RULES OF SENTENCE STRUCTURE
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Every sentence must have a subject and a verb. | She runs. |
| 2. A complete thought makes a complete sentence. | The sun is shining. |
| 3. A sentence begins with a capital letter. | They are playing outside. |
| 4. A sentence ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. | Are you ready? |
| 5. Use a subject before the predicate. | The boy is sleeping. |
| 6. The subject and verb must agree in number. | The dog barks. / The dogs bark. |
| 7. Use a main clause to form a simple sentence. | I like pizza. |
| 8. Combine two independent clauses with "and," "but," or "or." | I was tired, but I finished my work. |
| 9. Use a comma before coordinating conjunctions. | She sings, and he dances. |
| 10. Place adjectives before the noun they describe. | She wore a red dress. |
| 11. Adverbs can appear before or after the verb. | She quickly finished. / She finished quickly. |
| 12. Don't forget the object if the verb is transitive. | He kicked the ball. |
| 13. Use correct word order: Subject + Verb + Object. | He reads books. |
| 14. In questions, invert subject and verb. | Is he coming? |
| 15. Use auxiliary verbs to form questions. | Do you like tea? |
| 16. A negative sentence needs"not? or another negative word. | She is not happy. |
| 17. Don't double negatives in standard English. | X I don't know nothing. I don't know anything. |
| 18. Use articles (a, an, the) correctly. | She bought an apple. |
| 19. Use prepositions to show relationships. | The cat is on the table. |
| 20. Place modifiers close to the words they describe. | I saw a man with a telescope. |
| 21. Avoid sentence fragments. | X Running fast. He is running fast. |
| 22. Avoid run-on sentences. | X I went home I slept. u I went home, and I slept. |
| 23. A compound sentence joins two equal ideas. | I like coffee, and I like tea. |
| 24. A complex sentence has a main clause and a dependent clause. | I stayed home because it was raining. |
| 25. Use "because" to show reason. | -l left early because I was sick. |
| 26. Use "although" to show contrast. | Although it rained, we played. |
| 27. Use "if" for conditions. | If it rains, we'll stay inside. |
| 28. Use "when" for time. | Call me when you arrive. |
| 29. Put commas after introductory words. | Yes, I understand. |
| 30. Use parallel structure for balance. | She likes reading, writing, and painting. |
| 31. Place time expressions correctly. | I will meet you tomorrow at 5. |
| 32. Don't separate subject and verb unnecessarily. | X The boy, with many toys, plays. Zl The boy with many toys plays. |
| 33. Use relative pronouns for clauses. | The book that I read was good. |
| 34. Use "who" for people, not "which." | She is the one who called. |
| 35. Use "which" for things. | The pen which I lost was blue. |
| 36. Use "that" for essential clauses. | The car that I drive is old. |
| 37. Use "which" with commas for extra info. | My car, which is old, still runs. |
| 38. Place commas around nonessential clauses. | My brother, who lives in London, is visiting. |
| 39. Don't use a comma between subject and verb. | xThe teacher, is strict. |
| The teacher is strict. | |
| 40. Use "there is/are" for existence. | There are many books on the shelf. |
| 41. Don't confuse "its" | It's raining. The dog wagged its tail. |
| (possessive) with "it's" (it is). | |
| 42. Use consistent verb tense in a sentence. | She came home, ate dinner, and went to bed. |
| 43. Shift tense only when the time changes. | She was happy until she heard the news. |
| 44. Use "shall/will" for future tense. | I will call you. |
| 45. Use "be + -ing" for continuous tense. | She is reading a book. |
| 46. Use "have + past participle" for perfect tense. | She has finished her work. |
| 47. Don't confuse "say" and | She said she was tired. / |
| "tell." | She told me she was tired. |
| 48. Use correct pronouns for clarity. | John saw Mary. He waved at her. |
| 49. Pronouns must agree with their antecedents. | Every student must bring his or her book. |
| 50. Avoid vague pronouns. | xThey say it's dangerous. a Experts say it's dangerous. |
| 51. Use "wh-words" to form information questions. | Where are you going? |
