Sentence Structure 1

Sentence Structure (1) A. When is a conjunction. It is used to link two clauses. Examples : 1.When she opened the door, she saw her boyfriend. 2. When he was taking a bath, his brother opened the door. 3. When he had completed the report, he put it in an envelope. Exercise: 1-Connect the two sentences by using when. 1. He left. He did not say goodbye. 2. I went on a picnic yester. I saw many butterflies on a tree. 3. He waited for his friend. He saw a robbery. 4. He photo-copied the answer first. Then, he returned the book to the library. 5. He had a nightmare. At that moment, the bell rang. 6. Peter drove to Shatin last Sunday. Halfway there the car broke down. 7. Peter went to a concert last Sunday. During the performance, the lights were out of order. 8. He made sure that the answer was correct. Then he copied it in his book. 9. Mary had an English lesson yesterday. During the lesson, her mother came to the school. 10. The police searched for the criminal. During the search, the criminal opened fire.

B. While is a conjunction. It is used to link two clauses. Usually, when both actions in the sentence continued for some time, we use the past continuous tense. Exercise 2. Look at the table, which shows what two persons were doing at the Hong Kong International Airport. Write sentences about them using while. Mary 1. wait for flight to take off 2. go to the toilet 3. fasten seat belt 4. drink a glass of brandy 5. sleep 6. write letter to mother 7. wait to collect luggage 8. fill in form 9. talk to customs officer 10.wait for taxi

Peter read magazine queue for tickets check plan eat hungrily watch film sleep soundly play with Gameboy listen to walkman hum to himself Talk with beautiful girl

P.1 C. (After , Before , While) + Doing are prepositions followed by present participles. The subject of the participle in this pattern must be the same as

the subject in the main clause. Examples:1. After hearing the bad news, she fainted. 2. Before setting out, they checked their luggage. 3. While watching the play, he found that his purse was lost. Exercise 3 : Rewrite the following sentences, using the patterns above. 1. After we had taken off our shoes, we waded through the water. 2. When he knew that he was late, he was very disappointed. 3. While he was playing football, he remembered he had an important appointment. 4. When he felt tired, he usually took a hot bath. 5. Just as he had locked the door, he found that he had forgotten to bring his key. 6. After he had failed in the examination, he felt terribly ashamed. 7. After she had changed into her swimming suit, she jumped into the blue sea. 8. When she saw the danger, she warned the people to leave. 9. After he had received the news of his friend’s death, he burst into tears. 10. When she was eating silently in the kitchen, her master discovered her. D. Not only….but also- should most be used in a pair. It is a parallel pattern Examples : 1. He not only promised to fulfill the conditions, but he (also) signed an undertaking to that effect. 2. He promised not only to give spiritual support but also to finance our campaign. 3. He saw not only the parents but also their sons. 4. He can not only speak good English but also write fluent English. Exercise 4: Rewrite the following sentences, using not only…but also: 1. I could find many cassette tapes on the shelf. I could find many videos on the shelf. 2. They ate a five-course meal; they also drank six bottles of wine. 3. She is both a professional artist and a first –rate teacher. 4. She likes watching football. She enjoys playing football. 5. There was his blood on the knife. There were his fingerprints on the door. 6. He has a first-class brain. He is also a tremendously hard worker. 7. He regarded buying a house as a top priority and he was willing to spend all on the decorations of his house. P.2 8. Some people think camping more exciting. They actually prefer it to picnicking.

9. She copied homework from her classmates. She told a lie to her teacher. 10. He hates people wasting time. He dislikes people having idle talk. E. Although and but are both conjunctions. But can’t be used to start a sentence if it is used as conjunction while although can be put in the middle or beginning of a sentence. Exercise 5 : Choose the expected result in each case from column B. Start with Although………. , ……… Column A Column B 1.The beach was polluted. a. A burglar was able to break into his house. 2.He locked all the doors. b. He could not resist the temptation of food. 3.The doctor advised him not to smoke. c. He still smoked like a chimney. 4.The pianist had tried his best. d. There was no reply. 5.The escaped criminal hid inside a cargo e. He was discovered by the police. tank. 6.It was already midnight. f. Many swimmers went to it. 7.It was full of dangers. g. She still did not want to return home. 8.He had written many application letters. h. She did not forgive him. 9.He knew he had to go on diet. i. Nobody seemed to be impressed with his performance. 10.He apologized to her. j. She rushed into the building to look for her son.

