Sentence Structure Teaching Resources
Teach students the elements of sentence structure this school year with printable worksheets, sentence-building activities, sorting games and more primary school teaching resources designed to help extend your students' understanding of how to write clear and concise sentences that follow the rules of English grammar.
This extensive collection of teaching resources has been created by teachers for teachers like you. Aligned to the National curriculum, the English collection includes editable worksheets and teaching presentations and more to save primary teachers time on lesson planning.
Created by expert teachers, each resource in this sentence collection has been carefully reviewed and curated by our team. That means it's ready to use in the classroom! You'll even find editable resources, plus differentiated options.
New to teaching about sentence structure, or just looking for fresh ways to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teaching team!
English Sentence Structure Explained
From subjects to predicates, objects to clauses, the English language is packed with rules specific to sentence structure that students need to learn on the way to becoming proficient writers.
Ready to break down how to build a sentence in English and look at some examples? Let's go!
Subject
The subject of a sentence is the noun or pronoun that performs the action or is described in the sentence.
For example, in the sentence 'Jaquan did his homework,' Jaquan is the subject.
Predicate
The predicate of a sentence expresses the action or state of being in a sentence.
Let's go back to the sentence 'Jaquan did his homework.' In this case, did is the predicate.
Object
The object of a sentence is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb.
For example, 'homework' would be the object in 'Jaquan did his homework.'
Complement
The complement of a sentence is a word or phrase that completes the meaning of a sentence.
The complement can be a direct object, indirect object or subject complement.
For example: 'a doctor' in 'She became a doctor.'
Modifier
A modifier in a sentence provides additional information about a word or phrase in the sentence. It can be an adjective or an adverb. Example: 'kind' in 'She was a kind teacher.'
What Are Clauses?
Clauses are groups of words containing a subject and a verb. They're important to understand when learning sentence structure. After all, one kind of clause is a sentence!
There are two main types of clauses:
- Independent Clause — An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence because it expresses a complete thought. For example: 'I did all of my homework.'
- Dependent Clause — A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought. It relies on an independent clause to make sense. Example: 'When I went to the store,' (Dependent clause) 'I bought an apple.' (Independent clause). Dependent clauses can be paired with independent clauses to build sentences.
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Simple and Compound - Roll a Sentence Dice Game
Play a ‘Roll-a-Sentence’ dice game to help your students practise writing simple and compound sentences.
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Statement, Question, Command & Exclamation Sentences PowerPoint
Introduce statement, command, question, and exclamation sentences with an interactive teaching slide deck.
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Identifying Dependent Clauses Worksheet
Practise identifying dependent clauses in complex sentences with a dependent clause worksheet.
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Simple Sentence Dominoes (Version 1)
A set of 30 dominoes to assist younger students with building simple sentences.
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Linking Devices in Persuasive Writing Worksheet Pack
Teach how linking devices can be used to connect ideas in persuasive writing with this set of 5 activity worksheets with answers.
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Writing Compound-Complex Sentences Worksheet
Use a Compound-Complex Sentences Worksheet to help your upper primary students learn to use advanced sentence structures in their writing.
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Topic Sentence Worksheet Pack
Use this topic sentence worksheet pack to teach your students about how to structure clear and cohesive paragraphs using strong opening statements.
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Combining Sentences With 'And' Worksheets
Use these printable Combining Sentences With ‘And’ Worksheets to help your students practise using the conjunction ‘and’ to form compound sentences.
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Simple Sentence Exit Tickets
Check your students' knowledge of simple sentences with this set of simple sentence exit tickets perfect for kindergarten.
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Editing Incomplete Sentences Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to correct incomplete sentences with a comprehensive Editing Incomplete Sentences Grammar PowerPoint.
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Statement, Question, Command, Exclamation Cut and Paste Worksheet
Identify statement, command, question, and exclamation sentences with a Types of Sentences Cut and Paste worksheet for Year 2.
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Sentence in Correct Order Digital Game
Help your students master the fundamentals of sentence structure with the Arrange Sentence in Correct Order Game!
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Adjectival Clause Teaching Slides
Teach the power of the adjectival clause with this engaging slide deck designed to help primary school students boost their descriptive writing.
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Addition Connectives Worksheet Pack
Teach addition connectives with this scaffolded pack of 9 worksheets that help primary students master connecting ideas and adding information to their writing.
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Grammar Conventions - Year 6 Grammar and Punctuation Test Pack
Assess student knowledge of grammar conventions with a printable Year 6 Grammar and Punctuation Test Pack
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Types of Sentences Posters
Display a set of types of sentences posters to help your students discover various types of sentences.
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Springtime Sentence Building - Interactive Activity
Build a strong sentence-writing foundation with this interactive spring-themed sentence building activity.
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Grammar and Punctuation Assessment Tool – Year 4
A set of 5 grammar and punctuation assessment tools suited to Year 4 students.
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Complete Sentence vs Fragment Sentence Sort
Make sentence structure lessons engaging and hands-on with this playful Complete Sentence vs Fragment sorting activity.
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Sentence vs Fragment Worksheet Pack
Help students master the difference between what is a sentence and a fragment with this easy-to-use Sentence vs Fragment Worksheet Pack.
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Embedded Clause Worksheets
Teach the embedded clause with these engaging and easy-to-use worksheets designed to build understanding through clear examples and guided practice.
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Cohesion in a Paragraph Worksheet Pack
Strengthen cohesion in a paragraph with these five engaging worksheets designed to help students master cohesive devices while making writing more connected.
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Sort It Out! - Types of Sentences Practice Activity
Practise sorting and matching examples of the four types of sentences (command, statement, question, exclamation) with a Year 1 Types of Sentences Practice Game.
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Statement, Question, Command, Explanation – Match Up Cards
Teach younger students about the four types of sentences with a printable sentence types matching activity.
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Comparative Connectives Worksheet Pack
Teach comparative connectives with this set of 9 progressive worksheets designed to help your students show similarity and difference in their writing.
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Connection Words in Informative Writing Worksheet Pack
Teach how connection words can be used to link ideas in informative writing with this set of 5 activity worksheets with answers.
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Cohesive Sentence Interactive Activity
Engage students with interactive slides that teach the features of a cohesive sentence through a variety of hands-on activities.
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Cohesive Devices Teaching Slides
Explore cohesive devices with this engaging teaching slide deck designed to help primary students understand and use them confidently in their writing.
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Compound-Complex Sentence Test
Assess your students' understanding of compound-complex sentences with a printable Compound-Complex Sentence Test.
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SCOOT! Finish the Sentence Game for Sentence Fragments
Use this Finish the Sentence Game to help your students practice correcting sentence fragments.
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Sentence Types & Punctuation for Grade 1 - Four Corners Game
Review sentence types and punctuation for grade 1 students with an engaging Four Corners Punctuation Game.
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Statement, Question, Command, Exclamation – Poster
Discover the features of statement, question, command, and exclamation sentences with a printable Types of Sentences poster.
- Sentence Structure Worksheets
- Sentence Structure Games
- Sentence Structure Teaching Presentations
- Sentence Structure Posters
- Sentence Structure for Foundation Year
- Sentence Structure for Year 1
- Sentence Structure for Year 2
- Sentence Structure for Year 3
- Sentence Structure for Year 4
- Sentence Structure for Year 5
- Sentence Structure for Year 6