Table of Contents
- What are two word sentences?
- What is phrase explain?
- What is phrase and example?
- What is phrase explain with example?
- What is difference between sentence and phrase?
- What are the types of phrases?
- How do you identify a phrase type?
- What is a clause in a sentence?
- What is a clause and types?
- What is a main clause in English?
- How do you identify different clauses?
Examples of simple two word sentences include: Marvin slept. Dogs bark. Isotopes react.
What is phrase explain?
A phrase is a group of words that stand together as a single grammatical unit, typically as part of a clause or a sentence. A clause does contain a subject and verb, and it can convey a complete idea.
What is phrase and example?
A phrase is a group of words that express a concept and is used as a unit within a sentence. Eight common types of phrases are: noun, verb, gerund, infinitive, appositive, participial, prepositional, and absolute. Take a look at our selection of phrase examples below. happy family camping by a river.
What is phrase explain with example?
A phrase is a group (or pairing) of words in English. A phrase can be short or long, but it does not include the subject-verb pairing necessary to make a clause. Some examples of phrases include: after the meal (prepositional phrase) the nice neighbor (noun phrase)
What is difference between sentence and phrase?
Phrases are groups of words that act as a part of speech but cannot stand alone as a sentence. The words in a phrase act together so that the phrase itself functions as a single part of speech. A sentence expresses a complete thought and contains a subject (a noun or pronoun) and a predicate (a verb or verb phrase).
What are the types of phrases?
Types of Phrases
- Noun Phrase. A noun phrase is any noun or pronoun along with its modifiers:
- Verb Phrase. A verb phrase is any number of verbs working together:
- Prepositional Phrase.
- Verbal Phrases.
- Participial Phrase.
- Gerund Phrase.
- Infinitive Phrase.
- Appositive Phrase.
How do you identify a phrase type?
Here are the different types of modifying or describing phrases:
- Prepositional Phrases. Prepositional phrases consist of a preposition, its object, and any articles or modifiers.
- Participle Phrases.
- Infinitive Phrases.
- Absolute Phrases.
What is a clause in a sentence?
1 : a group of words containing a subject and predicate and functioning as a member of a complex (see complex entry 2 sense 1b(2)) or compound (see compound entry 2 sense 3b) sentence The sentence “When it rained they went inside” consists of two clauses: “when it rained” and “they went inside.”
What is a clause and types?
Like a phrase, a clause is a group of related words; but unlike a phrase, a clause has a subject and verb. An independent clause, along with having a subject and verb, expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a coherent sentence.
What is a main clause in English?
A main clause contains a verb and has one main idea. It can form a complete sentence. This is called a main clause.
How do you identify different clauses?
Steps to identifying clauses
- Identify any verbs and verb phrases. A clause always contains at least one verb, typically a lexical verb.
- Identify any conjunctions.
- Check again.
Read Tommy Tomlinson’s description of a snowy day. Notice that he writes in the simple past tense and only uses two-word sentences (a subject and a verb).
Snow fell.
Flakes floated. Clumps stuck. Drifts formed. Mounds rose. Grass vanished. Trees sagged. Birds hid. Whiteness ruled.
Shut-ins watched. Slackers slept. Couples smooched. Singles wished. Natives compared. Newcomers scoffed. Babies dozed. Elders remembered.
Computers crackled. Pagers beeped. Newspapers thudded. TVs flickered. Radios blared. Callers chattered. Critics grumbled. Weathermen apologized.
Workers drove. Roads iced. Sidewalks crunched. Tires skidded. Cars crashed. Drivers cussed. Cops muttered. Survivors exhaled.
Snow fell.
Skies darkened. Sleet spattered. Rain froze. Fog swirled. Buildings dissolved. Landmarks retreated. Perspectives narrowed. Cities shrank.
Schools closed. Parents shrieked. Work halted. Employees departed. Interstates clogged. Buses crawled. Teachers high-fived. Kids rejoiced.
Hills beckoned. Slopes summoned. Sleds careened. Toboggans flipped. Snowmen towered. Snowballs soared. Bodies flattened. Angels appeared.
Tongues extended. Snowflakes landed. Hands molded. Feet stomped. Ears reddened. Fingers tingled. Mittens dampened. Noses ran.
Snow fell.
Wind whistled. Chimes tinkled. Limbs groaned. Dogs barked. Ground hardened. Ponds glazed. Snowdrifts crusted. Temperatures dropped.
Closeness mattered. Kinfolk called. Friends connected. Neighbors shared. Volunteers gave. Strangers helped. Clerks assisted. Cashiers smiled.
