What is a good sentence? How do we know one when we see one? What can we learn from good sentences? Can we become better readers and writers by stopping occasionally to notice sentences and to examine them? We address these questions here by examining sentences from all types of sources.
I teach English as a second language in a two-year college. My first teaching job was in the U.S. Peace Corps. Constructive uses of the Internet always attract my attention, especially uses to promote learning and understanding.
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Beginning with "Because"
One point that we all sometimes need to be reminded of is the difference between the two examples that appear here:
1. We did not go because it was raining.
2. Because it was raining.
The first example above is a complete sentence while the second is not. The first example has one independent clause (“We did not go”) and one dependent clause (“because it was raining”), so it is a complex sentence. The second example is just a dependent clause, so it is not a sentence. In other words, the second example is a dependent clause that only looks like a sentence. The first word of the clause begins with a capital letter and the clause ends with a period, so it looks just like a sentence. In order to become a complete sentence, however, the second example needs an independent clause. By definition, a complete sentence must contain at least one independent clause. If you look on the chart of sentence types, you will find at least one independent clause in each sentence type. The problem with the second example above is that it has no independent clause. Therefore, it cannot exist as a sentence on its own. Here are several examples of complete sentences, each of which begins with the same dependent clause:
3. Because it was raining, we stayed home.
4. Because it was raining, they rescheduled the picnic.
5. Because it was raining, Mike and Mark played video games all afternoon.
Each of these examples is a complex sentence because each has one independent clause and one dependent clause. The examples share the same dependent clause (“Because it was raining”); only their independent clauses differ.
The main point here is that every complete sentence must have at least one independent clause. Therefore, when you begin a sentence with a dependent clause that begins with “Because,” make sure that an independent clause follows. Otherwise you have not written a complete sentence. And complete sentences are everything.
Sometimes I need to stop to address points of usage that need attention. Today is one of these times.
The usage point today relates to the words “every day” and “everyday.” When we take these two words and make one word, the expression changes and they are not at all interchangeable. This probably is contrary to what you see in contemporary culture in the United States, which could lead one to believe that indeed no difference does exist. We see this mistake repeatedly in advertising in this country. Would somebody please ask people in advertising to stop confusing these two terms? They are distinctly different. How? Follow along.
Here is an example to consider: “Everyday, I had five different subjects.” Indeed, this cannot be true. Just as “everytime” does not exist as one word but must be separated into two - “Every time that happens I get mad.” - when it refers to the frequency of an event the adverbial expression “every day” must appear as two separate words. So, the example should be “Every day I had five different subjects.”
Unlike “every time” however, the adverbial expression “every day” may appear as one word, and when it does it functions as an adjective. For example, we can talk about a common occurrence, an “everyday thing,” which is something that we see frequently, something we might see “every day.” In addition, an “everyday occurrence” is not particularly a special one as it happens frequently. If an “everyday occurrence” is something that is likely to happen “everywhere,” then we hardly take notice.
Just remember, “every day” you brush your teeth so brushing qualifies as an “everyday occurrence.” Its frequency does not diminish its importance. When you want to emphasize the frequency of an action, “every day” is what you need. When you want to describe something, “everyday” is what you need. These days it’s just about an everyday occurrence to see “everyday” used when the person means “every day.” Keep your eyes open; you may see one every day or nearly every day.
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