How to write

A Simple Sentence is a sentence that contains but one subject and one predicate, either or both of which may be compound.

We have considered the sentence with respect to the words and phrases composing it. Let us now look at it as a whole.

“The mountains lift up their heads.”

This sentence is used simply to affirm, or to declare a fact, and is called a Declarative Sentence. A Declarative Sentence is one that is used to affirm or to deny.

“Do the mountains lift up their heads?”

This sentence expresses a question, and is called an Interrogative Sentence. An Interrogative Sentence is one that expresses a question.

“Lift up your heads.”

This sentence expresses a command, and is called an Imperative Sentence. An Imperative Sentence is one that expresses a command or an entreaty. Such expressions as

“You must go.”
“You shall go.”

are equivalent to imperative sentences, though they have not the imperative form.

“How the mountains lift up their heads!”

In this sentence the thought is expressed with strong emotion. It is called an Exclamatory Sentence. An Exclamatory Sentence is one that expresses sudden thought or strong feeling. How and what usually introduce such sentences; but a declarative, an interrogative, or an imperative sentence may become exclamatory when the speaker uses it mainly to give vent to his feelings; as,

“It is impossible!”
“How can I endure it!”
“Talk of hypocrisy after this!”

Every direct interrogative sentence should be followed by an interrogation point.

When an interrogative sentence is made a part of another sentence, it may be direct; as,

“He asked.”
“What is the trouble?”

Or indirect; as,

“He asked what the trouble was.”

The verb follows the subject, and the object complement follows the verb.

An adjective or a possessive modifier precedes its noun, and an explanatory modifier follows it.

The attribute complement, whether noun or adjective, follows the verb, the objective complement follows the object complement, and the indirect object precedes the direct.

If adjectives are of unequal rank, the one most closely modifying the noun stands nearest to it; if of the same rank, they stand in the order of their length–the shortest first.

An adverb precedes the adjective, the adverb, or the phrase which it modifies; precedes or follows more frequently follows the simple verb or the verb with its complement; and follows one or more words of the verb if the verb is compound.
Phrases follow the words they modify; if a word has two or more phrases, those most closely modifying it stand nearest to it.

TRANSPOSED ORDER

The usual order of words is not the only order admissible in an English sentence; on the contrary, great freedom in the placing of words and phrases is sometimes allowable. Let the relation of the words be kept obvious and, consequently, the thought clear, and in poetry, in impassioned oratory, in excited speech of any kind, one may deviate widely from this order.

A writer’s meaning is never distributed evenly among his words; more of it lies in some words than in others. Under the influence of strong feeling, one may move words out of their accustomed place, and, by thus attracting attention to them, give them additional importance to the reader or hearer.

When any word or phrase in the predicate stands out of its usual place, appearing either at the front of the sentence or at the end, we have what we may call the Transposed Order.

“I dare not venture to go down into the cabin.”
“Venture to go down into the cabin I dare not.”

“You shall die.”
“Die you shall.”

“Their names will forever live on the lips of the people.”
“Their names will, on the lips of the people, forever live.”

When the word or phrase moved to the front carries the verb, or the principal word of it, before the subject, we have the extreme example of the transposed order; as,

“A yeoman had he.”
“Strange is the magic of a turban.”

The whole of a verb is not placed at the beginning of a declarative sentence except in poetry; as,

“Flashed all their sabers bare.”

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

If the interrogative word is subject or a modifier of it, the order is usual.

If the interrogative word is object complement or attribute complement or a modifier of either, the order is transposed.

If the interrogative word is an adverb, the order is transposed.

If there is no interrogative word, the subject stands after the verb when this is simple; after the first word of it when it is compound.

IMPERATIVE AND EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES

The subject is usually omitted in the imperative sentence; but, when it is expressed, the sentence is in the transposed order.

Although any sentence may without change of order become exclamatory, yet exclamatory sentences ordinarily begin with how or what, and are usually in the transposed order.

COMPLEX SENTENCE

A Complex Sentence is a sentence composed of an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

ADVERB CLAUSE

A clause that does the work of an adverb is an Adverb Clause.

The adverb clause may express place.
The adverb clause may express degree.
The adverb clause may express manner.
The adverb clause may express evidence.
The adverb clause may express condition.
The adverb clause may express purpose.
The adverb clause may express concession.
When the adverb clause precedes, it is set off.

“He lived as the fool lives.”

The adverb clause, introduced by as, is a clause of Manner, and is equivalent to the adverb foolishly or to the phrase in a foolish manner.

“The ground is wet because it has rained.”

