• Functions of political institutions:
  • Enact laws, ordinances, and rules.
  • Levy and regulate taxes.
  • Support education programs.
  • Plan the economy.
  • Administer justice.
  • Promote physical, economic, social, and cultural well-being of the people.

Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives

• Unilineal evolutionism: the idea that new cultural forms emerge from the past.
• Cultural diffusionism: the study of how cultures merge and spread.
• Historical particularism: the study of unique cultures influenced by their history, geography, and environment.
• Anthropological functionalism: the study of cultures as interrelated wholes.
• Anthropological structuralism: the study of how humans organize and structure their experiences.
• Cultural materialism: the study of how culture is influenced by technology, resources, economic values, and the utilization of things.

Sociological Perspectives

• Functionalism: the view of society as an organized network of cooperating groups.
• Conflict perspective: the view of society as a continuous competition for power.
• Symbolic interactionism: the study of how we ascribe meaning to things.
• Evolutionism: the study of how human groups came to exist, grow, and develop.

Society and Culture

• Society: a group of people organized in a cooperative manner, occupying the same territory.
• Culture: the unique character of every human society, or the imprint made by people.
• Aspects of culture:
  • Artifacts: objects made by human beings.
  • Arts and recreation: arts, music, drama, and literature.
  • Clothes: the people usually wear in the community.
  • Government: the one that implements rules.
  • Religion: a strong belief in a supernatural power.
  • Values: the morals that we live by.
  • Knowledge: the psychological result of perception, learning, and reasoning.
  • Tools: objects used to improve the performance of a task.
  • Language: the mental faculty or power of vocal communication.
  • Shelter: a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger.

Orientations in Viewing Other Cultures

• Cultural relativism: the view that culture only has meaning when taken into context.
• Ethnocentrism: the view that one's own culture is superior.
• Xenocentrism: the view that another culture is superior.
• Xenophobia: the fear of what is perceived as foreign or strange.
• Enculturation: the gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person.
• Culture shock: the feeling of uncertainty, confusion, or anxiety that people experience when visiting a different place with different norms.

Main Idea

• The main idea is the central idea or point of a text, article, or story.
• The main idea can be found at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph.
• Making generalizations and inferences:
  • Generalization: a broad statement that applies to a group of people.
  • Inference: the act or process of reaching a conclusion based on facts or evidence.
• Clue words to find generalizations: all, none, most, many, always, everyone, never, sometimes, some, usually, seldom, few, generally, in general, and overall.