(IC) Lesson Topic 5: Parts of the Sentence

A sentence is made up of groups of words called phrases and clauses. A phrase is just a group of words while a clause is a group of words that must have both a subject and a verb. A clause can either be independent or dependent. An independent clause is a complete thought. It can stand alone and make sense. In other words, an independent clause is a complete sentence. A dependent clause still has a subject and a verb, but it does not make sense; it is not a complete thought.

Look at the following sentences and determine whether the group of words is an independent or dependent clause. Flip the card for the answers. 

Even though sentences two and three contain subjects and verbs, they do not express a complete thought. Therefore, they are dependent clauses. They depend on more words and more information in order to make it a complete sentence.

Modifiers are words that add description to sentences. Typically, a modifier is right next to the word it is describing or modifying. For example: I really like that red car. Red is modifying or describing "car."

Sometimes, writers place a modifier too far away from the word it is describing which can make it confusing for the reader. These are called dangling or misplaced modifiers. For example: Jason wore a shirt to the interview that was stained with ketchup. The way this sentence is written, it almost sounds like the interview was stained with ketchup, which obviously doesn't make sense. This is because "stained with ketchup" is a misplaced modifier. Always place the modifier next to the word it is describing. Jason wore a shirt stained with ketchup to the interview. This sentence makes much more sense and is less confusing!

Clauses, phrases, and modifiers are just a few more elements that make up the parts of a sentence. Using clauses and phrases effectively can really help to make your writing stronger. In addition, correctly using modifiers will help your writing to make more sense.

It is also important to vary your sentence types in order to make your writing more interesting to read. You don't want to construct the same types of sentences over and over again. This would make your writing dull and boring.

There are four types of sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.

• A simple sentence contains one independent clause.
• A compound sentence contains two independent clauses.
• A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one dependent clause.
• A compound-complex sentence contains two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

My favorite food is pizza. - simple sentence

My favorite food is pizza, and my favorite beverage is sweet tea. - compound sentence

My favorite food is pizza because I eat it all of the time. - complex sentence

Because I eat pizza all of the time, I have discovered that pepperoni is my favorite while sweet tea is my absolute favorite drink. - compound-complex

Notice that all of the sections in green are independent clauses while all of the blue sections are dependent clauses. 

Please complete the following self-assessment in order to review the material from this module.

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