This PowerPoint identifies sentence types, clauses and clause elements.

1. Syntax: Word Order
Key Skills
Simple,
compound
and
complex
Sentence Types

2. Learning Objectives
•To understand the definition of a
clause.
•To understand how clauses create
simple, compound and complex
sentences.

3. What is a clause?

4. A clause has a subject and verb/verb
phrase:
You are invited to a big adventure.
Artemis Fowl desires power.
Northern Lights captivates millions
of readers.
“I have a dream”
A simple sentence is a sentence with one
clause. A sentence consisting of
one clause.

5. How many clauses are in these
sentences?
•The characters are believable and Nicholson’s style is
engaging.
• The author uses interesting vocabulary but the
structure could be simpler and the ending could be
clearer.
•In this novel, Kestrel must choose the princess or
choose her people.

6. Compound sentences
• The characters are believable and Nicholson’s style
is engaging.
• The author uses interesting vocabulary but the
structure could be simpler and the ending could be
clearer.
• In this novel, Kestrel must choose the princess or
choose her people
• Each clause is joined by a coordinating conjuction:
and/or/but. A sentence consisting of two or more
main clauses, connected by coordinating
conjunctions.
Write a compound sentence about recent news.

7. •
•
•
•
•
•
Identify the clauses in the following
sentences and state if they are simple or
compound sentences.
The dog barked loudly.
The dog barked loudly and the baby woke
up.
The baby woke up his mother with a loud
cry.
Harry Potter loved school but he hated the
holidays.
Wuthering Heights is set in Yorkshire.
Wuthering Heights is set in Yorkshire but

8. Linking sentence structure to
meaning.
• Syntactical Parallelism: The repetition of
sentence structure e.g.
If she trusted him, she had to believe him.
If she loved him, she had to trust him.
How is this effective in speeches?
• Balanced Structure-A sentence where the
two halves balance each other. It may also
be a contrast or antithesis (i.e. contrasts).
I like chocolate but I don’t like sprouts.

9. Answer the following
questions.
1) What is a clause?
2) What is a simple sentence?
3) What is a compound sentence?
Give examples

10. 1) A clause has one verb.
The band played for two hours.
2) A simple sentence has a subject and a verb. It
expresses a complete thought or action.
•The snow falls.
•The band played for two hours.
•I went to Manchester.
•On the 21st of this month, the Mayan calendar
completes a 5,125 year long sentence.
3) A compound sentence is an independent clause
linked to another independent clause.
I went to Manchester and (I went) to Liverpool.
He wrote more than 60 books on astronomy and The
Sky At Night has inspired successive generations of

11. Complex Sentences
• A main clause joined to a subordinate
clause.
• The baby woke up when the dog barked.
• Subordinating connectives:
because/when/since/until/while.
• Until Harry Potter receives a letter from
Hogwarts, Harry Potter doesn’t know he’s a
wizard.

12. Separate the main clause from the subordinate clause.
• Lucy discovers Narnia, when she hides in the
wardrobe.
• Until Kestrel reunites with her family, her people
remain in slavery.
• Although the Dursleys are muggles, Harry Potter
is a wizard.
• Artemis Fowl has been alone since his father
was reported missing.
• Even though Catherine loves Heathcliff,
Catherine haunts him, when she dies.
• Despite repenting for the death of the Albatross,
the Mariner is punished.

13. • Lucy discovers Narnia, when she hides in
the wardrobe.
• Until Kestrel reunites with her family, the
Manth people remain in slavery.
• Although the Dursleys are muggles, Harry
Potter is a wizard.
• Artemis Fowl has been alone since his
father was reported missing.

14. Compound-Complex Sentences
• Two main clauses connected by a
coordinating conjunction but/and/or and a
subordinate clause.
Some of the children went home early but
others remained because they had no
transport.

15. Minor Sentences
• Minor Sentences-Lacks a verb.
1.Absolutely.
2.Winter.
3.London.
4.Sounds good.
5.Goodbye
6.Nice weather.
7.The world’s most elitist election
8.Barking Blondes: Yuletide doggy treats, pet
advent calendars and Christmas hazards.

16. A03-Creating Meaning
The scientific community is under the
microscope as it nears hybrid embryo
creation.
Mad scientists are on the verge of creating
monsters.

17. The scientific community is under the
microscope as it nears hybrid embryo
creation.
Mad scientists are on the verge of creating
monsters.

18. The intention to find new ways of treating
hitherto untreatable illnesses is no doubt
laudable but the cost to human life will be
incalculable as live embryos will be
destroyed after fourteen days.
Living embryos will be trashed after fourteen
days.

