Sentence clause structure

In standard English, sentences are composed of five clause patterns:[citation needed] Sentences – which are composed of these clauses, in either "dependent" or "independent" form – also have patterns, as explained below.

Example 2 has two clauses (I don't know how to bake and I buy my bread already made), combined into a single sentence with the coordinating conjunction so.

Example 5 is an exclamatory sentence of an exclamative and a noun phrase but no verb.

[2] This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, I, and one verb, run.

This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, girl, and one predicate, ran into her bedroom.

This simple sentence has one independent clause which contains one subject, dog, and one predicate, barked and howled at the cat.

In the English language, a compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses.

In some languages, like Russian, a comma is not always required in a sentence with homogenous members.

In addition to a subject and a verb, dependent clauses contain a subordinating conjunction or similar word.

Some of these give the clause an adverbial function, specifying time, place, or manner.

This complex sentence contains an adverbial clause, When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house.

In general, run-on sentences occur when two or more independent clauses are joined without using a coordinating conjunction (i.e. for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or correct punctuation (i.e. semicolon, dash, or period).

[10][11][12] A run-on sentence can be as short as four words – for instance, I drive she walks, or even I drive, she walks, – because in these short cases there are two subjects paired with two intransitive verbs.

While some sources view comma splices as a form of run-on sentences,[11] others limit the term to independent clauses that are joined without punctuation.