Sentence Structure – free exercise

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Exercise

Put the words in the correct order.

  1. adoronsla randonnéeNous.
    declarative sentence: subject – verb – complementWe love hiking.
  2. mangestuEst-ce queavec nous ?
    question with est-ce que: est-ce que – subject – verb – complementAre you eating with us?
  3. françaisepassuisneJe.
    simple negative sentence: subject – ne – verb – pas – complementI’m not French.
  4. un paysestLa Belgique.
    declarative sentence: subject – verb – complementBelgium is a country.

Is it a simple sentence (one clause) or a complex sentence (several clauses)?

  1. Il n’y a ni lait ni beurre dans le frigo.1 conjugated verb (avoir) → simple
    a complex negation (ne… ni… ni…) does not necessarily mean the sentence is complex; what matters is the number of conjugated verbs    There’s neither milk nor butter in the fridge.
  2. Avant que nous ne commencions à cuisiner, nous devons acheter des légumes.2 conjugated verbs (commencer, devoir) → complexBefore we start cooking, we need to buy some vegetables.
  3. Les oiseaux s’envolent vers l’horizon.1 conjugated verb (s’envoler, pronominal verb) → simpleThe birds fly off toward the horizon.
  4. Je ne pardonnerai ni n’oublierai pas.2 conjugated verbs (pardonner, oublier) → complexI will neither forgive, nor will I forget.

What type of clause is it?

  1. Parce que tu n’as pas répondu plus tôt, nous avons dû décider sans toi.expresses a cause → adverbial clause
    keyword: parce que    Because you didn’t answer earlier, we had to decide without you.

  2. Voici l’infirmier qui t’a sauvé la vie.completes a noun → relative clause
    keyword: qui    Here’s the nurse who saved your life.

  3. Je doute qu’il accepte notre proposition.completes the verb douter → complement clause
    keyword: que    I doubt that he’ll accept our proposal.

  4. Si tu changes encore d’avis, nous devrons tout recommencer.expresses a condition → conditional clause
    keyword: si    If you change your mind again, we’ll have to start all over.

  5. Le repas terminé, ils ont directement quitté la table.past participle → participial clauseOnce the meal was finished, they left the table straight away.