Make Complex Sentences with Adverb Clause

You can make a complex sentences by making one clause a subordinate clause and join with another independent clause. You can simply combine by following these steps.

STEP 1 -- Read the two sentences and identify their logical relationship (such as time, place, manner, reason, result, purpose, condition, concession, contrast, or comparison).

Ex 1  I did not go to school. I was sick.
(Here, 'I was sick' is the reason of this clause 'I did not go to school'.)
Ex 2  I study hard. I can pass all the exams with good grades.
(Here, 'I can pass all exams with good grades' is the purpose of this clause ' I study hard'.)

STEP 2 -- Use the subordinating which best shows the logical relationship to begin the adverb clause.

Ex 1  I did not go to school. BECAUSE / SINCE /AS I was sick.
Ex 2  I study hard. SO THAT / IN ORDER THAT I can pass all the exams with good grades.

STEP 3 -- Place the adverb clause at either before or after the independent clause. 

Ex 1 

• I did not go to school because I was sick.
• Because I was sick, I did not go to school.

Ex 2 

• I study hard so that I can pass all the exams with good grades.

Make Complex Sentences with Adjective Clause

A sentence that contains one adjective clause and one independent clause is the result of combining two clauses that contain a repeated noun. You can combine two independent clauses to make one complex sentence containing an adjective clause by following these steps:

Step 1. Find the repeated noun (or pronoun, or noun and pronoun which refer to the same thing).

Look at these examples:
  •  The book is on the table. + I like the book. ("the book" is repeated.)
  •  The man is here. + The man wants the book. ("the man" is repeated.)

Step 2. Replace the repeated noun with a relative pronoun (in the clause that you want to make it dependent).

  •  The book is on the table. + I like which. (Replace "the book" with "which".)
  •  The man is here. + who wants the book. (Replace "the man" with "who".)

Step 3. Move the relative pronoun to the front of the clause, adjective clause, if it is not already there.

The clause is now an adjective clause.

  •  The book is on the table. + which I like. (Move "which" to the front.)
  •  The man is here. + who wants the book. ("who" is in front, so there is no need to move.)

Step 4. Place the adjective clause  immediately after the noun phrase it modifies (the repeated noun).

  •  The book which I like is on the table. (Place "which I like" next to the noun "the book" in the first clause.) 
  •  The man who wants the book is here. (Place "who wants the book" next to the noun "the man" in the first clause.)

Compound-complex Sentences

A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

The combination of clauses may be more complicated than other structures of sentences. Below are some of the common patterns.

[1] IC; IC + DC.

• People study war histories, yet they have repeated the wars which were even more disastrous.
• Angkor Wat was built by people, yet many think that it was built by magical power. 

[2] IC + DC; IC.

• The guy is so genius that many admire his talents; he has been promoted a department head so far.
• I will phone you if I need more help; your help is crucial.

[3] DC, IC; IC.

• If production increases, prices may drop, and consumers may buy more.
• If prices drop too low, a company’s profits may decrease, and employees may lose their jobs.

[4] IC+ DC; IC + DC.

• Thida, who is a bank teller, feels sick, so she asks for leave permission so that she can have medical check up.
• Don't believe everything that you read, for facts can be given a spin that makes them less reliable.

[5] DC, IC; DC, IC.

• Because Mary was shy, she seldom met new people; although she was unhappy, she spent a lot of time alone. 
• When we went to school, we attended a lecture; after the lecture was over, we went to the library.

Complex Sentences

Complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

An independent clause is a word group that has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent clause also has a subject and a verb, but it does not express a complete thought. It can't be a sentence on its own.

The complex sentence is formed with one of the three various dependent clauses — noun clause, adjective clause, and adverb clause.

[1] With noun clauses

A noun clause is used as a noun within a sentence. It begins with a subordinator like how, however, if, that, what, whatever, when, where, whether, which, whichever, who, whoever, whom, whomever, whose, why, etc.

