The following chapter will educate you to master the essential elements of English writing. They are fundamental to learning the other concepts in the subsequent chapters and are the bedrock of your English writing in every context: AWA section, work, and daily life!!!

What is a sentence?



source: Merriam-Master

Probably, the definition above is a complete definition of a sentence, and it is also true for every language on earth. At its core, a sentence is composed of a subject and a predicate (the verb) and conveys a complete and final thought or action.

For example, I eat pizza. Even though this is a stupid and introductory sentence, it is a complete sentence that expresses a whole meaning!

Moreover, the sentence above shows you the three pillars that a sentence must have:

1) the subject: it might be either a person, thing, idea in the form of a noun or a pronoun. Its main role is to answer the two basic yet important questions: Who or what before the predicate. It also might act as an active voice, receives the action, or expresses a state of being.

The subject can be:

• simple. Domenico eats pizza. Domenico is the person who acts in that specific moment. The subject can be a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase in this case.
• complex. The amazing race of Domenico permitted him to win the world cup. In this case, the subject is composed of any word or clause that describes Domenico.
• compounded. When we have more than one noun phrase related by coordinate conjunction such as and-or, we have a compound subject.
  
  In the last gig of the world tour, Domenico and his band played in front of the biggest audience so far at Donington Park.
  
  Notice: Domenico and his band is the compounded subject.
  Another example: The bad, The good, and The ugly is the archetype of the spaghetti western.

2) the verbal predicate or simply the verb: it is a word or a group of words that shows what the subject does, did, or else based on the verb tense.

The predicate can be:

• simple. Domenico eats pizza. Domenico is the person who performs the action and what he is doing at that moment. it could also show Domenico's state of being
  
  Domenico is sad because his favorite NFL team lost the final.
  
  The sentence above is perfectly fine: neither comma splice nor run-on sentence. The second clause after because turns into a dependent clause and introduces a “clause of purpose.” Suppose we used a come before because we did not show a relationship between the first part of the sentence and the second part. I.e., we did not explain clearly why Domenico is sad.
  
  
• compound. Essentially we do have a compound predicate when we have two or more verbs that share the same subject
  
  Domenico is walking and listening to music.

3) the complements: these elements are used to enrich and give a more robust and complete meaning to the sentence as a whole. Particulary, they specify something about the subject.

For example, Domenico hits the nail on the wall.

Domenico = subject
Hits= the predicate and the action he is doing in that precise moment. So far, we do have a complete sentence because we have the two main elements of it: the subject and the verb.
However, we do not know what he is doing "hitting". From a grammar standing point, the sentence would be fine. BUT we do not have more information than that. Adding the object, which is the nail, and seeing WHERE he is performing the action, the place, we have a more precise understanding of the entire scenario. Eventually, we can further take action, asking, for example: do you need help? Or Do you know this is wrongdoing?

This is the function of why we use a language: to interact with the environment around us.

Before explaining what is an object there is a caveat: there is not a perfect agreement among the scholars, who study the language and set its evolution over time, about the role of an object and what it is in a definitive way. We are always on a borderline.

Complements are words - noun and/or pronoun - , phrases, and clauses that usually follow the verb in a sentence, giving us more information. Moreover, even though can be essentially anything, complements usually follow a linking verb. The reason is not difficult to get: linking verbs are those that usually show us more information about the subject.

For example, I know Domenico for a long time; he is a blessing.

In the sentence above, "a blessing" is a direct object that is something peculiar to Domenico: He is the pronoun for Domenico in the second independent clause. The most common linking verbs are those that express a state of being:

- am
- is
- was
- were

or

- feel
- look

(a) - Direct object: a noun or a pronoun that receives the action.

For example Domenico like her. She is the direct object which receives Domenico's attention.

(b) - Subject Complement: a noun, pronoun, adjective, word, or a group of words. In this case, the things become a bit tricky: the form mentioned earlier taken by the subject complements can either or

(b1) - predicate nominative: in this case, the complement answers the question "Who?" or "What"? About the subject, we have more information about who is the subject or what he/she/it does.

