In this article, we will analyze the sentence structure of the phrase ‘No one is born knowing a language, but we do come into the world with a sense of touch’. This sentence is a good example of how English sentences are constructed, and breaking it down will help you better understand how to build similar sentences.
Breaking Down the Sentence Structure
The sentence ‘No one is born knowing a language, but we do come into the world with a sense of touch’ can be split into two main clauses. The first clause is ‘No one is born knowing a language’, and the second clause is ‘but we do come into the world with a sense of touch’.
First Clause: ‘No one is born knowing a language’
This clause is a simple sentence, with ‘No one’ as the subject and ‘is born’ as the verb. The phrase ‘knowing a language’ functions as a present participle phrase that modifies ‘no one’ and explains what the subject is born doing. This structure emphasizes the idea that no one inherently possesses the knowledge of a language from birth.
Second Clause: ‘but we do come into the world with a sense of touch’
The second clause starts with the coordinating conjunction ‘but’, linking it to the first clause. The subject ‘we’ is followed by ‘do come’, which is the verb phrase in the present tense, emphasizing the action of coming into the world. The prepositional phrase ‘with a sense of touch’ adds more information about how ‘we’ come into the world, focusing on the inherent ability to sense touch from birth.
Summary: Sentence Structure in English
In this sentence, we see a combination of a simple sentence and a coordinating conjunction that connects two independent clauses. The first clause uses a subject-verb construction with a present participle phrase, while the second clause emphasizes the subject’s action using the verb ‘do come’ to give it extra emphasis. By understanding the components of this sentence, you can improve your understanding of English grammar and sentence structure.
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