S
ENTENCE STRUCTURE refers to the way we compose sentences: how we string subjects, verbs, objects,
and modifiers together in clauses and phrases. Awkward or incorrect placement of phrases and clauses
can result in sentences that are confusing or unclear, or that say things that you don’t mean. Sentence
structure is also important to style. If sentence structure is too simple or repetitive, the writing becomes monotonous
for the reader. (Sentence variety will be addressed in the review for Part II.)
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Subjects, Predicates, and Objects
When we write, we express our ideas in sentences. But what is a sentence, anyway?
The sentence is our basic unit of written expression. It consists of two essential parts—a subject and a predicate—
and it must express a complete thought. The subject of a sentence tells us who or what the sentence is about—who
or what is performing the action of the sentence. The predicate tells us something about the subject—what the sub-
ject is or does. Thus, in the following sentence:
The phone is ringing.
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CHAPTER
6
Sentence
Structure
TO HELP you do well and feel comfortable during the exams,
Chapters 6–9 review the four writing areas covered on Part I of the
GED Writing Test: sentence structure, usage, mechanics, and organ-
ization. In this chapter, you will learn the components of sentences and
how they work together to express ideas.
The word phone is the subject. It tells us what the sen-
tence is about—who or what performs the action of the
sentence. The verb phrase is ringing is the predicate. It
tells us the action performed by (or information about)
the subject.
The subject of a sentence can be singular or compound

(plural):
I
slept all day. K
endrick and I worked all night.
singular subject compound subject (two subjects
performing the action)
The predicate can also be singular or compound:
I bo
ught a present.I bought a present and
w
rapped it beautifully.
singular predicate compound predicate (two
actions performed by the
subject)
In many sentences, someone or something “receives”
the action expressed in the predicate. This person or
thing is called the direct object. In the following sentences,
the subject and predicate are separated by a slash (/), and
the direct object is underlined:
I / bought a p
resent. (The present receives the
action of being bought.)
Jane / loves ic
e cream. (Ice cream receives the
action of being loved by Jane.)
Sentences can also have an indirect object: a person or
thing who “receives” the direct object. In the following
sentences, the direct object is underlined, and the indi-
rect object is in bold:
I / gave Sunil a present. (Sunil receives the pres-

ent; the present receives the action of being
given.)
The reporter / asked the president a quest
ion.
(The president receives the question; the ques-
tion receives the action of being asked.)
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Independent and Dependent
Clauses
A clause contains a subject and a predicate and may also
have direct and indirect objects. An independent clause
expresses a complete thought; it can stand on its own as
a sentence. A dependent clause, on the other hand, cannot
stand alone because it expresses an incomplete idea.
When a dependent clause stands alone, the result is a sen-
tence fragment.
Independent clause: She was excited.
Dependent clause: Because she was excited
Notice that the dependent clause is incomplete; it
needs an additional thought to make a complete sen-
tence, such as:
S
he spoke very quickly because she was excited.
The independent clause, however, can stand alone. It
is a complete thought.
Subordinating Conjunctions
What makes a dependent clause dependent is a subordi-
nating conjunction such as the word because. Subordi-
nating conjunctions connect clauses and help show the
relationship between those clauses. The following list is

some of the most common subordinating conjunctions:
after even though that when
although if though where
as, as if in order unless wherever
because once until while
before since
When a clause begins with a subordinating conjunc-
tion, it is dependent. It must be connected to an inde-
pendent clause to become a complete thought:
I never knew true happiness until I met you.
independent clause dependent clause
– SENTENCE STRUCTURE–
42
After Johnson quit, I had to work extra
overtime.
dependent clause independent clause
A sentence with both a dependent clause (DC) and
independent clause (IC) is called a complex sentence.
Both of the sentences above are complex sentences.
Conjunctive Adverbs
A very common grammar mistake is to think that words
like however and therefore are subordinating conjunc-
tions. However and therefore belong to a group of words
called conjunctive adverbs. These words also signal rela-
tionships between parts of a sentence. When they are used
with a semicolon, they can combine independent clauses.
also indeed now
anyway instead otherwise
besides likewise similarly
certainly meanwhile still

finally moreover then
furthermore namely therefore
however nevertheless thus
incidentally next undoubtedly
Here are some examples:
I didn’t go to the party; inst
ead, I stayed home and
watched a good film.
Samantha is a fabulous cook; indee
d, she may
even be better than Jacque.
I need to pay this bill immediately. Othe
rwise,my
phone service will be cut off.
Compound Sentences and
Coordinating Conjunctions
When two independent clauses are combined, the result
is a compound sentence like the following:
He was late, so he lost the account.
The most common way to join two independent clauses
is with a comma and a coordinating conjunction: and, but,
or, nor, for, so, yet. Independent clauses can also be
joined with a semicolon if the ideas in the sentences are
closely related.
I am tall, and he is short.
[IC, coordinating conjunction + IC]
I am tall; he is short.
[IC; IC]
I was late, yet I still got the account.
[IC, coordinating conjunction + IC]

