Sentence is the basic unit of written and spoken language. Grammar, or the set of rules that govern the structure of language, enables us to use words in order to communicate ideas effectively.
Sentences can contain a variety of information—describing a place, character, or process; narrating a series of events; comparing and contrasting two or more things; classifying items into categories; and discussing causes and effects, to name a few. But all paragraphs share a few common characteristics: they support and develop a single controlling idea, expressed in a sentence called a topic sentence; they are organized into sections; and they are cohesive.
Coherence is an important feature of a paragraph because it helps readers follow your train of thought and see connections that might otherwise be obscured. In general, you can achieve coherence in a paragraph by using transition words and phrases (CAPITALIZED) between sentences and between paragraphs, constructing parallel structures, and repeating key words or phrases throughout the paragraph.
In most writing, there are three types of sentences: simple, compound, and complex. A simple sentence consists of one independent clause and includes a subject and a verb. A compound sentence combines two or more independent clauses by using coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, and yet, and so on—also known as FANBOYS) to join the clauses together. A complex sentence combines a main independent clause with any number of subordinate clauses using subordinating conjunctions (because, although, although, unless, and while).
A subordinate clause is a group of words that makes incomplete sense on its own. It can improve the meaning of an independent clause by adding essential details. For example, the following sentences are subordinate:
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