1. ELEMENTS OF SENTENCE
CONSTRUCTION
Subjects and Predicates
Parts of speech have specific tasks to perform when
they are put together in a sentence.
A noun or pronoun functions as the sentence
subject when it is paired with a verb functioning as
the sentence predicate.

2. ELEMENTS OF SENTENCE
CONSTRUCTION
Every sentence has a subject and predicate.
A subject can be a noun or pronoun that is
partnered with an action verb.

3. EX:

4. S O M E T I M E S A V E R B W I L L E X P R E S S B E I N G O R
E X I S T E N C E I N S T E A D O F AC T I O N.
E X A M P L E :

5. S O M E T I M E S W E U S E S E N T E N C E S I N W H I C H
A S U B J E C T I S N O T AC T UA L LY S TAT E D, BU T
I S, N E V E R T H E L E S S, U N D E R S T O O D I N T H E
M E A N I N G. E X A M P L E :

6. Because we use such statements when we are talking directly
to someone, we omit the word you. It is understood in the
sentence. Therefore, in statements like this one, we say the
subject is
you (understood).
This kind of sentence is an imperative sentence.

7. A PRE DICATE IS A VE RB THAT
E X PRE SSE S THE SUBJ E CT'S ACTION OR
STATE OF BEING. EXAMPLE:

8. 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.

10. IMPORTANT NOTE: To be a predicate, a verb
that ends in -ing must ALWAYS have a helping
verb with it. An -ing verb WITHOUT a helping
verb cannot be a predicate in a sentence.

11. A S U B J E C T A N D P R E D I C AT E M AY N O T
A LWAY S A P P E A R T O G E T H E R O R I N T H E
N O R M A L O R D E R , A S T H E F O L L OW I N G
E X A M P L E S S H OW:

14. 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.

15. EXAMPLES:
Anotherkindofphraseisaverbalphrase.
Examples:

16. 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 a
partnership.
Also, these phrases do NOT express complete thoughts.

17. CLAUSES
Words and phrases can be put together to make clauses.
A clause is a group of related words that contain a subject
and predicate.
Note the difference between phrases and clauses in the
following examples:

19. ONLY ONE OF THE CLAUSES IS
A SENTENCE.
Clause #1 gives a thought or an idea that is COMPLETE, that can
stand by itself, independent of other words.
However, clause #2 gives an INCOMPLETE thought or idea, one
that cannot stand by itself, one that needs some more words to
make it whole. The word after changes the meaning, making the
thought incomplete. After reading this clause, we are left hanging.

21. These two clauses illustrate the two kinds of clauses:
independent clauses and dependent clauses
An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject, a
predicate, and a complete thought.
A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a
predicate, but does NOT express a complete thought.

22. COMPOUNDING SENTENCE
ELEMENTS
Words, phrases, and clauses may be joined to one another inside a
sentence with a conjunction.
The coordinating conjunctions and, but, or, and nor may join
subjects, predicates, adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases or
dependent clauses within a sentence. This process is called
"compounding.“ The following examples show the process of
compounding

23. WORDS

25. PHRASES

26. DEPENDENT CLAUSES

27. When entire independent clauses (simple
sentences) are joined this way, they become
compound sentences.

28. AVOIDING FRAGMENTS
A complete sentence needs only two elements:
a subject - predicate unit AND a
complete thought

29. In other words, a simple sentence is actually the SAME thing as
an independent clause.
Dependent clauses or phrases are called fragments because they
are missing one or more parts needed to make a sentence.
Therefore, they are only pieces or fragments of complete
sentences.

30. LOOK AT THESE EXAMPLES:

31. AVOIDING COMMA SPLICES
AND FUSED SENTENCES
Sometimes two independent clauses (simple
sentences) can be joined to form another kind of
sentence: the compound sentence.
Two major errors can occur when constructing
compound sentences.

32. 1: THE COMMA SPLICE
Writers make this error when they try to separate the two
independent clauses in a compound sentence with a comma
alone.
A comma is not a strong enough punctuation mark to separate
the two independent clauses by itself; thus, using it causes the
clauses to be spliced together.

33. EXAMPLE OF A COMMA
SPLICE:

34. THIS SE NTE NCE CAN BE RE PAIRE D IN
THRE E WAY S :
1. by adding an appropriate coordinating
conjunction

35. 2. by changing the comma to a semicolon

36. 3. by changing the punctuation and adding an
appropriate conjunctive adverb

37. 2: THE FUSED SENTENCE
Writers make this error by joining two independent clauses
into a compound sentence without using any punctuation
between them.
No punctuation between the two independent clauses
causes them to "fuse" into an INCORRECT compound
sentence.

38. EXAMPLE OF A FUSED
SENTENCE:

39. THIS SENTENCE IS ALSO REPAIRED
IN THREE WAYS:
1. by adding a comma and an appropriate coordinating
conjunction

40. 2. by placing a semicolon between the two clauses

41. 3. by adding the needed punctuation and an appropriate
conjunctive adverb

42. Another way to repair a comma splice or fused sentence is to make
each independent clause into a simple sentence.

43. THE END