As a reader yourself, you certainly know that confusing sentences can foul up communication. Let's review the basic principles of sentence structure in English.
Take a deep breath. I think the best way to get a handle on sentence structure is to jump right into the fray-complex sentences. Memory jogger: a complex sentence has at least one independent clause (it has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete statement) and at least one dependent or subordinate clause (which also has a subject and a verb but doesn't make a complete statement-it can't stand alone). Here are some examples:
“Tom enjoys playing basketball.”
(independent clause, as well as a complete statement/sentence)
“Because he is tall…”
(has a subject and a verb-"he" and "is"-but doesn't make a complete statement.
As we put these two examples together into one sentence, we need to consider one of the main problems with complex sentences-punctuation.
Rule #1: If the dependent clause introduces the sentence, it is set off with a comma. Example:
"Because he is tall, Tom enjoys playing basketball."
Rule #2: If the dependent clause follows the independent clause (often called the "main" clause), it is generally not set off with a comma. Example:
"Tom enjoys playing basketball because he is tall."
(For an exception to this rule, see my Writing Tune-Up article on relative clauses.)
At this point, you're almost an expert on sentence structure. Now, here's another type of sentence that you use a lot-compound sentences. A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses, which are normally connected by one of the coordinating conjunctions (and, but, so, for, or, nor, yet) preceded by a comma. They can also be connected by a conjunctive adverb such as "however" (preceded by a semicolon and normally followed by a comma) or even by just a semicolon.
Examples:
"Tom strained a muscle, so he could not play in the basketball finals." ("so" is a coordinating conjunction that connects the two independent clauses)
"Tom had wanted to play in the finals; however, his strained muscle prevented it." ("however" is a conjunctive adverb that also connects the two independent clauses)
"Tom had wanted to play in the finals; his strained muscle prevented it." (Use this type of construction very sparingly because it makes comprehension more difficult.)
This seems pretty straightforward, but one of the trickiest sentence structure problems occurs when a sentence has more than one verb but only one subject.
"Tom can play defense and can shoot well."
Notice that there is no comma. That is because this is really a simple sentence-one independent clause with two verbs that both have the same subject (Tom). To see the difference between this example and a compound sentence, we just need to add a second subject:
"Tom can play defense, and he can shoot well."
Because of the second subject, we have a compound sentence, which requires a comma.
Then, there are compound-complex sentences, which consist of a compound sentence (two or more independent clauses) with one or more dependent/ subordinate clauses added. Here's an example:
"Because he is quick on his feet, Tom is good on defense, but he can shoot well, too." (subordinate/dependent clause…independent clause… independent clause)
Luckily, all of the principles outlined above also apply to compound-complex sentences. And there's even an added benefit-putting in a few compound-complex sentences can make your writing more interesting to the reader and more powerful. So, go for it!
I hope this helped. Remember, I'm here to make your written communication the absolute best it can be. I look forward to working with you!
Ray
rh@rayhardestyediting.com
972.838.7619 |
