English & Language Usage · Conventions of standard English
Sentence Structure
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Recognize clauses, sentence types, fragments, and run-ons.
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Clauses, Phrases, and Sentence Elements
A clause has a subject and a predicate containing a finite verb. A dependent clause normally has both but cannot stand alone. A phrase lacks a complete subject-finite-verb pairing. The simple subject is the head of the complete subject; the simple predicate is the main verb together with any auxiliary verbs, as in has been working. Objects name who or what receives an action; words after a linking verb can describe the subject. Optional terminology: transitive means taking a direct object; subject/object complements describe or rename the subject/object. Use these terms only when they help explain a sentence.
Structure depends on clauses, not length: simple = one independent clause; compound = at least two independent clauses; complex = one independent plus at least one dependent clause; compound-complex = at least two independent plus at least one dependent clause. Worked example: When the lecture ended, Mara packed her notes, and Luis asked a question is compound-complex.
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