Complete sentences are the structure for which ideas are expressed. A sentence that is complete is more likely to express the idea it is trying to convey accurately than one that is not complete. It is also a part of the Style Guide to use actual prose that is “regular text that's written in complete sentences”, though a bullet point list or chart's contents need not be composed of complete sentences.

Using full sentences in every day speech doesn't always happen and in roleplay, it is not always necessary. Thoughtfully deconstructing sentence structure can add to the tone and feel of an author and helps dialogue flow more smoothly. On the wiki, it is a requirement as it is a place for conveying ideas clearly. Leaving sentences incomplete here leads to unnecessary ambiguity about meaning and confused audiences.

Below are the integral parts of a complete sentence:

• The beginning of a sentence begins with a capital letter.
• The end has a mark to complete the sentence, such as a period (.) or exclamation mark (!).
• A complete sentence is a complete thought and must not fail to complete the thought it starts.
• There is a main clause.
  • A main clause contains a subject and a verb. This aspect of the sentence is explained in the following section.

A main clause in a sentence has a subject and verb. In the previous sentence, the subject is “main clause” and “has” is the verb. Below are further descriptions of those elements.

A subject is what or who does the action in a sentence. Clearly defining the subject is sometimes overlooked when trying to expound on the what and how of a machination, but it is imperative to do so. Clearly defining a subject within a sentence is usually as easy and finding the noun or pronoun of the sentence. Look out for a title, person, place, or thing.

It is interesting to note that many verbs are obvious, such as ones that end with the suffix “-ing”, such as “kicking” or “screaming” but other words such as “has” can be a verb. There are additional terms for verbs, but for this guide's simplicity's sake, just knowing that “are”, “be”, or “is” could be a verb . Even “verb” can be a verb as it denotes the act of using a verb! “Read” is a verb and so is “write”! Finding out if a word is a verb can be as easy as knowing based on experience, but using a search engine with verb and the word you are wondering about in the search bar is helpful when trying to make the right sentence.

Here are some examples of sentences that are not complete as well as why they do not fit the bill.

“A type of wasp that is designed to be used for mass hugs.”

In this sentence, the subject is not present. Even though there is a noun (wasp), that is not the subject. The use of the prepositional word “of” before wasp shows there is a relation between two things, though one of those things is left unsaid. Adding the name of the wasp type that has been designed in the beginning of this sentence followed by a verb such as “is” or “are” would make the sentence complete.

Ametheliana created this article on 2019/02/09 10:32.

Approved by Wes here in August, 2019.