English is a beautiful language, and one of its many perks is the one-word sentences. One-word sentences — as the name suggests is a sentence with a single word, and which makes total sense.
One word sentences can be used in different forms. It could be in form of a question such as “Why?” It could be in form of a command such as “Stop!” Furthermore, it could be used as a declarative such as “Me.” Also, a one-word sentence could be used to show location, for example, “here.” It could also be used as nominatives e.g. “David.”
Actually, most of the words in English can be turned into one-word sentences. All that matters is the context in which they are used. In a sentence, there is usually a noun, and a verb. In a one-word sentence, the subject and the action of the sentence is implied in the single word, and this is why to understand one-word sentences, one has to understand the context in which the word is being used.
Saying only a little at all times is a skill most people want to learn; knowing when to use one-word sentences can help tremendously. However, you cannot use one-word sentences all the time so as robotic or come off as rude.
Here are common one-word sentences, and their meanings:
Here are common one-word sentences, and their meanings:- Help: This signifies a call for help.
- Hurry: Used to ask someone to do something faster
- Begin: Used to signify the beginning of a planned event.
Basically, the 5 Wh-question words — where, when, why, who and what? can also stand as one-word sentences.
By Bizhan Romani
Dr. Bizhan Romani has a PhD in medical virology. When it comes to writing an article about science and research, he is one of our best writers. He is also an expert in blogging about writing styles, proofreading methods, and literature.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A sentence word (also called a one-word sentence) is a single word that forms a full sentence.
Henry Sweet described sentence words as ‘an area under one’s control’ and gave words such as «Come!», «John!», «Alas!», «Yes.» and «No.» as examples of sentence words.[1] The Dutch linguist J. M. Hoogvliet described sentence words as «volzinwoorden».[2] They were also noted in 1891 by Georg von der Gabelentz, whose observations were extensively elaborated by Hoogvliet in 1903; he does not list «Yes.» and «No.» as sentence words. Wegener called sentence words «Wortsätze».[3]
Single-word utterances and child language acquisition[edit]
One of the predominant questions concerning children and language acquisition deals with the relation between the perception and the production of a child’s word usage. It is difficult to understand what a child understands about the words that they are using and what the desired outcome or goal of the utterance should be.[4]
Holophrases are defined as a «single-word utterance which is used by a child to express more than one meaning usually attributed to that single word by adults.»[5] The holophrastic hypothesis argues that children use single words to refer to different meanings in the same way an adult would represent those meanings by using an entire sentence or phrase. There are two opposing hypotheses as to whether holophrases are structural or functional in children. The two hypotheses are outlined below.
Structural holophrastic hypothesis[edit]
The structural version argues that children’s “single word utterances are implicit expressions of syntactic and semantic structural relations.” There are three arguments used to account for the structural version of the holophrastic hypothesis: The comprehension argument, the temporal proximity argument, and the progressive acquisition argument.[5]
- The comprehension argument is based on the idea that comprehension in children is more advanced than production throughout language acquisition. Structuralists believe that children have knowledge of sentence structure but they are unable to express it due to a limited lexicon. For example, saying “Ball!” could mean “Throw me the ball” which would have the structural relation of the subject of the verb. However, studies attempting to show the extent to which children understand syntactic structural relation, particularly during the one-word stage, end up showing that children “are capable of extracting the lexical information from a multi-word command,” and that they “can respond correctly to a multi-word command if that command is unambiguous at the lexical level.”[5] This argument therefore does not provide evidence needed to prove the structural version of the holophrastic hypothesis because it fails to prove that children in the single-word stage understand structural relations such as the subject of a sentence and the object of a verb.[5]
