6: Sentence Structure
- Page ID
- 348259
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- 6.1: Grammar
- This page covers the fundamentals of syntax, including sentence structure and key components like subjects, predicates, and clauses. It explains independent and dependent clauses, coordinating conjunctions, and subordination for combining ideas. The discussion includes adjective clauses, relative pronouns, and common grammar errors like fragments and run-on sentences.
- 6.2: Subject-Verb Agreement
- This page explains the key rules of subject-verb agreement in English grammar, emphasizing the need for verbs to match their subjects in number and person. It covers cases involving singular and plural subjects, collective nouns, titles, and indefinite subjects based on context. The page highlights the importance of identifying the subject in various sentence structures, as well as the treatment of gerund and infinitive phrases, which are always singular.
- 6.3: Avoiding Fragments
- This page details the fundamental elements of a complete sentence, highlighting the necessity of a subject and predicate. It defines sentence fragments as incomplete thoughts and offers three methods to identify them: questioning clarity with "Who (or what) did what?", contextualizing with "Did you know that ________?", and reading backwards to identify non-independent sentences.
- 6.4: Subordination and Coordination
- This page explains subordination and coordination in sentence structure, highlighting their roles in conveying the importance and relationships of ideas. Subordination presents ideas of unequal importance through subordinating conjunctions, while coordination expresses ideas of equal importance using coordinating conjunctions. The emphasis is on clear sentence structure to enhance understanding and avoid confusion, concluding with key takeaways and practice exercises.
- 6.5: Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
- This page covers common grammatical errors in compound sentences, specifically comma splices and fused sentences. It explains that comma splices incorrectly join independent clauses with just a comma, while fused sentences do so without any punctuation. Examples and solutions are provided, focusing on the correct use of commas, semicolons, and conjunctive adverbs. Key takeaways include punctuation rules for compound sentence construction and practice exercises to reinforce learning.
- 6.6: Parallelism
- This page explains parallelism, which enhances clarity by presenting ideas of equal importance in the same grammatical form. It is frequently utilized in rhetoric, style, and grammar, with notable examples from speeches and literature. Key elements include maintaining a consistent structure in paired ideas and series items. Effective parallelism emphasizes comparisons and highlights significant elements, employing various methods to improve both writing and comprehension.
- 6.7: Verb Tenses
- This page covers the importance of selecting the correct verb tense in writing, outlining the major categories: past, present, and future, along with their variations. It emphasizes the use of present tense for academic writing in MLA style and the need for consistent tense. Examples demonstrate how source quotes maintain their tense, and exercises are provided for practice.