This article provides basic information about sentence structure (syntax) and its types. You will also find examples of some problematic questions in written English.
Many linguists cannot come to a common opinion: what is a sentence? We will give the following definition: a sentence is a sequence of words related in meaning and grammatically, the first of which begins with a capital letter, and after the last there is a punctuation mark (period, question mark or exclamation mark).
Subjects and predicate
All sentences contain information about someone or something. This someone or something is called the subject of the sentence. In English, the subject usually comes at the beginning of the sentence:
· She is always complaining about her boss!(She always complains about her boss!)
· The dress is very beautiful(The dress is very beautiful).
· This tree is cut down because someone wants to build on these place a new supermarket(This tree is being cut down because someone wants to build a new supermarket on this site).
The predicate tells what this or that object does, what it is like. Usually the predicate comes immediately after the subject:
· She wants to move to a new flat(She wants to move to a new apartment).
· We have no time for this nonsense(We don't have time for this nonsense).
· My friend is interested in creative story writing(A friend of mine is interested in writing interesting stories).
A simple subject is the main subject of a sentence, a simple predicate is the main predicate.
· John waited until midnight(John waited until it was midnight.)
In the above example John– subject, waited-predicate. A simple subject is always expressed by a noun or pronoun, and a simple predicate is always expressed by a verb.
Here are a few more examples of sentences containing simple subjects and predicates:
· My English teacher also speaks French and Latin(My English teacher also speaks French and Latin).
· At the entrance a large dog with sad eyes is waiting for his master(Near the entrance, a large dog with sad eyes is waiting for its owner.)
· The young girl wants a Teddy Bear as her Birthday present(The little girl wants a teddy bear as a birthday present).
· My friend and I are going to the cinema tonight(My friend and I are going to the cinema tonight).
· At the wedding ceremony the groom suddenly said “No”.(At the wedding ceremony, the groom unexpectedly answered “No”)
Note that simple subjects and predicates can consist of two or more words.
Helpful Tip: To learn how to write strong, clear sentences, you need to be clear about what or who you are writing about and what that someone/something does. Your writing style will become more readable if the subject does not come first in every sentence.
Types of offers
Each complex sentence consists of several simple ones, which allow us to characterize it. So, simple sentence– this is the one that contains a single grammatical basis (subject and predicate). For example:
· I am afraid of snakes(I scared of snakes).
· She has a cat(She has a cat).
· We are going to Italy this summer(We are going to Italy this summer).
· He passed all his exams(He passed all his exams).
The next type is a complex sentence, consisting of at least two simple ones, which are connected by coordinating conjunctions and(and, a), but(But), so(hence), or(or). For example:
· I hate cooking, but my best friend is talented in this field(I hate cooking, but my best friend is talented in this area).
· She was at the library yesterday, and tomorrow she is going at the Art museum(Yesterday she was in the library, and today she is going to the art museum).
The next type is a complex sentence. It consists of a main clause and a dependent clause, which are connected by complex conjunctions because(because), while(while), if(If), although(Although), where(Where).
· Although I hate cooking, I have to do it(Even though I hate cooking, I have to do it).
· She was crying all night, because her boyfriend had said that she was fat(She cried all night because her boyfriend said she was fat).
· In spite of showing his feelings directly, he never tells us about his life.(Even though he shows his emotions openly, he never tells us about his life).
In English, a subordinate clause is called " fragmentsentence"and cannot be without the main thing.
There are also sentences that contain both a coordinating connection and a subordinating connection. For example:
· My brother loves cooking, and I hate to do it, although my Mom has tried to teach me.(My brother loves to cook, but I hate doing it, although my mother tried to teach me)
· She was at the library yesterday, and tomorrow she is going at the Art museum, because she wants to see what she was reading about(She was in the library yesterday, and today she is going to the art museum because she wants to see what she read about).
Helpful advice: do not give preference only to simple, short sentences or too long ones with a large number of subordinate clauses. Many simple sentences that follow each other can bore the reader, and extremely complex ones can bore him. Therefore, use variety: alternate short sentences with long ones in your writing.