- The temporal proximity argument is based on the observation that children produce utterances referring to the same thing, close to each other. Even the utterances aren’t connected, it is argued that children know about the linguistic relationships between the words, but cannot connect them yet.[5] An example is laid out below:
→ Child: «Daddy» (holding pair of fathers pants)
- → Child
-
-
- «Bai» (‘bai’ is the term the child uses for any item of clothing)
-
The usage of ‘Daddy’ and ‘Bai’ used in close proximity are seen to represent a child’s knowledge of linguistic relations; in this case the relation is the ‘possessive’.[6] This argument is seen as having insufficient evidence as it is possible that the child is only switching from one way to conceptualize pants to another. It is also pointed out that if the child had knowledge of linguistic relationships between words, then the child would combine the words together, instead of using them separately.[5]
- Finally, the last argument in support of structuralism is the progressive acquisition argument. This argument states that children progressively gain new structural relations throughout the holophrastic stage. This is also unsupported by the research.[5]
Functional holophrastic hypothesis[edit]
Functionalists doubt whether children really have structural knowledge, and argue that children rely on gestures to carry meaning (such as declarative, interrogative, exclamative or vocative). There are three arguments used to account for the functional version of the holophrastic hypothesis: The intonation argument, the gesture argument, and the predication argument.[5]
- The intonation argument suggests that children use intonation in a contrastive way. Researchers have established through longitudinal studies that children have knowledge of intonation and can use it to communicate a specific function across utterances.[7][8][9] Compare the two examples below:
→ Child: «Ball.» (flat intonation) — Can mean «That is a ball.»
-
-
- → Child: «Ball?» (rising inflection) — Can mean «Where is the ball?»
-
- However, it has been noted by Lois Bloom that there is no evidence that a child intends for intonation to be contrastive, it is only that adults are able to interpret it as such.[10] Martyn Barrett contrasts this with a longitudinal study performed by him, where he illustrated the acquisition of a rising inflection by a girl who was a year and a half old. Although she started out using intonation randomly, upon acquisition of the term «What’s that» she began to use rising intonation exclusively for questions, suggesting knowledge of its contrastive usage.[11]
- The gesture argument establishes that some children use gesture instead of intonation contrastively. Compare the two examples laid out below:
→ Child: «Milk.» (points at milk jug) — could mean “That is milk.”
-
-
- → Child: «Milk.» (open-handed gesture while reaching for a glass of milk) — could mean “I want milk.”
-
- Each use of the word ‘milk’ in the examples above could have no use of intonation, or a random use of intonation, and so meaning is reliant on gesture. Anne Carter observed, however, that in the early stages of word acquisition children use gestures primarily to communicate, with words merely serving to intensify the message.[12] As children move onto multi-word speech, content and context are also used alongside gesture.
- The predication argument suggests that there are three distinct functions of single word utterances, ‘Conative’, which is used to direct the behaviour of oneself or others; ‘Expressive’, which is used to express emotion; and referential, which is used to refer to things.[13] The idea is that holophrases are predications, which is defined as the relationship between a subject and a predicate. Although McNeill originally intended this argument to support the structural hypothesis, Barrett believes that it more accurately supports the functional hypothesis, as McNeill fails to provide evidence that predication is expressed in holophrases.[5]
Single-word utterances and adult usage[edit]
While children use sentence words as a default strategy due to lack of syntax and lexicon, adults tend to use sentence words in a more specialized way, generally in a specific context or to convey a certain meaning. Because of this distinction, single word utterances in children are called ‘holophrases’, while in adults, they are called ‘sentence words’. In both the child and adult use of sentence words, context is very important and relative to the word chosen, and the intended meaning.
