Why learn grammar?
The purpose of learning subjects and predicates is that subjects and predicates are the two essential components of a complete sentence, a complete thought. Knowing what subjects and predicates are and being able to identify them prevents students from writing run-on sentences and sentence fragments.
The purpose of reading several pages from the text is to gain knowledge or to refresh background knowledge that students have.
The purpose of completing grammar exercises is to put into use the knowledge students read about.
The purpose for creating their own grammar questions is to apply thinking skills of a higher order to their work.
The purpose of sharing their work is to see how someone else either correctly or incorrectly identifies subjects and predicates and to peer review the work of someone else.
The purpose for learning how to identify simple subjects/predicates is that knowing the difference helps with knowing subject/verb agreement, as well as separating the subject or predicate from adjectives and adverbs.
The purposes of identifying the subject(s) in questions, directions, and sentences using inverted-word order are for students to recognize that in sentences that give orders or directions, the subject is understood to be “you”; that in questions, the subject often follows the verb, and that the words “here” and “there” are never the subject of a sentence; that the use of inverted sentences are often designed to bring attention to the last words in the sentence.
The purpose of identifying direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions is for students to realize that the these items complete the meaning of the predicate of a sentence, that they are collectively known as complements, that they are divided into three categories, that complements are not to be confused with phrases or with clauses which are punctuated differently, that complements are never the subject or predicate of a sentence, that complements provide additional information about the subject/predicate, and that complements can be put into the wrong location in a sentence and thereby create a misplaced modifier.
Nouns
Noun: A word that names a person, place, or thing. Nouns give a name to things that can be seen and touched, as well as to things that cannot be seen and touched.
Collective Nouns: A word that names a group, cluster, or collection of items is called a collective noun.
Single and Plural Nouns: Single nouns represent one item (dog). Plural nouns represent more than one item (dogs).
Compound Nouns: A noun that is made up of more than one word is a compound noun. A name such as Uncle Mike is a compound noun. Any group or pair of words that must be combined to name a person, place, or thing is called a compound noun.
Common and Proper Nouns: A common noun names any one item (person, place, or thing) of a group of items (people, places, or things). A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing.
Pronouns
Pronouns: A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or a group of words that acts as a noun.
Antecedents: An antecedent is the noun that the pronoun refers to. In the above example, Mark is the antecedent. His and he are the pronouns. Making the team is the antecedent, and it is the pronoun.
Types of Pronouns
Pronouns are divided into seven groups: personal, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, reflexive, intensive, and indefinite.
Personal Pronouns
Describe the person speaking, being spoken to, or spoken about
Examples: I, me, my, mine, / you, your, yours / he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its / we, us, our, ours / you, your, yours / they, them, their, theirs
Sentence: You and I can go with him and her to the store.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns identify the specific person, place, or thing
Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those, such
Sentence: This is the book I want. I want that book. I like those books. Those are the books I like.
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns connect groups of words to nouns or other pronouns; in other words, relative pronouns connect/relates the subject to the verb in a sentence.
Examples: who, whom, whose, which, that
Sentence: The book that I lost is on the table.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to start a question
Interrogative pronouns: what, which, who, whom, whose
Sentence: Who called?
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns refer to a person, place, or thing but do NOT specify (name) which person, place, or thing. Indefinite pronouns leave the listener confused as to which one, which place, how many, or how much was actually done.
Indefinite pronouns: another, much, some, few, little, many, any, most, nothing, somebody, someone, either, several, etc.
Sentence: I found something.
Verbs
Verbs are the action of a sentence; they convey either the idea of being (of existing) or action of a sentence. Nouns and pronouns tell who or what is either doing that action or doing that existing.
Types of Verbs: (1) Action, (2) Linking, and (3) Helping
Action Verbs: Action verbs tell what action someone or something is performing. Action verbs are either mental or physical, also action verbs are either transitive or intransitive.
Examples: run, swim, hike, talk, sketch, travel, unify, segment, sustain, zoom, think, contemplate, dream, surmise, theorize, imagine
Verb or NOT Verb? Answer: The suffix -ing can be added to verbs and the new word makes sense
Action Verbs: Mental or Physical?
Action verbs can be classified as mental actions or physical actions (either the action can be seen or not seen). Mental action verbs: thinking, wishing, day dreaming. Physical action verbs: running, throwing, steering. If any part of the action can be done without physical movement, then the verb is classified as mental, not physical; counting is a mental action. Even though counting can be done as a physical action, such as counting on one’s fingers, it is classified as mental because the the action can be done in one’s head without physical movement.
Action Verbs: Transitive or Intransitive?
Action verbs are classified as transitive or intransitive--either the action (the energy of the verb) is transferred to the predicate or it remains with the subject. [A sentence has two parts: the subject, the predicate. The subject, fish, does an action, swam. The part of the sentence with the action is called the predicate. Fish swam is a sentence.]
Transitive verbs ask/answer the question who or what (Trans = who, what)
Intransitive verbs ask/answer the question where, when, how, why (Intrans = where, when, how, why)
Transitive Verbs:
Example of transitive verb: Steve smells flowers. Steve smells what? Answer: flowers.