• That they won't be late is our hope. [subject]
• He says that he is a teacher. [Direct object]
• He told whoever is interested in investing the news. [Indirect object]
• We judge a man by what he does. [Object of preposition]
• Freedom and justice are what we want. [Subject complement]
• You can call me what you like. [Object complement]
• He reached the conclusion that it was wise to stay out of politics. [Appositive]
• He is happy that he has passed the exam. [Adjective complement /Adverbs]

[2] With adjective clauses

The adjective clause is placed next to the noun or pronoun that it modifies.

• Vutha, who is my brother, is a sleepwalker.
• The man whom you see is a teacher.
• The dog that kept me awake all night lived next door.
• A marriage which is based on trust succeeds.

[3] With adverb clauses

The adverb clause may be placed at the beginning of or the end of the sentence. The difference is that a comma is needed when the dependent clause is placed before the independent clause at the beginning of the sentences.

Therefore, the pattern is either:  
Independent clause + Dependent clause (IC + DC.), or 
Dependent clause + comma + Independent clause (DC, IC.).

• Although they work very hard, they earn very little.
• If you are drunk, don't drive.
• She skipped lunch because she was so busy.
• Since my alarm clock did not ring, I overslept.
• I will call you after I get home.

Simple Sentences

A simple sentence contains one  independent clause. It contains at least a subject and a verb, begins with capital letter, finishes with an ending punctuation (full-stop, question mark, or exclamation mark), and expresses a complete thought.  There are 6 main patterns of simple sentences.

1. SV [ Subject + Verb ]

For examples,

• Bona laughs.
• Mary and Mara sings.

2. SVO [ Subject + Verb + Object]

For examples,

• I don't like dogs.
• Some students like to study.
• She enjoys swimming.

3. SVC [ Subject – Linking Verb – Complement]

For examples,

• John is a teacher.
• He is happy.

4. SV-IO-DO [ Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object ]

For examples,

• My dad bought me a new bike.
• She has written him a letter.

5. SV-DO -OC [ Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement]

For examples,

• Her boss appoints her his personal assistant.
• You can call me what you like.

6. SVA [ Subject + Verb + Adverbial ]

For examples,

• Lina works efficiently.
• She works in a bank. 

Elliptical Sentence

Ellipsis means leaving something out. Elliptical sentence is a shorter form of sentence which some words have been omitted, but it retains the same meaning. It is used so that we can avoid unnecessary repeated words.

It is noticeable that elliptical sentences are used quite common in some contexts as:

[1] In normal conversation

  •  A: Where are you going?  B: To school. (= I am going to school.)
  •  A: Ready? (= Are you ready?) B: Yes, I am. (= Yes, I am ready.)

[2] In comparison

  •  Phalla is taller than Phearom.
     (= Phalla is taller than Phearom is tall.)
  •  The ads attracted younger than older people.
     (= The ads attracted younger than  it attracted  older people.)

[3] In sentences joined by coordinating conjunctions

  •  I have washed and ironed my clothes.
     (= I have washed my clothes, and I have ironed my clothes.)
  •  Bora likes football, Phalla volleyball, and Sopheak basketball.
     (= Bora likes football, Phalla likes volleyball, and Sopheak likes basketball.)
  •  Kolab has five dollars, and Sopheak three.
     (= Kolab has five dollars, and Sopheak  has  three dollars.)

[4] In some dependent clauses

  •  If you clean the house today, i will tomorrow.
     (= If you clean the house today, i will clean the house tomorrow.)
  •  I will go to the party if you will.
     (= I will go to the party if you will go to the party.)