Sentence word formation[edit]
Many sentence words have formed from the process of devaluation and semantic erosion. Various phrases in various languages have devolved into the words for «yes» and «no» (which can be found discussed in detail in yes and no), and these include expletive sentence words such as «Well!» and the French word «Ben!» (a parallel to «Bien!»).[14]
However, not all word sentences suffer from this loss of lexical meaning. A subset of sentence words, which Fonagy calls «nominal phrases», exist that retain their lexical meaning. These exist in Uralic languages, and are the remainders of an archaic syntax wherein there were no explicit markers for nouns and verbs. An example of this is the Hungarian language «Fecske!», which transliterates as «Swallow!», but which has to be idiomatically translated with multiple words «Look! A swallow!» for rendering the proper meaning of the original, which to a native Hungarian speaker is neither elliptical nor emphatic. Such nominal phrase word sentences occur in English as well, particularly in telegraphese or as the rote questions that are posed to fill in form data (e.g. «Name?», «Age?»).[14]
Sentence word syntax[edit]
A sentence word involves invisible covert syntax and visible overt syntax. The invisible section or «covert» is the syntax that is removed in order to form a one word sentence. The visible section or «overt» is the syntax that still remains in a sentence word.[15] Within sentence word syntax there are 4 different clause-types: Declarative (making a declaration), exclamative (making an exclamation), vocative (relating to a noun), and imperative (a command).
| Overt | Covert | |
|---|---|---|
| Declarative | ‘That is excellent!’
|
‘Excellent!’
|
| Exclamative | ‘That was rude!’
|
‘Rude!’
|
| Vocative | ‘There is Mary!’
|
‘Mary!’
|
| Imperative | ‘You should leave!’
|
‘Leave!’
|
| Locative | ‘The chair is here.’
|
‘Here.’
|
| Interrogative | ‘Where is it?’
|
‘Where?’
|
The words in bold above demonstrate that in the overt syntax structures, there are words that can be omitted in order to form a covert sentence word.
Distribution cross-linguistically[edit]
Other languages use sentence words as well.
- In Japanese, a holophrastic or single-word sentence is meant to carry the least amount of information as syntactically possible, while intonation becomes the primary carrier of meaning.[16] For example, a person saying the Japanese word e.g. «はい» (/haɪ/) = ‘yes’ on a high level pitch would command attention. Pronouncing the same word using a mid tone, could represent an answer to a roll-call. Finally, pronouncing this word with a low pitch could signify acquiescence: acceptance of something reluctantly.[16]
| High tone pitch | Mid tone pitch | Low tone pitch |
|---|---|---|
| Command attention | Represent an answer to roll-call | Signify acquiescence acceptance of something reluctantly |
- Modern Hebrew also exhibits examples of sentence words in its language, e.g. «.חַם» (/χam/) = «It is hot.» or «.קַר» (/kar/) = «It is cold.».
References[edit]
- ^ Henry Sweet (1900). «Adverbs». A New English Grammar. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 127. ISBN 978-1-4021-5375-4.
- ^ Jan Noordegraaf (2001). «J. M. Hoogvliet as a teacher and theoretician». In Marcel Bax; C. Jan-Wouter Zwart; A. J. van Essen (eds.). Reflections on Language and Language Learning. John Benjamins B.V. p. 24. ISBN 978-90-272-2584-9.
- ^ Giorgio Graffi (2001). 200 Years of Syntax. John Benjamins B.V. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-58811-052-7.
- ^ Hoff, Erika (2009). Language Development. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. p. 167.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Barrett, Martyn, D. (1982). «The holophrastic hypothesis: Conceptual and empirical issues». Cognition. 11: 47–76. doi:10.1016/0010-0277(82)90004-x.
- ^ Rodgon, M.M. (1976). Single word usage, cognitive development and the beginnings of combinatorial speech. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Dore, J. (1975). «Holophrases, speech acts and language universals». Journal of Child Language. 2: 21–40. doi:10.1017/s0305000900000878.
- ^ Leopold, W.F. (1939). Speech Development of a Bilingual Child: A Linguist’s Record. Volume 1: Vocabulary growth in the first two years. Evanston, ill: Northwestern University Press.
- ^ Von Raffler Engel, W. (1973). «The development from sound to phoneme in child language». Studies of Child Language Development.
- ^ Bloom, Lois (1973). One word at a time: The use of single word utterances before syntax. The Hague: Mouton.
