What is a Sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. It must have at least:
A subject (who or what the sentence is about)
A predicate (what the subject is doing or being)
Basic Sentence Structure:
Simple Sentence
Contains one independent clause (a complete thought).
Example: The dog barked.
Compound Sentence
Contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Example: The dog barked, and the cat ran away.
Complex Sentence
Has one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
Example: Because the dog barked, the cat ran away.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Has two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Example: Because the dog barked, the cat ran away, and the bird flew off.
Common Sentence Elements:
Subject: The girl ran fast.
Verb (Predicate): The girl ran fast.
Object: She hit the ball.
Complement: He is a doctor.
Modifiers: She ran quickly.