Sentence Structure: Joining Ideas

There are three main types of sentence structures in English: simple, compound, and complex.  Every sentence has a simple sentence at its root.

Before you begin the activities, you may want to study the podcast and grammar lesson, He's Always Talking about Grammar , also in our Library.

Now let's begin.

Joining Simple Sentences with and and or

 

We can use coordinators to join simple sentences together or to join items in a list.
Join positive ideas with and.

Problem:       We danced, drank champagne.

Solution:      We danced and drank champagne.

Join negative ideas with or.

Problem:        I didn't have any time for myself and for my husband too.

Solution:        I didn't have any time for myself or for my husband, either.

It's Your Turn:  Power Edit #1

 

WHERE'S THE ERROR?

1.  People have to pay for their education, for health care.

2.  After the earthquake, there was no electricity and water for several days.

3.  They don't know what to do, how to solve problems.

4.  Now many people in Novosibirsk are from Turkestan, Uzbekistan, Tadzekistan, Kazakistan.

5.  Money cannot buy love, affection, peace.

Click here for the Answers to this Power Edit #1 exercise with coordinating conjunctions.

Next...

Join us for our next lesson, Parallel Structure.

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