It was raining hard, so they could work in the fields. They could not work in the fields because it was raining hard.

2. Types of sentences (句子种类)

1）Declarative(陈述句)，Interrogative(疑问句)，Imperative(祈使句)，Exclamatory(感叹句)

A declarative sentence makes an assertion or a statement. An interrogative sentences asks a question.

An imperative sentence expresses a command or a request. An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling or emotion, such as surprise, pain or joy.

2）Simple，Compound，Complex, Compound-Complex Sentences

a. What is a simple sentence ?

A simple sentence has only one subject and one predicate-verb, but it may contain more than one object, attribute or adverbial. What are the features of a simple sentence ?

? ? ?

Short simple sentences are usually emphatic. Simple sentences have special clarity.

Simple sentences provide variety when used with longer sentences.

b. What is a compound sentence?

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses (or simple sentences) related to each other in meaning, and linked by a coordinating conjunction (and,but,or,etc.) or by a semicolon without a conjunction. c. What is a complex sentence ?

A complex sentence contains one main clause and one or more dependent clauses, with a connective word denoting the relation between the two parts.

d. What is a compound-complex sentence?

A compound-complex sentence contains at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause--- a combination of a compound and a complex sentence. Examples:

To Americans, industriousness, thrift and ambition are positive values. We encourage our children to be competitive, to get ahead, to make money, to acquire possessions. In games and in business alike the aim is to win the game, the trophy, the contract. We go in for labor-saving devices, gadgets, speed and short-cuts. We think every young couple should set up a home of their own, and we pity the couple who must share their home with a parent, let

alone with other relatives. Actually, of course, not all Americans hold all these values, and those who do may hold other, and at times contradictory, values that affect their ways of behaving. In the main, however, the collective expectation of our society is that these are desirable goals, and the individual, whatever his personal inclination, is under considerable pressure to conform. Attention:

Variety in sentence structure is generally required. 3）Loose,Periodic, and Balanced Sentences

From a rhetorical point of view, sentences are loose（松散句）, periodic（圆周句）, or balanced（对偶句）. Examples:

She decided to study English though she was interested in music.

Although she was interested in music, she finally decided to study English.

a. What is a loose sentence and periodic sentence ? A loose sentence puts the main idea before all supplementary information; in other words, it puts first things first, and lets the reader know what is mainly about when he has read the first few words. The reverse arrangement makes a periodic sentences: the main

idea is expressed at or near the end of it, and it is grammatically complete until the end is reached.

从修辞学角度看，句子有松散句、圆周句和对偶句之分。松散句是把主要的意思放在次要的意思之前，先说重要的事情，因而在看到最初的几个词后就知道这句话的意思。圆周句的安排恰好相反，把最重要的意思放在后面，并且直到最后一个词的时候句子的结构才完整。 It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

--Jane Austen

这个句子明显是个圆周句，因为它的结构和意思在最后一个词之前都不完整。这种结构形成意思上的高潮，最后一个词是最重要的一个词，同时由于在这个词之前堆积了很多词，高潮因而很强烈。 He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop (弯腰) of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed-from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull. His voice was deep, loud, and his manner displayed a kind of dogged（顽强的） self-assertion （坚持己见）which had nothing aggressive in it. It seemed a necessity, and it was directed apparently as much at himself as at anybody else. He was spotlessly neat, apparelled（给穿） in immaculate （没有