4. Problems of sentence structure

No verb/sentence incomplete

Every sentence needs a verb (a `doing word'). Thus you shouldn't write:

She was driven by rivalry with her brother. And her burning desire to achieve a high distinction.

The first sentence contains a verb (`driven'). The second does not. (The word `burning' is usually a verb, but in this context it is an adjective (a `describing word' for the noun `desire').⁴

Many such problems with sentence construction are easily fixed - you just need to turn two sentences into one:

She was driven by rivalry with her brother, and by her burning desire to achieve a high distinction.

`Never use a preposition to end a sentence with!'

A preposition is a word, like `with', `to', `by', `in', `into' or `from', which indicates the relationship between a noun (`naming word') and the rest of the sentence. Contrary to the saying quoted above, these words should not be placed at the end of sentences. They can be placed earlier by using `which', `whom' or `where':

`He wanted to tear up the contract [into] which he had entered.'

`We went to the opera, but I didn't like the people we went with.'
`We went to the opera, but I didn't like the people with whom we went.'

`I don't know where I obtained it from.'
`I don't know from where I obtained it.'

Tense, moody?

English has a number of tenses, which refer to the time at which a verb action occurred, and moods, which signal whether the verb action is being described, commanded or expressed conditionally. When writing a sentence, you need to keep your tenses and moods consistent throughout. This can become difficult as a sentence becomes longer and contains more clauses.

The following sentence is expressed in the past tense - it refers to something that has already happened:

When I was walking by the lake, looking for my dog, I saw Justice Kirby practising his tai chi.

(`Am looking' and `see' indicate the present tense - something happening now. Some people make the mistake of using the passive form of saw, seen in this sentence. But `seen' should be used like this: `Justice Kirby was seen practising his tai chi by the lake by the woman looking for her dog.')

The following sentence is expressed in the future tense:

I won't be able to help you, even if you become a student in the Faculty, as I will be working as a belly dancer next year.

(Again, `am working' indicates the present tense, not the future tense.)

The above sentences are expressed in the `indicative' mood - they indicate what is happening. But we are also accustomed to people using verbs in their `imperative' mood - as commands, like `Come here!' and `Do this!' Sentences in the imperative mood are directed at a `you', although `you' or the name of the person to whom they are directed is not always part of the sentence.

The most difficult mood is the subjunctive. This is where a sentence suggests a verb action that might happen in the future, one which the writer or speaker wishes would happen, or one which did not happen in the past. The words `were', `would', `should' and `had' are often used to create the subjunctive mood. (Note that `were' is used even when the subject of the sentence is singular.)

Should that happen, my mother would want to know immediately.
Had I not been involved, I would not be alive today.
Were I to become rich, I would like it if you were to marry me.

Too passive?

Many languages use `active' and `passive' verb forms. In English, the active form is preferred:

It is possible to write this sentence in the passive form, by using `by' or by avoiding saying who performs the action.

`You are guaranteed of being paid.'

Although extensive use of the passive form would be desirable in an essay written in Indonesian, such usage should be avoided in academic writing in English. In English, frequent use of the passive sounds weak and suggests that the writer is trying to avoid making clear who is performing the verb action.

Split infinitives

These are common, but simple to avoid. The `infinitive' form of the verb is its simple form:

e.g. to eat, rather than eating, eaten.

If you add an adverb (a word endingly in `-ly' which describes the way in which the verb action is performed), you should not put the adverb in the middle of the verb:

Only the lonely

When writing a sentence, you have some freedom in choosing where to place the words. However, changing the sentence structure may change the meaning. This commonly occurs when the word `only' is used:

4 An adjective like this, formed from a verb, is sometimes called a `participle'