English Grammar & Writing Sentence Structure & Syntax Syllabus

Sentence Structure & Syntax syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Sentence Structure & Syntax in English Grammar & Writing, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Subjects and Predicates

   4 topics

   • Complete and Simple Subjects
   • Complete and Simple Predicates
   • Compound Subjects and Predicates
   • Implied Subjects
2. 2

   Phrases

   5 topics

   • Noun and Verb Phrases
   • Prepositional Phrases
   • Participial and Gerund Phrases
   • Infinitive Phrases
   • Appositive Phrases
3. 3

   Clauses

   4 topics

   • Independent and Dependent Clauses
   • Noun Clauses
   • Adjective (Relative) Clauses
   • Adverbial Clauses
4. 4

   Sentence Types by Structure

   4 topics

   • Simple Sentences
   • Compound Sentences
   • Complex Sentences
   • Compound-Complex Sentences
5. 5

   Sentence Types by Function

   4 topics

   • Declarative Sentences
   • Interrogative Sentences
   • Imperative Sentences
   • Exclamatory Sentences
6. 6

   Common Sentence Errors

   5 topics

   • Sentence Fragments
   • Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices
   • Subject-Verb Agreement
   • Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
   • Faulty Parallelism

Sentence Structure & Syntax flashcards for English Grammar & Writing

22 of 50 cards from the Sentence Structure & Syntax deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is a complete subject?

   The complete subject is the simple subject plus all the words that modify or describe it. Example: In "The tall boy in the corner smiled," the complete subject is "The tall boy in the corner."

2. What is a simple subject?

   The simple subject is the main noun or pronoun (without modifiers) that the sentence is about. In "The tall boy in the corner smiled," the simple subject is "boy."

3. What is a complete predicate?

   The complete predicate is the verb plus all its objects, complements, and modifiers—everything in the sentence that is not part of the complete subject. In "The dog barked loudly at night," it is "barked loudly at night."

4. What is a simple predicate?

   The simple predicate is the main verb or verb phrase alone, without its modifiers or objects. In "The dog barked loudly at night," the simple predicate is "barked."

5. What is a compound subject?

   A compound subject is two or more simple subjects joined by a conjunction (such as and, or, nor) that share the same predicate. Example: "Maria and Jason studied together."

6. What is a compound predicate?

   A compound predicate is two or more verbs (predicates) that share the same subject and are joined by a conjunction. Example: "She sang and danced all night."

7. How does subject-verb agreement work with a compound subject joined by "and" versus "or"?

   Subjects joined by "and" are usually plural and take a plural verb ("Tom and Sue are here"). With "or"/"nor," the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it ("Neither the boys nor the girl is ready").

8. What is an implied (understood) subject?

   An implied subject is a subject that is not stated but understood, typically the pronoun "you" in imperative (command) sentences. Example: "Close the door" means "(You) close the door."

9. In which sentence type does the implied subject "you" most commonly occur?

   In imperative sentences (commands or requests), such as "Sit down" or "Please pass the salt," where "(you)" is the understood subject.

10. What is a phrase, and how does it differ from a clause?

    A phrase is a group of related words that lacks a subject-verb pair and functions as a single part of speech. A clause contains both a subject and a predicate. Thus every clause has a subject and verb; a phrase does not.

11. What is a noun phrase?

    A noun phrase is a noun (or pronoun) together with its modifiers, functioning as a unit that can serve as a subject, object, or complement. Example: "the bright red balloon."

12. What is a verb phrase?

    A verb phrase is a main verb plus its helping (auxiliary) verbs, acting together as the predicate verb. Example: "has been running" or "will have finished."

13. What is a prepositional phrase and what are its two required components?

    A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition (plus any modifiers). Example: "under the old wooden table" (preposition "under" + object "table").

14. What two functions can a prepositional phrase perform in a sentence?

    It can act as an adjective (modifying a noun/pronoun) or as an adverb (modifying a verb, adjective, or adverb). Example: "the book on the shelf" (adjective); "He ran into the house" (adverb).

15. What is a participial phrase?

    A participial phrase is a phrase beginning with a participle (a verb form ending in -ing or -ed/-en) that functions as an adjective, modifying a noun or pronoun. Example: "Running down the street, the dog barked."

16. What is a gerund phrase and what part of speech does it function as?

    A gerund phrase is a gerund (an -ing verb form used as a noun) plus its objects and modifiers; it always functions as a noun. Example: "Swimming in the ocean is relaxing."

17. How can you tell a gerund phrase from a participial phrase, since both begin with an -ing word?

    A gerund phrase functions as a noun (subject, object, complement); a participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying a noun. Compare "Reading books is fun" (gerund, noun) with "The girl reading books smiled" (participle, adjective).

18. What is an infinitive phrase?

    An infinitive phrase consists of an infinitive ("to" + base verb) plus its objects and modifiers. It can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Example: "To finish the race was her goal."

19. Give an example of an infinitive phrase used as a noun and one used as an adverb.

    As a noun: "To learn Spanish takes effort" (subject). As an adverb: "She studied hard to pass the exam" (modifies "studied," telling why).

20. What is an appositive phrase?

    An appositive phrase is a noun phrase that renames or identifies another noun or pronoun placed right beside it. Example: "My brother, a skilled pilot, flew the plane."

21. When is an appositive phrase set off with commas versus not?

    A nonessential (nonrestrictive) appositive that merely adds extra information is set off with commas: "Paris, the capital of France, is lovely." An essential (restrictive) appositive needed to identify the noun takes no commas: "The poet Frost wrote it."

22. What is a clause?

    A clause is a group of words containing both a subject and a predicate (verb). Clauses are the building blocks of sentences and are classified as independent or dependent.

See more Sentence Structure & Syntax flashcards →

Planning Sentence Structure & Syntax for English Grammar & Writing

Sentence Structure & Syntax (English Grammar & Writing) FAQ