- ^ Barrett, M.D (1979). Semantic Development during the Single-Word Stage of Language Acquisition (Unpublished doctoral thesis).
- ^ Carter, Anne :L. (1979). «Prespeech meaning relations an outline of one infant’s sensorimotor morpheme development». Language Acquisition: 71–92.
- ^ David, McNeill (1970). The Acquisition of Language: The Study of Developmental Psycholinguistics.
- ^ a b Ivan Fonagy (2001). Languages Within Language. John Benjamins B.V. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-927232-82-1.
- ^ Carnie, Andrew (2012). Syntax: a generative introduction. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 496.
- ^ a b Hirst, D. (1998). Intonation systems: a survey of twenty languages. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. p. 372.
We all know what sentences are, but do you know the different types of sentence structures and how to form them?
There are four different types of sentences in English; simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences. This explanation is all about compound sentences.
Keep reading to find out more, and see some examples of compound sentences. (p.s that’s a compound sentence!)
Compound sentence meaning
A compound sentence is a sentence that consists of two or more independent clauses. This is easy to remember, as the word ‘compound’ means something composed of two or more elements!
We categorise sentence types based on the number and type of clauses they contain. In the case of compound sentences, they:
-
Are made up of two or more independent clauses
-
Do not contain any dependent clauses
-
Join together independent clauses with a comma and a coordinating conjunction or with a semicolon (;).
Clauses are the building blocks of sentences. There are two types of clauses: independent and dependent clauses.
Independent clauses work on their own, and dependent clauses rely on other parts of the sentence. Every clause, independent or dependent, must contain a subject and a verb.
First, we’re going to look at how compound sentences are formed and provide some examples. Then, we will use this information to identify compound sentences and distinguish them from other kinds of sentences.
Compound sentence structure
A compound sentence is made up of two or more independent clauses joined together by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or with a semicolon (;). Compound sentences do not contain any dependent clauses. Below, we can see the structure of a compound sentence:
Independent clause + connective (comma and a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon) + independent clause
I like Italian food, but my partner likes Chinese food.
In the above example, the two independent clauses are ‘I like Italian food’ and ‘My partner likes Chinese food.’ Both clauses make sense as standalone sentences.
Fig 1. I love Chinese food, and I’m not afraid to show it!
Joining independent clauses in compound sentences
As previously mentioned, compound sentences are formed by joining two independent clauses together. It’s very easy to make a mistake here, so let’s try and clear up any confusion and address the common mistakes that are made when creating compound sentences.
First, make sure you are joining two independent clauses. Independent clauses can be easily confused with dependent clauses or with phrases.
An independent clause must:
-
Include a subject and a verb. They can also include an object and/or a modifier.
-
Work on their own. Unlike dependent clauses, they don’t rely on another clause to make sense.
Ask yourself, ‘can these clauses work as sentences on their own?’ Compound sentences are generally made by joining two or more simple sentences together.
I was walking the dog. I was restless.
If we replace the full stop that separates the sentences with a comma and a coordinating conjunction, these two sentences become one compound sentence:
I was walking the dog, for I was restless.
Each clause must have a subject and a verb; otherwise, it is not a compound sentence. In the above compound sentence, you can see two subjects (I and I ) and two verbs (walking and was).
The following example is not a compound sentence as it only contains one subject.
I am tired and need to sleep. (not a compound sentence)
However, if we add a subject and use the appropriate connectives, we can form a compound sentence like so;
I am tired, and I need to sleep. (compound sentence)
Imperative sentences and subjects
In imperative sentences (sentences which give a demand, e.g. sit down) the subject is often assumed rather than physically spoken or written. Although we cannot see the subject, it is still there, and imperatives can still be considered independent clauses. For example, ‘Sit down, or else you’ll be in trouble.’ In the first clause, the subject is you, i.e (you) sit down.
