I. Outline of Sentence Structure

 

Outline of Sentence Structure

I. Basic Components:

• Subject: Who or what the sentence is about.
  • Can be a noun, pronoun, noun phrase, or gerund phrase.
  • Examples: "The cat," "She," "The children playing in the park," "Running is my favorite exercise."
• Predicate: What is said about the subject.
  • Usually includes a verb and its complements.
  • Examples: "slept," "is beautiful," "built a sandcastle," "can be tiring."
• Optional Components:
  • Direct Object: Receives the action of the verb.
    • Examples: "The cat chased the mouse." (mouse receives the action of chasing)
  • Indirect Object: To whom or for whom the action is done.
    • Examples: "She gave him a present." (him receives the present)
  • Object Complement: Completes the meaning of the verb by describing the direct object.
    • Examples: "She painted the house blue." (blue describes the house)
  • Modifiers: Expand on the subject, verb, or other sentence elements.
    • Can be adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, or clauses.
    • Examples: "The old dog slowly wagged its tail."

II. Sentence Types:

• Simple Sentence: Contains one independent clause.
  • Examples: "The sun is shining." "I ate breakfast."
• Compound Sentence: Contains two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
  • Examples: "The sun is shining and the birds are singing." "I ate breakfast, then I went for a walk."
• Complex Sentence: Contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
  • Dependent clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns.
  • Examples: "The car stopped because the light was red." "The book that I recommended is very good."
• Compound-Complex Sentence: Contains two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
  • Examples: "The sun is shining, but the wind is blowing. I ate breakfast, then I went for a walk, which was very refreshing."