[5] In reduced clauses

  •  The song sung by Preap Sovath was so popular.
     (= The song which was sung by Preap Sovath was so popular. )
  •  The man selling the shoes is my friend.
     (= The man who is selling the shoes is my friend.)
  •  The police has found the car stolen yesterday.
     (= The police has found the car which was stolen yesterday.)
  •  When studying, he tried hard.
     (= When he was studying, he tried hard. )
  •  I visited the Bayon Temple after coming back from Battambang.
     (= I visited the Bayon Temple after I came back from Battambang. )
  •  Though a bit nervous, she presented the products to the doctor very well.
     (= Though she was a bit nervous, she presented the products to the doctor very well. )

[6] When used with "SO, TOO, EITHER, NEITHER"

  •  My sister is tall, and so do my brothers.
     (= My sister is tall, and my brothers are tall, too.)
  •  A : I was very sleepy last night.  B : So am I.
     (= A : I was very sleepy last night.  B : I am hungry, too.)
  •  My mom likes mangoes and my brother does too.
     (= My mom likes mangoes, and my brother likes mangoes, too.)
  •  He didn't say anything, and I didn't either.
     (= He didn't say anything, and I didn't say anything, too.)
  •  Her father likes to travel, and she does either.
     (= Her father likes to travel, and she likes to travel, too.)
  •  He didn't study hard, and neither did I.
     (= He didn't study hard, and I didn't study hard, too.)
  •  She doesn't review the lessons, and neither her friend.
     (= She doesn't review the lessons, and her friend didn't review the lessons, too.)

Sentence Structures

Sam An Teng

You may have been familiar with the six sentence patterns in previous lesson. Those patterns form a sentence structure called simple sentence. In English, there are four sentence structures: simple sentence, compound sentence, complex sentence, and compound-complex sentence.

[1] SIMPLE SENTENCE

A simple sentence contains one independent clause. This clause can stand alone and expresses a complete thought.


For examples,

  •  She is singing.
  •  The boy and his mother are jogging.
  •  Bora studies very hard.
  •  Two boys are playing in the field.
  •  He is a good student.
  •  His performance is always good.
  •  Many people are writing novels these days.
  •  The man tells his son the business tips.
  •  We name our puppy Doly.
  •  A man made his wife upset.

[2] COMPOUND SENTENCE

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses. These clauses are joined a semi colon, a coordinating conjunction, or a conjunctive adverb. Look at the examples,

Joined by semi-colon:

  •   He didn't come to class; he was sick.
  •  They didn't study hard; they failed their final exams.

Joined by coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

  •  He didn't come to class, for he was sick.
  •  They didn't study hard, so they failed their final exams.

Joined by subordinating conjunctions: however, therefore, moreover, consequently ...

  •  He was sick; therefore, he didn't come to class.
  •  They didn't study hard; consequently, they failed their final exams.

[3] COMPLEX SENTENCE

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. These clauses are joined by subordinating conjunction like if, who, that, when, after, before, during...

For examples,

  •  I will change my laptop when I have enough money.
  •   If you are drunk, don't drive.
  •   I will call you after I get home.
  •   We have to get thing ready before our boss arrives.
  •  If you fail your exam which is arranged only twice a year, you have to wait another six months.

[4] COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE

A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and one more dependent clauses.

For examples,

  •   I don't know the solution that best solve the situation, and nobody else can give advice.
  •   We have got many problems which is related to our supply chain, and our customers have made a lot of complaints.
  •   If the company ignores the problem with working conditions, the turnover rate will rise, and the productivity will definitely go down.
  •  Some students do not study hard, but when they fail, they always make complaints about the school.

Sentence Patterns

You may have read what a sentence is, different types of sentence , and the  elements of sentence in our previous lessons. How do we form sentence then?
In English, different types of sentences are formed by using the five elements. How we place those elements form six different sentence patterns:

[1]  SV

The shortest sentences are formed by using only a subject and verb. For examples,

    •  He smiles.
    •  The baby cries.
    •  The boy is reading.

