Session Outline Introduction to writing sentences.

True or false All sentences are the same length. Sentences can end with a question mark. Sentences always begin with a capital letter. Sentences can end with an exclamation mark. Sentences can end with a comma. False True false

Are these sentences? The remote control is broken. Up the wall. Too much sun. He’s stupid! On the 21 st August. Running down the road. Yes No Yes No

A complete sentence needs at least one subject and one verb and needs to express a complete idea.

What does a sentence need? A subject. Every sentence must have a subject. The subject tells you who or what the sentence is about. The subject is a noun/pronoun and can be a person, place or thing. Subject About the subject The hairdresser trimmed my hair. London is a large city. We are taking exams. Complete sentences are important.

What else does a sentence need? A verb. Every sentence must have a verb. A verb is known as a ‘doing’ word or a ‘being’ word. It describes the action. The verb is part of the information about the subject. Subject Verb More about the subject The hairdresser trimmed my hair. London is a large city. Complete sentences are important. ACTIVITY

Do these sentences make sense ? I is going to the cinema. No job, from tiling to decorating, are too hard for us. The shops was closed yesterday. No Why? Because the subject and the verb do not agree. I am going to the cinema No job, from tiling to decorating, is too hard for us. The shops were closed yesterday. (activity)

Find the error We was listening to the tutor. They seen the test results. Here is the instructions I told you about.

Find the error He done that course last year. The bouquet of flowers were delivered yesterday. We should of finished the work by now. A bag of books were blocking the door.

Make your writing look better. Experienced writers use a variety of sentences to make their writing interesting and lively. Too many simple sentences, for example, will sound choppy and immature while too many long sentences will be difficult to read and hard to understand.

My name is Kate. I live in Manchester. I am a teacher. I enjoy going out at weekends. I go to the pub. I go to the cinema. I go shopping with my friends.

My name is Kate and I am a teacher and I live in Manchester and I go out at weekends and I enjoy going to the pub and the cinema and shopping with my friends. Try and improve this.

My name is Kate. I am a teacher, and I live in Manchester. When I go out at weekends I enjoy going to the pub, the cinema and shopping with my friends.

What are conjunctions? Conjunctions are joining words Conjunctions can be used to join sentences together. Can you think of any examples of conjunctions

Examples of conjunctions and but because if so or when as before

Using conjunctions Join these two sentences together with a suitable conjunction : John went to work early. He had a lot to do. John went to work early because he had a lot to do

. Run-on sentences & comma splicing

What are run on sentences? A run-on is a sentence in which two or more complete sentences are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunction.sentence Do not do this!

Avoid Run-On Sentences I wanted to leave work early I couldn’t because my boss was hovering over me.

To fix the run-on sentence either use a conjunction, two separate sentences or a semi-colon. I wanted to leave work early, but I couldn’t because my boss was hovering over me. I wanted to leave work early. I couldn’t because my boss was hovering over me. I wanted to leave work early; I couldn’t because my boss was hovering over me.

What is comma splicing? Comma splicing is the incorrect use of a comma. Comma splicing is using a comma to join together complete sentences. You must never do this!

Comma Splicing E.g. I am studying English, it will help me find a better job.

T o fix comma splicing either use 2 separate sentences, a conjunction or a semi-colon I am studying English because it will help me find a better job. I am studying English. It will help me find a better job. I am studying English; it will help me find a better job.

Sentence vocabulary Phrase A phrase is a group of words that work together E.g a big dog five minutes ago A phrase doesn’t make complete sense on its own. It doesn’t have a verb so it can’t be a complete sentence.

Clause A clause is a group of words that work together and include a verb e.g. The boy won the race. There are two kinds of clauses

Main/independent Clause = a clause that makes complete sense on its own. E.g. She bought a new dress. A main clause can be a sentence on its own. Suborninate clause doesn’t make complete sense on its own. E.g. when she went shopping. A subordinate clause cannot be a sentence on its own.

Conclusion A sentence must begin with a capital letter. A sentence must end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark. A sentence must have a subject and a verb. The subject and the verb must agree with each other Use a variety of sentences in your writing. Avoid run on sentences & comma splicing.