AP English III Sentence Structures

1. AP English III Sentence Structures Reference: The Art of Styling Sentences, 4thed. By Ann Longknife and K.D. Sullivan

2. Symbols S – subject V – verb DO – direct object SC – subject complement ID – independent clause DP – dependent clause

3. Week 1- Compound Sentence: Semicolon, No Conjunction • Compound Sentence – join two simple sentences ( S V) with closely related ideas • S V ; S V • Use this structure to combine sentences where you have discussed similar ideas into a single, more powerful sentence. • Examples: • Gloria, try on these jeans; they seem to be your size. • Some people dream of being something; others stay awake and are. • Reading is the easy part; remembering takes more effort.

4. Week 2 – Compound Sentence: Two Semicolons to Connect Three Complete Sentences • Compound Sentence – join two or more simple sentences ( S V) with closely related ideas • S V ; S V ; S V . • Use this when you have three sentences with connecting ideas to create one, more cohesive sentence. • Examples: • John got an A; Jennie also got an A; unfortunately George got a C. • Carmen likes to cook; Janice would rather watch TV; I like to eat Carmen’s cooking and watch TV with Janice. • Dad is a skinflint; when I ask him for a loan, he doesn’t listen; Mom isn’t any help either.

5. Week 3 and 4 – Compound Sentence with Elliptical Construction • Elliptical construction is when we leave out the verb in the second clause because (and only if) it is the same as in the first clause. • S V DO or SC ; S , DO or SC . • Use this structure if you don’t want to repeat the same verb in the second or third clause. • Examples: • For many of us the new math teacher was a savior; for others, a pain. • His mother told him to rent a car; his sister, to pack the suitcases. • The mother and son each had a goal; hers was educational; his, recreational.

6. Week 5 – Compound Sentence with Explanatory Statement • While the structure is similar to the previous compound sentences, the content is very different, as the colon implies. The colon performs a special function: It signals to the reader that something important or explanatory will follow. The second clause will further explain or expand the idea of the first clause. • General Statement (idea) : Specific Statement (example) (an independent clause) (an independent clause) • Use this structure when you want the second part of a sentence to explain the first part, give an example, or provide an answer to an implied question. • Examples: • Darwin’s The Origin of Species forcibly states a harsh truth: Only the fittest survive. • The empty coffin in the center of the crypt had a single horrifying meaning: Dracula had left his tomb to stalk the village streets in search of fresh blood. • Remember Yogi Berra’s advice: It ain’t over till it’s over.

7. Week 7 – A Series without a Conjunction • A series is a group of three or more similar items that go in the same slot of a sentence. Series must be similar in form (for example, all nouns or all verbs) because they have the same grammatical function. The series can be in any part of the sentence. • A, B, C (in any part of the sentence). • Use this structure to give more information and place emphasis on the series. To create equal emphasis on each part of the series and to create interest with a staccato sound, do not use a conjunction between the last two of the series. • Examples: • The United States has a government of the people, by the people, for the people. • The teacher handled the situation with patience, wisdom, humor. • It took courage, skill, knowledge- and he had them all. • Their friendship has endured, in spite of arguments, boyfriends, distance.

8. Week 8 – A Series with a Variation • The variation is using a repeated conjunction between each part of the series. • A or B or C. (in any place in the sentence) A and B and C. (in any place in the sentence) • Use this structure when you want a tumbling effect throughout the series. • Examples: • Looking down from the Empire State Building, Jeannine felt thrilled and amazed- and scared. • Even though he is smart, I have never seen Keith arrogant or annoyed or impatient. • Many ice hockey games lead to broken ribs or sprained knees or dislocated shoulders- or worse.

9. Week 9 – A Series of Balanced Pairs • This is a series of pairs, two or three or four, with a conjunction between the items in each pair. This creates a rhythm, which you need to listen to. Do the paired words sound right together, is there a progression that is ordered, are the items balanced? • A and B , C and D , E and F (anywhere in the sentence). *Remember, you can use other conjunctions other than and and or. • Examples: • Great artists often seem to occur in pairs: Michelangelo and da Vinci, Gaugin and van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne. • The textbook clearly showed the distinctions between prose and poetry, denotation and connotation, deduction and induction. • Eager yet fearful, confident but somewhat suspicious, Jason eyed the barber who would give him his first haircut.