Sometime the sentences are formed in SSV, SVV, and SSVV variations, too. Look at the examples,

    •  The boy and his mother are fishing.
    •  Tom and Jerry always fight.
    •  A woman and her husband quarreled.
    •  The guests were eating and drinking.
    •  Some were singing and dancing.
    •  Bora and Phalla were chatting and laughing.

[2]  SVO

Some verbs required objects; they are called transitive verbs. The object can simply be a noun, pronoun, or group of words functioning as noun. For examples,

    •  He wrote a book.
    •  She has finishef her homework.
    •  They fixed the car.
    •  The boys are playing football.

[3]  SV-IO-DO

Some verbs require two objects; they are called ditransitive verbs. Some of these common verbs are: borrow, bring, buy, give, lend, make, offer, provide, sell, send, write, etc. 

 For examples,

    •  The man bought his wife a diamond  ring.
    •  She has lent her friend some money.
    •  They promised us more supports.
    •  My father told me a story.

[4]  SVC

Linking verbs are followed by subject complement. The common linking verbs are: appear, be, cost, have, look, own, seem, weigh, etc.

For examples,

    •  Phalla is an experienced speaker.
    •  Bora is a teacher.
    •  He is so genius.
    •  The car looks nice.

[5]  SV-DO-OC

Some verbs requires both a direct object and a complement; they are called complex transitive verb. Some of these verbs are: appoint, call, consider, elect, make, nominate, etc.

For examples,

    •  We elected him team leader.
    •  I called him Hero.
    •  The judge found him guilty.
    •  The dog makes the boy happy.

[6]  SVA

Adverbial modifies verb to show either manner, time, place, direction, or mean. It is a word or group of words which functions as adverb.

For examples,

    •  The children laughed happily.
    •   The students are sitting in the class.
    •   My parents are traveling to Siem Reap.
    •  She put the flowers carefully in a vase.

Sentence Types

Sam An Teng

In English, there are four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentence.

[1] Declarative sentence 

Declarative sentence is either positive or negative sentence. It is also called statement. It just informs or tells something to the listener or reader. For examples,

  •  The phone need further software development.
  •  The customers are not satisfied with some features of its software.

[2] Declarative sentence

Interrogative sentence is question. It asks for information or feedback from the listeners or readers. For examples,

  •  Are you a student?
  •  Where are you staying now?

[3] Declarative sentence

Imperative sentence is an order or command. The subject of imperative sentence is "You". For examples,

  •  Open the book.
  •  Don't park your car over there.
  •  Finish your homework.

[4] Declarative sentence

Exclamatory sentence is a statement showing strong feelings or emotions; for examples,

  •  What a lovely day!
  •  Hurry up!
  •  That sounds fantastic!
  •  I can't believe you said that!

Sentence Elements

Sam An Teng

The shortest sentence in English has at least two words: the subject and verb. Besides subject and verb, there are three more elements which are crucial in writing sentences. These elements are objects, complement, and adverbial.

[1] SUBJECT

A subject either does action or simply tells what sentence is about. Look at the examples,

  •  Bopha studies English. (Action)
  •  A group of students are doing his assignment. (Action)
  •  The books are interesting. (State)

[2] VERB

Verb either expresses action or state of being. Verb that shows action is called "action verb"; verb that shows state of being is called "state verb". For examples,

  •  The police are finding a suspect.
  •  He had robbed a woman.
  •  The woman was so frightened.
  •  She looked pale and trembling.

[3]  OBJECT

Object receives the action from either verb or subject. Some objects just stand after preposition. Thus, there are three kinds of objects:

Direct object

Direct object receives the direct action from verb; it is the first receiver. For examples,

  •  He reads a book.
  •  He unlocked the password successfully.
  •  The company produces thousand cars.
  •   I support what he has said.

Indirect object 

Indirect object receives the direct object from verb or subject. For examples,

  •  His boss assigns him new roles.
  •  Thida lent me some money last month.
  •  Could you bring him a coffee?
  •  He wrote his parents a postcard.

