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Sentence Structure
Every complete sentence contains two parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject is what (or whom) the sentence is about, while the predicate tells something about the subject. In the following sentences, the predicate is enclosed in braces ({}), while the subject is highlighted.
- Judy {runs}.
- Judy and her dog {run on the beach every morning}.
A sentence may have a compound subject -- a simple subject consisting of more than one noun or pronoun -- as in these examples:
- Team pennants, rock posters and family photographs covered the boy's bedroom walls.
- Her uncle and she walked slowly through the Inuit art gallery and admired the powerful sculptures exhibited there.
The second sentence above features a compound predicate, a predicate that includes more than one verb pertaining to the same subject (in this case, "walked" and "admired").
Verbs that take objects are known as transitive verbs. Verbs not followed by objects are called intransitive verbs.
In addition to the transitive verb and the intransitive verb, there is a third kind of verb called a linking verb. The word (or phrase) which follows a linking verb is called not an object, but a subject complement.
The most common linking verb is "be." Other linking verbs are "become," "seem," "appear," "feel," "grow," "look," "smell," "taste," and "sound," among others. Note that some of these are sometimes linking verbs, sometimes transitive verbs, or sometimes intransitive verbs, depending on how you use them
A verb may be followed by an object that completes the verb's meaning. Two kinds of objects follow verbs: direct objects and indirect objects.
An object complement is similar to a subject complement, except that (obviously) it modifies an object rather than a subject.
- Stacked modifiers: using strings of adjectives, prepositional phrases or other modifiers that qualify as "extra" words.
- Hyphens
- Passive Voice
- Waffling:
- The data may suggest that the bacteria could swim.
- The data may potentially suggest that the bacteria might be able to swim.