10. Week 10 – An Introductory Series of Appositives • An appositive is simply another name for a noun used somewhere else in the sentence. In this structure, the appositives will occur in a series at the beginning of the sentence. • Appositive, appositive, appositive – summary word S V . *The summary word may be one of these: such, all, those, this, many, each, which, what, these, something, something… sometimes it is the subject, sometimes a modifier for the subject. • Use this structure when you want a stylized sentence that will squeeze a lot of information in one slot of space. • Examples: • The depressed, the stressed, the lonely, the fearful- all have trouble dealing with problems. • Gluttony, lust, envy- which is the worst sin? • Hawaiians, Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese- these ethnic groups make up much of Hawaii’s diverse population. • Bull riding, camel racing, bronc riding, and roping- these events mean “rodeo” to many people; they mean money to the cowboys.

11. Week 11 – An Internal Series of Appositives or Modifiers • You can have a series of appositives anywhere in the sentences. They may come between the subject and verb, between two subjects, and so on. • S - or ( appositive, appositive, appositive ) or – V . *The appositives can be replaced by modifiers. • Because this series is a dramatic interruption to the sentence, it must have dashes before and after it. If the appositives relay less important information, you may choose to have parentheses enclosing the appositives. • Examples: • He learned the necessary qualities of political life- guile, ruthlessness, and garrulity- by carefully studying his father’s life. • On our trip to Italy, the major sights- the Vatican in Rome, the Duomo in Florence, the tower in Pisa- didn’t impress us as much as the food and kindness of the people. • Many of the books kids enjoy reading (Animal Farm, Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter novels) take them into another world. • The basic writing skills (good vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, sense of style) can be learned by almost everyone.

12. Week 13 – A Variation: A Single Appositive or a Pair • Instead of the series from last week, only use one or a pair of appositives. • S - or ( or , appositive - or ) or , V . • Your choice of punctuation around the appositve(s) can produce one of three effects: • Dashes make the appositive dramatic • Parentheses make the appositive whisper • Commas make the appositive blend • Examples: • The sudden burst of light- a camera flash- startled me. • Many people (especially ecologists) say that we need to do something about global warming. • My latest desire, to go to Europe this summer, will have to wait until I get more money.

13. Week 14 and 15 – Dependent Clauses in a Pair or in a Series • A dependent clause is what it sounds like. It depends on the main clause to continue its idea. In a pair or series of dependent clauses, the clauses must be parallel in structure and they must express conditions or situations or provisions that are dependent upon the idea expressed in the main clause. These clauses can come at the beginning or end of a sentence. • If DC , if DC , if DC , then S V . When DC , when DC , when DC , S V . S V that DC , that DC , that DC . * Remember, you can have just a pair, if you like. • Use this structure rarely. It is helpful • at the end of a single paragraph to summarize main points; • in structuring a thesis statement having three or more parts; • in the introductory or concluding paragraph to bring together the main points of a composition in single sentence. • Examples: • If he had the money, if he had the time, if he had a companion, he would take that trip around the world. • I know that she was right, that her reasons were convincing and that I’d be better off if I did it, but I still didn’t want to move to Canada. • She had to refuse the vacation package when she had no time, when she had no money, when she had no one to watch her children.

14. Week 16 – Repetition of a Key Term • When a key term is important enough to be repeated, it can come anywhere in the sentence, but usually at the end. You may repeat the word exactly as it is, or you may use another form: brute may become brutal; breathe may become breathtaking; battle may become battling. • S V key term - or , repeated key term. *Using a dash suggests a longer pause or break in thought than the comma • When using this structure, make sure that the repeated term is not a complete sentence and that it is a word worth repeating. • Examples: • We live in an uncertain world- the inner world, the world of the mind. • We all have problems but we can find a solution, a solution that works, a solution that is equitable. • The warning in the Tarot cards- an ominous warning about the dangers of air flight- could not deter Marsha from volunteering for the first Mars shot.

15. Week 17 – A Variation: Same Word Repeated in Parallel Structure • S V repeated key word in same position of the sentence . • This repetition can occur in many different forms: • Repeat an effective adjective or adverb in phrases or clauses with parallel construction: • She has an incredibly satisfying life, satisfying because of her career and satisfying because of her family. • Repeat the same preposition in a series: • He has known her for many years, before she went to college, before she was a star, before she won the Oscar. • Repeat the same noun as object of different prepositions: • This government is of the people, by the people, for the people. • Repeat the same modifying word in phrases that begin with different prepositions: • Sydney devoted his life to those selfish people, for their selfish cause, but clearly with his own selfish motives dominating his every action. • Repeat the same intensifiers: • The baseball game was very exciting, very enjoyable, but very long. • Repeat the same verb or alternate forms of the same word: • In order to survive in war, a person needs training, a person needs courage, and, most of all, a person needs luck.