Grammar Lesson - Sentence Structure Cont.

This lesson was basically reiterating the points from the previous grammar lesson.

Independent clause: subject, verb, complete thought.
A complete thought is direct and makes a point.

Example of a complete thought: Sarah fell down the stairs.
Sarah=subject, fell=verb, down the stairs=prepositional phrase
Two more examples: He is happy.
She is sleeping.
*The independent clause is also known as a simple sentence.*


Dr. Rowes told us: Sophistication is simplicity.  Simplicity is elegance. 
(Why the simple sentence is so powerful.)


Simple sentence is divided into the subject and predicate. 

Phrases give information that is additional, not essential to sentence structure, ie the dependent clause in a complex sentence.

Participial Phrase:  Sleeping in class.
 (dangling participle)


Sleeping in class, Sarah missed the lesson. 
Sleeping=present participle, Sleeping in class,=participial phrase, Sarah=proper noun.


*When starting a sentence with a participle or a participial phrase, it is always followed by a comma.  (Before the simple sentence.)  The noun closest to the participle is what it describes.