Grammar

Back to: Communicating by email or letter

Sentences contain one or more clauses, which consist of a subject and a verb, and optionally one or more objects. The most basic type of sentence is the simple sentence, which consists of only one clause containing a subject and a verb. However, this does not mean that simple sentences are always short sentences.

Morgan works.

Every day, Morgan works at least three hours at the downtown convention centre.

Transition words are words or phrases that can be added at the beginning of a sentence to indicate how it relates to the previous sentence(s) and idea(s).

Time Sequence Cause / Effect Addition / Example Contrast
beforehand, afterwards

at first, meanwhile, finally

 consequently, as a result, therefore furthermore, moreover

for example, for instance

 on one hand, on the other hand

nevertheless, however

Toby gave an interesting presentation. Afterwards, he answered questions from the audience.

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined by a semicolon or by a comma and a coordinating conjunction. There are seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so. In compound sentences, all of the clauses or ideas have equal importance. Use them to group related ideas or to avoid using many short simple sentences.

Independent clauses / simple sentences: The hotel management students are visiting the convention centre.

The commerce students are visiting the distribution centre.

Compound sentences: The management students are visiting the convention centre, and the commerce students are visiting the distribution centre.

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. These clauses are connected by a subordinate adverb or a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whom and whose).

Subordinate adverbs include:

Time Sequence Cause / Effect Contrast
before, after, until, when, while, as soon as, as long as because

in order to

 although

even though

The clauses in a complex sentence are not equal. The independent clause can stand alone as a simple sentence, but the dependent clause contains an incomplete idea that cannot stand on its own.

Independent clause / simple sentence: Mark did not have time to eat his sandwich.

Incomplete idea: Although he was very hungry…

Complex sentences: Although he was very hungry, Mark did not have time to eat his sandwich.

Mark did not have time to eat his sandwich although he was very hungry.

Communicating by email or letter – Grammar