Main Features of a Sentence

Essential Features of a Sentence

Hello and welcome back to another important post. In this post, we are going to talk about the main features of a sentence. A  sentence is an ordered string of words that gives us a complete thought. It main features are:

1. A sentence must be a collection of words.

2. Every sentence must contain Subject and a Verb.

3. A sentence has two main parts of which one is naming part called Subject and other is saying part called Predicate.

4. Every sentence contains one or more clause(s).

Above all, a sentence must have the following features also.

   1. Unity

   2. Priority

   3. Order

  
1. UNITY

  • A sentence should have only one main thought.
  • The phrases and clauses used, should have a direct relation with the main thought.
  • All the unnecessary details should be avoided.
  • If a sentence contains more than one thought, it should be broken up into as many smaller units, as there are leading thoughts.

Example

Incorrect:  He is an undoubted man of genius.

Correct: He is a man of undoubted genius.

2. PRIORITY
    
All the ideas or thoughts are not equally important. Hence, emphasis should be laid on a good idea.

Example

Bad structure:  He is certainly laborious though not intelligent.

Good structure: Though not intelligent, he is certainly laborious.

3. ORDER

Order means the art of arranging words, phrases and clauses.

The things which are to be thought of together must be closely associated together in expression.

Example

Incorrect: I informed him, and he trusted it, that Sanjay Gandhi was dead.

READ ALSO:  Auxiliary Verbs: An Introduction

Correct: I informed him that Sanjay Gandhi was dead, and he trusted it.

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