English Grammar

Sentence Structure & Syntax — How Words Combine

Syntax governs how words are arranged to form meaningful sentences. Errors in subject-verb agreement, sentence type identification and clause analysis are heavily tested in objective exams. Mastering this section also improves descriptive writing.

Exam relevance: Spotting Errors questions in SSC and Banking exams routinely test subject-verb agreement (collective nouns, 'either/or', 'one of'). Para Jumbles and Reading Comprehension reward students who can quickly identify clauses and sentence types.

On this page

  1. Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)
  2. Types of Sentences (by Function)
  3. Sentence Complexity (Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex)
  4. Phrases and Clauses

1Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

The verb must agree with its subject in number and person.

A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb. Tricky cases: (i) 'Either/Neither/Each/Every/Everyone' — singular verb. (ii) 'Either…or / Neither…nor' — verb agrees with the subject closer to it. (iii) Collective nouns (team, jury, family) take a singular verb when the group acts as one unit, plural when members act individually. (iv) 'One of + plural noun' — singular verb. (v) Two singular subjects joined by 'and' — plural verb, except when they refer to one idea (Bread and butter is my breakfast).

Examples
  • Each of the students has completed the project.
  • Neither the manager nor the employees were aware of the change.
  • One of the most important factors is communication.
  • Bread and butter is a wholesome meal.
Exam tip: 'A number of' takes plural verb; 'The number of' takes singular verb. 'A number of students are absent.' / 'The number of absentees is rising.'

2Types of Sentences (by Function)

By function, sentences are classified into Assertive, Interrogative, Imperative and Exclamatory.

Assertive (Declarative) makes a statement and ends with a full stop — affirmative or negative. Interrogative asks a question and ends with a question mark. Imperative gives an order, request, advice or instruction; the subject 'you' is usually understood. Exclamatory expresses sudden, strong emotion and ends with an exclamation mark.

Examples
  • Assertive: The earth revolves around the sun.
  • Interrogative: Where do you live?
  • Imperative: Please close the door.
  • Exclamatory: How beautiful the sunset is!
Exam tip: Sentences starting with 'How' or 'What' followed by an adjective and noun are exclamatory, not interrogative: 'What a lovely garden!'

3Sentence Complexity (Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex)

By structure, sentences are Simple (one independent clause), Compound (two independent clauses), Complex (one independent + one or more dependent), or Compound-Complex (two or more independent + at least one dependent).

A Simple sentence has only one finite verb and one subject group. A Compound sentence joins two independent clauses with FANBOYS (and, but, or, so…). A Complex sentence has a main clause plus one or more subordinate clauses introduced by because, although, when, if, that, who, etc. A Compound-Complex sentence combines features of both compound and complex.

Examples
  • Simple: Ravi reads a book.
  • Compound: Ravi reads a book, and his sister watches TV.
  • Complex: Ravi reads the book that his teacher gave him.
  • Compound-Complex: Ravi reads the book that his teacher gave him, but his sister prefers cartoons.
Exam tip: Transformation questions ask you to convert a Simple sentence into a Complex/Compound or vice-versa without changing meaning — practise this with cause-effect and time clauses.

4Phrases and Clauses

A phrase is a group of related words without a subject-verb pair; a clause is a group of words with its own subject and verb.

Independent clauses can stand alone as a sentence; Dependent clauses cannot. Phrases are named after the part of speech they function as: Noun phrase ('the tall boy in blue'), Adjective phrase ('a man of integrity'), Adverbial phrase ('in a hurry', 'at the corner'). Clauses likewise: Noun clause ('what he said'), Adjective/Relative clause ('the boy who came late'), Adverbial clause ('when the bell rings').

Examples
  • Noun phrase: The little girl in the red dress is my niece.
  • Adjective clause: The book that you gave me is excellent.
  • Adverbial clause: We will start the meeting when the principal arrives.
  • Noun clause: I do not know where he lives.
Exam tip: If you can replace a group of words with 'it/this' (noun), or 'such' (adjective), or 'then/there' (adverb), it is functioning as that type of phrase or clause.

Quick Revision Facts

  • Two singular subjects joined by 'with', 'as well as', 'along with', 'together with', 'in addition to' do NOT change the verb — verb agrees with the first subject.
  • Collective nouns acting as a unit take singular verbs; acting individually take plural: 'The jury is unanimous.' / 'The jury are divided in their opinions.'
  • 'None' can take singular or plural; modern usage allows both.
  • A Simple sentence may be long and have many phrases, but it has only one finite verb.

Frequently Asked Questions

Strip away prepositional phrases first. In 'The box of chocolates is on the table', the subject is 'box' (singular), not 'chocolates'. The verb 'is' must agree with 'box'.

Both 'is' and 'are' can be correct depending on meaning. 'My family is having dinner together' (unit) vs. 'My family are arguing among themselves' (individuals).
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