Grammar and Sentence Structure

Lesson 1

Independent Clauses

ABOUT CLAUSES

All sentences consist of one or more clauses. A simple sentence consists of one clause. For example:

People need vitamins.

The man took a vitamin pill.

Judy lives in northern California.

In the summer, Tom walks to his office.

A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (such

as and and but). For example:

The man took a vitamin pill, and he drank a glass of orange juice.

Judy lives in northern California now, but she was raised in Ohio.

A complex sentence consists of an independent clause (called the main clause) and a subordinate

(dependent) clause. Subordinate clauses may be adverb clauses, noun clauses, or adjective clauses. In the

sentences below, the independent clauses are italicized:

The man took a vitamin pill because he had a cold. (independent clause + adverb clause)

I didn’t realize that Nancy was here. (noun clause)

Tom walks to his office, which is located on Broadway, every day during the summer.

(independent clause + adjective clause)

MISSING SUBJECTS, VERBS, OBJECTS, AND COMPLEMENTS

All clauses have a subject and a verb. Clauses with an action verb often take a direct object as well.

Subject + Verb + Object

People need vitamins.

The verb missing from an independent clause may be a single-word verb (need, was, took, had, walked)

or a verb phrase consisting of one or more auxiliary verbs and a main verb (will need, has been, should

take, would have had, had walked). The verbs may be active (need, take) or passive (was needed,

is taken).

The missing subject and direct object may be a noun (people, vitamins, Tom), a noun phrase (some

famous people, a vitamin pill, my friend Tom), or a pronoun (he, she, it, and they are subject pronouns;

him, her, it, and them are object pronouns).

After the verb to be and certain other nonaction verbs, a subject complement is used rather than a

direct object. (Subject complements are also known as predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives.)

Subject + Verb + Complement

She is an architect.

The teacher seemed upset.

The most common problem in structure involves a missing verb. A missing subject and a missing subject-verb combination are common as well. The missing element may also be part, of rather than all of, the verb or noun phrase.

CLAUSES WITH THERE AND IT

Some clauses begin with the introductory word there or it rather than with the subject of the sentence. These introductory words are sometimes called expletives. The expletive there shows that someone or something exists, usually at a particular time or place.

These sentences generally follow the pattern there + verb to be + subject. For example:

There are many skyscrapers in New York City.

There was a good movie on television last night.

The expletive it is used in several different situations and patterns:

It is important to be punctual for appointments. (with the verb to be + adjective + infinitive)

It was in 1959 that Alaska became a state. (with the verb to be + adverbial + noun clause)

It takes a long time to learn a language. (with the verb to take + time phrase + infinitive)

It was David who did most of the work. (with the verb to be + noun + relative clause)

It and there, along with the verb and other sentence elements, may be missing from the stem.

Now you can take the quiz related to the proper use of clauses and related structure. 

Focus: Completing structure problems involving incomplete independent clauses. (Note: Three or four

items in this exercise do NOT focus on missing subjects, verbs, complements, or introductory words; these

items are marked in the answer key with asterisks.)