From this unit on, you will be focusing on editing / grammar skills to enable to you to express your ideas accurately and effectively in paragraphs and essays.

I. Pretest

II. Differences Between a Phrase and a Sentence

A phrase is two or more words used together to represent part of an idea but not a complete idea. There is not a “subject + verb” structure in the phrase. The following are examples of some common types of phrases:

• Noun phrases: boys and girls, an excellent school, picture books…
• Verb phrases: play together, read a story, learn shapes and colors…
• Prepositional phrases: in the classroom, on the wall, from home to school…

A sentence may contain different phrases. It has the following features:

• It must have a “subject + verb” structure.
• The first letter of the first word is always capitalized.
• It must end with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark.
• It must express a complete idea.

Read the three sentences below. All of them show these features.

1. The boys and girls play together in the Early Childhood Laboratory School.
2. Are they learning shapes and colors in the classroom?
3. What a beautiful painting it is on the wall!

A sentence is usually longer than a phrase but not always. Do not judge by how long it is; instead, look for the “subject + verb” structure.

• Phrase:  after a long nap on a beautiful mat in the corner of the nap room (no “subject + verb” structure)

• Sentence:  He woke up. (“subject + verb” structure)

III. Basic Sentence Parts and Sentence Patterns

Four Basic Parts of a Sentence

1. Subject: It shows who/what does the action. It can also show who/what the sentence is about. It usually comes first in the sentence.

• The writing class is important.
• The students work hard in this class.

2. Verb: It usually comes after the subject and shows the action or explains the ideas in a sentence.

• The teacher meets the students in Room D-144 every week.
• The homework assignments seem interesting.

3. Object: It is usually the receiver of the action and is placed after the verb.

• All the students have finished homework on time.
• They have received good grades.

4. Subject complement: It usually follows a linking verb and shows what the subject is about. It can be a noun or an adjective.

• This is a writing class. (noun)
• The students grow confident in writing. (adjective)

For more detailed explanations and examples of types of verbs, please refer to Unit 9 Verb Basics in Academic Writing.  (Open Unit 9 here.)

Five Basic Sentence Patterns

1. Subject + verb

• The semester has started.
• Professors teach in colleges.

2. Subject + linking verb + subject complement (noun or adjective)

• This is a writing class. (noun)
• The weather turns cold as the semester goes on. (adjective)

3. Subject + verb + direct object

• We are taking a writing class.
• I like my classmates.

4. Subject + verb + indirect object + direct object

• The professor gives the students homework assignments.
• The students left the professor a note yesterday.

5. There + a form of “be” verb

• There are twenty students in this class.
• There was a quiz last week.

With these basic patterns, you can expand the sentences by adding descriptive information with adjectives, adverbs, phrases, clauses, etc. The underlined parts are added to make the above sentences more interesting.

• This is an interesting writing class.
• All the students work really hard in this important class in order to improve their writing skills.
• The weekly homework assignments seem very interesting because students write on different topics.
• The students gradually grow more confident in writing as the semester goes on.
• There are twenty young and energetic^[1] students from different countries in this writing class.

IV. Sentence Structure #1: Simple Sentences

A simple sentence has only one “subject + verb” group from the beginning of the sentence (with a capitalized letter) to the end (with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark).

1. Students take classes.
2. Learning is important.
3. Maria and Sung have three classes.
4. Maria and Sung study and work every day.
5. They are taking classes and working part time.
6. Ana goes to only one class.
7. Ana does not have a job.
8. Are Maria, Sung, and Anna busy?
9. Ana is not busy.
10. Maria and Sung have been working too hard!

All the above sentences have only one “subject + verb” group, so they are all simple sentences.

Read #3 and #8 again. You see a compound subject in each.

Compound subject: two or more subjects share the same verb.

3. Maria and Sung have three classes.

8. Are Maria, Sung, and Anna busy?

Read #5 again. You see a compound verb in it.

Compound verb: the same subject performs two or more actions.

5. They are taking classes and working part time.

Read #4 again. You see a compound subject and a compound verb in each. Here, multiple subjects perform the same multiple actions.

