Sentence Structure and Punctuation: notes

Sentences

• Clause: has a subject and a verb. Phrase: does not.
• Simple sentence: one clause. I read.
• Compound sentence: two clauses joined by and, but, or. I read, but he slept.
• Complex sentence: a main clause plus a dependent one. I read because it was raining.
• Fragment: missing a subject or verb. Because it was late. is not a full sentence.
• Comma splice: two sentences joined by only a comma. Fix with a full stop, a semicolon or a conjunction.

Joining and Rewriting

• Keep the meaning the same when you join or rewrite.
• Relative clauses: who for people, which for things. The girl who won is my cousin.
• Modifiers: put them next to the word they describe.

Punctuation

• Apostrophe: shows belonging (the boy's bag) or a missing letter (don't). Its shows belonging; it's means it is.
• Comma: separates items in a list and extra information.
• Speech marks: go round the exact words spoken. Start a new line for each new speaker.
• Capital letters: names, places, days, months, and the start of a sentence.