For example, Domenico is a bass player

(b2) - predicate adjective: in this scenario, as the definition suggests, the predicate could be a noun or a pronoun that works as an adjective does. It gives us information about the subject via the questions "How"? or "What"?. They describe or modify the subject

For example, Domenico is kind

(c) - Object complement: when we have in a sentence a thing, a person, or in general something that receives the action of the verb, we have the object complement that, of course, can be in the form of a noun, adjective, group of words, or a noun phrases joined by a coordinate conjunction.

For example, My new fretboard will maintain, along with a new power bridge, a more abrasive and punchy sound during my live performance.

In the sentence above, we have more information about the sound.

Aside from the technicalities outlined above, a simple rule of thumb to discern if we are in front of a subject or an object we have to take a closer look at the verb:

• IF the verb is performing the action actively, I.E, it is an action verb, and the complement receives that action, then the complement is an object.
  
• IF the primary function of the verb is to describe more of the subject, we will have a subject complements

Parts of Speech
Part of speech	Role or Purpose	Example words	Example sentences
Noun	A noun pinpoints a name, person, thing, place, idea, or quality. Common nouns refer to generic things. Proper nouns refer to specific things. [Common] Never capitalized iF, not at the beginning of the sentence. [Proper] Always capitalized	bear, receiver, building, Rex, Rome, pizza, gender. Mr. Page, Mrs. Brownstone	Mr. Bonham is the greatest drummer of all time
Pronoun	A word is used to supersede a noun to make the sentence clearer and more fluent, avoiding unnecessary repetition of the noun.	We might have four types of pronouns: [Pronouns as Subjects] First singular person: I, you, he/she/it; First Singular plural: we, you, they. [Pronouns as Objects] The relative objects of the first category, namely: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, and whom. [Possessive pronouns or determiners] They are made to substitute a noun in a sentence and to show the possessiveness of something. my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, it, its, our, ours, their, theirs, whose. [Relative pronouns]: who, which, what, that	Domenico purchased ten pens. Actually, they are yours The driver, who provoked the car accident, was condemned to ten years in prison
Verb	A word or words that tell us what the subject does, feels, or in general, his/her/its state of being. They might be: simple, linking, or compounded	We might have three types of verbs: [Simple] The basic form of a verb [Linking Verbs] They are used to express feeling rather than action or, more specifically, they describe the subject. [Compound Verbs] They are also called helping-verbs because of their form: we might have more than one part to the verb	Domenico is tall Metallica is my favorite heavy metal band I have been studying for the GRE for months
Adjectives & Adverbs	A word or words that modify or describe both a pronoun and a noun, when we deal with an Adjectives. A word or words that modify verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs when we deal with Adverbs. See our chapter
Preposition	The role of a preposition is to relate different parts to create sense and meaning INSIDE a sentence. Specifically, they relate nouns and pronouns to other words. Their role is basically the same as the FANBOYS (Coordinating Conjunction) have between clauses (dependent, independent, or both)	At, by, in , on, ago, after, before, during, for. For a more extensive list, see the Preposition Chart at Center for Writing Across the Curriculum - Saint Mary's College	We played our best gig at Reading Festival; we sounded loudly and quite fast during the concert.
Conjunctions	The role of conjunction is on the other extreme of the spectrum. Whereas prepositions are the linkages of words, phrases, and clauses within a sentence, conjunctions are the links among words, phrases, and clauses between or between sentences. Their role is, eventually, to connect independent clausesFANBOYS (Coordinating Conjunction) have between clauses (dependent, independent, or both)	We might have two types of conjunctions: [Coordinate conjuctions] They are used to relate two independent clauses. The FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) are the most used. Using them, we create a compound sentence: independent clause + independent clause to create a coherent unicum. [Subordinate conjuctions] They are used to relate one dependent clause to an independent clause. Usually, the dependent clause is at the beginning of the sentence. Although introducing a depend clause + independent clause. This structure is typically a complex sentence. Although, while, since are subordinating conjunction words. * A caveat: the two structures just mentioned are one of the most used on the entire GRE verbal section. They are SUPER important to understand and keep in mind!!!	Domenico prefers to play the bass guitar, but he does not disregard playing the drums if there is an occasion. Although he is an excellent multi-instrumentalist, Domenico is not a champ at writing good lyrics for a song.