How To Construct A Basic Sentence And Paragraph
What Is A Sentence?
A sentence contains a subject and a predicate.
The subject is always a noun. Nouns are a person, place, thing or idea. The noun can be proper or informal such as a pronoun.
The predicate is the action taking place by the subject (or noun.) The predicate is the verb or action word(s).
Exercise
- Write 10 sentences using only a noun and a verb.
Phrases And Clauses
A sentence is not complete unless it has both subject and predicate. An incomplete sentence is a phrase. A clause can be a sentence or a phrase. As a whole sentence, a clause is often used as a brief response to a question. As a part of a sentence, a clause cannot stand alone and must be used in the proper context of the subject and predicate.
There are three types of clauses: main clause, subordinate clause, relative clause.
A main clause has a noun with a verb. Example:
He sat.
A subordinate clause has a subordination conjunction (after, as, as if, as soon as, since, until, when, whenever, while, where, because, before, whereas, so that, in order that, although, if, even though, even if, provided that, unless, once, rather than) with a noun and a verb. Example:
After she sang.
A relative clause uses a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that, what, whatever, who, whoever) with a noun and a verb. Example:
My purse will go with that hat.
Sentences which are basic only need a subject and a predicate. However, sentences can get more complex to give more meaning to what is happening.
Exercise
- Write 5 phrases.
- Write 5 main clauses.
- Write 5 subordinate clauses.
- Write 5 relative clauses.
Articles
Start with something very bland like the clause:
Ball rolls.
Sentences can use articles like: the, an, a with a noun to give particular attention to the subject in use. Example:
The ball rolls.
In the example above, we are not just talking about a vague random ball, but pointing to the ball we want to point out which happens to roll. Articles call the particular noun to attention.
Exercise
- Write 10 sentences using only an article, noun and verb.
- Underline the article in your sentences.
- Circle the noun in your sentences.
- Double underline the verb in your sentences.
Adjectives
The adjective describes the noun in use. In a sentence, it gives the subject more substance. Example:
The pretty, red, ball rolls.
Not only are we using an article "the" to specify our ball, but now we are giving you a specific idea of how the ball appears, pretty and red.
Exercise
- Write 10 sentences using only a noun, verb and adjective.
- Underline the adjective in your sentences.
- Circle the noun in your sentences.
- Double underline the verb in your sentences.
Adverbs
The adverb gives more detail in how the verb, or action, is to take place in the sentence. Example:
The pretty, red ball rolls quickly and quietly.
Not only do we know the ball's description, but we now have an idea that the ball's speed of rolling (quickly) and the sound it makes as it rolls (quietly.)
Exercise
- Write 10 sentences using only a noun, verb and adverb.
- Underline the adverb in your sentences.
- Circle the noun in your sentences.
- Double underline the verb in your sentences.
The Preposition
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence using words such as "about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without.".
If you are from the Midwest, you may have acquired the bad habit common in Midwestern speech patterns to end a sentence with a preposition. It is not good grammar to end a sentence with a preposition. However, one could overlook this with creative license in a work of fiction if this is how your characters or the narrator would speak. (I am from the Midwest, just so you know.)
A preposition can add more life to a sentence by introducing new elements to the subject and the verb. Example:
The pretty red ball quickly and quietly rolled into the street and under the truck.
Not only do we know about the pretty red ball and how it rolled quickly and quietly, now we know the location of the ball being in the street and under the truck.
Exercise
- Write 10 sentences using a noun, verb and preposition.
- Underline the preposition in your sentences.
- Circle the noun in your sentences.
- Double underline the verb in your sentences.
Verb Tenses
You can also make a sentence more precise by letting your audience know which time the event took place: in the past, the present or the future. Examples:
- The Past - The pretty, red ball quickly and quietly rolled into the street and under the truck.
- The Present - The pretty, red ball is quickly and quietly rolling into the street and under the truck.
- The Future - The pretty, red ball will quickly and quietly roll into the street and under the truck.
The first example shows the fate of the ball had already happened. The second examples tells you what is happening to the ball right now. The last example tells you what to expect sometime in the future.
Exercise
- Write 5 sentences using a past tense verb.
- Write 5 sentences using a present tense verb.
- Write 5 sentences using a future tense verb.
- Circle the noun in your sentences.
- Double underline the verb in your sentences.
What Is A Paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of similar sentences strung together to convey a certain idea.
To create a paragraph, one should start with the main theme of the paragraph. Then attach to the main theme sentences which support the main idea of the paragraph. At the end, sum up the feeling of the paragraph.
Example, suppose I wanted to let you know about my love for chocolate ice cream, I could create a paragraph with 3 sentences that support my first sentence about the topic and end the paragraph with an overall comment, I could create this paragraph:
I love chocolate ice cream. It is sweet and melts in my mouth. It cheers me up when I am unhappy. It keeps me cool in summer. These are my reasons why I love chocolate ice cream.
Exercise
- Write a paragraph using 5 sentences to talk about summer.
- Write a paragraph using 5 sentences to talk about your favorite movie.
- Write a paragraph using 5 sentences to talk about your favorite book.
- Write a paragraph using 5 sentences to talk about your favorite animal.
- Write a paragraph using 5 sentences to talk about your family.
Return To The English Grammar Section
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