Learn how to build English sentences

A sentence is a grammatical or syntactic unit. It usually begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.

In English grammar, a sentence must contain at least one independent/main clause.

Sentence construction in English

There are three categories of sentences in English grammar, each with a particular structure, although the order of the words is practically the same. By using these three categories of sentences, you will improve your writing and be able to build more complex sentences. So let’s take a closer look at these three structures:

Simple sentence

A simple sentence (simple sentence) is a sentence made up of a single clause.

Example:

• Magda loves dogs.
  Magda ama a los perros.

Compound sentence

A compound sentence is a sentence that comprises two juxtaposed clauses, that is, two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.

Example:

• Magda loves dogs, but Adam loves cats.
  Magda ama a los perros, pero Adam ama a los gatos.

Complex sentence

A complex sentence is a sentence that consists of a main clause and one (or more) subordinate clauses connected by subordination conjunction.

Example:

• Although Magda likes cats, she thinks dogs are better.
  Aunque a Magda le gustan los gatos, cree que los perros son mejores.

Negative form

How to make a negative sentence in English? Again we use an auxiliary, but this time we will place it after the subject:

• Subject + Auxiliary + No + Verb.

For example:

• Yeah … well, I don’t like photographers.
  Sí … bueno, no me gustan los fotógrafos.

• I do not like dogs.
  No me gustan los perros.

Interrogative form

How to ask a question in English? We use an auxiliary and place it before the subject.

Auxiliary + Subject + Verb.

For example:

• Do you like this sandwich?
  Te gusta este sándwich?

Common mistakes in sentence structure

Sentence structure determines how the different parts of a sentence are put together, from their punctuation to the order of their words. In addition to following basic word order rules, there are many other things you need to consider in order to write clearly and correctly structured sentences.

Common construction mistakes

• Continuous sentences

Incorrect punctuation is used to connect different parts of a sentence.

• Sentence fragments

Missing components necessary to form a grammatically correct complete sentence.

Sentence structure is not just a matter of grammar, but also of style and fluency. Strong academic writing uses a variety of sentence lengths and structures. It is important to avoid sentences that are too long which can be confusing for readers, but too many very short sentences can make the text feel choppy and disjointed.

Avoid running sentences

An independent clause is a group of words that could be a complete sentence on its own. There are several ways to join independent clauses, but a continuous sentence occurs when they are joined without proper punctuation.

Sentences in a row are a matter of grammar rather than length; even relatively short sentences can contain this error. There are two common mistakes that result in continuous sentences.

Avoid sentence fragments

A fragment is a group of words that does not contain all the components of a grammatically correct sentence. For a string of words to be considered a sentence, it must contain a subject and a predicate.

Note that sentence fragments are often used stylistically in journalism and creative writing but are rarely appropriate in formal or academic writing.

Subjects and predicates

The subject of the sentence tells us about the people, animals, or things that act, while the predicate tells us about what the subject does or is. In other words, the subject is the substantive part of a sentence and the predicate is the verbal part.

• Ducks fly.
  Los patos vuelan.

• Haggard and elderly ducks and geese fly slower, lower, and with more caution.
  Los patos y gansos demacrados y ancianos vuelan más lento, más bajo y con más precaución.

• Haggard and elderly ducks and geese fly slower, lower, and with more caution, perhaps because of rheumatism.
  Los patos y gansos demacrados y ancianos vuelan más lento, más bajo y con más precaución, tal vez debido al reumatismo.

• Haggard and elderly ducks and geese fly slower, lower, and with more caution, perhaps because their rheumatism hinders them.
  Los patos y gansos demacrados y ancianos vuelan más lento, más bajo y con más precaución, tal vez porque su reumatismo se lo impide.

• Ducks fly; dogs walk.
  Los patos vuelan; los perros caminan.

• Ducks fly faster than geese when dogs run and bark.
  Los patos vuelan más rápido que los gansos cuando los perros corren y ladran.