Object of preposition 

Object of preposition stands after a preposition. Both preposition and its object form the prepositional phrase which may functions as adjective or adverb in sentence. For examples,

  •  The book is on the table.
  •  They are sitting in the classroom.
  •  The book on the table is mine.
  •  Do you know the man next to you?

[4] COMPLEMENT

Complement completes the meaning of subject or object. Thus, they are call subject complement and object complement respectively.

Subject complement

Subject complement completes the meaning of subject. Subject complement can be adjective (which is called predicate adjective) or noun (which is called predicate noun or predicate nominative). For examples,

  •  They are accountants.
  •  He looks unhappy.

Object complement

Object complement completes the meaning of the object; for examples,

  •  They appointed him representative.
  •  I painted my room red.

[5] ADVERBIAL

Adverbial is a word or group of words that functions as adverb. It either tells time, place, direction, or manner. For examples,

  •  She sings beautifully.
  •  They are working very hard.
  •  I got up late.
  •  The exam finished yesterday.
  •  He is going upstairs.
  •  Thida is sleeping in her room.

What is Sentence?

Sam An Teng

A sentence is a group of words which contains at least one subject and one verb, and expresses a complete thought. It starts with a capital letter and finishes with an ending punctuation.

The ending punctuation is either a full-stop (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!).

Look at the examples below.

  •  He runs.
  •  He likes apple.
  •  What are you doing?
  •  He studies English.
  •  We haven't finished our assignment yet.
  •  I go to school very day.

Some sentences have hidden subjects which is understood to be "you". For examples,

  •  Open the book! (the hidden subject is "You")
  •  Close the door.
  •  Don't go there.
  •  Be quiet!
  •  Please try harder.

Other exceptional sentences do not follow the grammatical pattern or structure, but they are considered to be complete sentences. They are understood when spoken or written. For examples,

  •  Hello!
  •  What a lovely day!
  •  Pardon!
  •  How cruel it is.


NOTICE: Not a sentence!!

However, the groups of words below are not considered to be sentences. The reasons are explained in brackets.

  •  Last month, took a flight to Korea. (No subject.)
  •  She interested in book. (Lack of verb.)
  •  Who is rich. (It is just a clause which doesn't have complete thought.)
  •  On the table. (It is just a phrase; no subject and verb.)

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses which are joined by a semi-colon, a coordination conjunction (preceded by a comma), or a conjunctive adverb (preceded by a semi-colon and followed by a comma). 

For examples,

• She was sick, so she didn’t come to work.
• Students work hard; they succeed.
• The job was difficult; however, we could finish successfully.

Note:

- There are two independent clauses in compound sentences.
- There is no dependent clause in compound sentences.


There are 3 patterns in which simple sentences are joined.
 

1. IC , cc-IC [ Independent clause + comma + coordination conjunction + Independent clause. ]

For examples,  

• Sopheak didn’t come to class, for he was sick. 
•  I tried to speak Japanese, and my friend tried to speak English.  
• He doesn’t work hard, nor he is clever. 
• I know him, but he doesn’t recognize me.
• You can write on paper, or you can use a computer.
• The dog barked, yet it doesn’t bite. 
• Sopheak was sick, so he didn’t come to class.

2. IC ; IC [ Independent clause + semi-colon + independent clause. ] 

For examples,  

• Sopheak didn’t come to class; he was sick.  
• I tried to speak Japanese; my friend tried to speak English.  
• He doesn’t work hard; he is clever.  
• I know him; he doesn’t recognize me.  
• You can write on paper; you can use a computer.  
• The dog barked; it doesn’t bite.  
• Sopheak was sick; he didn’t come to class.

3. IC ; ca, IC [ Independent clause + semi-colon + conjunctive adverb + comma + Independent clause.]  

For examples,  

• I know him; however, he doesn’t recognize me.  
• Sopheak was sick; therefore, he didn’t come to class.