| 52. Put question marks only at the end of questions. | Are you ready? |
| 53. Use exclamation marks for strong feelings. | What a beautiful day! |
| 54. Use imperative sentences for commands. | Sit down. |
| 55. Imperatives often omit the subject "you." | Close the door. |
| 56. Use infinitives correctly. | I want to eat. |
| 57. Use gerunds (-ing) as subjects. | Swimming is fun. |
| 58. Don't split infinitives unnecessarily. | X To quickly run. u To run quickly. |
| 59. Use conjunctions to join ideas. | She is tired but happy. |
| 60. Avoid starting too many sentences with "and" or "but." | But it rained. + It rained, but we played. |
| 61. Place adverbs of frequency before main verbs. | She often sings. |
| 62. Place adverbs of frequency after "to be." | She is always happy. |
| 63. Keep consistent perspective (first/second/third person). | I like pizza. She likes pizza. |
| 64. Avoid mixing formal and informal styles in one sentence. | X Kindly send me the stuff. Kindly send me the documents. |
| 65. Use direct speech with quotation marks. | She said, "I'm coming." |
| 66. Use a comma before quotation marks in American English. | He asked, "Are you |
| 67. Place punctuation inside quotation marks in American English. | "I'm tired," she said. |
| 68. Indirect speech doesn't need quotation marks. | She said she was tired. |
| 69. Change tenses in reported speech when needed. | Direct: "l am happy." Indirect: She said she was happy. |
| 70. Use inversion for emphasis. | Rarely have I seen such beauty. |
| 71. Avoid dangling modifiers. | X Walking down the street, the trees looked lovely. |
| Walking down the street, I saw the trees. | |
| 72. Keep subjects and verbs close together. | The teacher with many students is kind. |
| 73. Use commas in lists. | I bought apples, oranges, and bananas. |
| 74. Use the Oxford comma for clarity. | I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Superman. |
| 75. Avoid comma splices, | X I love pizza, it is tasty. I love pizza because it is tasty. |
| 76. Use semicolons to join related clauses. | I like tea; she likes coffee. |
| 77. Use colons to introduce lists or explanations. | Bring the following: pens, pencils, and paper. |
| 78. Use dashes for emphasis. | He was late � again! |
| 79. Use parentheses for extra info. | He finally arrived (after two hours). |
| 80. Keep sentences concise. | X Due to the fact that... Because... |
| 81. Avoid unnecessary repetition. | X He returned back. He returned. |
| 82. Use strong verbs instead of weak ones. | X She made a decision.a she decided. |
| 83. Use variety in sentence length. | She runs. She loves running in the park when it's sunny. |
| 84. Use transition words for flow. | However, therefore, moreover. |
| 85. Place "only" correctly. | Only she loves him. / She only loves hilli |
| 86. Avoid misplaced modifiers. | *Shealmost drove her kids to school every day. She drove her kids to school almost every day. |
| 87. Use double negatives only in informal speech. | I can't get no satisfaction. (informal) |
| 88. Use "so" for results. | It was cold, so we stayed inside. |
| 89. Use "such...that" for emphasis. | It was such a good movie that I watched it twice. |
| 90. Use "too...to" for impossibility. | He is too weak to lift it. |
| 91. Use "enough" after adjectives. | She is tall enough to reach it. |
| 92. Don't overuse passive voice. | Passive: The cake was eaten. Active: He ate the cake. |
| 93. Use passive voice when the doer is unknown. | The window was broken. |
| 94. Use cleft sentences for emphasis. | It was John who broke the vase. |
| 95. Keep pronouns consistent in person. | X If one studies hard, you succeed. If one studies hard, one succeeds. |
| 96. Don't use "and etc." | Just se etc. |
| 97. Avoid slang in formal sentences. | X He's gonna win. He is going to win. |
| 98. Use contractions in informal writing. | I'm, don't, can't. |
| 99. Avoid contractions in formal writing. | Do not, cannot, will not. |
| 100. Don't start formal sentences with "because." | X Because I was tired, I slept. e I slept because I was tired. |
| 101. Always check clarity: if a reader can't understand, rewrite. | X It was there when she did it. e She was there when it happened. |
