Writing Across the Curriculum

English 100: Sentences as codes and possibilities

Nancy Gish, Department of English

 

All sentences in English are composed of at least one subject and one predicate; at the core is one noun and one verb.  Example:

            Mary played.

There are 10 basic patterns of this type.  They are called “basic patterns”; there are 4 sets.  A noun phrase is a noun plus any article or modifier.  Some nouns have them.  An adverb tells when or where (as well as other conditions).  An adjective describes a noun.  See Hacker for parts of speech.

A.  The be patterns (several verbs are forms of to be: examples are am, is, are, was, were):

1.                     Noun                be                    adverb

                        Mary               is                      outside.   

2.                     Noun                be                    adjective

                        Mary               is                     happy

3.                               Noun                be                    noun

                        Mary               is                     a teacher.

The Linking Verb Patterns:

4.         Noun                linking verb                   adjective

            The classes     seem                           hard.

5.         Noun                linking verb                   noun

            The students    become      experts.

The Intransitive Verb Patterns:

6.         Noun                intransitive verb

            Jim                  studied.

The Transitive Verb Patterns:

7.   Noun       transitive verb      direct object 

    Mary          wrote           the essay.

8.  Noun - transitive verb -indirect object - direct object

      Jim   sent   Mary  a letter.

9.  Noun - transitive verb-direct object-adjective [object complement]

     Mary  considers  the book important.

10. Noun - transitive - direct object - noun [object complement]

     Jim    thinks  the readings    a challenge.

Sentence codes and possibilities, II.

We create more complex and varied sentences by joining, contrasting, or adding on to the basic patterns above.  ALL SENTENCES MUST HAVE ONE OF THE ABOVE AS A CORE.

Examples:

Joining or contrasting creates compound sentences:

Mary studied and Jim played.

Jim studied, but Mary imagined the test easy.

We can add many patterns to the core to make more sophisticated ideas. 

1. For example, we can add a dependent clause:

Because Mary imagined the test easy, she failed.

After Jim studied, he felt prepared.  

2.  We can add many kinds of phrases:  

Prepositional: On the desk by the wall, Mary left her books.

Participial: Imagining the test easy, Mary wasted time for study, and she failed.

Infinitive: To improve her work, Mary set aside study time.

Adverb: After developing a plan for study, Mary wrote better essays.  

3.  Clauses and phrases may appear in front, at the end, or in the middle of a basic sentence:  

After she studied the drafting section of Hacker, Mary wrote an outline.

Jim studied the section on outlining after developing a thesis.

Mary and Jim, because they wanted to succeed, developed clear, graceful prose.

***************************************************

To develop clear, correct, graceful sentences, study these basic patterns and how to “transform” them into more complex patterns.  Always start with the key noun and verb and build out by joining, contrasting, or adding on phrases and/or clauses.

 

           

 

 
WAC Home

Introduction

WAC at USM

For Students

For Faculty

Criteria for W Courses
Course Approval Process
  W Syllabi
Assessing Course Design
Assessing Student Writing
Resources for Faculty
Faculty Development

Plagiarism

For More Information