Sentence structure - 5H

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

Writing practice 

Lesson goals

-Learn about the different sentence structure types and how to recognize and use them in your own work.

-Learn the difference between the independent and dependent clause.

You need is sentence structure

It is a way of categorizing sentences by identifying the absence or presence of

• clauses (independent and dependent)
  
• conjunctions
  
• subordinators ( ex: using coordinating conjunctions, punctuations and/or subordinating conjuctions).

What is a clause?

A clause is a group of words that functions as one part of speech and that includes a subject (onderwerp) and verb(werkwoord).

1. Independent clause; A sentence that contains a subject and a verb - It can stand alone

Example: He will succeed. 

2. Dependent clause; Contains a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone. 

Example: If you work hard

3. Subordinating conjunctions; Conjunctions are used to link dependent clauses to independent clauses. 

Example: If you work hard, you will succeed. 

Types of sentence structure

From this perspective, the English sentence has four major building blocks:

 

1. Simple Sentence Structure:  

one independent clause.

2. Compound Sentence Structure: 

two independent clauses  connected by a coordinating conjunction (aka FANBOYS).

3. Complex Sentence Structure: 

one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

4. Compound-Complex Sentence Structure:

  two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.

Which one is a compound sentence?

1. While I was cooking he was still playing games on the computer.
2. I'll have a week in Rome, or I'll go to Paris for three days
3. Although I miss him so much, I cannot go to him because I do not have money.

Which one is a complex sentence structure?

1. Whenever it rains, I like to wear my blue coat
2. I looked for Mary and Samantha at the bus station.
3. They spoke to him in English, but she responded in Spanish.

Which one is a compound-complex sentence?

1. Do you know the man who is talking to Mary?
2. Elissa was very sick today and we will take her to the hospital now, before she gets worse.
3. Although I worked hard, I got a very low grade from the exam and stayed in the classroom.

Which one is a complex sentence structure?

1. Don’t leave the restaurant until the dishes here are washed.
2. He left in a hurry after he got a phone call.
3. Elissa was very sick today and we will take her to the hospital now, before she gets worse.

Which one is a compound- complex sentence structure?

1. If the ozone layer collapses, the global community will suffer.
2. She goes to the beach, and she takes her cat.
3. Mary and Samantha took the bus.

Check your own work

How many different types of clauses can you spot in your essay? Is there enough variation?

Are there some sentences that you could turn into a compound or complex sentence?

Assignment

Write 3 compound sentences and 3 complex sentences about the topic of your essay. 

Make sure the sentences are different, so not three versions of the same sentence with only 1 word changed. 

Hand in a picture of the sentences from the previous assignment.

Conjunctions

Check your own work

How many different conjunctions/linking words/signal words have you used?

Is there enough variation?

Could you connect some more sentences in your essay with these words?

Assignment

Pick 3 words from each of the conjunction lists on the slides before. 

For each word, write a sentence that uses that word and fits the topic of your essay. (In other words you could literally use the sentences you create in your essay).

Hand in a picture of the sentences you created during the previous assignment.

Improve your essay. 

Make sure the lay-out is correct.

Add more different kinds of sentence structures.

Add a variation of conjunctions. 

Hand in the essay in magister -> Opdrachten -> Second essay assignment.