Sentences

S E N T E N C E S

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 judges patiently watched the rustic cars.

Predicate – what the subject does The judges patiently watched the rustic cars.

Sentence Types

Declarative – a sentence that makes a statement (ends with a period mark) Going to car shows helps helps people know prices of older cars better.

Imperative – a sentence that makes a command (ends with a period mark) Go to car shows for better prices immediately.

Interrogative – a sentence that asks a question (ends with a question mark) Why would anyone not want to get cheaper prices?

Exclamatory – a sentence that expresses great emotion, passion, excitement (ends with an exclamation mark) That Chevrolet Corvett is so gorgeous!

Sentence Patterns

Simple Sentence: A sentence that is just one independent clause. Most of the people at shows tend to take pictures in front of them to show off on insta as if it was theirs. Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses, but no dependent clauses - connected by FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions) or a semicolon (;). Many projects on renovating cars can take up time, but they all can be finished.

S E N T E N C E S

Complex Sentence: A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. When you set up an blueprint, renovating a car can regularly get done fast.

Complex-Compound Sentence: A sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Whether you set up a blueprint or not, most ideas planned get done, but they can take up more time in the building process.

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. Viewing cars will amaze you, no matter where you go to see them.

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. No matter where you go to see them, viewing cars will amaze you.

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. Emgineers tend to work hard, to build and brainstorm during night, and to succeed in their masterpieces.

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. Car show engineers tend to spend their days turning old cars from their garage and taking new cars to shows.

Chiasmus: A sentence that includes a repetition of ideas (words, phrases, or clauses) in inverted (reversed) order - this sentence requires symmetry. The judges make the car shows what it is and it would be nothing without their critiques.

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Asyndeton: A sentence that leaves out conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. The judges typically exhibit studiousness, tenacity, picky, bold.

Polysyndeton: A sentence that uses multiple conjunctions in close proximity to each other between words, phrases, or clauses for a rhetorical purpose. The judges typically exhibit studiousness and tenacity and pickiness, and ultimately, boldness.

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 so many engineers, car shows can be the best time of their lives, while for others car shows is the worst part of their lives, but most will agree that car shows can feel like the most stressful and exciting part of their lives.

Epistrophe: A sentence featuring several phrases or clauses ending with the same word or words.

The viewers often spend their days talking about the upcoming show, their nights seeing engineers working, their breaks thinking about the classic cars and that it sometimes can feel like they live only for shows.

Sentence Errors

Run-On/Rambling/Fused Sentence – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly without punctuation. The engineers wanted to stop working on their project they needed to do work for other upcoming cars they had no time. [WRONG] The engineers wanted to stop working on their project BECAUSE they needed to do work for other upcoming cars AND they had no time. [RIGHT]

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Comma Splice – a sentence construction error where two or more independent clauses are connected incorrectly using commas The engineers wanted to stop working on their project, they needed to do work for other upcoming cars, they had no time. [WRONG] The engineers wanted to stop working on their project. They needed to do work for other upcoming cars; they had no time. [RIGHT]

Fragment – incomplete sentence pieces that are not connected to or do not form an independent clause Because the judges had no time. [WRONG] Because the judges had no time, they had to critique faster. [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

At the team meetup, the captain on the team gave the only wrench to the engineer that was broken. [WRONG] At the team meetup, the captain on the team gave the only wrench that was broken to the engineer. [RIGHT]

Double Negative – combining two or more negative words in a sentence in a way that is supposed to produce a positive force

The buyers knew that it wouldn’t do them no good to waste time on one car. [WRONG] The buyers knew that it would not do them any good to waste time on one car. [RIGHT]