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Effective writing Academic Communication for Advanced Secondary Schools

English sentences are commonly built upon the Subject-Verb-Object model, which contains
a subject, a verb and an object. A sentence must have a main clause to make sense by
itself. For example, ‘I ate fruits.’ is a complete sentence. However, for short sentences, it is
advisable to combine them with longer ones using a subordinating clause for consecutive
meanings. For example, “I was hungry. I ate some fruits.” can be combined as follows:
“I ate some fruits because I was hungry.” This complex sentence with a subordinating
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element clearly states why the speaker ate fruits. Other examples of sentences are as
follows:

Group 1
(a) My father is a software engineer.
(b) Hard-working students make excellent family and nation builders.

(c) Negative relationships cause one to lose significant connections.
Group 2
(a) We work hard on the weekdays and rest during the weekends.
(b) Alcohol is bad for our health; yet, many people drink excessively.

(c) They spend a lot of time studying to get good grades.
Group 3
(a) Despite her love for her work, she often complains about it.

(b) Before being hired elsewhere, she used her skills as a volunteer teacher at a
local school.
(c) Since John aspires to become a diplomat, he studies international relations and
diplomacy.

Observations
All sentences have a subject.
1. Group 1 sentences contain just one verb or one main clause, also known as an
independent clause. These are called simple sentences� The following are other
examples of simple sentences:
• My friend enjoys jogging.
• The news report includes several accounts from bystanders.
• Engineers work with technicians.
2. Group 2 sentences contain just two verbs or two main clauses (i.e., two independent
clauses). These are called compound sentences� Other examples of compound
sentences:
• She dislikes apples, but she likes bananas.
• You will not be able to have pudding unless you finish your dinner.
• He already has a dog, but he also wants a cat.

3. Group 3 sentences contain a main clause and a subordinate clause joined together
with subordinating conjunctions. These are called complex sentences� Subordinating

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Student’s Book Form Five

30-Jun-24 11:02:03 AM
Academic Communication.indd 19
Academic Communication.indd 19 30-Jun-24 11:02:03 AM