"Problematic Proposals"
To write sentences correctly, you need to clearly know what a sentence is. If a person does not understand the definition, or does not want to delve into it, then there will be many errors in his sentences. Moreover, not only English learners, but also native speakers are susceptible to this.
One of the most common mistakes is the “merger” of two or more sentences due to the fact that the author forgot to put a comma or conjunction in the right place. This forgetfulness can lead to the following sentences:
· All your life you should learn the demands of modern reality(You must study all your life, this is the requirement of modern reality).
· You should learn your whole life, because of the demands of modern reality(You must study all your life because this is the requirement of modern reality).
Helpful tip: Read what you wrote out loud and with expression. When you pronounce words, you make natural pauses that indicate the end of a sentence or clause. By reading aloud, you can easily find the place where you forgot to put the necessary punctuation mark or conjunction.
Let's talk about subordinate clauses. As mentioned above, a subordinate clause cannot stand without a main clause, since only in pairs they express the author’s complete thought. Among the most common mistakes are those that occur when a person forms a subordinate clause as an independent sentence. The result is something like this:
· I couldn’t go for a walk with you last week because I was busy with my exams(I couldn't go out with you last week. Because I was busy studying for exams).
He spoke to the teacher in a very offensive tone. Which wasn’t a good idea at all.(He spoke to the teacher in a rude tone. Which was not a good idea at all)
Helpful advice: if you find a sentence that “sounds” like a subordinate clause or does not contain a normal grammatical basis (subject + predicate), it means you made a mistake somewhere. Complex sentences are easy to identify if you read them backwards, i.e. from the last sentence to the first. To correct an error, it is enough to attach a subordinate clause before or after the sentence.
Writers who have a thorough understanding of sentence structure sometimes deliberately frame the subordinate clause as a separate clause to produce a certain effect. Therefore, when reading good fiction, do not be surprised if you come across a sentence that we have identified above as an error. You can use this same technique if you are writing stories, but it will be considered a blunder when taking the exam.
Another type of “problem sentence” is an incoherent sentence, which consists of many simple ones interconnected by the coordinating conjunctions and (and, a), or (or), so (therefore).
· I usually get up at 6.30, even on weekends, but this morning my alarm clock, for some unknown reason, didn't ring so I was asleep when my boss called me at 11.00 to ask why I was not on my worksite, and I said that it was because of my alarm clock. I have to get ready quickly…(I usually get up at 6:30, even on weekends, but this morning my alarm didn't go off for some strange reason, so I was sleeping and my boss called me at 11 to ask why I wasn't at my desk, and I replied that it was because of my alarm clock, and I had to quickly get ready...).
· Although people from all over the world are forming different organizations to protect the environment from pollution, especially in big cities, it is still a problem, as scientists warn, because of the huge amount of factories…(Although people around the world are forming various organizations to protect the environment from pollution, especially in big cities, it is still a big problem, as scientists warn, due to the huge number of factories...)
Helpful Hint: A rambling sentence is very easy to spot - it contains 3 or 4 conjunctions. If you start to choke while reading it out loud, you have written an incoherent sentence. Also, in the case when your sentence extends over several lines, you most likely wrote an incoherent sentence, which may also be “merged” - where you forgot to put the necessary punctuation mark.
You need to understand that an incoherent sentence, unlike “merged” and subordinate clauses (which you formulate like an independent one), is correct from a grammatical and punctuation point of view. Simply understanding its meaning is extremely difficult. Moreover, such a sentence eloquently demonstrates weak writing skills. You should try to avoid it.
And finally, one last useful tip: if you are not sure whether you wrote your proposal well enough, ask your teacher for help. And remember that the more books you read in English, the better you will be able to write. The point is that reading good literature will provide you with examples of English sentence structure, and this will have a beneficial effect on your overall writing style.
Remember that good writing contains more than just grammatically and punctuationally correct sentences that range from short to long. Sentences should also flow well from one to the other so that the written text creates the impression of “connectedness” or “cohesion”. In this case, readers will easily understand what you wanted to tell them.
Today we will look a little at the syntax of the English language, that is, we will look at what is happening inside English sentences.