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Sentence Boundaries
Expressing complete ideas and clearly indicating where
sentences begin and end are essential to effective writing.
Two of the most common grammatical errors with sen-
tence boundaries are fragments and run-ons.
Incomplete Sentences
(Fragments)
As we stated earlier, a complete sentence must (1) have
both a subject (who or what performs the action) and a
verb (a state of being or an action); and (2) express a
complete thought. If you don’t complete a thought, or if
you are missing a subject or verb (or both), then you
have an incomplete sentence (also called a sentence frag-
ment). To correct a fragment, add the missing subject or
verb, or otherwise, change the sentence to complete the
thought.
I
ncomplete: Which is simply not true. [No
subject. (Which is not a subject.)]
C
omplete: That is simply not true.
I
ncomplete: For example, the French
Revolution. [No verb.]
C
omplete: The best example is the French
Revolution.
– SENTENCE STRUCTURE–
43

Incomplete: Even though the polar icecaps are
melting. [Subject and verb, but
not a complete thought.]
C
omplete: Some people still don’t believe in
global warming even though the
polar icecaps are melting.
Run-on Sentences
A run-on sentence occurs when one sentence “runs” right
into the next without proper punctuation between them.
Usually, there’s either no punctuation at all or just a
comma between the two thoughts. But commas alone
are not strong enough to separate two complete ideas.
Here are some examples of run-ons:
Let’s go it’s getting late.
Whether or not you believe me it’s true, I didn’t lie
to you.
There are five ways to correct run-on sentences:
1. With a period
2. With a comma and a coordinating conjunction:
and, or, nor, for, so, but, yet
3. With a semicolon
4. With a dash
5. With a subordinating conjunction to create a
dependent clause: although, because, during,
while, etc.
Here’s a run-on sentence corrected with each of these
techniques:
Run-on: The debate is over, now it is
time to vote.

Period: The debate is over. Now it is
time to vote.
Comma + The debate is over, and now it
conjunction: is time to vote.
Semicolon: The debate is over; now it is
time to vote.
Dash: The debate is over—now it is
time to vote.
Subordinating Since the debate is over, it is
conjunction: time to vote.
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Parts of Speech: A Brief Review
A word’s function and form is determined by its part of
speech. The word calm, for example, can be either a verb
(calm down) or an adjective (a calm afternoon); it
changes to calmly when it is an adverb (they discussed
the matter calmly). Be sure you know the different parts
of speech and the job each part of speech performs in a
sentence. The table on the next page offers a quick refer-
ence guide for the main parts of speech.
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Phrases and Modifiers
Sentences are often “filled out” by phrases and modifiers.
Phrases are groups of words that do not have both a sub-
ject and predicate; they might have either a subject or a
verb, but not both, and sometimes neither. Modifiers are
words and phrases that qualify or describe people, places,
things, and actions. The most common phrases are
prepositional phrases, which consist of a preposition and
a noun or pronoun (e.g., in the attic). Modifiers include

adjectives (e.g., slow, blue, excellent) and adverbs (e.g.,
cheerfully, suspiciously). In the examples below, the
prepositional phrases are underlined, and the modifiers
are in bold:
He was very late f
or an
imp
ortant
meeting w
ith
a new client.
He brazenly took her wallet fr
om her purse when
she got up fr
om the table to go to the ladies’ room.
– SENTENCE STRUCTURE–
44
– SENTENCE STRUCTURE–
45
PART OF
SPEECH FUNCTION EXAMPLES
noun names a person, place, thing, or concept water, Byron, telephone, Main Street, tub,
virtue
pronoun takes the place of a noun so that the noun I, you, he, she, us, they, this, that, themselves,
does not have to be repeated somebody, who, which
verb describes an action, occurrence, or state wait, seem, be, visit, renew
of being
helping verb combines with other verbs (main verbs) forms of be, do, and have; can, could, may,
(also called to create verb phrases that help might, must, shall, should, will, would
auxiliary verb) indicate tenses

adjective describes nouns and pronouns; green, round, old, surprising; that (e.g., that
can also identify or quantify elephant); several (e.g., several elephants)
adverb describes verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, dreamily, quickly, always, very, then
or entire clauses
preposition expresses the relationship in time or space in, on, around, above, between, underneath,
between words in a sentence beside, with, upon (see the list below).
Placement of Modifiers
As a general rule, words, phrases, or clauses that describe
nouns and pronouns should be as close as possible to the
words they describe. The relaxing music, for example, is
better (clearer, more concise, and precise) than the music
that is relaxing. In the first sentence, the modifier relax-
ing is right next to the word it modifies (music).
When modifiers are not next to the words they
describe, you not only often use extra words, but you
might also end up with misplaced or dangling modifier
and a sentence that expresses something other than what
was intended. This is especially true of phrases and
clauses that work as modifiers. Take a look at the follow-
ing sentence, for example:
Racing to the car, I watched him trip and drop
his bag.
Prepositions: A Short List
Prepositions are extremely important; they help us understand how objects relate to each other in space
and time. Recognizing them can help you quickly check for subject–verb agreement and other gram-
matical issues. Below is a list of the most common prepositions. See page 60 for notes about the most
common prepositional idioms.
about
above
across

after
against
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
by
down
during
except
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
out
outside
over
since

through
throughout
till
to
toward
under
until
up
upon
with
without