The Definition of Sentence Four Sentence Structure Classifications

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a. The Definition of Sentence

Brewton et al. 1962 define a sentence as a word or a group of words containing a subject and a verb and delivering one idea p. 191. Mallery 1957 states that subject is “the word or words naming the person or thing about which something is asserted” while predicate is “the word or words which assert something about the subject” p. 3. The subject and the predicate take important role in every sentence which is built.

b. Four Sentence Structure Classifications

Mallery 1957: 71 classifies a sentence according to its structure into four. They are simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. 1 The Simple Sentence Simple sentence is a writing composition which conveys one complete thought and basically contains one clause which has one subject and one predicate. Mallery 1957 explains, “The simple sentence consists of a single independent clause. Any sentence, however short or long, that contains one subject and one predicate” p. 71. Murcia and Freeman 1999 add a simple sentence as an independence clause containing at least one subject and one verb p.20. Independent clause is a sentence that can stand alone and expresses a complete thought. Moreover, Brewton et al. 1962 add that “there are at least two parts which are simple subject and predicate verb to every complete sentence” p. 192. It is not about the number of words but the main contents are a subject and a verb. However, a simple sentence may contain compound subjects or compound verbs in a sentence. 11 Therefore, students are expected to be able to construct simple sentences since it is the simplest sentence structure classification. This is the example of a simple sentence taken from Mallery’s book 1957 entitled “Grammar, Rhetroric and Composition”. The tired, dirty, and footsore hikers struggled wearily across the old bridge, up the hill, and finally, into the camp in the pine forest. The example provided by Mallery is considered as a simple sentence because there are only one subject and one finite verb even though it contains many words. An imperative can also be called simple sentence even though there is not a subject in that sentence. The subject in imperative sentence is implicit. As a deduction, the meaning of the sentence is implied. It can be shown from the following examples. Sit Open the door Close the window 2 The Compound Sentence The compound sentence is a kind of sentence that consists of two or more simple sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction. The coordinating conjunctions can be and, but, or nor. The important thing is there must be the subject in each clause Mallery, 1957, p. 72. Hence, the subject must be clear in each clause. Mallery 1957 writes in his book that “the compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction. Each clause must be itself a simple sentence.” p. 72. Murcia and Freeman 1999 add that a compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses p.20. 12 The example of the compound sentence is provided below. Daniel Defoe was one of the earliest journalists, and his newspaper was extremely influential. Mallery, 1957 3 The Complex Sentence Mallery 1957 states that “a complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses” p. 73. Murcia and Freeman 1999 define a complex sentence as a sentence containing a main clause and one or more subordinate clause p.20. Independent clause expresses the complete thought. However, dependent clause cannot stand by itself. It depends on the independent clause. The examples of the complex sentences taken from Mallery’s book 1957 entitled “Grammar, Rhetoric and Composition” are provided below. When the century began, there were many coffee-houses in London. We know that these gathering led eventually to the formation of a great insurance firm 4 The Compound-Complex Sentence The compound-complex contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause Mallery, 1957, p. 73. This kind of sentence is more complex than the other types of sentence since it has two or more independent clauses and one dependent clause. Henceforth, it is called compound-complex sentence. This is the example of compound-complex sentence taken from Mallery’s book 1957 entitled “Grammar, Rhetoric and Composition”. 13 Although their influence was, for the most part, a good one, the coffee Dependent clause houses sometimes fell into disrepute, and the authorities more than once Ind. clause complained that they were being used for seditious gatherings. Ind. clause

c. Four Sentence Errors