Coordinating conjunctions in compound sentences
You’d heard us say a few times now that compound sentences are formed by joining two independent clauses together with coordinating conjunctions but what exactly are they?
Coordinating conjunctions are joining words that join clauses together that have equal weight, i.e. two independent clauses rather than an independent and a dependent clause. An easy way to remember coordinating conjunctions is with the mnemonic FANBOYS.
-
For
-
And
-
Nor
-
But
-
Or
-
Yet
-
So
Compound sentences and punctuation
Using the correct punctuation is an important part of forming compound sentences. There are two correct ways to use punctuation;
- A comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (e.g. Peter has a bike, and Ana has a scooter.)
- A semicolon without a coordinating conjunction (e.g. Peter has a bike; Ana has a scooter.)
Comma splices
A common grammar mistake many people make when forming compound sentences is the comma splice. A comma splice is when two independent clauses are joined together with only a comma — this is incorrect and should be avoided! For example, ‘Spiders have eight legs, they are arachnids.’ is a grammatically incorrect sentence. When joining two independent clauses, we must use a comma alongside a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon. E.g. ‘Spiders have eight legs; they are arachnids.’
Fig 2. Be careful with punctuation when forming compounding sentences
Examples of Compound Sentences
Here are some examples of compound sentences. Try to spot the subjects, verbs, and links between each one.
-
I like drinking tea, and Mandy likes drinking coffee.
-
Our car broke down, so we arrived last.
-
John went to the party; I went home.
-
They spoke with him in French, but I spoke with her in German.
Below, we have broken each sentence down. The subjects are in bold, the verbs are in blue, and the links are in red.
-
I like drinking tea, and Mandy likes drinking coffee.
-
Our car broke down, so we arrived last.
-
John went to the party; I went home.
-
They spoke to him in French, but I spoke to her in German.
Why are compound sentences used?
We use compound sentences in both spoken and written English. They are used to link independent ideas together. By having multiple independent clauses in the same sentence, we can link ideas that would have otherwise been separated.
Furthermore, by combining what would otherwise be lots of simple sentences in one text, compound sentences can make writing more interesting.
Here is an example passage that only uses simple sentences:
I went for a walk. I was tired. I came home. I decided to have dinner. I cooked pasta.
Notice how, with all the sentences being simple, the passage begins to feel boring and repetitive. Now, here’s the same passage again but with compound sentences:
I went for a walk, but I was tired, so I came home. I decided to have dinner, so I cooked pasta.
By linking the simple sentences together and making them into compound ones, the short passage has become much easier to read and doesn’t seem as dull!
How to identify a compound sentence
We can identify compound sentences by considering the type and amount of clauses in that sentence.
-
Simple sentences only contain one independent clause.
-
Compound sentences contain two (or more) independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
-
Complex sentences contain one independent clause and one (or more) dependent clause joined by a subordinating conjunction.
-
Compound-complex sentences contain at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
There are always multiple clauses in compound sentences, and these clauses are always independent. So, if you are trying to identify whether a sentence is a compound sentence — check for multiple independent clauses!
Compound Sentence — Key takeaways
-
A compound sentence is one of four types of sentences. The others are simple sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences.
-
A compound sentence comprises two or more independent clauses. Each independent clause contains a subject and a verb and can work on its own.
-
Compound sentences are useful when trying to link together multiple ideas.
-
You can identify compound sentences by looking at the number and type of clauses. If they are all independent clauses and there is more than one clause, you know it’s a compound sentence.
A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought and contains a subject and a predicate. The most basic sentence structure consists of only one clause. However, many sentences have one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
The standard order of words in an English sentence is subject + verb + object. While this sounds simple, it may be difficult to identify the subject(s), verb(s), and object(s), depending on the structure and complexity of the sentence. There are four types of sentence structure: (1) simple, (2) compound, (3) complex, and (4) compound-complex.