Wires popped. Transformers exploded. Power blinked. Clocks stopped. Fridges defrosted. Victims shuddered. Linemen mended. Candles burned.
Operators dispatched. Trucks towed. Mechanics tinkered. Engines cranked. EMTs rescued. Firefighters hosed. Officers probed. Doctors healed.
Snow fell.
Heaps collected. Piles enlarged. Masses expanded. Clearings faded. Angles rounded. Edges smoothed. Shapes blended. Colors disappeared.
Shovelers heaved. Runners puffed. Skiers schussed. Skaters searched. Hunters crouched. Fishermen shivered. Flasks opened. Bellies warmed.
Poets scribbled. Artists sketched. Photographers focused. Singers hummed. Inventors dreamed. Grifters schemed. Counselors soothed. Preachers prayed.
Coffee perked. Tea steeped. Cocoa foamed. Bourbon swirled. Soup simmered. Casseroles baked. Marshmallows roasted. Popcorn popped.
Snow fell.
Clouds parted. Precipitation ended. Sunshine emerged. Icicles melted. Water puddled. Eaves dripped. Snowbanks sank. Plenty remained.
Dark came. Slush solidified. Ice blackened. Highways slickened. Students hoped. Travelers worried. Storms poised. Forecasts wavered.
Midnight ticked. Peace settled. Sounds quieted. Movement stilled. Light reflected. Darkness shined. Thoughts overflowed.
Weather changed. Challenges abounded. Humanity won. Kindness prevailed. Hearts lightened. Memories accumulated.
People learned.
Nature taught.
Snow fell.
Describe a situation with your own two-word sentences.
If «sentence» means a chunk of writing that begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, then the answer is yes. What you’ve written is not «bad» or «wrong.» It’s something people do for rhetorical effect, such as to sound dramatic. In genres like creative writing, fiction, or just informal writing in general, you can do things like that.
If «sentence» means what sentence usually means, the answer is still «yes»—but the two-word things that you’ve written here are not sentences; they’re noun phrases. For that reason, if this was in a paper that was being graded, the instructor MIGHT dislike them. If the instructor dislikes them, he/she will probably call them «fragments». Sentences usually have a subject (something doing the action or that the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject is doing or more information about the subject). Examples of two-word sentences that everyone would agree are «complete sentences» are «Dogs bark» (Subject Verb), «I slept» (Subject Verb), and «We left» (Subject Verb).
If «sentence» means «utterance» or «turn at speaking,» the answer is also «yes». We can even have one-word utterances, like «Yes» or «Goodbye.»
In other words, the sample of your writing that you’ve shared sounds perfectly fine, but not everyone would refer your two-word things as «sentences»—and SOME instructors might circle them with a red pen and call them «fragments».
Sentences can be made up of many words and phrases. It’s also possible to make a sentence with only one word. Even better than that, it’s possible to use only a handful of letters to create the shortest complete sentences. This article will explore a selection of them.
The preferred shortest sentences include “I,” “no,” and “go!” There are so many great options out there, but these are amongst the shortest ones that you’re most likely going to come across. The options are endless once you understand the fundamentals.
I.
Officially, “I” is the shortest complete sentence. You can use it as a subjective response when someone asks a question like, “who did it?” Replying with “I” is a short form of saying “it was I.”
- Who is there?
- I.
- Who did it?
- I.
No.
If you want to reject the previous statement or question, “No” is a great two-word sentence. It’s simple and efficient.
- Do you want to go with me?
- No.
- Will you be there?
- No.
Go!
“Go” is the first verb form you can use to create a simple sentence. The subject is implied when “go” is used like this (i.e. it implies “you go”). However, “go” is one of the only two-letter verbs that this works for.
- What should I do now?
- Go! Don’t wait around.
- Are you ready to race?
- Go!
Oh.
“Oh” is an exclamation. Most people use it when they don’t know what else to say. It’s a simple two-letter phrase that shows you are surprised.
- I’m not going to be there with you.
- Oh.
- I’m sorry.
- Oh.
Hm.
“Hm” is a thoughtful sentence. You should use these two letters when you are thinking about an answer that might be suitable to the question.
- You’re going to think about this, right?
- Hm.
- I don’t know what to do. Do you have any ideas?
- Hm.
Hi.
“Hi” is a very common two-letter sentence. It is a greeting, and native speakers use it to informally say “hello” to their peers.
- Hi!
- Hi! How are you?
- Hello, there!
- Hi.
Me.
“Me” is similar to using “I.” Technically, it’s not correct to use because it is the object form, but the idea is to replace “I” with “me” when answering a question. For example, “who did it?” can be answered with “me” (implying “it was me”).