Let's remember what a proposal is
We all know that a combination of words that express a complete thought is called a sentence. It consists of sentence members - words that answer a specific question. They, in turn, can be main and secondary.
The main ones are the subject (who? what?) and the predicate (what does?). Secondary ones are addition, definition and circumstances.
The sentences themselves can be simple or complex, while complex ones are divided into complex and complex.
In the first case, the simple sentences that make up a complex sentence are equal in meaning and they are connected by conjunctions. In the second, one simple sentence is subordinate in meaning to the second and is connected with it either by a conjunctive word or a subordinating conjunction.
Offers can be of the following types:
- narrative;
- interrogative;
- exclamation marks;
- incentive.
With the exception of the exclamation point, they can be negative or affirmative. The syntax of the English language is in many ways similar to our native Russian.
Simple sentences in English
A simple sentence may be common or uncommon. The uncommon consists only of a subject and a predicate:
The car (subject) stopped (predicate). - The car stopped.
The sun (subject) is shining (predicate). - The sun is shining.
A common sentence must contain at least one of the minor members, which explains the main members of the sentence.
The blue (definition) car (subject) stopped (predicate) at the gate (adverbial). – The blue car stopped at the gate.
A subject with minor members related to it constitute a subject group (common subject). Accordingly, the predicate group is formed (common predicate).
Subject group: The blue car - Blue car
Predicate group: stopped at the gate. – stopped at the gate.
Subject group: A pretty young woman - A pretty young woman
Predicate group: came up to me. – came up to me.
Incomplete sentences in English: Incomplete
The syntax of the English language also implies the presence of incomplete sentences in the language structure. This is when individual main members in a simple sentence are omitted, while the completeness of the sentence is achieved by special intonation, and the meaning is made clear in context.
For example, an imperative sentence that does not contain a subject:
An exclamatory sentence that contains either a noun or an adjective:
One-part sentences in which the main member is expressed by a noun, gerund or infinitive:
Incomplete sentences are also a characteristic feature of colloquial speech.
Complete sentence Translation Incomplete sentence
We have just begun to understand the syntax of the English language and the structure of sentences. We invite everyone who studies English via Skype to reinforce this topic in class. And in the next article, look forward to the continuation and a detailed story about declarative sentences!
www.site. English via Skype – Veronika Language School.
Related Posts:
Useful and interesting tricks of the English language
1.Theoretical grammatical material.
The structure of a simple declarative sentence in English.
Correct translation is determined primarily by knowledge of the syntactic structure of a sentence in English and the ability to correctly carry out its syntactic analysis. It is necessary to understand the structure of the sentence, determine the syntactic groups of the sentence based on differentiated characteristics, their functions in the sentence, parts of speech, find the correct and accurate translation - both individual words and the entire sentence as a whole. The translation of a sentence depends on the syntactic structure of the sentence, the translation of the word - on its function in the sentence and on the context.
In English, a simple declarative sentence usually has a certain, stable word order. Thus, each member of the sentence occupies a certain place, which we can conventionally denote by a Roman numeral. This stable word order is determined by the small number of grammatical endings in the English language, which cannot express all the connections between words in a sentence.
Let's look at the members of the sentence and their sequence in the sentence and some typical features by which each member of the sentence and syntactic groups can be identified.
I - subject ( the subject ) or subject group (subject with explanatory words).
Signs: occupies first place in a sentence, has no preposition, is expressed by any part of speech except an adverb, answers questions Who? What?.
Example: I This city | is big.
II - predicate (the predicate).
Signs: takes second place in a sentence after the subject group, usually can begin:
a) from the personal form of the verb to be, to have- is, was, has, etc. in the case of a verbal predicate;
b) from a copula verb in the case of a nominal, compound predicate (is bad, is a teacher);
c) from a modal verb in the case of a modal predicate (can study); answers the question "what to do?".
Example: Not | is sleeping|.
In English, auxiliary parts of speech (prepositions, conjunctions, articles, as well as auxiliary and modal verbs and pronouns) are formal signs of boundaries between members of a sentence.
