Correct sentence structure is essential for communicating effectively in English. Knowing how to order words, phrases, and clauses accurately lends clarity and cohesion to your work. This is especially true in academic papers, where quality of expression is paramount.
Here, we delve into how to structure your sentences correctly to present your research accurately and write engagingly.
A sentence, at its most basic level, is a series of words that express a complete thought. They can be constructed in many different ways to add variety and engage a reader more effectively. But, fundamentally, every sentence shares crucial components—subjects and verbs, and most also contain objects.
What are subjects, verbs, objects, and complements? These are the smallest components of sentences that are ordered to express the author’s thoughts and findings effectively.
The term subject is used to described what the sentence is about—the idea, person, place, or thing that is performing an action or being described. Take the following:
Paris is my favourite city.
Earth orbits the Sun.
In the first sentence, the subject ( Paris ) is being described by the author to express an opinion. In the second, it ( Earth ) is directly performing an action that is related to the end component of the sentence.
The subjects of both are placed at the beginning of the sentence, and thus are clearly the main topics.
The verb is the action that the subject is performing. Or, it is used to link a subject to a description. For example:
The team were tired.
Plants absorb sunlight.
In the first example, the subject ( The team ) is being linked to a state ( tired ) by the verb. These are called linking verbs, which are used to link the subject to additional information that describes a state of being, appearance, etc.
In the second, the subject ( Plants ) are performing an action. These are called action verbs , and can be divided into transitive and intransitive : the former is used to describe verbs that are followed by an object; the latter is used to describe verbs that are not followed by an object, which are the simplest constructions in the English language.
The object of a sentence is the component that is influenced by the subject performing its action. For example:
The man gave them a stern look .
The researcher analysed the data .
Here, both objects add clarity to the sentence, by describing what the subject is concerned with. There are two types of objects: direct and indirect. A direct object is what the subject influences; an indirect object usually comes before the direct object and informs us of who the verb is being performed for. Thus, an indirect object can’t exist without a direct object.
In the first example, the object ( a stern look ) is preceded by an indirect object ( them ), giving us detail of who his action was direct at. In the second, there is only a direct object ( the data ), as the subject is directly influencing this component.
Complements are similar to objects but are used to describe the subject instead of what the subject is influencing. For example:
The new model was a significant improvement .
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas .
In these two examples, the subject is not influencing the end components of the sentence. Instead, these components—the complements—are used to describe the properties of the subjects.
Clauses are made up of the components described above, the use and order of which determine the type of clause used. They can be divided into two categories— independent and dependent clauses.
An independent clause , sometimes referred to as a main clause , is the focal point of the sentence. Such clauses can stand up as sentences in their own right, as they express a complete thought, or be used with other phrases and clauses that provide more detail.
Usually, they follow the order Subject–Verb–Object . For example:
The experiment [ subject ] used [ verb ] the new software [ object ].
But, as suggested before, they can also follow the structures:
They can also be used with other clauses to create more complicated constructions.
A dependent clause , sometimes called a subordinate clause , is used to add more detail to the independent clause . As such, they cannot be used in isolation and must be used in conjunction with a main clause to be grammatically correct. For example:
Because the conditions were too severe , the expedition was delayed.
Here, the clause after the comma is the independent clause—it contains a subject ( the expedition ), verb ( was ), and complement ( delayed ). Thus, the preceding information is not necessary for it to make sense. The independent clause (underlined), however, adds more context to the sentence.
They can be used to provide explanations and detail, such as time or place, as well as add complexity and nuance to the sentence. By using a mixture of clauses, different types of sentences can be created, keeping a reader interested and adding depth to the author’s work.
Much like how the order of words determines the clause type, the number and order of clauses determines the type of sentence used. They can be divided into Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound–Complex.
As the name suggests, a simple sentence is the most basic sentence class, made up of just an independent clause. They express a complete thought, with no other detail provided by adjoining clauses.
A compound sentence is composed of two independent clauses that are joined by a conjunction— e.g., and, for, but, or, etc. For example:
The students collected the samples and then they analysed them in class .
Both underlined parts of the above sentence could be used as single sentences in their own right, as they both contain a subject, verb, and object.
Complex sentences are made up of one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. For example:
As they had finished their work , they went home for the day.
Underlined is the dependent clause, which couldn’t function on its own as a full sentence—it needs the context provided by the independent clause to make sense. Additionally, it should be noted that multiple dependent clauses can be used with a main clause.
A compound–complex sentence is a mixture of the last two sentence types—they have at least one dependent clause, as well as two independents. For example:
The researcher conducted the experiment to test their theory and the results were analysed, although the initial findings were inconclusive .
Underlined is the dependent clause, which adds more detail to the two independent clauses that precede it. Again, any number of either clause types can be used in these constructions, but authors should be wary of making their sentences too long-winded and hard to follow.
To conclude, mixing up sentence structure by using different combinations of sentence components, clauses, and types is the key to writing engaging and coherent articles. By applying the principles of sentence construction, researchers can convey meaning effectively and potentially improve the impact of their papers.
If you want to further your knowledge of grammar and punctuation, read our Guide To Word Classes and Guide To Prepositions .
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Developing a hypothesis (with example) Step 1. Ask a question. Writing a hypothesis begins with a research question that you want to answer. The question should be focused, specific, and researchable within the constraints of your project. Example: Research question.