- Who’s there?
- Me.
- Who else can be on this team?
- Me.
You.
“You” moves up to three letters. We’ve run out of two-letter sentences, but there are so many three-letter ones. “You” is another subjective pronoun that can work to answer specific questions like “who did it?”
- Who is going to get this done?
- You.
- Who will be there for you?
- You.
Yes.
“Yes” is the opposite of “no.” It’s an affirmative response that agrees with a statement or shows that you are willing to do something.
- Will you be there?
- Yes.
- Can you come with me?
- Yes.
Why?
“Why?” is a good example of a complete sentence that becomes a question. You should use this when you want to know what made someone do something.
- I did that.
- Why?
- I thought you’d like it.
- Why?
Him.
“Him” allows you to use an objective pronoun to highlight who might have done something. “Him” refers to a man, allowing you to point him out if he relates to the question.
- Do you know who did it?
- Him.
- Which one of these people was there?
- Him.
Her.
“Her” is another objective pronoun that works. Like “me,” it’s probably better to use “she” as the subject, but informal English allows you to use object pronouns as long as they’re in one-word sentences.
- Which one of them was it?
- Her.
- Who did it?
- Her.
Hey.
“Hey” is another example of an informal greeting that replaces “hello.” It allows you to greet your friends and peers. It’s three letters long, which is still a remarkably short sentence.
- Hi!
- Hey.
- Hello, friend.
- Hey.
I Am.
“I am” is the first example of two words making up a short sentence. While two words are used, only three letters are present. Here, you can include the subject (only “I” will work to keep it three letters) and the verb (as long as it’s two letters long).
- Are you going to be there later today?
- I am.
- Are you the one in charge of these findings?
- I am.
I Do.
“I do” is another great example of two words making up a short completed sentence. You can use “do” to show that you are going to do something. Again, “I” has to be used as it’s only one letter. The verb can only be two letters to keep the sentence short.
- Do you take this man to be your husband?
- I do.
- Do you have what it takes?
- I do.
Sit.
“Sit” is a three-letter verb form that works as a sentence. Just like “go,” the subject is implied through the context. It can mean something like “you sit” or “he should sit,” depending on the context.
- What should I do now?
- Sit.
- Do you want me to hang around?
- Sit.
Run.
“Run” is another good verb choice made of only three letters. There are plenty of others out there, but we won’t overwhelm you. All verbs work in the same way here, where the subject is always implied. They work as imperative forms (orders or commands).
- What do you want me to do now?
- Run!
- What is that noise?
- Run!
One.
Numbers are also suitable as short sentences when they are spelled out. One of the shortest numbers is “one,” which is only made up of three letters.
- How many of you are going?
- One.
- How many years have you done this?
- One.
Two.
“Two” is twice as much as one, but it is made up of the same number of letters. You can use it to answer questions that ask for a quantity.
- How many of them are left?
- Two.
- How many people can this accommodate?
- Two.
Ten.
“Ten” is the largest number you can include in a three-letter sentence. It’s possible to use this in the same way as the other numbers, where “ten” is the quantity.
- How many can come today?
- Ten.
- How many are in stock?
- Ten.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
What this handout is about
This handout gives an overview of English sentence patterns. It will help you identify subjects, verbs, and clause connectors so you can analyze your writing style and improve it by using a variety of sentence patterns.
Click here for a one page summary of the English sentence patterns discussed on this handout.
Subjects, Verbs, and Clauses
In its simplest form, an English sentence has two parts: a subject and a verb that express a complete thought when they are together.
- The subject shows who or what is doing the action. It is always some form of noun or pronoun.
- The verb shows the action or the state of being. It can be an action verb, like “run,” or a state verb, like “seem.”
Examples of simple two word sentences include:
Marvin slept.
Dogs bark.
Isotopes react.
Real sentences are rarely so short. We usually want to convey much more information, so we modify the main subject and verb with other words and phrases, as in the sentences below:
Unfortunately, Marvin slept fitfully.
Dogs bark louder after midnight.
Heavy isotopes react more slowly than light isotopes of the same element.
Despite the extra information, each of these sentences has one subject and one verb, so it’s still just one clause. What’s a clause?
A clause is the combination of a subject and a verb. When you have a subject and verb, you have a clause. Pretty easy, isn’t it? We’re going to concentrate on clauses in this handout, with emphasis on these two in particular:
- Independent clause: a subject and verb that make a complete thought. Independent clauses are called independent because they can stand on their own and make sense.
- Dependent clause: a subject and verb that don’t make a complete thought. Dependent clauses always need to be attached to an independent clause (they’re too weak to stand alone).
