Sentence Patterns

Sentence Patterns • 1. …so + adj./adv. + that-clause (Cause and Effect) • 2. After/When/Before/+Ving/pp.…, S+V…

1. …so + adj./adv. + that-clause (Cause and Effect) • She sang so beautifully that everyone gave her a big hand. (adv.) • Jacob was so touched that he gave his son a bear hug. (adj.) • Jack ran so fast that I fell far behind him. (adv.) • They look so much alike that I can’t tell them apart. (adj.)

Use the pattern “so…that…” to make sentences. • 他很用功所以他總是名列前茅。 • 她很仁慈所以大家都喜歡跟她在一起。 • 彼得餓到沒法再走下去了。 • 這箱子如此重，我無法獨力搬動它。 • 她累到一躺上床就睡著了。

2. After/When/Before…/+Ving…, S+V… • Before I introduce this pattern, I’d like you to take a look at the following pairs of sentences and see what you learn from them. • Before Jean went home, she played some basketball with her friends.Before going home, Jean played some basketball with her friends. • When Father ran, he lost his wallet.When running, Father lost his wallet.

When he was asked to leave, he became angry.When asked to leave, he became angry. • After Mary was offered the new job, she quit her present work as a secretary.After offered the new job, Mary quit her present work as a secretary.

In the four sets of sentences above, have you found something in common? Did you notice that, in each set, the two sentences mean the same? What else did you see in each set of sentences? That’s right. In the first sentence of each set, the subject in the adverbial clause is the same as the subject in the main clause. If this is the case, then you can change the adverbial clause into the participial construction as you see in the second sentence of each set.

Now you might ask, “Why is it that, in the first two sets of sentences, the participial construction contains Ving while in the last two sets we see the past participle of a verb in the participial construction?” Well, it has to do with the active or passive voice of the verb. If the verb in the adverbial clause is in the active voice, then we see the present participle (Ving) in the participial construction; if the verb in the adverbial clause is in the passive, then we see the past participle (pp.) in the participial construction.

Now try changing each of the following sentences into one that contains a participial construction. 1. After John woke up, he did some mild exercise.2. Before Susan went home, she visited one of her friends in the neighborhood.3. When Tom was given a raise, he was as happy as a clam.4. Before I make an important decision, I usually turn to my parents for advice.

He studied so hard that he was always at the top of his class. • She is so kind that everyone likes to be together with her. • Peter was so hungry that he couldn’t walk any longer. • This box is so heavy that I can’t move it on my own. • She was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as she lay on the bed.

After waking up, John did some mild exercise. • Before going home, Susan visited one of her friends in the neighborhood. • When given a raise, Tom was as happy as a clam. • Before making an important decision, I usually turn to my parents for advice.

Sentence Patterns