Super Sentences! Clarifying the parts and the structure of English sentences

Super Sentences! Clarifying the parts and the structure of English sentences

Today s program 1. Pre-Quiz 2. The Parts of Speech 3. Sentence Patterns 4. Phrases & Clauses 5. Kinds of Sentences 6. Post-Quiz 7. Q & A 8. Workshop Evaluation

The Parts of Speech

There are 8 parts if speech. What are they? What do you know about them?

Verbs Go!

Adverbs (place and time) Go there now!

Adverbs (manner) Go there quickly!

Nouns Kato bought a car.

Pronouns He drove the car.

Prepositions He hit a tree with his car.

Conjunctions He wasn t injured, but the car was totaled.

Adjectives Kato was lucky.

(He had insurance!)

Interjections Boy-oh-boy! was all he could say.

Sentence Patterns

What is a sentence? A group of words that has a subject a predicate a complete thought a final punctuation mark The best things in life are free.

Subject WHO or WHAT the sentence is about Sam read a book. (WHO did it?) The book was fabulous! (WHAT was fabulous?) Subjects can be nouns, pronouns, infinitives, gerunds, or clauses.

Predicate Tells about the subject Contains a verb and all its modifiers Sam read a book. (WHAT did Sam DO?) The book was fabulous! (HOW was the book?) There are 3 types of verbs: Action Linking Auxiliary

Action Verbs: 2 types Intransitive Doesn t have an object. It rained. She is working. Transitive An object follows the verb. Kato bought a car. (Kato bought WHAT?)

Linking Verbs Be and others, especially those involving the 5 senses Connect the subject and the complement. Is like an = sign. Dogs are good pets. George looks sad. Pizza tastes delicious. (Dogs = good pets) (George = sad) (pizza = delicious)

Auxiliary Verbs Often called helping verbs Add meaning to the main verb Bob was sleeping in class. He has lived in Nanaimo for a year. (show tense and aspect) You should go if you can. (also called modals )

Sentence Patterns S-V S-V-A S-V-C S-V-O S-V-O-A S-V-IO-O (intransitive verb) (verb with adverb) (intransitive verb with complement) (transitive verb with object) (transitive verb ) (transitive verb with indirect and direct objects) There/It-V-S (linking verb followed by subject)

S-V Subject Verb She left. The snow is falling. It works!

S-V-A Subject Verb Adverb Fay went upstairs. The test took three hours

S-V-C Subject Verb Complement Yuki is cute. Wonshik looks tired. The soup tastes great. The test was very difficult.

S-V-O Subject Verb Object George studies English. Sarah cooked dinner. Obama won the election.

S V O A Subject Verb Object Adverb She wore her dress all night. Our boss kept the money in her office. They bought sunglasses at the mall. Kids today understand technology perfectly.

S-V-IO-O Subject Verb Indirect Object Object The police officer gave Alan a ticket. (Or: The police officer gave a ticket to Alan.) S V O IO Sarah baked her husband a cake. Mark bought his wife a new car.

There/It-V-S There/It Linking Verb Subject There are activities on Fridays. (Activities are on Fridays.) It was nice to meet you. (To meet you was nice.) Note: Only use a linking verb. Do not use have.

Once more: Sentence Patterns S-V (intransitive verb) S-V-A (verb with adverb) S-V-C (intransitive verb) S-V-O (transitive verb with object) S-V-O-A (transitive verb ) S-V-IO-O (transitive verb + objects) There/It-V-S (linking verb)

Phrases and Clauses

What is a phrase? A group of words that belongs together which is missing a subject or verb or both a very good student on the desk after class to improve his English drinking with my friends (Here, drinking is a gerund, not a verb.)

What is a clause? A group of words that: has a subject has a verb might not be a complete thought on its own doesn t necessarily include a final punctuation mark

Two Kinds of Clauses Independent clause (like a sentence expresses a complete thought) Matty works out every day. Dependent clause (does not express a compete thought) because he loves it

Connecting Clauses If you don t connect clauses correctly, you could end up with two things English teachers HATE! a fragment Because he loves it. a run-on sentence ( run ons ) Ming loves movies he watches one every day.

How to avoid fragments and run-ons 1. Separate sentences with appropriate punctuation. 2. Use coordination. 3. Use subordination.

Separate Sentences Use final punctuation: a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. (?! ) Ensure that each new subject (noun, noun phrase, or pronoun) heads its own sentence unless you are using a conjunction (and, but, or, because, if ) Ming loves movies. He watches one every day.

Coordination Connects independent clauses to other independent clauses. There are 3 ways to co-ordinate independent clauses:

1. Use a comma (,) and a coordinating conjunction for and nor but or yet so Ming loves movies, so he watches one every day.

2. Use a semicolon (;) Ming loves movies; he watches one every day.

3. Use a semicolon (;)followed by a conjunctive adverb and, then, by a comma (,) however furthermore moreover therefore for example in fact etc Ming loves movies; therefore, he watches one every day.

Subordination Connects a dependent clause to an independent clause with a subordinating conjunction.

Subordinating Conjunctions after because before even though if since until although when while unless etc Independent clause + dependent clause Ming watches movies every day because he is a film student. Dependent clause + comma + independent clause Because Ming is a film student, he watches a movie a day.

Kinds of Sentences Simple Compound Complex Compound-complex

Simple One independent clause Ming went to the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Compound Two independent clauses Connect them with coordination. Remember the three ways to do that? Ming went to the VIFF, and he saw over forty films. (Note: Ming went to the VIFF and saw over forty films.) Ming had a great time at the VIFF; he saw over forty films. Ming watched over forty films, yet he was not able to see all the movies he wanted to.

Complex ONE independent clause and at least ONE dependent clause Ming went to the VIFF after he had completed his first year of film studies. After he had completed his first year of film studies, Ming went to the VIFF.

Compound-complex At least TWO independent clauses and at least ONE dependent clause Ming preferred the independent films, but he saw one big-studio film, which he really liked. It was directed by a woman who had previously made low-budget films, so this was her first foray into major film making.

Finally... Understanding the parts and the structure of English sentences will help you read and write more clearly!

Clear thinking becomes clear writing. (William Zinsser in On Writing Well)