We’ll talk more about dependent clauses later on, but also see our handout on fragments for a more detailed description of these types of clauses.
Something tricky
Before we move on to the sentence types, you should know a little trick of subjects and verbs: they can double up in the same clause. These are called “compound” subjects or verbs because there are two or more of them in the same clause.
Compound subject (two subjects related to the same verb):
Javier and his colleagues collaborated on the research article.
Compound verb (two verbs related to the same subject):
Javier conducted the experiment and documented the results.
Compound subject with compound verb:
Javier, his colleagues, and their advisor drafted and revised the article several times.
Notice that they don’t overlap. You can tell that it’s only one clause because all of the subjects in one clause come before all of the verbs in the same clause.
Four Basic Patterns
Every sentence pattern below describes a different way to combine clauses. When you are drafting your own papers or when you’re revising them for sentence variety, try to determine how many of these patterns you use. If you favor one particular pattern, your writing might be kind of boring if every sentence has exactly the same pattern. If you find this is true, try to revise a few sentences using a different pattern.
NOTE: Because nouns can fill so many positions in a sentence, it’s easier to analyze sentence patterns if you find the verbs and find the connectors. The most common connectors are listed below with the sentence patterns that use them.
In the descriptions below, S=Subject and V=Verb, and options for arranging the clauses in each sentence pattern given in parentheses. Connecting words and the associated punctuation are highlighted in brown. Notice how the punctuation changes with each arrangement.
Pattern 1: Simple Sentence
One independent clause (SV.)
Mr. Potato Head eats monkeys.
I refuse.
Try this: Look for sentences in your own text that have only one clause. Mark them with a certain color so they stand out.
Pattern 2: Compound Sentence
Two or more independent clauses. They can be arranged in these ways: (SV, and SV.) or (SV; however, SV.)
Connectors with a comma, the FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (See our handout on commas for more info.)
Connectors with a semicolon and comma: however, moreover, nevertheless, nonetheless, therefore
Example compound sentences:
Mr. Potato Head eats them for breakfast every day, but I don’t see the attraction.
Eating them makes him happy; however, he can’t persuade me.
Try this:
- Scan your own text to find the compound connectors listed above. Circle them.
- Find the verb and the subject of the clauses on both sides of the connectors.
- Highlight your compound sentences with a color that’s different from the one you used to mark your simple sentences.
Pattern 3: Complex Sentence
One independent clause PLUS one or more dependent clauses. They can be arranged in these ways: (SV because SV.) or (Because SV, SV.) or (S, because SV, V.)
Connectors are always at the beginning of the dependent clause. They show how the dependent clause is related to the independent clause. This list shows different types of relationships along with the connectors that indicate those relationships:
- Cause/Effect: because, since, so that
- Comparison/Contrast: although, even though, though, whereas, while
- Place/Manner: where, wherever, how, however
- Possibility/Conditions: if, whether, unless
- Relation: that, which, who, whom
- Time: after, as, before, since, when, whenever, while, until
Examples of complex sentences:
He recommends them highly because they taste like chicken when they are hot.
Although chicken always appeals to me, I still feel skeptical about monkey.
Mrs. Potato Head, because she loves us so much, has offered to make her special monkey souffle for us.
She can cook it however she wants.
Although I am curious, I am still skeptical.
Try this:
- Scan your own text to find the complex connectors listed above. Circle them.
- Find the verb and the subject of the clauses that goes with each connector, remembering that the dependent clause might be in between the subject and verb of the independent clause, as shown in the arrangement options above.
- Highlight your complex sentences with a color that’s different from the one you used to mark your simple sentences.
Pattern 4: Compound-Complex Sentence
Two or more independent clauses PLUS one or more dependent clauses. They can be arranged in these ways: (SV, and SV because SV.) or (Because SV, SV, but SV.)
Connectors: Connectors listed under Patterns 2 & 3 are used here. Find the connectors, then find the verbs and subjects that are part of each clause.
Mr. Potato Head said that he would share the secret recipe; however, if he does, Mrs. Potato Head will feed him to the piranhas, so we are both safer and happier if I don’t eat monkeys or steal recipes.
Try this: Use a fourth color to highlight the compound-complex sentences in your text (the ones with at least two independent and at least one dependent clauses).
Look at the balance of the four different colors. Do you see one color standing out? Do you notice one missing entirely? If so, examine your text carefully while you ask these questions:
- Could you separate some of the more complex sentences?
- Could you combine some of the shorter sentences?
- Can you use different arrangement options for each of the sentence patterns?
- Can you use different connectors if you change the order of the clauses?
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License.
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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