It is with each sentence that a thought is conveyed. To build your words into a more complex, well-expressed thought, understanding how a sentence works will benefit both writing and speaking.
Subject – A complete sentence must have a subject, the element of the sentence about which something is said. A subject is always a noun, or a word or phrase that functions as a noun – i.e. a pronoun, infinitive, gerund or noun clause.
Example: The basketball player sailed through the air.
Predicate – Any complete sentence also contains a predicate, the part of the sentence which says something about the subject.
Example: The basketball player sailed through the air.
Object – The object of a sentence is a noun, other than the subject, that immediately follows, and therefore receives the action of the predicate. The subject does the action, the object receives the
action.
Example: The basketball player sailed through the air.
Phrases
A phrase is a group of related words that lacks a subject, a predicate, or both. A phrase is not a sentence.
Infinitive phrase – An infinitive phrase is based on an infinitive and functions as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
Example: To play basketball effectively, a player must sail through the air.
Participial phrase – A participial phrase consists of a past or present participle and its modifiers; the whole phrase functions as an adjective.
Example: Playing basketball effectively, a player sails through the air.
Appositive phrase – An appositive phrase consists of a noun and its modifiers which stands beside another noun and renames it. An appositive adds new information but does not modify any other word as an adjective would.
Example: An effective basketball player, like a bird sailing through the air, appears weightless.
Grammar is tricky and the rules do not have to be memorized. (Reference materials for such subjects are highly popular for a reason…) Reviewing them occasionally helps build better writing and speaking skills because it refocuses thought on the structure with which you are building and presenting these ideas.
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