Sentence Patterns

Vocabulary

1. S: subject

2. V: verb

3. P: prepositional phrase

4. M: modify

5. DO: direct object

6. IO: indirect object

7. IC: independent clause; complete idea (s+v)

8. DC: dependent clause; incomplete idea (v)

9. ; : semi-colon

10. : : colon

11. , : comma

12. CC: coordinating conjuction

13. CA: conjuctive adverb: moreover, then, thus, hence, however, therefore (one syllable=no comma afterwards)

14. " ": quotation marks

15. -: hyphen

16. --: dash

Sentence

A sentence is a complete idea (s+v), which can either be simple or complexe (2 ics)
ex: CSL (s) has 3200 talented (m) students, which are really interesting (dc).
A phrase is an incomplete idea (no v).
A clause can either be dependent or independent.

Pattern 1

IC; IC
ex: Hard work is only one dire of the equation; talent is the other.
Some people dream of being something; others stay awake and are.
Most of us choose our fate; some let others decide.
The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" claimed he was sane; the police thought otherwise.

Pattern 1A

IC; CA, IC
ex: The story was not very interesting; therefore, it is not worth reading.
Edgar Allen Poe had a very unusual life; thus wrote many bizarre stories.
The princess was very cunning and manipulative; consequently, she was able to discover the secret of the two doors.

Pattern 1B

IC; IC, CC
ex: The old man had always been nice to me; however, his glass eye bothered me, and this is why I had to get rid of him.
The princess was very cunning and manipulative; consequently, she was able to discover the secret of the two doors, and she used it to decide the lover's fate.
Frank Stockton started out as a woodcarver ; he later became a writer, for it was something that he loved.

Pattern 2

IC:IC
general statement to specific statement
ex: Darwin's "Origin of Species" forcefully states a harsh truth: only the fittest survive.
The empty coffin in the middle of the crypt had a single horrifying meaning: Dracula had awakened.
The princess had the fate of her lover in her hands: he could live or die.
Wilde expresses a universal sentiment: love is more powerful than logic.

Pattern 3

a series A, B, C (A, B and C/A and B and C)
ex: With passion, determination, purpose, Lincoln fought slavery.
Being rich, being a father, being happy, Peyton still gave his life for the South.
Insane, obsessed, driven to kill, the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" thought he was sane.