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1. No Verb Complement
The simplest structure is one without a verb complement. In
traditional grammar, all verb complements are either nouns or
adjectives.
Example: Sit!
Questions
Examples: What are you throwing?
Interjection
Examples: Man, that hurt!
Compound predicate
The bear howled and scratched ferociously.
Compound subject and predicate
Fred and Mary worked hard and then rested.
Three subjects
John, Fred, and Cameron are working.
Direct object
Ted sent the letter.
Compound direct objects
Ted sent cards and letters.
Three direct objects
Ted sent posters, cards, and letters.
Compound predicate with direct objects
Jessica cooked lunch and ate it.
Compound predicate with one direct object
Sam proofreads and edits his essays.
Indirect object
The teacher gave the children homework.
Compound indirect objects
The teacher gave Tess and Sam quizzes.
Predicate noun
John is a coach.
Objective Complement
Johnny painted his front porch white.
Direct address
Harold, tell the class now.
Adjective
Athletic moves excite the crowd.
Compound adjectives
The little old lady hit the tall and distinguished gentleman.
Predicate adjective
The engine was powerful.
Compound predicate adjectives
The engine was powerful but expensive.
Comparative Adjective
Joe is considerably older than his brother.
Adverb
Fred works quickly.
Adverbs modifying other adverbs
My dog wags its tail quite often.
Compound adverbs
The cat waited patiently and quietly at the door.
Passive Verbs
The ball was kicked.
Sometimes we use sentences in which a subject is not actually stated, but is,
nevertheless, understood in the meaning.
Example:
Sometimes the predicate will be composed of two or three verbs that fit together the main verb preceded by one or more auxiliary (helping) verbs.
A subject and predicate may not always appear together or in the normal order, as
the following examples show:
Phrases
A phrase is a group of related words that
1. does not express a complete thought
2. does not have a subject and predicate pair
One type of phrase is a prepositional phrase.
Examples:
Even though these phrases contain nouns (pronouns) and/or verb forms,
none of the nouns/pronouns/verbs are subjects or predicates. None of them
work as apartnership.
Also, these phrases do NOT express complete thoughts.
Clauses
Words and phrases can be put together to make clauses.
WORDS
PHRASES
DEPENDENT CLAUSES
When entire independent clauses (simple sentences) are joined this way,
they become compound sentences.
Avoiding Fragments
A complete sentence needs only two elements:
a subject - predicate unit
AND
a complete thought
C. Independent,
D. Independent
clause.
clause.
Punctuation patterns:
Follow the rules given above for compound and complex sentences.
A compound-complex sentence is merely a combination of the two.
Ic;
therefore,
Ic, and
ic
ic.
Dc, ic. or
or
Ic dc.
I dc c.
Sentence patterns
Just about all sentences in the English language fall into ten patterns determined
by the presence and functions of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
The patterns are most easily classified according to the type of verb used:
Verb of being patterns (1, 2, 3) use a form of the verb to be as the main verb in
the sentence.
is
are
was
were
has been
have been
had been
Linking verb patterns (4, 5) use one of the linking verbs as the main verb in the
sentence. The linking verb is followed by a noun or adjective functioning as a
subjective complement.
smell
taste
look
feel
seem
become
appear
grow
Action verb patterns (6, 7, 8, 9, 10) use one of the many action verbs as the
main verb in the sentence. The action verb may be either transitive (take a direct
object) or intransitive (not take a direct object).
see
jump
embrace
write
imagine
buy
plummet
think etc.
Terms used to identify various parts of each sentence pattern include the
following:
NP = noun phrase
This abbreviation refers to a headword noun and its modifiers ("noun
phrase") functioning as a subject, direct object, indirect object, subjective
complement, or objective complement.
NP1, NP2, NP3, etc. = designations for different noun phrase functions
Numbers in sequential order are used with each NP to designate its
difference from or similarity to other NPs before and after it.
More information
on subjects
More information
on subjective complements
Note: The second NP receives the same numerical designation as the first
NP because the second NP, the subjective complement, is the same as the subject
(Mr. James = teacher).
4. NP1 + LV + ADJ
The linking verb is followed by an adjective functioning as a subjective
complement.
5. NP1 + LV + NP1
The linking verb is followed by a noun functioning as a subjective complement.
Note: The second NP receives the same numerical designation as the first NP
because the second NP, the subjective complement, is the same as the subject
(Joan = Buddhist).
6. NP1 + V-int
The action verb takes no direct object.
Even if the action verb is followed by a prepositional phrase, the verb is still
intransitive as long as it does not take a direct object.
More
information on direct objects
Note: The second NP, the direct object, receives a different numerical
designation (NP2) because it is not the same as the subject (NP1).
8. NP1 + V-tr + NP2 + NP3
The action verb is followed by an indirect object and then a direct object.
More information
on indirect objects
Note: The indirect object and the direct object each receive a new numerical
designation because each is different from the other and both are different from the
subject.
9. NP1 + V-tr + NP2 + ADJ
The action verb is followed by a direct object. The direct object is followed by an
adjective functioning as an objective complement.
More information
on objective complements
Note: The second NP, the direct object, receives a different numerical
designation (NP2) because it is not the same as the subject (NP1).
10. NP1 + V-tr + NP2 + NP2
The action verb is followed by a direct object. The direct object is followed by a
noun functioning as an objective complement.
Note: The second NP, the direct object, receives a different numerical
designation (NP2) because it is not the same as the subject (NP1). The third NP,
the objective complement, receives the same numerical designation as the direct
object (NP2) because it is the same as the direct object (Jacobsen = friend).
not create confusion. When the dependent clause follows the independent clause, no comma is
usually necessary though one may be used occasionally for emphasis, for clarity, or for
underscoring contrast.]
Because the rain fell for three days, every street in town was flooded. (DC + IC}
Every street in town was flooded because the rain fell for three days. (IC + DC)
The compound-complex sentence consists of one or more dependent clauses and two or more
independent clauses. Heres one with an introductory dependent clause, two independent clauses
in the middle, and a closing dependent clause (the dependent clauses are underlined):
Because the rain fell for three days, every street in town was flooded, and people abandoned their
homes as the river overflowed its banks.