Types of sentence structures
| Sentence structure type | Sentence parts | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Sentence |
Independent clause |
I like animals. |
| Compound Sentence |
Independent clause + coordinating |
I like animals, |
| Complex Sentence |
Independent clause + |
I like animals |
|
Compound-Complex Sentence |
Independent clause + |
I like animals |
Sentence Structures in Academic Writing
Simple Sentence Structure
A simple sentence is the most basic sentence structure and consists of a single independent clause.
Types of clauses
An independent clause expresses a full thought. Only independent clauses can function as complete sentences.
- Example
- The proposed system has the advantage of a wide scope.
I went shopping last weekend.
The cat is sleeping by the window.
In contrast, a dependent clause does not express a full thought and cannot function as a complete sentence.
- Example
- which was developed over three months
even though I was tired
because the weather is sunny
A dependent clause starts with either a relative pronoun or subordinating conjunction.
Common subordinating conjunctions
because, since, once, although, if, until, unless, why, while, whether, than, that, in order to
Common relative pronouns
that, which, who, whom, whoever, whomever
Subject of a sentence
The subject is whatever is performing the action of the sentence. This is the first of the two basic components of a sentence.
- Example
- This study investigated the relationship between the personal traits and clinical parameters.
- Example
- Dolly made a cake for the party.
Predicate of a sentence
The predicate contains the verb (the action) and can include further clarifying information.
- Example
- This study investigated the relationship between the personal traits and clinical parameters.
- Example
- Mary gave her sheep a bath.
Direct and Indirect Objects
The direct object is the person, thing, or idea that receives an action.
- Example
- This study investigated the relationship between the personal traits and clinical parameters.
- Example
- Dolly made a cake.
The indirect object is the person, thing, or idea for which an action is being done.
- Example
- The national lab offered us an opportunity to work on an exciting new project.
- Example
- Mary gave her sheep a bath.
Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs
A transitive verb is the action the subject takes on a direct object.
- Example
- We fabricated a composite.
Here, “we” is the subject, “fabricated” is the transitive verb, and “a composite” is the direct object.
An intransitive verb is a verb that does not have to be followed by an object. Intransitive verbs can function as predicates all on their own.
- Example
- We arrived.
We arrived early.
- Example
- I always eat.
I always eat before work.
“We” and “I” are the subjects; “arrived” and “eat” are intransitive verbs.
Subject Complement
A subject complement complements the subject by renaming or describing it. Subject complements always follow a linking verb, which is often a form of the verb “to be.”
- Example
- The material is a gold composite.
“Gold composite” renames the subject “the material.”
- Example
- Charlotte is very pretty.
“Pretty” describes the subject “Charlotte.”
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Compound Sentence Structure
A compound sentence is composed of two or more independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction or semicolon. Note that US English conventions dictate that coordinating conjunctions must be used with a comma when joining independent clauses.
Structure of a Compound Sentence: Independent clause + coordinating conjunction (or semicolon) + independent clause
List of coordinating conjunctions: and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so
- Example
- The material is a gold composite, and it was fabricated in clean room no. 45.
- Example
- Glenda usually eats before work, but today she could not.
- Example
- The proposed system has the advantage of a wide scope; it uses a novel algorithm that expands the range by a factor of ten.
Complex Sentence Structure
A complex sentence is composed of an independent clause and a dependent clause.
Structure of a Complex Sentence: Independent clause + subordinating conjunction (or relative pronoun) + dependent clause
- Example
- We built a new system because the previous model had to be narrowed in scope.
- Example
- Sarah will buy a train ticket if her flight is cancelled.
Compound-Complex Sentence Structure
A compound-complex sentence is composed of two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
Structure of a Compound-Complex Sentence: Independent clause + subordinating conjunction + dependent clause + coordinating conjunction + independent clause
- Example
- The first method failed because it caused the wires to melt, but the second method succeeded in bending the wires without causing the same issue.
- Example
- Sarah’s flight took off before she started driving to the airport, so she drove to the train station instead.