SIMPLE SENTENCES
A simple sentence has one subject + verb combination. The subject tells who or what.
The verb usually expresses the action (jump, work, think) of the sentence or a condition
(is, was, seem, become). EXAMPLES
SUBJECT VERB
The teacher has explained the lesson in many ways.
SUBJECT VERB
A simple sentence can have several possible “patterns.” Here are four basic ones.
1. The Star Wars movies were international hits. SV
2. Young people and adults enjoyed the movies. SS V
3. The films entertained and thrilled audiences everywhere. S VV
4. Luke Skywalker and his friends battled evil and created SS VV
strong friendships at the same time.
Identifying Subjects, Verbs, and Prepositional Phrases
Underline the subjects and double underline the verbs. Put parentheses around
the prepositional phrases.
1. The teacher explained the lesson in great detail.
2. A group of students walked through the hallway.
3. My brother plays the guitar after school.
4. The books on the shelf belong to Sarah.
5. They arrived at the station before sunset.
6. The cat slept under the table.
7. We discussed the project during the meeting.
8. Her parents live in a small village.
9. The children laughed at the clown’s performance.
10. He parked his car near the entrance.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
I am a sports fan. My friends and I are sports fans.
Michael Jordan is an innovator from the world of sports.
Many people are NBA fans because of Jordan.
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English: and, but, so, or, for, nor, and yet.
In this chapter, you will study the first four. Coordinating conjunctions are sometimes
called fanboys because their first letters spell those words: for, and, nor, but, or, yet,
and so.
And joins sentences that are alike. He dropped a rice ball ,and it rolled into
a hole in the ground.
But joins sentences that are opposite or They were happy ,but they were poor.
show contrast.
So joins sentences when the second The greedy man wanted all of the mice’s
sentence expresses the result of something gold ,so he pretended to be a cat.
described in the first sentence.
Or joins sentences that give choices or He could choose a big box ,or he could
alternatives. choose a small one.
COMPOUND SENTENCES
A simple sentence has one subject- verb (S-V) combination. Another kind of sentence,
called a compound sentence, has two or more subject-verb combinations.
A compound sentence is composed of at least two simple sentences joined by a comma
and a coordinating conjunction. A compound sentence has this “pattern”:
COORD
S V CONJ S V
He heard happy singing , so he dropped the other two rice balls into the hole.
Forming Compound Sentences
For each set of sentences, make one compound sentence or one simple
sentence with two verbs. Use and, but, so, or orto join the sentences.
Punctuate carefully. There may be more than one possible answer.
1. It became very dark. Blanchette was suddenly afraid.
It became very dark, and Blanchette was suddenly afraid.
2. She heard a noise. She decided to go back to her enclosure.
3. She walked for a long time. She couldn’t find the road.
4. Finally, she became very tired. She tried to rest. Her fear prevented her from
sleeping. (Combine all three sentences.)
5. Suddenly, a wolf appeared. The wolf looked at her hungrily.
6. She shouted for help. No one heard her.
7. The wolf ate Blanchette. The poor old man never saw his little goat again.
8. Blanchette wanted to be free. She did not realize that freedom can be accompanied
by danger.
THE TOPIC SENTENCE
The topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It has two parts:
a topicand a controlling idea. The topic names the subject of the paragraph. In the
writing model on page 52, the topic is leisure time. The controlling idea tells the main
idea about the topic. It is called the controlling idea because it controls, or limits, the
topic to a very specific idea. In the model, the controlling idea is that leisure time
is beneficial.
Here are examples of topic sentences with the same topic but different controlling ideas:
CONTROLLING
TOPIC IDEA
1. Some hobbies are relaxing.
CONTROLLING
TOPIC IDEA
2 Some hobbies are too expensive.
Position of the Topic Sentence
The topic sentence is usually the first or second sentence in a paragraph.
Not Too General, Not Too Specific
A topic sentence is neither too general nor too specific.
TOO GENERAL A job is part of life.
This is too general because there is no specific controlling idea. The reader has no idea
what the paragraph will say about jobs except that people have them.
TOO SPECIFIC An increasing number of people in the United States work 50
hours a week.
This is too specific. It gives a detail that should come later in the paragraph.
GOOD The number of hours that Americans work each week has
changed in the past 30 years.
Identifying Good Topic Sentences
Check (✓) the good topic sentences. What is wrong with the others?
Write Too specificor Too general.
Too specific 1. It is estimated that leisure travelers spend more than $500 billion
in the United States.
✓ 2. Research shows that there are three main purposes for
leisure travel.
3. Digital cameras have several advantages over film cameras.
4. Digital cameras are a common form of technology these days.
5. Digital photos are composed of small squares, just like a tiled
kitchen floor or bathroom wall.
SUPPORTING SENTENCES: MAIN POINTS
After you write a topic sentence, you must provide information to support it. In
supporting sentences, you present main points about the topic (for example, reasons,
advantages, categories, or events in a narration) and supporting details (examples,
facts, description, explanations, and definitions).
Look at these main points
M AIN POINTS
First of all, relaxation reduces stress that can lead to serious
health problems. The next benefit is creativity. Finally, interests
outside of work can lead to a positive attitude.
Writing Main Points
Work with a partner or in a small group. Read each topic sentence and the
main point provided. Then add as many main points as you can.
1. Travel by plane has several disadvantages.
a. Airplane travel is generally expensive.
b.
2. Reading helps English language learners improve their English.
a. Reading English texts helps learners expand their vocabulary.
b.
THE CONCLUDING SENTENCE
The concluding sentence signals the end of a paragraph and reminds the reader of the
controlling idea. Here are three tips to help you write a good concluding sentence:
1. Begin with a conclusion signal. Most conclusion signals have commas after them;
others do not.
All in all, SIGNALS In short, mountain climbing can range
In summary, from an easy walk to a challenging hike.
In brief, Indeed, many U.S. cities and regions
To conclude, have a special food for everyone to enjoy.
In conclusion,
To summarize,
Indeed,
To sum up,
In short,