TOPIC 1: WRITING WITH APPROPRIATE GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

TOPIC 1: WRITING WITH APPROPRIATE GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY – ACADEMIC COMMUNICATION FORM SIX

WRITING WITH APPROPRIATE GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

Effective writing requires more than simply putting words together. It requires clarity, accuracy and a strong command of sentence structures. It also requires proper subject-verb agreement across various contexts.

SENTENCE

A sentence: is a complete set of words that conveys meaning. It may be composed of one or more clauses. For example: ‘I don’t like the ocean because sharks scare me’, the words “I don’t like the ocean” make an independent clause, and the words “because sharks scare me” form a dependent clause.

It has the following features: a subject (the person, place, or thing being talked about), and a predicate (what is said about the subject).

CLAUSES

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate (verb and other elements). A group of words that does not express a complete thought is not a sentence e.g. ‘when she arrived’.

Examples:

She is singing.
The boy kicked the ball.
They have finished the work.

TYPES OF CLAUSES

1. INDEPENDENT (MAIN) CLAUSE

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb, expresses a complete thought, and can stand alone as a sentence (make sense).

Examples:

The teacher is explaining the lesson.
They built a bridge.
We will attend the meeting tomorrow.

2. DEPENDENT (SUBORDINATE) CLAUSE

A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone. One can spot a dependent clause by identifying a subordinating conjunction.

Examples of dependent clause:

Because she was tired
When the rain started
That he is honest

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

Subordinating conjunctions are words that join a dependent clause to an independent clause, showing the relationship between them. Subordinating conjunctions always introduce dependent clauses