Learn with an author, part one.

Author Samantha C. Sinclair

My name is Samantha. I am a visually impaired American Christian author. Learning brings new adventures all around, if we look for them. Would you accompany me on a journey of learning? I need a refresher.

Sentence structure 

The first thing I want to cover is sentence structure. Let’s first be reminded of these two important factors. An independent clause can stand on its own. The bus is late. A dependent clause cannot stand by itself. Because you were late. A clause needs a subject, as well as a predicate. A phrase has one or the other.

A simple sentence could look like this. The bus is late. The subject is the bus. Even if a sentence contains a phrase, it is still simple. The singer, a choir director, is a songbird.

A compound sentence holds two independent clauses. I tried helping, yet you didn’t allow it.

A complex sentence lives up to its name. You need one dependent clause and one independent clause. Although we worked hard, the proposal wasn’t approved; we will try again.

Take care to avoid run-on sentences. If you find yourself unsure what type of sentence you are looking at, what can you do? Break it down. Decide what each clause is. Highlight them if it helps.

Did this help? Leave your thoughts below in the comments. You can also email me at samantha.christianfiction@gmail.com.

Take the quiz below and grade yourself with the answer key.

Try it without looking first. Let me know how you did.

What type of sentence is this?

1. The cat climbed the tree.

2. The teacher gave us homework, yet she told me to enjoy my spring break.

Where is the noun?

3. Mr. Boles did not like that.

4 The classroom was full.

5 What is a run-on sentence?

---

Answers:

1. Simple sentence

2. Compound sentence

3. Mr. Boles is a proper noun. The word “that” is also a noun in this sentence, referring to a certain idea or thing.

4. Classroom is the noun, as well as the subject, in this sentence.

5 What is a run on sentence?

A run-on sentence is a sentence that contains two or more independent clauses (i.e., clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences) that are not properly joined with punctuation. In other words, it’s a sentence that keeps “running on” without proper pauses or breaks.

Here’s an example of a run-on sentence:

I went to the mall and I bought new clothes and I saw my friend.

To fix a run-on sentence, you can use one of the following methods:

1. Separate the clauses into separate sentences: I went to the mall. I bought new clothes. I saw my friend.
2. Use a conjunction (like “and,” “but,” or “or”) to join the clauses: I went to the mall, and I bought new clothes, and I saw my friend.
3. Use a semicolon (;) to separate the clauses: I went to the mall; I bought new clothes; and I saw my friend.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer.

Although Samantha C Sinclair has 14 published titles, she does not hold a college degree. Online sources were used to verify the information in this post.