4.2 Salient Points of Sentence Construction

Salient (મુખ્ય) Points of Sentence Construction (બાંધકામ):- 

1. Subject and Verb Agreement: Ensure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree in number (singular or plural). Example: "She sings" (singular subject and verb) or "They sing" (plural subject and verb).

2. Complete Sentences: Every sentence should contain a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject does or is). Example: "The dog barked" (subject: The dog, predicate: barked).

3. Punctuation: Use appropriate punctuation marks to separate and structure sentences, like periods (.), question marks (?), and exclamation points (!). Example: "Have you finished your homework?"

4. Capitalization: Begin sentences with capital letters and use capitalization for proper nouns. Example: "Alice went to the park."

5. Avoiding Fragments: A sentence should be a complete thought, not a fragment or incomplete idea. Example: "Running in the rain" is a fragment, but "She enjoys running in the rain" is a complete sentence.

6. Run-on Sentences: Avoid joining two independent clauses without proper punctuation or a conjunction. Example: "She wanted to go shopping she didn't have any money." (A run-on sentence)

7. Use of Commas: Use commas to separate items in a list or to set off introductory elements. Example: "Apples, oranges, and bananas are her favorite fruits."

8. Proper Noun Usage: Capitalize specific names, titles, and places. Example: "President Smith visited New York City."

9. Avoiding Dangling લટકતી and Misplaced Modifiers: Ensure that modifiers (words describing something) are correctly placed in relation to what they modify. Example: "After eating, the pizza tasted delicious" (dangling modifier). Corrected: "After eating, she thought the pizza tasted delicious."

10. Parallel Structure: Maintain parallel structure when listing items or expressing ideas in a series. Example: "She likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle" (not parallel). Corrected: "She likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle" (parallel).

11. Sentence Variety: Use different sentence types (simple, compound, complex) to make writing more engaging. Example: "She studied for the exam, but she still felt anxious"બેચેન લાગ્યું (compound sentence).

12. Word Order: Arrange words in a logical order to ensure clarity. Example: "He found his lost keys" (subject-verb-object order).

13. Avoiding Double Negatives: Do not use double negatives, as they create confusion. Example: "I don't want no ice cream" (incorrect). Corrected: "I don't want any ice cream."

14. Consistency: Maintain consistency in tense, voice, and style throughout a piece of writing. Example: "She danced (past tense) while he sings (present tense)."

15. Clarity: Ensure that your sentences are clear and easily understood by avoiding ambiguous અસ્પષ્ટ language and unnecessary complexity. Example: "The reason for his absence was because he was sick" (redundant). Corrected: "He was absent because he was sick."

Remember, good sentence construction is fundamental to effective communication and clear writing.