It should be noted that in view of the clear design of the predicate in grammatical terms (it is easy to recognize by the auxiliary or modal verb, by the grammatical ending), it is recommended to begin the analysis of the sentence with the predicate, then before it determine the subject or group of subjects based on characteristics, and after the predicate - all other members offers.
When analyzing and translating, you need to take into account that in a syntactic group consisting of several nouns without prepositions, the last word in such a chain is always the main word, and all the rest will be definitions to it.
Parsing a sentence is the most frequently asked task from school, which some people fail to do. Today I will tell you how to outwit your teacher and do everything right.
Today I will give you the TOP 5 services that will help you analyze a sentence into parts of speech.
All of them can perform some kind of parsing of sentences or words. Each of them has some pros and cons.
These services will be specialized for both Russian and .
And let me tell you, they don't work great per se, but they will help you get most of your job done.
Comparison
In the tables above, I have listed the best of the best services that can help you with your sentence parsing assignments.
If you have read the table, I propose to start analyzing each of the services and we will start from the very last line of our list and gradually reach the leader of our TOP.
№5 Lexis Res
Using this link you can get to this service and evaluate its work yourself: http://www.lexisrex.com/English/Sentence-Study.
What kind of site is this? For people who study English, this is just a treasure. This page allows you to analyze English text. It can be used by a person with any level of knowledge.
This is a service that allows you to parse a sentence entirely in English. Sentences can be simple, complex, compound or complex.
In addition to the fact that the site does this analysis of any type of sentence, it also explains each word by meaning. That is, if you do not know the exact meaning of a word, then this resource is perfect for you.
You just need to write the text you need in the field or click the “Random sentences” button, and then click the “Analyze” button, and then you will receive a detailed analysis of each word in the sentence: an explanation of the meaning of the word, Part of speech.
What advantages does this site have over others? First of all, the service is very easy to use; you won’t need to spend a lot of time to understand what’s what.
Secondly, the site has a huge database that allows you to parse text of any complexity and topic.
In addition, the site has enormous functionality; it will be useful in many other ways for people who are studying English.
- easy to use website;
- There are practically no advertisements that would distract;
- simple site interface;
- huge functionality;
- very good parsing.
- If you do not have a satisfactory level of knowledge of the English language, it will be a little difficult to read all the explanations on the site;
- words during parsing are not underlined by parts of speech lines;
- there is no adaptation of the site to the Russian language.
As you can see, the ratio of pros and cons allows us to call this site good, but not great, which is why it is in fifth place.
№4 Delph-in
In fourth place is a service called “Delph-in".
You can try it out using this link: http://erg.delph-in.net/logon. This site is a real monster for people who are learning English. This service allows you to have online access to LinGO English Resource Grammar (ERG).
The grammar development platform Linguistic Knowledge Builder is used here.
This interface allows you to enter a single sentence using the ERG system and visualize the results of the analysis in various forms.
I will say right away that the site is suitable for those who are quite experienced in the English language, but this site is simply magnificent and necessary for such people.
What advantages does this service have? First of all, this site has a better degree of analysis of the proposal according to the method that is used at the University of Oslo, and to be precise, the Language Technology Group.
Now we will look at both the pros and cons of this service.
- very flexible sentence parsing system;
- you can write proposals on a variety of topics;
- an unlimited number of characters can be used in a sentence.
- the first of them is that the service is quite complex for people with low and intermediate levels of English to use;
- To understand how the service works and disassemble it in order to understand what’s what, you need to devote several hours to the site.
We have familiarized ourselves with the fourth position and now we will move on to the third place of our TOP.
№3 MorphologyOnline
This site is ideal for those who need to qualitatively parse a sentence step by step, word by word, so as not to make mistakes and correctly select each part of speech for each word in the sentence being analyzed.
The service is also useful because it has a very broad description of each searched word.
What advantages does this service have? Let's look at them.
The first thing is that it is very easy to use. Its interface does not have any distracting elements, which will allow you to fully concentrate on the written information.
In addition to the fact that the service indicates the part of speech of a word, it also describes a morphological analysis, which makes the analysis of the word deeper and more thorough.
