TYPES OF SENTENCES

SENTENCE PATTERNS #1-12

FOUR BASIC TYPES OF SENTENCES: Declarative: expresses a fact, wish, intent or

feeling. It ends with a period. “We’ve never swum out this far before.”

Interrogative: asks a question and ends with a question mark.“Is that a shark following us?”

Imperative: expresses a command, request, or direction. It ends with a period or exclamation point.“Hide until it leaves. Now swim for shore!”

Exclamatory: expresses strong feeling. It ends with an exclamation point. “We almost didn’t make it!”

PATTERN #1: USE STRONG, ACTIVE VERBS:

In Declarative or Imperative sentences, strong, active verbs can bring your writing to life.

Fire belched from the dragon’s mouth.

The problem perplexed the student.

PATTERN #2: ASK A QUESTION:Interrogative sentences ask a question. In writing, a question often expresses the main idea, and the rest of the writing then develops the answer to the question. Interrogative sentences frequently begin with one of these words: who, what, where, when, why, or how.

Why does Melville portray Ahab as a monomaniacal man obsessed with vengeance?

PATTERN #3: USE AN EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE:

An Exclamatory sentence expresses a strong, genuine feeling or surprise. Using double or triple exclamation marks does NOT add to the feeling.

I had the best day ever!

INVERTED SENTENCES:

Sentences can vary from the normal subject/verb order. In fact, using inverted order throughout your writing can more readily keep the reader’s attention and will add sophistication to your style.

Usual order: The savage storm came down on the ship.

Inverted order: Down came the savage storm on the ship.

In this next example, the writer is able to set the scene before presenting a character:

In front of the house in a squeaky rocking chair sat Miss Lottie’s son, John Burke.

TAYLOR MALI’S TAKE ON GRAMMAR IN TODAY’S SPEECH

MORE INVERTED SENTENCES:PATTERN #4: OPEN WITH AN ADVERB

Adverbs modify verbs, adjective, or other adverbs. They answer: How? When? Where? Why? How much? How many times?

Remember, many but not all adverbs end in “ly.”

Use a comma after the opening adverb only if it needs special stress:

Examples: Honestly, the roller coaster took my breath

away. Brilliantly the star shines.

PATTERN #5: OPEN WITH A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE:

Prepositions describe:Direction (from the hill, to the store, along the

shore). Position (at the fair, on the table, within the house). Time (by nightfall, in ten minutes, until later).Means (by hard work, with no help, without help). Abstract (against all odds, of the war, except the

toys).

o With a smile on her face, she danced happily.

o During the day he read.

PATTERN #6: WRITE A SENTENCE IN WHICH A VERB PRECEDES THE SUBJECT:

In the following sentences, the subject is red, and the verb is blue. Notice how the verb comes before the subject, despite any adverbial or prepositional phrases:

• Along the avenue sped a new corvette.• Across the page seared the frightening

image. • Behind the door crouched Mr. Hyde.

PATTERN #7: USE CONVERSATION OR A QUOTATION:

Customarily, a writer begins a new paragraph for each new speaker. Here are a few rules to follow: Always place commas and periods inside the closing

quotation marks. Place semicolons and colons outside the closing

quotation marks. Place quotation marks, exclamation points, and dashes

inside the final quotation mark when they apply to the quotation only, and outside when they apply to the entire statement.

Never double end-punctuation marks ( .”. ). If a quotation ends a sentence, the end punctuation within the quotation marks also indicates the end of the sentence.

EXAMPLES OF PUNCTUATION WITH QUOTATIONS:

Period or Comma: InsideHe told us, “The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first

professional baseball team.”

oQuestion mark or exclamation point: Depends --If the quotation itself is a question or

exclamation:

“You know that baseball is considered the national pastime, don’t you?” he asked. (Inside)

--If the sentence containing the quoted material is a question or explanation:

Do you think anyone here knows the song “Take Me out to the Ball Game”? (Outside)

oColon or Semicolon: OutsideBaseballs used from the mid-1800s until about 1920 were “dead”; when hit, they didn’t’ travel as far as those used today.

PATTERN #8: USE APPOSITIONAPPOSITIVES ARE NOUNS OR PRONOUNS THAT CONCISELY EXTEND

THE MEANING OF THE PRECEDING NOUNS OR PRONOUNS.

Non-Restrictive (Non-essential)

Commas are required:

“Penicillin, a powerful drug, has won medical acceptance.”

“Ender, a young but intelligent boy, is sent off to Battle School.”

Restrictive(Essential)

No commas required:

“William the Conquerer invaded England from Normandy.”

“Wilma Rudolph was born with the disease

polio.”

SENTENCE PATTERN #9: OPEN WITH AN ADVERBIAL CLAUSE

Has a subject & predicate, but cannot stand alone.

Is part of the sentence by modifying verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or main clauses.

If it opens the sentence, follow it with a comma.

Common adverbs used for adverbial clauses:

After, although, as, as if, as long as, before, if, in order that, provided that, since, so that, though, till, unless, until, whenever, where, wherever, while, because, so, when

EXAMPLES OF ADVERBIAL CLAUSES:

Although he appeared happy, I knew he felt sorrow.

If the barometer drops sharply, a change in temperature will occur.

While we walked, he told me his life story.

PATTERN #10: USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE IN WORDS, PHRASES, CLAUSES AND SENTENCES

Parallel structure places all of the above in a series of the same grammatical elements.

The professor told us to write in ink, to use lined paper, and to leave margins.

He walked to the platform, stood still a moment, and hesitantly began to speak.

Atticus drew her to him, pulled her up on his lap, and read to her.

QUICK PRACTICE … The three reasons are

the children want to play, there is no adult supervision, and the quick, irrational thinking of the children.

The main reasons for the breakdown is that many of the kids don’t think they will be rescued, a lack of true leadership, and mostly just wanting to have fun.

 

Lena Younger tries to help her son in many ways, including helping him keep faith, giving him a chance to achieve his goals, and she helps her son by teaching him the true meaning of being the head of the house.

The protagonist discovers what it means to be self reliant, empathetic, and to resist negative influences.

PATTERN # 11: OPEN WITH AN ADJECTIVE

By putting an adjective as the opening word of a sentence, it adds emphasis to the noun or pronoun it describes.

Fearful, the hunter fled through the jungle.

Breathless and weary, he trudged down the road.

Furious, Peter felt helpless and frustrated.

OPEN WITH AN ADJECTIVE PHRASE:

Adjective phrases consist of adjectives plus a group of words, often a prepositional phrase, without a subject and verb.

Use a comma when opening a sentence with an adjective phrase.

Passionate about the subject, he spoke for an hour.

Shrewd in her practice of law, Sarah rose quickly to the top of the firm.

Confident with a pen and paper, she wrote four full pages.