WRIT2250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Comma Splice, Sentence Clause Structure, Massive Open Online Course
Lecture 8 – 30/4/18 – Clauses and sentences
Clauses & sentences
- A sentence is made up of at least one independent clause – a clause containing a subject and
a predicate that can stand on its own
- A clause is any series of words that contain a subject & predicate (predicate must contain at
least one finite verb)
- Clauses can be dependent or independent
- Sentences are made up of clauses, both dependent & independent
- TYPES OF CLAUSES
o Declarative clause
▪ Make a statement / preposition
▪ Form: SVO, subject-verb-(object) – object is optional
▪ Standard template of a sentence
o Interrogative clause
▪ Ask a question
▪ Ope fo iites a ase: ho/hat/hee/he/h/ho …
▪ Closed form (invites yes/no response): helping verb-subject-verb-(object)
▪ Form can be weird
▪ Starts with an auxiliary/helping verb
o Exclamative clause
▪ Express delight/surprise/dismay
▪ Form: what/how + VO (verb-object in normal word order)
▪ Dot get ofused ith iteogatie lauses
▪ E.g How right he was! What a fat cat! (Look at the order of verb and object)
o Imperative clause
▪ Make a command
▪ Form: bare infinitive-(object/complement)
▪ E.g (You) stop! Be good! (Object is always you)
o Subjunctive clause
▪ Refer to hypotheticals, suggestions, possibilities, unreal situations, etc.
▪ (Not real at time of writing)
▪ Coditioal fo: If … Wee … allos speakes to epess hat the
want/anticipate/imagine to happen) – if he ee hee, he ould disagee
▪ Madatie fo: that lause + ae ifiitie es that tpiall peede
that lauses ilude ish, dead ad euest – I isist that ou
BE here early
- Remember the difference between form and function – a sentence can function as
something but be classified as something else
o Would you stop bugging me!
o How ridiculous was the weather yesterday!
o (These sentences look like exclamatives, but they are both interrogatives)
- Independent clauses
o Can stand on their own
o Contain a subject and a predicate, and no subordinating conjunctions
o Matt likes aaas, “o, Maiae aked 40 eas, Hoee, autu eather
ee aied i Bisae
- Dependent clauses
o Subordinate clauses
▪ Start with prepositions, cannot stand on their own
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
