Academic Guides: Writing: Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences
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Academic Guides: Writing: Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences

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04:30 03/04/2025

Whether you're writing a research paper, crafting a personal essay, or sending a professional email, spotting key sentence parts and understanding how different types of sentences work helps you communicate with clarity and style. 

Basic Sentence Parts

Subject
Who or what does the action?

A subject is a person, animal, place, thing, or concept that does an action. Determine the subject in a sentence by asking the question, “Who or what?”

Example

I like spaghetti.

I = subject

Example

He reads many books.

He = subject

Verb
What is the action or state of being?

A verb expresses what the person, animal, place, thing, or concept does. Determine the verb in a sentence by asking the question, “What was the action or what happened?”

Example

I like spaghetti.

like = verb

Example

He reads many books.

reads = verb

Example: "Be" Verb

The movie is good.

  • The be verb is also sometimes referred to as a “copula” (or a “linking verb”). It links the subject, in this case “the movie,” to the complement or the predicate of the sentence, in this case, “good.”

Object
Who or what receives the action?

A person, animal, place, thing, or concept that receives the action. Determine the object in a sentence by asking the question, “The subject did what?” or “To whom?/For whom?”

Example

I like spaghetti.

spaghetti = object

Example

He reads many books.

many books = object

Dependent Clause
Cannot stand alone. Must attach to an independent clause.

A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It must be attached to an independent clause to become complete. This is also known as a “subordinate clause.”

Example

Although I like spaghetti

This dependent clause introduces a contrast. It suggests that despite liking spaghetti, something else is true, but we don’t have the rest of the information to know what that is.

Example

Because he reads many books

This dependent clause introduces a reason or cause. It suggests that reading many books leads to some result or consequence, but we don’t know what without additional information.

Independent Clause
Contains a subject and verb, forming a complete idea.

An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. It contains a subject and a verb and is a complete idea.

Example

I like spaghetti.

  • I = subject
  • like = verb
  • spaghetti = object

Example

Because he reads many books

  • He = subject
  • reads = verb
  • many books = object

Prepositional Phrase
Begins with a preposition (like “in” or “at”) and tells where, when, or in what way.

A phrase that begins with a preposition (like “in,” “at,” “for,” “behind,” “after,” “during”) and modifies a word in the sentence. A prepositional phrase answers one of many questions. Here are a few examples: “Where? When? In what way?”

Example

I like spaghetti for dinner.

This prepositional phrase starts with “for” and provides information about when the spaghetti is preferred.

Example

He reads many books in the library.

This prepositional phrase starts with “in” and provides information about where the reading happens.