single sentences

Language

2022

We explain what single-member sentences are, their types and various examples. Also, what are bimembres sentences.

Single-member sentences consist of a single phrase.

What are single sentences?

From the perspective of syntax sentence, a unimembre sentence (that is, of a single member) is one that consists of a single phrase, that is, that cannot be divided between subject Y predicate. Usually in it a subject cannot be recognized, or because they completely lack verb.

Generally, this type of prayers are usually composed of a substantive construction, by a adverb alone or a short verbal construction, either conjugated or unconjugated (verboids). Traditionally they were known as "phrases."

They should never be confused with tacit subject sentences (those in which the subject is not explicit, but is inferred) or elided verb (those in which the verb is not explicit, but is inferred).

Single-member sentences usually contain simple, succinct and little elaborate content, which we use daily as a response, comment or expression in different situations.

Types of single sentence

Single sentences can be classified depending on the content they present, as follows:

Nominals, composed only of nominal, adjectival or adverbial phrases with predication (that is, capable of transmitting a concept or an idea). For example: "Entrance", to indicate where to enter a premises; or "What a dreadful day!" To complain about how bad the day has been

Impersonal, those that have a verb phrase, but the verb is not conjugated, so that there is not really a verbal person. These sentences, in turn, may consist of:

  • Atmospheric expressions, in which the verb is alone or accompanied by an adverb. For example: "It's raining heavily" or "It's pouring."
  • Temporal expressions, in which allusion is made to the time or the hour, and that use the verb ser / estar. For example: "It's 5 o'clock" or "It's late."
  • Expressions with haber or do, when this verb is used as synonymous to "exist". For example: "There is a lot of traffic" or "It's hot."

Vocatives, when they consist of appellatives, that is, terms to attract the attention of the recipient of the message. For example: "Thank you!" Oh my love!".

By interjection, they consist of expressions and set phrases, often onomatopoeia, that have the role of expressing an emotional state. For example: "Oh, my mother!" or "Whoops!"

Examples of single sentences

Here are some examples of single sentences:

  • "Today it is going to rain"
  • "For example"
  • "What sunshine!"
  • "My love?"
  • "It's getting late!"
  • "Why me?"
  • "What a bad leg!"
  • "Whoops!"
  • "Oh no?"
  • "Stop there!"
  • "How?"
  • "It was necessary to operate immediately."
  • "There are few people outside."
  • "Up, up, come on!"
  • "It's morning."
  • "All good."

Text with single sentences

It is possible, despite its limitations, to construct a text using only single sentences, and to preserve the meaning of what has been said. Here's a sample:

Dawns Today it will be cold. But it does not matter, to get up. At home, everything in order: food, coffee, shower, clothes. Button, elevator. Button, ground floor. How cold. Terrible coat, the ones on offer. Slow, deep breathing when coming out. The door. Nobody on the street. Nobody at all. Shaking chills. On the corner, the bus stop. No one. What's the matter? Up the street, desert too. Not a sound. The wind is nothing more, icy, like a morgue. What a fright. Suddenly, two detonations. Birds, flying, in the distance. The end of the world, maybe?

Bimembres prayers

Contrary to single-member sentences, whose content can be seen as partial or incomplete, double-member sentences are those that have both a subject and a predicate, clearly identifiable (although sometimes the subject may be tacit, that is, inferred).

These are the "complete" sentences, endowed with a conjugated verb and always respond to a bipartition into two large phrases. For example: in the sentence "My mother prepared cheese patties yesterday", we have a subject (my mother) and a predicate (yesterday made cheese patties).

Pass a sentence from one to two

Since single sentences lack the information necessary to become bimembres, it is only possible to go from the first to the second by adding the missing content.

This implies making a new sentence, which in some cases can say the same thing: "It's cold" can be equivalent to "I'm cold", but in other cases it is impossible to retrieve the contextual information of phrases like "Whoops!" or "It rains" and endow them with a corresponding subject and predicate.

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