4 Alternative hypothesis. An alternative hypothesis, abbreviated as H 1 or H A, is used in conjunction with a null hypothesis. It states the opposite of the null hypothesis, so that one and only one must be true. Examples: Plants grow better with bottled water than tap water. Professional psychics win the lottery more than other people. 5 ...
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in a study. It is a preliminary answer to your question that helps guide the research process. Consider a study designed to examine the relationship between sleep deprivation and test ...
A hypothesis is a single sentence answer to the Key Inquiry Question that clearly states what your entire essay is going to argue. It contains both the argument and the main reasons in support of your argument. Each hypothesis should clearly state the 'answer' to the question, followed by a 'why'. For Example:
Simple hypothesis. A simple hypothesis is a statement made to reflect the relation between exactly two variables. One independent and one dependent. Consider the example, "Smoking is a prominent cause of lung cancer." The dependent variable, lung cancer, is dependent on the independent variable, smoking. 4.
Definition: Hypothesis is an educated guess or proposed explanation for a phenomenon, based on some initial observations or data. It is a tentative statement that can be tested and potentially proven or disproven through further investigation and experimentation. Hypothesis is often used in scientific research to guide the design of experiments ...
Step 6. Write a null hypothesis. If your research involves statistical hypothesis testing, you will also have to write a null hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the default position that there is no association between the variables. The null hypothesis is written as H 0, while the alternative hypothesis is H 1 or H a.
The alternative hypothesis is usually the research hypothesis of a study and is based on the literature, previous observations, and widely known theories. Null Hypothesis. The hypothesis that describes the other possible outcome, that is, that your variables are not related, is the null hypothesis (H0). Based on your findings, you choose ...
Learning how to write a hypothesis comes down to knowledge and strategy. So where do you start? Learn how to make your hypothesis strong step-by-step here.
Hypotheses are mainly used in the sciences, but you still need to narrow down the field. If your class is in organic chemistry or botany, you still need to narrow down the field even further. Choose a particular aspect of the field, such as genetics in botany. 2. Do some preliminary research in the narrowed field.
A research hypothesis, in its plural form "hypotheses," is a specific, testable prediction about the anticipated results of a study, established at its outset. It is a key component of the scientific method. Hypotheses connect theory to data and guide the research process towards expanding scientific understanding.
It seeks to explore and understand a particular aspect of the research subject. In contrast, a research hypothesis is a specific statement or prediction that suggests an expected relationship between variables. It is formulated based on existing knowledge or theories and guides the research design and data analysis. 7.
Merriam Webster defines a hypothesis as "an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument.". In other words, a hypothesis is an educated guess. Scientists make a reasonable assumption--or a hypothesis--then design an experiment to test whether it's true or not.
hypothesis: [noun] an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument. an interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action.
Part 1. Overview: Hypothesis Sentence Pattern (10 minutes) A hypothesis is a sentence which shows us how two different things are connected. There are many ways to write a hypothesis. This lessons focuses on one sentence pattern because it is easy to understand and use. Here are some examples: The more water a plant gets, the faster the plant ...
noun. The results of the experiment did not support his hypothesis. Their hypothesis is that watching excessive amounts of television reduces a person's ability to concentrate. And because tiger moths are toxic to bats, that left Gough with a hypothesis. There are two main hypotheses to explain this illusion.
Examples of Null Hypotheses. Hyperactivity is unrelated to eating sugar. All daisies have the same number of petals. The number of pets in a household is unrelated to the number of people living in it. A person's preference for a shirt is unrelated to its color.
2. 1. Advertisement. It follows that philosophy is in a sense both dualist and monist; it is a cosmic dualism inasmuch as it admits the possible existence of matter as a hypothesis, though it denies the possibility of any true knowledge of it, and is hence in regard of the only possible knowledge an idealistic monism.
Once students have filled in this sentence you can explain that B is a hypothesis and A is the expectation generated by that hypothesis. You can help students learn to distinguish between hypotheses and the expectations generated by them by regularly asking students to analyze lecture material, text, or video.
HYPOTHESIS meaning: 1. an idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has not yet been proved…. Learn more.
14 Sentences with Hypothesis Examples. Hypothesis: Students who study for at least 3 hours every day are likely to perform better in their exams. It is important for college students to form a hypothesis before conducting any research project. Hypothesis: Attending lectures regularly can significantly improve academic performance.
Examples of 'hypothesis' in a sentence. Examples from Collins dictionaries. To test this hypothesis, scientists can construct a simplified laboratory experiment. Different hypotheses have been put forward to explain why these foods are more likely to cause problems.
Definition of Hypothesis. a proposed explanation or theory that is studied through scientific testing. Examples of Hypothesis in a sentence. The scientist's hypothesis did not stand up, since research data was inconsistent with his guess. Each student gave a hypothesis and theorized which plant would grow the tallest during the study.
The hypothesis that older age class raccoons would have higher fluke infection rates and parasite loads due to increased exposure to cercariae was statistically tested. A hypothesis is a conjecture, based on knowledge obtained while formulating the question, that may explain the observed behavior of a part of our universe.
To conclude, mixing up sentence structure by using different combinations of sentence components, clauses, and types is the key to writing engaging and coherent articles. By applying the principles of sentence construction, researchers can convey meaning effectively and potentially improve the impact of their papers.