This will help you never make a mistake in parsing your sentence. Also, if you want to familiarize yourself with the parts of speech in detail, you can find information on this site, which is very conveniently and clearly explained.
Now let’s look at the service from both sides and see both the pros and cons. Let's start with the positive side.
- very simple - even the youngest user can handle it;
- there are no annoying advertisements, which makes using the service comfortable;
- deep Scan;
- a huge amount of information for independent syntactic parsing of a sentence.
It is because of these pros and cons that the service takes only third place. Now it's time for second place.
No. 2 "Gramota.ru"
Why is this service in 4th place? This site allows you to analyze one word at a time across all Russian dictionaries, which not only indicate the part of speech, but also explain the meaning of the searched word, synonyms, antonyms, and various forms.
Here you can even find the correct stress for any Russian word.
Therefore, if you want to fully analyze a word or increase your level of knowledge of the Russian language, you can safely use this resource.
Let's take a closer look at the advantages of the site. First of all, the interface is very nice, everything is clear, you don’t need to search for anything. Everything you need can be immediately seen on the monitor display. The site itself has no advertising.
The entire design of the site is made in simple colors, that is, your eyes will not get so tired from reading this site for a long time.
Absolutely anyone can use this service: from first class to the elderly.
Since I have described all the possible advantages in great detail, you can now make a whole short list and also add negative aspects to see the full picture.
- an easy-to-use site that won’t take up much of your time;
- nice interface;
- absence of annoying advertising;
- all kinds of materials for learning the Russian language.
- you can only analyze one word at a time;
- the site is more geared towards general word analysis than syntactic analysis.
We have reviewed and examined in detail the second place and now we will move on to the leader of our TOP.
№1 "Goldlit"
Why did this service take first place in our TOP? First of all, the site can parse a sentence, regardless of the number of characters and words.
The analysis on the site is very convenient. The service was created specifically for parsing sentences.
This site has a number of advantages. As mentioned, the site can analyze entire sentences, and not just words.
Syntactic analysis is carried out very conveniently: first, the initial forms of the word are written, then the parts of speech, then comes the grammatical analysis, and then the declension by case.
Of all the TOP, this service has the most convenient and eye-pleasing interface.
In addition to these advantages, the site also has sections with various literature from different periods, various poetry, both Russian and foreign. The site has information about many poets, many conveniently written biographies. All this will also help you study various literature if you need it.
But despite all these advantages, the site also has some disadvantages. We will talk about them after we have identified all the advantages.
- performs a complete analysis of the sentence, regardless of the topic, number of words and characters;
- a minimal amount of advertising, but even this does not interfere with the use of the site;
- very easy to learn;
- a lot of information on the literature;
- great interface and good colors.
- absolute lack of materials on the Russian language;
- the site is geared more towards literature, but still has a tool for parsing sentences.
Bottom line
Let's summarize the results. After analyzing the entire TOP, you can understand that if you need a site for parsing sentences in Russian, I recommend you use the “Goldlit” resource.
The simplicity of the site, excellent analysis of the offer, a lot of interesting materials - these are the key factors that influenced the site’s placement in our top.
It is the absolute leader in our TOP and the best online service for parsing sentences in Russian on Russian Internet networks.
This is a resource that will help you not only complete your homework, but also familiarize yourself with various literature. Use the Goldlit service.
The order of words in an English sentence is observed much more strictly than in Russian. The Russian language is rich in endings and therefore has a freer word order, because they show the function of each word in a sentence. English words cannot boast of an abundance of endings and their relationship to each other is shown through place in a sentence, and not through form. This is the reason for the fixed word order in English. You cannot change the places of various parts of a sentence, especially the subject and object. Let's, for a more clear example, try to make sentences in English and swap words.
Mr. Smith sent the boys to school. – The boys sent Mr. Smith to school.
In Russian, we would say in the second case - “Mr. Smith sent the boys to school” - the meaning of the sentence is clear. In the English version, it turned out that the boys sent Mr. Smith to school - this is no good anymore, we urgently need to learn how to construct sentences in English!
English sentence structure
Let's look at the standard sentence scheme and at the same time examine the example already given above.
