engineering

Sentence clause structure

Sentence clause structure is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sentence clause structure rather than just read about it. In short: In grammar, sentence and clause structure, commonly known as sentence composition, is the classification of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure. Such division is an element of traditional grammar.

Key takeaways

Sentence clause structure belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sentence clause structure to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sentence clause structure from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In grammar, sentence and clause structure, commonly known as sentence composition, is the classification of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure. Such division is an element of traditional grammar.

Typology of clauses In English, sentences are composed of five clause patterns:

Subject + Verb (intransitive)Example: She runs. Subject + Verb (transitive) + ObjectExample: She runs the meeting. Subject + Verb (linking) + Subject Complement (adjective, noun, pronoun)Example: Abdul is happy. Jeanne is a person. I am she. Subject + Verb (transitive) + Indirect Object + Direct ObjectExample: She made me a pie.This clause pattern is a derivative of S+V+O, transforming the object of a preposition into an indirect object of the verb, as the example sentence in transformational grammar is actually "She made a pie for me". Subject + Verb (transitive) + Object + Object ComplementExample: They made him happy.They did not make "him", and they did not make "happy"; they made "him happy"—the object and its complement form a syntactical unit. Sentences – which are composed of these clauses, in either "dependent" or "independent" form – also have patterns, as explained below.

Typology of sentences A simple sentence consists of only one clause. A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses. A complex sentence has at least one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause. A set of words with no independent clause may be an incomplete sentence, also called a sentence fragment. A sentence consisting of at least one dependent clause and at least two independent clauses may be called a complex-compound sentence or compound-complex sentence. Sentence 1 is an example of a simple sentence. Sentence 2 is compound because "so" is considered a coordinating conjunction in English, and sentence 3 is complex. Sentence 4 is compound-complex (also known as complex-compound). Example 5 is a sentence fragment.

I like trains. I don't know how to bake, so I buy my bread already made. I enjoyed the apple pie that you bought for me. The dog lived in the garden, but the cat, who was smarter, lived inside the house. What an idiot! The simple sentence in example 1 contains one clause. Example 2 has two clauses (I don't know how to bake and I buy my bread already made), combined into a single sentence with the coordinating conjunction so. In example 3, I enjoyed the apple pie is an independent clause, and that you bought for me is a dependent clause; the sentence is thus complex. In sentence 4, The dog lived in the garden and the cat lived inside the house are both independent clauses; who was smarter is a dependent clause. Example 5 is an exclamatory sentence of an exclamative and a noun phrase but no verb. It is not a grammatically-complete clause.

Simple sentences A simple sentence structure contains one independent clause and no dependent clause.

I run. This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, I, and one verb, run.

The girl ran into her bedroom. This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, girl, and one predicate, ran into her bedroom. The predicate is a verb phrase that consists of more than one word.

In the backyard, the dog barked and howled at the cat. This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, dog, and one predicate, barked and howled at the cat. This predicate has two verbs, known as a compound predicate: barked and howled. (This should not be confused with a compound sentence.) In the backyard and at the cat are prepositional phrases.

Compound sentences

In English, a compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses. It does not require a dependent clause. The clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon that functions as a conjunction, a colon instead of a semicolon between two sentences when the second sentence explains or illustrates the first sentence and no coordinating conjunction is being used to connect the sentences, or a conjunctive adverb preceded by a semicolon. A conjunction can be used to make a compound sentence. Conjunctions are words such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. Examples:

I started on time, but I arrived late. I will accept your offer or decline it; these are the two options. The law was passed: from April 1, all cars would have to be tested. The war was lost; consequently, the whole country was occupied. The use of a comma to separate two independent clauses without the addition of an appropriate conjunction is called a comma splice and is generally considered an error (when used in English). Example:

The sun was shining, everyone appeared happy. If a sentence contains homogenous members referring to another common member of the sentence, the sentence may be considered either simple or compound. If the homogenous members are removed, then the sentence is called contracted. In some languages, like Russian, a comma is not always required in a sentence with homogenous members.

Alex likes to fish, and he is going fishing on Friday – Alex likes to fish, and is going fishing on Friday.

Complex and compound-complex sentences

A complex sentence has one or more dependent clauses (also called subordinate clauses). Since a dependent clause cannot stand on its own as a sentence, complex sentences must also have at least one independent clause. In short, a sentence with one or more dependent clauses and at least one independent clause is a complex sentence. A sentence with two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses is called compound-complex or complex-compound. In addition to a subject and a verb, dependent clauses contain a subordinating conjunction or similar word. There are a large number of subordinating conjunctions in English. Some of them give the clause an adverbial function, specifying time, place, or manner. Such clauses are called adverbial clauses.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sentence clause structure

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sentence clause structure claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sentence clause structure before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sentence clause structure ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sentence clause structure

In research: Sentence clause structure appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sentence clause structure in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sentence clause structure is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Clauses, English grammar, Punctuation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sentence clause structure outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sentence clause structure in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sentence clause structure means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sentence clause structure out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sentence clause structure in simple terms?

Why does Sentence clause structure matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sentence clause structure?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sentence clause structure.