The essential elements of a sentence
SubjectsVerbsThe simple sentence
The independent clauseThe complex sentence
The independent + the dependent clauseWhat a sentence should not be
The dependent clause
The subject of the sentence is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that identifies what the clause is about.
The subject is who or what is performing the action.
Subject examples:
John went to the store to buy a carton of eggs.
The little bee buzzed happily amongst the flowers.
Bow down, my lowly subject.
The verb is a word that represents the action in the sentence or clause and/or characterizes the subject in some way.
Verbs can also show the tense (past, present, future) and mood (the sun shined brightly).
Verb examples:
Mavis tripped clumsily over a rock.
The children are all singing carols on the porch.
The one big thing to remember about a subordinate clause is that it CANNOT STAND ALONE by itself. Alone it is also called a fragment. (The next guide will talk about this more.)
Also called the dependent clause.
Examples (this is what happens when there is no independent clause):
While flying over the mountain.
And then took a bath.
I feel like something’s missing.
Fragments
The Next Guide: