VOA名师答疑2024--Types of Sentences

Types of Sentences

　　Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from a reader in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

　　Question

　　Dear teacher

　　I am from Burma. I read the following sentence from a book.

　　In Norway, there's an art museum for children's art.

　　The book mentioned it is a complex sentence. I am wondering if it's right or not. Please tell me.

　　Thank you! I wish you all the best!

　　Your loyal¹ reader

　　Kyaw Zin Oo

　　Answer

　　Thank you for writing, Kyaw. Before we answer your question, we need to review some terms and their meanings.

　　A clause² is a grammar unit organized around a verb phrase. A clause is made of two parts: a subject (the topic of a clause) and a verb (what is said about the topic).

　　For example, "we laughed" is a clause. "We" is the subject, and "laughed" is the verb.

　　"In the morning" is not a clause because it does not have a verb.

　　There are two main kinds of clauses³. Independent clauses are not dependent⁴ on any other clause. They are sentences on their own. "We laughed" is an independent clause.

　　A dependent clause depends on an independent clause. It cannot be a sentence on its own. "Before I went," for example, is a dependent clause because, although it has a subject and a verb, it requires additional⁵ information to be a full thought.

　　We can sort sentences into three groups by the clauses they have. A sentence must have at least one independent clause. The independent clause is a simple sentence. For example:

　　It snowed last night.

　　When a sentence has two or more independent clauses, it is a compound⁶ sentence. For example:

　　I went to the party, but he stayed home.

　　When a sentence has at least one independent clause as well as one or more dependent clauses, it is a complex sentence. For example:

　　I'll call you when I get home.

　　Now, to answer your question, Kyaw! Your example has only one clause. This means it is a simple sentence, not a complex sentence.

　　There are seven simple sentence patterns in English, but we can talk about those another day.

　　We hope this explanation has helped you, Kyaw.

　　Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at [email protected].

　　And that's Ask a Teacher.

　　Words in This Story

　　mention –v. to briefly⁷ talk about a subject

　　unit –n. an amount of something; one thing

　　phrase –n. a group of words that form an idea but that do not contain a subject or verb

　　topic –n. a subject or idea

　　pattern—n. the repeated way something happens most of the time

1 loyal   

adj.忠诚的，忠心的

参考例句：

• He is a loyal friend.他是一位忠诚的朋友。
• I judge him to be loyal.我认为他很忠诚。

2 clause   

n.（正式文件或法律文件的）条款，从句，分句

参考例句：

• The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.这句中有一个主句和一个从句。
• What clause do you require in the contract?你要求在合同中订上什么条款？

3 clauses   

从句( clause的名词复数 )； （法律文件等的）条款

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
• Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。

4 dependent   

adj.依靠的，依赖的，依赖他人生活者

参考例句：

• He has a mother completely dependent on him.他有一个完全靠他赡养的母亲。
• The country is dependent on foreign aid.这个国家靠外援生存。

5 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

6 compound   

n.化合物；大院；adj.化合的；vt.加重；使化合

参考例句：

• Air is a mixture,not a compound of gases.空气是气体的混合物，不是化合物。
• How many households in the compound?院内有几家住户？

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。