This post presents examples of simple sentences, sentences containing one independent clause and no dependent clauses, in two different ways. Whereas the second way (‘More examples of simple sentences’) is self-explanatory, the first (‘Examples of simple sentences’) requires some background…
Can you tell which of the two sentences is compound and which is complex? Although he claimed to have won state level championship in chess, he struggled to make even basic moves. He claimed to have won state level championship…
Which of these are simple and which are compound sentences? She sings and dances. He is rich yet humble. John is a student, but Mike isn’t. As we know, a compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses, and a…
Parallelism (or parallel structure) in sentences means putting two or more similarly-placed (or equal) elements in the same grammatical form. Example: Rich, through their abundant resources, can get favourable decisions by influencing decision makers, hiring the best lawyers, and delaying…
Which sentence contains restrictive (or non-restrictive) clause? In the three exercises below, identify which sentence contains a restrictive clause and which contains a non-restrictive. Also, if necessary, punctuate the sentence with comma(s). Remember, a non-restrictive clause takes a pair of…
You must have seen sentences like these. The snake crept up the stick easily. [Adverb of manner] I spotted the snake there. [Adverb of place] Note: In all the examples, adverb and adverbial phrase have been underlined. Second, all comments…
You must have seen sentences like these. Plenty of unfinished work awaits me. [Adjective] Plenty of difficult work awaits me. [Adjective] Note: In all the examples, adjectival phrase has been underlined. Also, noun (or noun phrase) being described by the…
A clause is a grammatical group of words that contains both subject and verb. It can be an independent clause representing a complete idea (he runs fast) or a dependent clause representing an incomplete idea (because he was ill). In…
Compare these two sentences (comments in square brackets). Tom disappeared at the turn of the street. [Noun] The man with bloodstains on his t-shirt disappeared at the turn of the street. [Noun phrase] In the first sentence, a noun Tom…
Can you tell which of the two underlined group of words is a phrase and which is a clause? After I left the workplace, I headed straight to the cinema hall. After leaving the workplace, I headed straight to the…
In this post, we’ll cover ins and outs of adjective phrase. What’s an adjective phrase? An adjective phrase is a phrase that has an adjective as its head word (or the most important word), and it functions as an adjective…
We see words every day. We see sentences every day. They’re so concrete and visible. In contrast, clauses sound so abstract. And why do we need them when we’ve words and sentences? We’ll explore the need for clause and much…