A sentence consists of a subject, a verb, and a complete thought.
- The subject of a sentence identifies what or whom the sentence is about. The direct object of a sentence is the receiver of the action within the sentence. The indirect object of a sentence identifies to/for/about whom the action is being completed. Here are a few sentences with these parts identified.
Josh decided that we should go to the park.
I drove my car yesterday.
Sarah showed me her paper.
The Writing Center is located on both campuses.
- A complete subject is made up of the simple subject, as well as its modifiers.
Located on both campuses, the Writing Center is a free service.
- A compound subject is made up of two or more simple subjects joined with some kind of conjunction.
Soccer and basketball are two of the main sports at DePaul University.
- Keep in mind that in imperative sentences, which give commands, the subject (you) may not be present, but is implied.
Show me the money!
- A predicate is a word, or a group of words, which refers to the subject in that it tells the subject to do something or explains something about the subject.
A phrase is a group of words, acting together, which does not include a subject or a verb or both. They are used in sentences to add information and there are different types of phrases.
- A noun phrase is composed of a noun and all the words that modify it. This phrase can function as a subject, object, or complement in a sentence.
I think that green eggs and ham are delicious.
- A verb phrase is composed of a main verb and all its auxiliary verbs. This phrase can function only as a predicate.
The Writing Center will continue not to edit papers.
- A prepositional phrase is composed of a preposition, its object (a noun or pronoun), and any additional modifiers of the object. This phrase can function as an adjective, adverb, or a noun.
Adverb: After much consideration, I decided to change my profession.
Adjective: My cousin lives in Canada and has told me that it is a great place to live.
Noun: The letter i received is from Mary.
- A verbal phrase is a group of words, containing verb forms, which does not function as a verb but as a noun, adjective, or adverb. They have three forms: participle, gerund, and infinitive.
1. Participle: This verbal acts like an adjective in a sentence. There are two forms of the participle: the present participle (usually ending in ing) and the past participle (usually ending in ed). There can be irregular past participles, so these may have to be looked up in a dictionary. Participle phrases include a participle and its modifiers.
I devoured the sprinkled donuts before anyone could take any.
The car passed by and caught the attention of the wandering man.
2. Gerund: This verbal is formed in the same way as a participle, but acts like a noun instead of an adjective.
Keeping her hands steady was an impossible task.
They discovered a hidden passage under the bridge.
3. Infinitive: This verbal consists of an infinitive and its modifiers. It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
Sarah would like to climb Mt. Everest next year.
To begin the baking process, you must turn on the oven.
- An absolute phrase is composed of a noun or pronoun and a participle. This phrase modifies the entire sentence and can be set off with commas.
The boat set sail, drifting towards the horizon.
Having nowhere else to go, I walked home.
- An appositive phrase is a type of noun phrase that rephrases or adds detail to a noun that comes before it. This phrase is also usually set off with commas.
When I arrived at the house, a sprawling mansion, I felt I should have chosen a more formal outfit.
[divider top=”1″]A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. There are two main types of clauses, the independent clause and the dependent clause.
As I am going to the store, I will pick up some bread.
- The dependent clause cannot stand alone even thought it has a subject and a predicate because it has a dependent word (because, while, as, etc.), which ties it to the rest of the sentence.
As I am going to the store, I will pick up some bread.
- A restrictive clause restricts or limits the meaning of the preceding subject of a sentence. This means that the clause should not be set off with commas because it is so closely related to the preceding subject.
People who participate in the program will be able to receive credit for their work.
- A nonrestrictive clause does not limit the meaning of the preceding subject, but adds meaning to or information about the preceding subject. This clause does not influence the subject’s meaning so it can be set off with commas.
Source: St. Martin’s Handbook, 5th and 6th editions