4. Maria and Sung study and work every day.

The above sentences are all simple sentences, with one subject-verb group in each.

Each sentence is also called an independent clause because it explains a complete, independent idea.

You can understand a simple sentence as an unmarried adult like the single person in the image on the right. He lives an independent life.

Exercise 3. Read the following paragraph about Harper College. Separate each complete, simple sentence with a capital letter in the beginning and a period in the end. Identify the subject and the verb in each sentence.  Capitalize the first letter after a period. The first one is an example. (Commas have already been added.)

Example:

in September 1967, Harper College formally opened in Palatine, Illinois

With corrections:  In September 1967, Harper College formally opened in Palatine, Illinois.

Subject: Harper College

Verb: opened

 

 

Some Information about Harper College

     in September 1967, Harper College formally opened in Palatine, Illinois it uses the name William Rainey Harper to honor the pioneer in the community college movement in the United States Dr. William Rainey Harper was the first president of the University of Chicago Harper College is now one of the nation’s premier^[2] and largest community colleges every year, it serves more than 35,000 students in Chicago’s northwest suburbs its academic programs have been preparing students for their future study and their careers students can choose to become full time or part time students Harper offers scholarships and financial aids to help students financially. Students should check the college website or call 947-925-6000 for information a registration specialist will provide step-by-step guidance.

Adapted from https://www.harpercollege.edu/about/index.php. Last accessed on August 1, 2021.

V. Sentence structure #2: Compound Sentences

Too many simple sentences will make your writing sound choppy^[3]. Therefore, you can combine the ideas to form compound sentences.

• Students take classes, and Anna is no exception. (compound)
• Learning is important, so Maria and Sung are taking three classes. (compound)
• Maria and Sung study every day; besides, they also work part time. (compound)
• Maria and Sung are very busy; however, they feel accomplished^[4]. (compound)

A compound sentence has two subject-verb groups and uses words such as “and, so, besides, however” to connect the two parts.

While a simple sentence is like an independent, unmarried person, a compound sentence is similar to a married couple, each independent but connected by love. That connection (love) is called a conjunction.

There are different types of compound sentences. In this course, you are going to learn the two below:

• with one of the coordinating conjunctions FANBOYS
• with an adverbial conjunction

Compound sentences with FANBOYS should follow the sentence pattern below:

1. We have taken three writing classes, for writing is a very important skill.
2. We have a writing class, and we like it.
3. We do not have a test this week, nor are we going to have one next week.
4. I try to be on time for my writing class, but it’s hard to get up in the morning.
5. Next semester, I may take another writing class, or I may choose a grammar class.
6. One of my classmates has failed most tests, yet he does not care.
7. Writing is challenging, so I am studying very hard.

Not all the sentences with FANBOYS are compound sentences. They must follow the above format to be called compound sentences.

• We are taking this writing course for three reasons.(simple)
• We are taking this writing course, for writing is important. (compound)
• Last week, we had an editing quiz, a vocabulary quiz, and an oral presentation. (simple)
• Last week, we had two quizzes, and we did well in both. (compound)

Exercise 4. The following paragraph is about differences between a university and a community college. Decide whether each sentence is a simple or a compound sentence. Type “S” in the blank if it is a simple sentence and “C” if it is a compound sentence.  Explain to your partner why you think so. The first sentence is an example.

Adverbial Conjunctions

They are also called transitions, as in the earlier units. This type of compound sentences is more formal.

Compound sentences with adverbial conjunctions should follow the sentence pattern below:

1. The teachers give us lots of materials in class; also, they require us to study in the Language Lab once a week.
2. I am taking two courses at Harper College; in addition, I have a full-time job.
3. They have finished all the ESL courses; as a result, they are registering for English 101.
4. They had studied very hard; therefore, they passed the test with an A.
5. He liked to go on a vacation; however, he was too busy with her classes.
6. Many students want to take day classes; nevertheless, they have a job during the day.
7. We have many tests this semester; for example, we have one editing quiz in the writing class and one unit exam in the reading class every week.

