SENTENCE

What is a Sentence?

Is a word or group of words that express and convey a complete thought from a speaker or writer. Each complete sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.

For example;

1. I am playing football like Zidane.
2. I will go to School.
3. They slept on the bed.
4. She goes to school every morning.
5. It is chasing a thief.

TYPES OF SENTENCES                                

These are: -

-          Statement

-          Command

-          Request / Question

-          Exclamation

Statement

Statement is a sentence whose purpose primarily is to convey information. It is used to express the events. Statement has a subject and a predicate

For example;

1. Juma wrote a letter to his mother.
2. My brother is going to watch TV now.
3. Mnaa is our class master.
4. She teaches us Mathematics and Physics.

Command

Giving out an order or suggestions.

For example;

1. Go out.
2. Shut up
3. Sit down.
4. Take it to the dustbin.

Command always begins with the action verb.

For example;

1. Stand up.
2. Write it down.
3. Slow down.
4. Put it in your pocket.

Request

Means to ask something or permission from somebody else. Request normally uses the polite language. The words which are usually used in request are;

May                             Would                          Sorry                           Please

Can                             Could                          Excuse me

For example;

1. Please teacher, may I go out?
2. May I introduce myself to you?
3. Excuse me, Juma, can you give me a pen?
4. Please Sir; may I use your pen for a short moment?
5. Can you help me?
6. Could you mind if I ask you?

Exclamation

Means to surprise.Exclamation normally ends with the exclamation mark (!).

For example;

1. Ayaa!  She is dead.
2. Yallah! I was hurt.
3. Maashallah! You have done a good job.
4. Ebo! You are thief!
5. Duuh! It’s the huge Ship!
6. What! Kill me!
7. Shabash! I will kill you!
8. Ooh! My God!
9. Hii! It’s a fire!
10. Hurray! We have won the match.

Exercise

Underline the subject in the following sentences

                              i.      My son, Saleh, attends English orientation course at Manzese.

                            ii.      We spoke to his teachers.

                          iii.      I want to write a letter.

                          iv.      The train has arrived.

                            v.      The accident was witnessed by a policeman.

                          vi.      He began eating before the time.

                        vii.      She will either win or lose

Sentences have two parts, the subject and the predicate. Subject is a DOER of the actions.  It can be a noun or pronoun. Predicate refers to what is said about the subject.

Subject

The subject of a sentence indicates who is speaking, who is spoken to or who is spoken about.  

For example;

Who is speaking?

1. I travelled to Dodoma to take my certificate.
2. we have conducted drama competition in our school.
3. we are reading “Things Fall Apart”.
4. I had seen him on the way to Posta.

In the sentences above, the subject is I and we, the person or persons speaking.

Who is spoken to?

1. You can take all your properties from my room.
2. You may copy this work for future use.
3. Your parents are coming back from Europe today.

The subject in the above sentences is you, the person being spoken to.

Who is spoken about?

1. They arrived yesterday.

2. All students left the school early fearing Popobawa.

3. The Headmaster suspended them from school for misbehaviour.

The subject is they, all students and the Headmaster, who is spoken about.

Simple subject

The simple subject is the noun or pronoun that names the person, thing, place o idea that the sentence is about. The simple subjects normally do not include modifiers.

For example;

1. Dodoma is the capital city of Tanzania.
2. Manchester United, won the game against AS Roma.

Compound subject

A compound subject is a simple subject that has two or more nouns and pronouns.

For example;

1. Our school and many other schools across Tanzania have debate clubs.
2. responsibility and efficiency are important qualities for a good student.

Sentences are classified according to the number and kinds of clauses they contain. The four kinds of sentences are simple, compound, complex, and compound complex.

Simple sentences

A simple sentence is a sentence that contains one independent clause and no subordinate clauses. It may have any number of phrases. It may have a compound subject, a compound predicate, or both. It does not, however, have more than one clause.

For example;

1. They live on Indira Gandhi Street.
2. Collectors like old things.
3. Collectors like old things but value quality. (compound predicate).
4. My father is fat.
5. My brother will drive them.

Compound sentence

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses that are joined. A compound sentence never has a subordinate clause. You usually join independent clauses with a comma and one of the co-ordinating conjunctions; and, but, nor, or, for or yet.

For example;

1. The books were antique, but they looked brand new.
2. My brother will drive them, or they will walk.
3. Some beggars need only money; others accept anything they are given..
4. They live on Indira Gandhi Street and their parents live on Masaki.

Complex sentences

A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Complex sentences may be broken up into simple sentences, simple sentences can be combined into complex sentences.

For example;

1. When she heard an explosion, she quickly phoned the police.
2. Hugo entered the room, and he sat down.
3. As you refuse to tell me what you were doing, I shall have to ask your classmates.
4. When coins were first used, they were made in simple shapes.

sub clause                                inde clause

COMPOUND –COMPLEX SENTENCES

A compound – complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.