Sentences

[CLASSIC ROCK] BOOK OF WRITING SECTION 4 SENTENCES

Sentence – a set of words that contains a subject and a predicate and conveys a statement, command, question, or an exclamation.

Sentence Parts

Subject – what/who the sentence is about The eager fans waited for The Who to perform.

Predicate – what the subject does The eager fans waited for The Who to perform..

Sentence Types

Declarative – a sentence that makes a statement (ends with a period mark) Song writing is more difficult than it seems.

Imperative – a sentence that makes a command (ends with a period mark) Listen to Pink Floyd when you get home.

Interrogative – a sentence that asks a question (ends with a question mark) Have you listened to Sheer Heart Attack by Queen?

Exclamatory – a sentence that expresses great emotion, passion, excitement (ends with an exclamation mark) The Doors concert was so fun!

Sentence Patterns

Simple Sentence: A sentence that is just one independent clause. I enjoy listening to Classic rock bands.

Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses, but no dependent clauses - connected by FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions) or a semicolon (;). Most of the band’s concerts sell out, but most people buy tickets to resell.

Complex Sentence: A sentence with one independent clause and at least one

dependent clause.

Although Gun’s and Roses was a band of the 80s, they still have concerts around the world.

Complex-Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses and

at least one dependent clause.

Since The Beatles were popular, they were surrounded by fans when they came to America, so they needed more security.

Loose Sentence: A sentence that contains an independent clause plus a subordinate construction (either a clause or phrase) with your main point at the beginning. The Beatles changed the music industry forever, even though they were a small band.

Periodic Sentence: A sentence in which the independent clause is given at the end of the sentence in order to create interest or generate suspense with the main point

coming at the end.

Even though they were a small band, The Beatles changed the music industry forever.

Parallel Structure: A sentence using the same pattern of two or more verbs or ideas that match in tense or structure to show that they are of equal importance and to help the reader comprehend what is being written - this sentence requires symmetry.

The band stored their instruments, packed their clothes, and headed for the tour bus.

Balanced Sentence: A sentence where phrases or clauses at the beginning and the end parallel each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length - this sentence requires symmetry. Queen always sings to the fullest, performs to the fullest, and dances to the fullest.

Chiasmus: A sentence that includes a repetition of ideas (words, phrases, or clauses) in inverted (reversed) order - this sentence requires symmetry. The Who enjoyed performing and the fans enjoyed watching them perform.

Asyndeton: A sentence that leaves out conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. Guns’ and Roses arrived on the stage, performed, danced, and played.

Polysyndeton: A sentence that uses multiple conjunctions in close proximity to each other between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. Guns’ and Roses arrived on the stage and performed and danced and played.

Anaphora: A sentence that features the purposeful repetition of a word, words, or a phrase at the beginning of several successive clauses in order to place emphasis and draw attention. For the fans at the concert, it was a night to have fun, it was a night of excitement, and it was a night to remember.

Epistrophe: A sentence featuring several phrases or clauses ending with

the same word or words.

Every classic rock band makes music for their fans, performs for their fans, and thrives for their fans.

Sentence Errors

Run-On/Rambling/Fused Sentence – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly without punctuation. The Fans wanted Pink Floyd to keep playing they were having fun they wanted to hear more. [WRONG] The Fans wanted Pink Floyd to keep playing because they were having fun and they wanted to hear more. [RIGHT]

Comma Splice – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly using commas The fans wanted Pink Floyd to keep playing, they were having fun, they wanted to hear more. [WRONG] The fans wanted Pink Floyd to keep playing. They were having fun; they wanted to hear more. [RIGHT]

Fragment – incomplete sentence pieces that are not connected to or do not form an independent clause Because they were having fun. [WRONG] Because they were having fun, they wanted to hear more. [RIGHT]

Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers – modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add description; a misplaced modifier describes the wrong part of

a sentence and a dangling modifier is missing the part it’s supposed to modify

The manager said on Monday the concert would take place. [WRONG] The manager said the concert would take place on Monday. [RIGHT]

Double Negative – combining two or more negative words in a sentence in a way that is supposed to produce a positive force The fans can’t find Guns’ and Roses’ merchandise nowhere. [WRONG] The fans can’t find Guns’ and Roses’ merchandise anywhere. [RIGHT]