Academic Guides: Grammar: Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences (2024)

The Mastering the Mechanics webinar series also describes required sentence elements and varying sentence types. Please see these archived webinars for more information.

Key: Yellow, bold = subject; green underline = verb, blue, italics = object, pink, regular font = prepositional phrase

Independent clause: An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb and is a complete idea.

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.

Dependent clause: A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It must be attached to an independent clause to become complete. This is also known as a subordinate clause.

  • Although I like spaghetti,…
  • Because he reads many books,…

Subject: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that does an action. Determine the subject in a sentence by asking the question “Who or what?”

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.

Verb: Expresses what the person, animal, place, thing, or concept does. Determine the verb in a sentence by asking the question “What was the action or what happened?”

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.
  • The movie is good. (The be verb is also sometimes referred to as a copula or a linking verb. It links the subject, in this case "the movie," to the complement or the predicate of the sentence, in this case, "good.")

Object: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that receives the action. Determine the object in a sentence by asking the question “The subject did what?” or “To whom?/For whom?”

  • I like spaghetti.
  • He reads many books.

Prepositional Phrase: A phrase that begins with a preposition (i.e., in, at for, behind, until, after, of, during) and modifies a word in the sentence. A prepositional phrase answers one of many questions. Here are a few examples: “Where? When? In what way?”

  • I like spaghetti for dinner.
  • He reads many books in the library.
Academic Guides: Grammar: Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences (2024)

FAQs

What are the 4 types of sentence structures? ›

There are four types of sentence structures: simple, compound, complex, and compound- complex. Using these different types of sentence structures allows you to add variety to your essays. A simple sentence is one independent clause with no subordinate clauses.

What is the structure of an academic sentence? ›

In academic writing, every sentence you write must be grammatically complete. A grammatically complete sentence consists of a complete thought, and can makes sense on its own. It consists of a subject, a verb, and a complement if required.

What is the sentence structure grammar guide? ›

Most of the time, the subject of the sentence comes first, the verb comes second, and the objects come last. (Subject -> Verb -> Object) If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

Which is the best type of sentence structure to use in academic writing? ›

A combination of simple, compound, and complex sentences not only makes the flow of information more interesting, but it also improves the readability of the passage. If sentences in a paragraph begin with the same opening subject, the writing becomes monotonous.

What is the 5 basic sentence structure? ›

Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV ) Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV – DO ) Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object ( S – TV – IO – DO ) Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement ( S – TV – DO – OC)

What are the 12 type of sentences? ›

Answer: There are 8-types of sentences on the basis of function and structure are Declarative Sentence, Interrogative Sentence, Exclamatory Sentence, Imperative Sentence, Simple sentence, Compound Sentence, Complex sentence, and Compound -Complex sentence.

What is the structure of the academic text answer? ›

Every type of academic text consists of an: Introduction – Main (central) part – Conclusion. The IMRAD model is not a formal structure but this is a structure based on a principle. This means that names of titles can vary – except for introduction and conclusion.

What are the rules of sentence structure? ›

A sentence follows Subject + Verb + Object word order. He (subject) obtained (verb) his degree (object).

What is sentence types and structure? ›

The four types of sentence structures are simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. The quantity and arrangement of clauses determines the makeup of each type of sentence structure. A clause is a grouping of words with both a subject and a verb that can (but doesn't always) form a sentence.

How can I improve my grammar and sentence structure? ›

Six tips for how to improve your English grammar.
  1. Do grammar exercises.
  2. Look things up.
  3. Use the grammar you know.
  4. Notice correct grammar.
  5. Learn the grammar of words.
  6. Read a lot.

What is sentence pattern examples with answers? ›

Here are the most common and basic sentence patterns:
  • The chef cooked. Pattern: Subject + Verb.
  • The creative chef cooked. Pattern: Adjective + Subject + Verb.
  • The creative chef methodically cooked. Pattern: Adjective + Subject + Adverb + Verb.
  • The creative chef methodically cooked in the kitchen.

Which sentence should be avoided in academic writing? ›

Cheat sheet
CategoryCommon Examples
Avoidinformal expressionsgood/bad, big/small, sort of/kind of
vague expressionsa lot, a couple of, thing, stuff
exaggerationsalways/never, definitely, every/none, best/greatest
opinionated or subjective expressionsnaturally/obviously, of course, should
6 more rows
Nov 3, 2022

Why is sentence structure important in academic writing? ›

Sentence structure is important for several reasons. Firstly, it provides information about the author's writing style and can be used for authorship attribution. Secondly, sentence structure plays a role in conveying intended meaning and facilitating effective communication.

What is the most common sentence structure? ›

Most sentences in English are constructed using one of the following five patterns: Subject–Verb. Subject–Verb–Object. Subject–Verb–Adjective.

What are four simple sentence formulas? ›

The result shows that students have understanding of how to construct simple sentences in several formulas such as Subject + Verb + Complement (S + V + C), Subject + Verb + Adverb (S + V + Adv), Subject + Verb + Object (S + V + Object), and Subject + Verb + Object + Adverb (S + V + O + Adverb).

Can you identify four sentence structures used in writing? ›

Sentences are divided into four categories: simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences.

What are different examples of sentence structures? ›

“I broke my arm.” (Simple sentence) “I fell off my bike, and I broke my arm.” (Compound sentence) “When I fell off my bike, I broke my arm.” (Complex sentence) “When I fell off my bike, I went to the hospital because I broke my arm.” (Compound-complex sentence)

What is a simple compound and complex sentence with example? ›

Compound sentences connect two simple sentences, but they often do not show a clear relationship between the two parts. Ex. I waited for the bus, but it was late. A complex sentence contains a main clause and one or more dependent clauses.

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