It is common to break one compound sentence into two simple sentences, with the same adverbial conjunction in the beginning of the second simple sentence. This happens more often when the sentences are long. Put a period after the first independent clause and capitalize the first letter of the adverbial conjunction. Everything else remains the same. There is always a comma after the conjunction.

1. I am taking 2 courses at Harper College. In addition, I have a full time job.
2. They had studied very hard. Therefore, they passed the test with an A.
3. He liked to go on a vacation. However, he was too busy with her classes.
4. We have many tests this semester. For example, we have one editing quiz in the writing class and one unit exam in the reading class every week.

VI. Sentence Structure #3: Complex Sentences

A complex sentence has at least two subject-verb groups. They are connected with subordinating conjunctions such as “because, as soon as, if”. There are different types of complex sentences. You are focusing on adverbial clauses in this course.

As you recall, a simple sentence is like an unmarried person living an independent life. A compound sentence resembles^[5] a couple living together as two independent adults but connected by love.

A complex sentence is like a parent with a baby. Life is certainly more complex with a baby! The parent is independent, representing the independent clause. The baby is dependent on the parent for food, shelter, love, etc., so the baby resembles the dependent clause.

1. When I got home, my sister was watching TV.
2. Because I wanted to finish my homework, I did not go to bed till 12 am this morning.
3. Although English is a difficult language, I am trying my best to learn it.

The same complex sentences can also be written as follows. Notice that there is no comma in the middle of the sentence.

1. My sister was watching TV when I got home.
2. I didn’t go to bed till 12 am this morning because I wanted to finish my homework.
3. I am trying my best to learn English although it is a difficult language.

VII. Sentence Variety

Just like a balanced diet that keeps the body healthy, a good piece of writing also uses a variety of sentences including simple, compound, and complex structures. Here are some strategies to help you achieve that.

1. Try not to repeat the same conjunctions. It is common to overuse^[6] words like “and”, “because”. Try a different expression. For example, you may replace “and” with “in addition” and replace “because” with “since”. Change the sentence structure and punctuation accordingly^[7].
2. When you finish writing, count how many simple, compound, and complex sentences you have included. Ideally, the number of each should be comparable^[8]. For example, if there are ten simple sentences and only two complex ones, you may combine some of the simple ones to form one or two more complex sentences. On the other hand, too many compound and complex sentences may be hard to read, and you can improve your writing by changing some of them to simple sentences.

Read the following two paragraphs. Count the number of different sentence types in each paragraph. Discuss which paragraph is better and why.

#1

Fast Track Programs

          Harper College has special programs called “Fast Track”. Some students want to finish their study fast. They can choose this option. There are different fast track certificate programs. Each is five to eight weeks long. The certificates include business management, human resources management, web design and interactive media, and others. Each program has a limited number of students, so they can get more personalized^[9] interaction with professors. Classes are usually from 6 pm to 10 pm. Students can still work during the day. Besides the certificate programs, there are also fast track degree programs in AAS Degree (Associate in Applied Science) in Business Administration and AAS Degree in Supply Chain Management. Students do not always need to start from the beginning because they can get credit from their previous college or work experience.  The fast track programs are convenient and beneficial for many students. It may not suit everyone. The best way to start is to attend an information meeting.

Adapted from https://www.harpercollege.edu/fasttrack/index.php. Last retrieved on November 4, 2021.

In this above paragraph, there are 12 simple sentences, 1 compound sentence, and 1 complex sentence.

#2

In the #2 improved version, there are 4 simple sentences, 3 compound sentence, and 3 complex sentences.  Work with your partner to identify each type of sentences. Discuss why #2 is better.

VIII. Unit Review Practice

Exercise 8. Read the following paragraph about the student clubs at Harper College. Identify the types of structures of the underlined sentences. In the boxes, type “simple” for a simple sentence, “compound” for a compound sentence, and “complex” for a complex sentence. The first one is an example.  You will get instant feedback on your answers. When you finish the entire exercise, you can retry or see all the answers.