Subject (Mr. Smith) + predicate (sent) + object (the boys) + adverbial (to school).
Construction of an English sentence, diagram
Subject
The subject can be either a single word or a group of words that represent an animate or inanimate object that performs an action. It can be expressed as a noun, pronoun, substantivized adjective, numeral, infinitive and word form ending in –ing.
Three of the parcels were from my uncle. – Three parcels were from my uncle.
Knitting became her hobby. – Knitting became her hobby.
Predicate
Thanks to the predicate, we find out what happens to the subject. It can also be represented by one (simple verb) or several words - the latter group includes compound nominal and verbal predicates.
The nominal part of a compound predicate follows after the linking verb and can be expressed as a noun, adjective, numeral, infinitive, pronoun and –ing form.
Second sequential action
Often the sentence indicates the next action that occurs after the action of the predicate. The second action is expressed by the impersonal form of the verb - the infinitive, the –ing form and the gerund.
She turned her head to see him looking at her. (She turned her head and saw him looking at her.)
She walked in singing a song. (She came in and sang a song.)
Addition
Objects can be expressed by a noun, pronoun, infinitive, substantive adjective and –ing form.
- The addition can be direct or direct (answers the questions of whom? What?).
I saw him yesterday. – I saw him yesterday.
They were busy packing. - They were busy collecting things.
- Indirect or indirect without pretext (to whom?).
She offered Ashley a new position. “She offered Ashley a new position.
- Indirect with the prepositions to, for – Object of the Preposition (for whom? with whom? about what? about whom?).
We have been waiting for you since morning. – We have been waiting for you since the morning.
If there are several additions in a sentence, then the following diagram will help to place them correctly after the predicate.
- Indirect Object + Direct Object
I gave Edward the car. – I gave Edward the car. (First who, then what.)
- Direct Object + Object of the Preposition
I gave my car on rent. – I rented a car. (First what, and then where - with a preposition).
Circumstance
Circumstances show where, when, why and other conditions under which the action could occur. Let's look at the types of circumstances and examples with them.
Please note: the place of the adverb in an English sentence corresponds to the place of the adverb. When setting, be guided by the order in which the adverbial modifiers were listed above.
You may also encounter accompanying circumstances, circumstances of description, purposes, reasons, comparisons, sequences, concessions, conditions and reservations.
If there are several circumstances, then you should first use those that relate to the course of action, and then those indicating the place and time.
If there are several circumstances of one group, then you should first put the one whose meaning is more specific, and then the one with a general concept.
My train is at 7 o’clock on Sunday.
Sentence constructions in English
Definition
The order of adjectives in an English sentence, as well as nouns, pronouns, infinitives, –ing forms, and sometimes adverbs that act as modifiers, depends on whether their relationship with the noun being modified is close or not.
A large cat jumped on my bad. – A big cat jumped onto my bed. (Close connection).
He is not a friend to rely on. “He’s not the kind of friend you can rely on.” (Close connection.)
Painted yellow, the boat looked like a lemon. – Painted yellow, the boat looked like a lemon. (Free communication.)
Reverse word order
This is an order (also called inversion) in which the subject is placed after the predicate.
Hasn't he any friends? - Doesn't he have friends?
Inversion is required in certain types of sentences; let’s look at them in more detail.
- Interrogative sentences.
In most of them, the inversion is partial, because only part of the compound predicate is placed before the subject, namely the auxiliary or modal verb.
Where did they eat yesterday? -Where did they eat yesterday?
The entire predicate is placed before the subject when it is expressed by the verbs to be and to have.
Please note: the word order in a question is maintained when the question word is a subject or a subject modifier: Who understands English here? What book are you reading?
- Suggestions are entered there.
There is nothing surprising in his behavior. “There is nothing surprising in his behavior.”
- Complex sentences.
The second part of which begins with so or neither.
She decided to learn English, so did her sister. – She decided to learn English, and so did her sister.
- Simple exclamatory sentences.
Expressing desire.
Be it so!
May you have the day filled with happiness and joy! – May your day be filled with happiness and joy!
You can always repeat this topic using a video lesson: