Session 7: Writing Skills—Sentences

1. The Basic Structure of a Sentence

Every complete sentence contains key components that work together to express a full idea. Understanding these parts is crucial for writing clearly.

The Three Main Parts:

Subject:
- What it is: The person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about. It is the one performing the action.
- How to find it: Ask the question "Who?" or "What?" before the verb.
- Example: In "The dog chased the cat," the subject is "The dog" (Who chased the cat?).
Verb:
- What it is: The word that describes the action or the state of being of the subject.
- How to find it: It's the "doing" word in the sentence.
- Example: In "The dog chased the cat," the verb is "chased."
Object:
- What it is: The person or thing that receives the action of the verb. Not all sentences have an object.
- How to find it: Ask the question "What?" or "Whom?" after the verb.
- Example: In "The dog chased the cat," the object is "the cat" (The dog chased what?).

Example Breakdown:

Sentence: Sonia drives a car.
- Subject: Sonia (Who drives a car?)
- Verb: drives (What does Sonia do?)
- Object: a car (What does Sonia drive?)

2. Types of Objects in a Sentence

Sometimes, a sentence can have two objects, which have different roles.

1. Direct Object (DO)

What it is: It directly answers the question "What?" or "Whom?" after the verb. It is the main recipient of the action.
Example: "The parents sent a postcard." (They sent what? -> a postcard). "a postcard" is the Direct Object.

2. Indirect Object (IO)

What it is: It answers the question "To whom?", "For whom?", or "To what?" after the verb. It tells us who benefits from the action.
Important: An indirect object can only exist in a sentence that already has a direct object.
Example: "The parents sent him a postcard." (To whom did they send a postcard? -> him). "him" is the Indirect Object.

Example Breakdown with Both Objects:

Sentence: He bought his daughter a computer.
- Verb: bought
- Direct Object: a computer (He bought what?)
- Indirect Object: his daughter (For whom did he buy a computer?)

3. Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

The "voice" of a sentence tells us whether the subject is performing the action or receiving it.

Active Voice

What it is: The subject performs the action. Most of our everyday sentences are in the active voice. It is direct and clear.
Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
Example: "Ravi painted the house." (The subject, Ravi, is doing the painting).

Passive Voice

What it is: The subject receives the action. The focus shifts from the doer to the recipient of the action.
Structure: Object + Verb (to be + past participle) + by + Subject
Example: "The house was painted by Ravi." (The subject, the house, is receiving the action of being painted).

When to use which voice?

Use Active Voice for direct, clear, and strong writing.
Use Passive Voice when the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant, or when you want to emphasize the object that received the action.
- Example: "My pen was stolen." (We don't know who stole it, so the focus is on the pen).

4. Types of Sentences (Based on Purpose)

Sentences can be classified into four types based on what they are trying to do.

Type of Sentence	Purpose / What it does	Punctuation Used	Example
Declarative (or Statement)	To state a fact or provide information. It declares something.	Full Stop (.)	- Blue is my favourite colour.<br>- The farewell party begins in two hours.
Interrogative (or Question)	To ask a question. It interrogates.	Question Mark (?)	- Do you want tea or coffee?<br>- Have you had lunch?
Exclamatory	To express a strong emotion, like surprise, joy, or shock. It exclaims something.	Exclamation Mark (!)	- This is the best day of my life!<br>- Oh, my goodness, we won!
Imperative	To give a command, make a request, or offer advice.	Full Stop (.) or Exclamation Mark (!)	- Please lower your voice. (Request)<br>- Respond immediately! (Command)<br>- Meet me at the office at 10 am. (Instruction)

5. From Sentences to Paragraphs

What is a Paragraph? A paragraph is a group of sentences that are all related to one single topic or main idea.
Structure of a Good Paragraph:
1. Topic Sentence: Usually the first sentence, it introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
2. Supporting Sentences: These sentences provide more details, examples, and explanations to support the main idea.
3. Concluding Sentence: The last sentence, which summarizes the main point or provides a transition to the next paragraph.
Key Rule: Every sentence in a paragraph must connect to the central theme. If you want to talk about a new idea, you should start a new paragraph.

Example of a well-structured paragraph: (Topic Sentence) -> My mother is my best friend. (Supporting Sentences) -> She loves me a lot and cares for me. When I am in any kind of trouble, I seek her help and support. She gives me sound advice... (Concluding Sentence) -> I am grateful to God for giving me such a wonderful mother.