19. Test
Minor Sentences or Simple Sentences:
1.Good afternoon
2.The doctor is here.
3.The band was late.
4.Your turn.
Complex sentence or complex-compound
sentence.
Identify the main clause and subordinate clause:
I will stay in bed today because I’m not
feeling very well.
The band played brilliantly and the crowd
screamed for more until the lights went out.

20. Relative Clauses
• Begins with who, whose, which or that.
A monument to evil that can teach the modern
world.
Today’s students especially those who get
middle-income jobs, will face an enormous
debt.
He couldn’t read which surprised me.
The boy, whose job was to carry the suitcases,
became lost.

21. Embedded Clauses
1. The boy, who was only seven, could play
the piano.
2. The beach, which was very crowded, was
hotter than ever.
3. The ball, which was kicked by the goal
keeper, flew through the air.
Embedded Clauses: subordinate clauses
which are used between the subject and
verb of a main clause.
You can find the embedded clause by finding
the commas.

22. Add the commas to find the embedded
clause
The music which was too loud gave me a
headache.
The old lady who had lots of bags waited for
a taxi.
The bus which was empty sped down the
street.
The loaf of bread which she bought last
week was mouldy.
The singer who was on the stage sang to
the audience.

23. Adverbial Clauses
• Clauses that act as adverbials. They
explain when, where or why something
happened. They are introduced by
conjunctions such as:
• Before/until/while/because/since.
She left before I arrived.
She left because it was late.

24. Finite and Non-Finite Clauses
• The verb/verb phrase in finite clauses show
tense.
• The verb/verb phrase in non-finite clauses do
not show tense or person and does not need a
subject.
1.Everybody left just after the ceremony.
2.Inviting your sister was not a great decision.
3.The girl has gone.
4.He decided to go.
5.He left the party feeling ill.

25. Clause Elements

26. 1. Subject
A. The item/person that has been
affected by the action. It answers
the question “who or what has
something been done to?”
2.Verb/Verb
Phrase
3.Object
B.This gives more information about the
subject or the object.
C.The word that states the action. It
could be dynamic or stative.
D. Provides information about time,
place, manner, comment and degree.
E.The main person or item that
commits the action; the main focus of
the clause.
4.Complement
5.Adverbial

27. 1. Subject
E.The main person or item that
commits the action; the main focus of
the clause.
2.Verb/Verb
Phrase
3.Object
C.The word that states the action. It
could be dynamic or stative.
A. The item/person that has been
affected by the action. It answers the
question “who or what has something
been done to?”
4.Complement
B.This gives more information about the
subject or the object.
D. Provides information about time,
place, manner, comment and degree.
5.Adverbial

28. Verb
Harry chased the squirrel
Subject
Object

29. Verb
Harry caught the squirrel quickly.
Subject
Object
adverbial

30. Subject Verb
Object (s)
Compleme Adverbia
nt
l
He
closed the gate.
Tom
gave
me
a screwdriver
I
found
the film
She
smiled
broadly
I
caught the train
yesterday
My
called
teacher
my project
disturbing
a
yesterday
masterpiece

31. Subject
Verb
Object
Complement
My teacher called my project a masterpiece
yesterday.
Adverbial

32. Identify the clause elements
in these sentences:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
My brother lent me his jacket.
He considered the verdict unjust.
The tree toppled.
The sea was rough.
The waves lashed the shore.
The audience cheered enthusiastically.
I ate the burger hungrily.

33. Subject
Verb
Object (s)
My
brother
lent
me his
jacket
He
consider the verdict
ed
The tree
toppled
The sea
was
The
waves
lashed
The
cheered
audience
I
ate
Complem Adverbial
ent
unjust
rough
the shore
the burger
enthusiast
ically
hungrily.

34. Clause jokes:
What are Santa's elves? subordinate
clauses.
What do you call someone who doesn't
believe in Father Christmas? a rebel without
a clause.
What do you call someone who doesn't
believe in Father Christmas? a rebel without
a clause.
What do you call a cat on the beach on
Christmas morning? Sandy Claws.

35. Twinkling
eyes
hat
Sack
Long
white
Beard
toys
Boots

36. Order of Clause Elements
The normal word order/sentence or clause
structure in English is subject, verb, object.
Sometimes the verb can be first.
Close the door.
The subject is elliptical (it can be missed
out).
Closing the door, she sneaked into
room and grabbed the cookies.
the

37. Ellipsis
Part of a grammatical structure is left out of the
sentence without affecting the meaning.
•Anger over nurse’s death in royal hospital hoax.
•People are angry over the nurse’s death because of
the hoax in the hospital used by the Royal family.
•Global war: A world gripped by conflict.
•Is the world gripped by conflict and a global war?
•According to experts, 20 wars are raging in the world
today. From Syria to Mexico, tens of thousands of lives
are lost to them each year.