F. Since/Because/As are conjunctions to introduce reasons. However, because is usually used in the middle of a sentence while since and as can be used in both ways. Exercise 6 : Rearrange the order of the following sentence by adding AS/Since 1. he/ planned/ emigrate/ Canada/ he/ sold/ all/ properties/ Hong Kong. 2. meeting/ will start/ 3 p.m./ we/ had better/ hurry up. 3. manager/ been away/ a meeting/ you/ have/ wait/ until/ he / returns. 4. you/ swear/ serve me/ faithfully/ I / employ/ you. 5. you/ so clever/ you/ able/ explain this. 6. boss/ not/ there/ I/ spoke/ his secretary 7. you/ say so/ I/ must believe/ it. P.3 G. To can be replaced by in order to. This pattern starts with an infinitive which introduces a purpose. Examples:1. To pursue higher qualifications, he studies very hard. 2. To earn a living, he works from morning till night. Exercise 7 : Rewrite the following sentences, using the pattern above.

1. The teacher wanted to punish the student, so he made him stand outside the classroom. 2. He resorted to stealing, so that he could obtain the document. 3. He would adopt any method he could think of, for he wanted to achieve his aim. 4. They wanted to solve their financial problem, so they sought help from the loan shark. 5. The girls wanted to see what had happened. Therefore, they peeped through the keyhole. 6. The Government employed a consultant since it wanted to estimate the cost of a new airport. 7. The company employed staggered work hours. It wanted to alleviate the congested situation. 8. He made the matter worse, for he told a lie to his friend. 9. He wanted to avoid prosecution, so he sneaked into China. 10. He wanted to give her a good impression. Therefore, he behaved as if he was a gentleman. H. In order to/ so as to…In order to can be replaced at the beginning of a sentence or after the main clause while so as to can only be replaced after the main clause. Examples:1. In order to finish the task earlier, he works from morning till night. 2.He works from morning till night in order to finish the task earlier. 3.He works form morning till night so as to finish the task earlier. Exercise 8 : 1. He went to England. He wanted to learn English. 2. He worked more hours than normal. He wanted to earn enough money to buy a flat. 3. He drove very slowly. He did not want to have an accident. 4. She bought a camera. She wanted to have a permanent record of his holiday. 5. She shut all the doors and windows. She wanted to keep the mosquitoes out. P.4 6. John is studying Japanese. He wants to do business with the Japanese merchants. 7. The Government wants to discourage smoking. It has increased tax on tobacco. 8. The Government intends to curb the smuggling activities. It has increased

fines for them. 9. We want to improve our children’s standard of English. They should be encouraged to read. 10. Mr. Chan, a prospective district councilor, spent many hours visiting people in their homes. He wanted to win more support in the election. I. so that and in order that are conjunctions used to introduce a purpose. They can be followed by a present tense with a future meaning. Examples:1. I am going to find a job so that I won’t need his financial support. 2.You should tell her the truth in order that she will not think that you have cheated her. Exercise 9: 1. Susan talked to the shy boy. In this way, he would not feel left out. 2. She left a note on the door. She wanted me to know what to buy in the supermarket. 3. The two students exchanged paper secretly. They did not want the teacher to discover what they were writing about. 4. The Government increased the tax on cigarettes. It wanted to discourage smoking among the public. 5. He sent his son to Oxford. He wanted him to have the best university education. 6. I invited her to go out. I wanted to explain all the things to her. 7. I have put everything in writing. I want him to know I will keep my promise. 8. I explained my assumption in a simpler way. I wanted them to understand. 9. He told a white lie to her. He wanted her to be happy. 10. She locked herself in the room. She did not want anyone to come in. J. On condition that is a conjunction which is rarely put in the beginning. Examples:1. He will help us on condition that we let him join our project. 2. She can go out alone on condition (that) she returns home earlier. Exercise 10 : 1. Can I use your radio ? 2. Can I borrow your book ? 3. Will you dine out with me? 4. Will you help me? P.5