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Smarthinking Writer's Handbook |
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Objective In this lesson, you'll learn two ways to classify sentences, by structure and by function, and you'll learn how your choice of structure and/or function affects the meaning you're trying to convey. Classifying Sentences by Structure The structure of a sentence refers to the types of parts in the sentence as well as the way(s) these parts are put together. There are four basic structures for English sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause, which itself contains a subject (noun) part, a predicate (verb) part, and an appropriate mark of punctuation. (An object part, which generally follows the predicate part, is optional.) Simple sentences can range from very short to very long independent clauses: Lisa drove. Lisa drove her car from Minneapolis to Milwaukee. Lisa drove her 13-year-old, rusty Mustang, which had 150,000 miles and no air conditioning, from Minneapolis to Milwaukee on a steamy July day. All three of these sentences consist of a subject, a predicate, and an appropriate mark of punctuation (and the latter two also contain an object). Regardless of length, because these sentences consist of a single independent clause, they are simple sentences. A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses. These clauses are connected either with a semi-colon or with a comma and coordinating conjunction such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (think "fanboys" to remember these): Toby wanted to become a doctor; he applied to medical school. Toby wanted to become a doctor, so he applied to medical school. Both of these sentences contain two independent clauses—Toby wanted to become a doctor, and he applied to medical school. In the first sentence, these two clauses are connected with a semi-colon, which indicates that a relationship exists between the two but doesn't specify the nature of that relationship; in the second sentence, the clauses are connected with a comma and the coordinating conjunction "so," which indicates that a relationship exists between the two, and that this relationship is one of "cause/effect." A complex sentence consists of one independent clause connected to one or more dependent clauses. A dependent clause, like an independent clause, contains a subject and a predicate; however, the dependent clause is preceded by a subordinating element, such as after, because, during, even though, however, if, since, though, unless, and while. Dependent Clause: Complex Sentence: The dependent clause begins with the subordinating word "because"; so, although it contains the subject "I" and the predicate "could (not) fall," it is not a complete sentence. In the complex sentence, however, the dependent clause is connected to the independent clause I'm very tired today; consequently, this is a complete sentence. Note: When the dependent clause comes before the independent clause, a comma must follow the dependent clause. When the dependent clause comes after the independent clause, no comma is needed. A compound-complex sentence consists of two (or more) independent clauses and one (or more) dependent clauses: I am hungry although I just ate breakfast, but if I don't eat again soon, I'm going to faint. This compound-complex sentence can be broken down into its component parts, as follows: I am hungry (independent clause) In general, writers choose a simple sentence structure to convey ideas that can be easily understood; when ideas are more complex, or when specific relationships exist among ideas, writers choose to use a more complex sentence structure. It is likely that as you progress in your college classes and take more challenging college courses, you will begin to write in more complex sentences that will help you to express your more complex thoughts. Classifying Sentences by Function The function of a sentence refers to the purpose in communicating an idea. There are four basic types of functions for English sentences: declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative. A declarative sentence is used to indicate a statement. Most sentences used in communication are declarative: He wanted to leave, but he couldn't go. Because the second offer was low, they decided to accept the first bid. An interrogative sentence is used to indicate a question. An interrogative sentence is noted by its ending punctuation, a question mark: Did he really want to leave? Why did they decide to accept the first bid, rather than the second? An exclamatory sentence is used to indicate an exclamation, or an expression of thought mixed with strong emotion. Like an interrogative sentence, an exclamatory sentence is noted by its ending punctuation, an exclamation point: He wanted to leave! They accepted the first bid! An imperative sentence is used to indicate a request or a command. An imperative sentence will always use the second-person "you" form in the subject and the predicate: You should leave. Accept the first bid, not the second one. Note: In an imperative sentence, the second-person pronoun "you" may be omitted from the construction of the sentence. In high school, you may have heard this sentence construction called a "command" with the "you" understood. In general, writers choose the functional type of sentence based upon their purpose and audience for writing. If writers want to ask a question, make an exclamation, or issue a command, they choose the interrogative, exclamatory, or imperative type, respectively. In most academic writing situations, however, writers tend to rely most heavily upon the declarative sentence for presenting and explaining ideas.
Summary Sentences can be classified according to their structure and their function. In terms of structure, a sentence can be classified as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. In terms of function, a sentence can be classified as declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, or imperative. As writers, it's important to know about the various structures and functions of sentences so a conscious choice about the structure and function best suited for conveying a particular meaning can be made. Since different structures and functions indicate different things, it's essential for writers to choose those that complement the message they're trying to convey.
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