How to Use a Simple Sentence

It is true that people often do not use proper grammar while speaking. It is also true that this often goes unnoticed. However, some mistakes are more grating than others. "HER and I went to the movies" will usually make people flinch whether or not they are English teachers. The correct use of the English language is rarely a handicap. It's usually a career advancing advantage. Knowing what comprises a simple sentence is a good place to start.

Instructions

1. Think of a simple sentence as a group, or clause, of words that expresses one thought.

2. Understand that for a sentence to be grammatically correct it should have a subject and a verb. A subject is a person, place or thing. A verb is a word describing action or a state of being.

3. Realize that the shortest simple sentence has two words--a subject and a verb. For example, "Paul cried."

4. Use a subject and a verb, or a sentence is an incomplete sentence. "Paul sad," has no verb; it is an incomplete sentence. "Paul IS sad," is a complete sentence because the verb "is" has been added.

5. Know that if a sentence's verb is one of action, it must have an object. A verb of action is a word describing something happening to something else. For example, "hit," is the verb. The "something else" is the object of the verb, as in "Paul." So, "Fred hit Paul" is a complete sentence with "Fred" the subject, Paul the "object," and hit the verb.

6. Remember that simple sentences express one idea and have a subject, a verb and if needed an object of the verb.