Sentences with many clauses and phrases are difficult to understand

The Mastering the Mechanics webinar series also describes required sentence elements and varying sentence types. Please see these archived webinars for more information.

Key: Yellow, bold = subject; green underline = verb, blue, italics = object, pink, regular font = prepositional phrase

Independent clause: An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb and is a complete idea.

Dependent clause: A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It must be attached to an independent clause to become complete. This is also known as a subordinate clause.

• Although I like spaghetti,…
• Because he reads many books,…

Subject: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that does an action. Determine the subject in a sentence by asking the question “Who or what?”

Verb: Expresses what the person, animal, place, thing, or concept does. Determine the verb in a sentence by asking the question “What was the action or what happened?”

• I like spaghetti.
• He reads many books.
• The movie is good. (The be verb is also sometimes referred to as a copula or a linking verb. It links the subject, in this case "the movie," to the complement or the predicate of the sentence, in this case, "good.")

Object: A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that receives the action. Determine the object in a sentence by asking the question “The subject did what?” or “To whom?/For whom?”

• I like spaghetti .
• He reads many books .

Prepositional Phrase: A phrase that begins with a preposition (i.e., in, at for, behind, until, after, of, during) and modifies a word in the sentence. A prepositional phrase answers one of many questions. Here are a few examples: “Where? When? In what way?”

• I like spaghetti for dinner .
• He reads many books in the library .

English Sentence Structure

The following statements are true about sentences in English:

• A new sentence begins with a capital letter.
  • He obtained his degree.
  • A sentence ends with punctuation (a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point).
    • He obtained his degree.
    • A sentence contains a subject that is only given once.
      • Smith he obtained his degree.
      • A sentence contains a verb or a verb phrase.
        • He obtained his degree.
        • A sentence follows Subject + Verb + Object word order.
          • He (subject) obtained (verb) his degree (object).
          • A sentence must have a complete idea that stands alone. This is also called an independent clause.
            • He obtained his degree.

            Simple Sentences

            A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb, and it may also have an object and modifiers. However, it contains only one independent clause.

            Key: Yellow, bold = subject; green underline = verb, blue, italics = object, pink, regular font =prepositional phrase

            Here are a few examples:

            Compound Sentences

            A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses. These two independent clauses can be combined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction or with a semicolon.

            Key: independent clause = yellow, bold ; comma or semicolon = pink, regular font ; coordinating conjunction = green, underlined

            Here are a few examples:

            • She completed her literature review , andshe created her reference list.
            • He organized his sources by theme ; then, he updated his reference list .
            • They studied APA rules for many hours , butthey realized there was still much to learn .

            Using some compound sentences in writing allows for more sentence variety.

            Complex Sentences

            A complex sentence contains at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Dependent clauses can refer to the subject (who, which) the sequence/time (since, while), or the causal elements (because, if) of the independent clause.

            If a sentence begins with a dependent clause, note the comma after this clause. If, on the other hand, the sentence begins with an independent clause, there is not a comma separating the two clauses.

            Key: independent clause = yellow, bold ; comma = pink, regular font ; dependent clause = blue, italics

            Here are a few examples:

            • Although she completed her literature review , she still needed to work on her methods section .
              • Note the comma in this sentence because it begins with a dependent clause.
              • Because he organized his sources by theme , it was easier for his readers to follow .
                • Note the comma in this sentence because it begins with a dependent clause.
                • They studied APA rules for many hoursas they were so interesting.
                  • Note that there is no comma in this sentence because it begins with an independent clause.
                  • Using some complex sentences in writing allows for more sentence variety.

                  Compound-Complex Sentences

                  Sentence types can also be combined. A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

                  Key: independent clause = yellow, bold ; comma or semicolon = pink, regular font ; coordinating conjunction = green, underlined ; dependent clause = blue, italics

                  • She completed her literature review , but she still needs to work on her methods sectioneven though she finished her methods course last semester.
                  • Although he organized his sources by theme , he decided to arrange them chronologically , andhe carefully followed the MEAL plan for organization .
                  • T hey studied APA rules for many hours , andthey decided that writing in APA made sensebecause it was clear, concise, and objective.
                  • Using some complex-compound sentences in writing allows for more sentence variety.
                  • Pay close attention to comma usage in complex-compound sentences so that the reader is easily able to follow the intended meaning.

                  Sentence Structure Video Playlist

                  Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

                  • Structuring Sentences: Types of Sentences (video transcript)
                  • Structuring Sentences: Simple Sentences (video transcript)
                  • Structuring Sentences: Compound Sentences (video transcript)
                  • Structuring Sentences: Complex Sentences (video transcript)
                  • Structuring Sentences: Combining Sentences (video transcript)
                  • Common Error: Unclear Subjects (video transcript)
                  • Mastering the Mechanics: Punctuation as Symbols (video transcript)
                  • Mastering the Mechanics: Commas (video transcript)
                  • Mastering the Mechanics: Periods (video transcript)
                  • Mastering the Mechanics: Semicolons (video transcript)