Search results for “sentence”

You might vaguely recall learning about compound sentences at some point earlier in your education. There's also a chance a refresher may help, because review and practice are good for remembering grammatical guidelines. In this post we'll revisit what a compound sentence is and how it is formed. How Do We Create a Compound Sentence? …

Complex sentences in English grammar are not referred to as such because they contain complex thoughts or ideas. Rather, “complex” in grammar terms concerns a sentence’s structure. The Definition of a Complex Sentence A complex sentence in English grammar is one that has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. An independent clause …

English has four types of sentence structures: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. In this review, we’ll discuss what a compound sentence is. A compound sentence is one that includes at least two independent clauses that are connected by a conjunction and a comma or by a semicolon. Examples Ricky went to the park on his bike, …

The en dash and the em dash offer different functions for punctuation. They also have different ways they can be made using a keyboard. In this brief discussion, we’ll review common uses of the en dash and the em dash as well as methods for forming them with your keyboard. En Dash An en dash …

Many of us who learned American English in school likely received certain inviolable decrees about usage. One of them was to use "___ and I" only as a subject. Another was never to split an infinitive (not true). Yet another was never to end a sentence with a preposition, a breach of form that can …

The English language includes four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative. An imperative sentence is one in which we assert something, such as when we issue a command, make a request, or give advice, directions, or instructions. The word imperative stems from the 16th century Latin imperātīvus, from the Latin imperāre ("to command"). The word emperor …

Many of you have been asking for help with punctuating between clauses and phrases within sentences. You want to know when you should use a comma and when you need a semicolon. Here are a few rules with examples that I hope you find very helpful. Commas Rule: Use a comma between two independent clauses …

A challenge that any writer can run into is establishing fluent forward movement among sentences. To ensure understanding for readers, writers need to clearly connect related thoughts and properly signal when one is shifting to another. Consider this text: Janice is going to Nashville. She enjoys traveling. She loves rock music and concerts. Her favorite …

Strong writing—writing that moves, directs, and connects people—conveys thoughts and ideas with clarity and efficiency. Badly placed words create vagueness and confusion; well-placed ones achieve logic and unity. Careful writers join elements that are related in thought and separate those that are not. Consider the following sentence: He noticed a glass on the table that …

Sentence structures are the beams of the building of composition. The stronger and better formed they are, the firmer our communication foundation will be. Part One of our discussion introduced us to simple and compound sentences. In Part Two, we explored complex and compound-complex sentences. Let's take a brief look at all four as a …