The adverb clause, introduced by because, assigns the Real Cause of the ground’s being wet.

“It has rained, for the ground is wet.”

The adverb clause, introduced by for, does not assign the cause of the raining, but the cause of our believing that it has rained; it gives the Evidence of what is asserted.
Evidence should be carefully distinguished from Cause. Cause produces an effect; Evidence produces knowledge of an effect. Clauses of Evidence are sometimes treated as independent.

“If it rains, the ground will be wet.”

The adverb clause, introduced by if, assigns what, if it occurs, will be the cause of the ground’s being wet, but, as here expressed, is only a Condition ready to become a cause.

“He takes exercise that he may get well.”

The adverb clause, introduced by that, assigns the cause or the motive or the Purpose of his exercising.

“The ground is dry, although it has rained.”

The adverb clause, introduced by although, expresses a Concession. It is conceded that a cause for the ground’s not being dry exists; but, in spite of this opposing cause, it is asserted that the ground is dry.

All these dependent clauses of real cause, evidence, condition, purpose, and concession come, as you see, under the general head of Cause, although only the first kind assigns the cause proper.

An Adverb Clause is set off by the comma unless it closely follows and restricts the word it modifies.

The adverb clause may stand before the independent clause, between the parts of it, or after it.

An adverb clause may be contracted into a participle or a participle phrase.

An adverb clause may be contracted to an absolute phrase.

An adverb clause may be contracted to a prepositional phrase having for its principal word 1 a participle, 2 an infinitive, or 3 a noun.

NOUN CLAUSE

A clause that does the work of a noun is a Noun Clause.

The noun clause may be used as subject.
The noun clause may be used as object complement.
The noun clause may be used as attribute complement.
The noun clause may be used as explanatory modifier.
The noun clause may be used as principal term of a prepositional phrase.

“Obedience is better than sacrifice.”
“To obey is better than sacrifice.”
“That men should obey is better than sacrifice.”

The dependent clause that men should obey is equivalent to a noun, and is the Subject of is.

“Many people believe that the beech tree is never struck by lightning.”

The dependent clause, introduced by that, is equivalent to a noun, and is the Object Complement of believe.

“The fact that mold, mildew, and yeast are plants is wonderful.”

The clause introduced by that is equivalent to a noun, and is Explanatory of fact.

“A peculiarity of English is, that it has so many borrowed words.”

The clause introduced by that is equivalent to a noun, and is an Attribute Complement relating to peculiarity.

“Your future depends very much on who your companions are.”

The clause “who your companions are” is equivalent to a noun, and is the Principal Term of a Phrase introduced by the preposition on.

The Noun Clause used as attribute complement is generally set off by the comma.

The punctuation of the explanatory clause is like that of other explanatory modifiers. But the real subject made explanatory of it is seldom set off.

Often the clause used as object complement may be placed first.

The noun clause may be contracted by making the predicate, when changed to an infinitive phrase, the objective complement, and the subject the object complement.

A noun clause may be contracted to an infinitive phrase.

THE COMPOUND SENTENCE

Sentences made up of independent clauses we call Compound Sentences. A Compound Sentence is a sentence composed of two or more independent clauses.

A Clause is a part of a sentence containing’ a subject and its predicate.

A Dependent Clause is one used as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.

An Independent Clause is one not dependent on another clause.

“Cromwell made one revolution, and Monk made another.”

The two clauses are independent of each other. The second clause, added by the conjunction and to the first, continues the line of thought begun by the first.

“Man has his will, but woman has her way.”

Here the conjunction connects independent clauses whose thoughts stand in contrast with each other.

“The Tudors were despotic, or history belies them.”

The independent clauses, connected by or, present thoughts between which you may choose, but either, accepted, excludes the other.

“The ground is wet, therefore it has rained.”

Here the inferred fact, the raining, really stands to the other fact, the wetness of the ground, as cause to effect–the raining made the ground wet.

“It has rained, hence the ground is wet.”

Here the inferred fact, the wetness of the ground, really stands to the other fact, the raining, as effect to cause—the ground is made wet by the raining.

“Temperance promotes health, intemperance destroys it.”

Here the independent clauses are joined to each other by their very position in the sentence–connected without any conjunction. This kind of connection is common.

EXPANSION

Participles may be expanded into different kinds of clauses.
Absolute phrases may be expanded into different kinds of clauses.
Infinitive phrases may be expanded into different kinds of clauses.

A group of sentences related and held together by a common thought we call a Paragraph.

Source: Kellogg, Brainerd and Reed, Alonzo: Higher Lessons in English, 1896