Intransitive Verbs:
Example of intransitive verb: Steve smells stinky. How does Steve smell? Answer stinky.
Transitive verbs are action verbs.
Intransitive verbs are action verbs.
Action verbs are either transitive or intransitive.
Linking Verbs: Linking verbs connect words at the beginning of sentence with other words at the end of a sentence.
Example: My birthday present [LINKING VERB] a video game =
Action Verb or Linking Verb: Some verbs can work as either linking or action: appear, feel, look, seem, sound, tast, turn, stay, smell, remain, grow, become
How can a person determine if the verb is action or linking? Substitute any linking verb for the verb in question
LINKING:
Bob smells stinking.
If another linking verb can work in the sentence, then the verb in question is a linking verb. LINKING VERBS: If one works, all work.
ACTION:
Bob smells flowers.
If another linking verb does NOT work in the sentence, then the verb in question is a action verb. ACTION VERBS
Helping Verbs: Helping verbs always go with action verbs. NOT ALL action verbs need helping verbs. ALL helping verbs need action verbs. English has 23 helping verbs: can, could, have, has, had, am, are, do, does, did, be, being, been, shall, should, will, would, was, is, may, might, must.
The words used for helping verbs are the same that are used for linking verbs. They are used as EITHER helping OR linking, but NEVER as BOTH.
Helping Verb or Linking Verb: Look at what comes after the helping / linking verb. If that word is a noun, then the verb is linking. If that word is another verb, then the verb is helping.
Linking Verb: I had cats.
noun linking verb noun
Helping Verb: I had arrived.
(noun) (helping verb) (main verb)
Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns: red chair, cold chair, this chair, several chairs
Adjectives provide four types of information about a noun:
Adjectives describe the kind or type of noun, as well as the amount or number of noun.
Adjectives describe the noun or pronoun’s kind, type, amount, or number.
Some adjectives need commas, some don't. Use a comma if the word AND can go between the adjectives. The words happy, short, and very, are all adjectives.
We had a short, very happy vacation.
Correct: We had a short and very happy vacation.
Incorrect: We had a short, very and happy vacation.
The Royal Order of Adjectives Worksheet.
Adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Adverbs that describe verbs provide four types of information about the verb
Adverbs that describe adjectives or other adverbs provide information about one thing: to what extent. Adverbs used this way describe the extent to which something happened.
Compliments
Direct Objects: Direct Objects always go with an action verb. Action verbs do NOT always have a direct object, but a direct object can NOT exist without an action verb.
Must have a transitive action verb
Action verb
intransitive Bob read at night
transitive Bob read a book
Linking verb: Bob is tall (tall is a predicate adjective, answer Bob is what?)
Direct Object: a noun or pronoun
answers question whom or what
Indirect object answers for or to whom OR for or to what
I told him the story
subj transitive action verb I.O. D.O.
Indirect Object: Indirect Objects always go with and in front of a direct object. Direct objects do NOT always have an indirect objects, but an indirect object can NOT exist without a direct object.
Direct Object or Object of Preposition?
Susan sang Julie a lullaby
I.O. D.I.
The crowd gave the referee a mock cheer for his bad call
I.O. D.O. Prep.
Prepositional Phrase
“call” is object of preposition
Phrase
A phrase has NOT enough words to be a complete sentence.
Prepositional Phrase: a group of words that is not enough words to be a complete sentence and the first word is a preposition.
Prepositions
Prepositions: to, in, on, up, under, next to, of, before, down, above through, near
The carton of eggs at the bottom of the bag was crushed.
Clause
A group of words that has both a subject and predicate. TWO types of clauses exist: INDEPENDENT and DEPENDENT.
Dependent Clauses (also called a subordinate clause) is a group of words that COULD be a sentence but have one too-many words: while I went home is an example. "I went home" is a sentence. "While I went home" is NOT a sentence. A dependent clause always begins with a subordinate conjunctions. These are subordinate conjunctions:
Sentence Types
Simple: subject and predicate (you have ONE sentence)
Compound: subject and predicate; subject 2 and predicate 2 (you have MORE THAN ONE sentence that shares the end mark)
Complex: add a subordinate clause to either a simple or a compound sentence (you have a simple sentence WITH a clause)
A sentence is either simple or compound.
A sentence is either complex or not complex
Subordinate Clause: after I arrived
“after” is a subordinate conjunction
“I arrived” is a complete sentence
“after I arrived” is NOT a complete sentence
Simple Sentence: The dog barked. NO COMMA
Simple Complex Sentence: The dog barked after I arrived. USE COMMA IF DEPENDENT CLAUSE COMES FIRST
Compound Sentence: The dog barked, and the cat meowed. USE [COMMA and COORDINATING CONJUNCTION] BETWEEN INDEPENDENT CLAUSES
Compound Complex Sentence: The dog barked, and the cat meowed after I arrived. USE [COMMA and COORDINATING CONJUNCTION] BETWEEN INDEPENDENT CLAUSES
Warning--Simple Complex sentences are called “complex.” The “simple” part of its name is left out.
Complements
Transitive Verb complements:
Linking Verb complements:
Linking verb complements are collectively called “subject complement.” English has two:
Simple: Has one independent clause--one full thought
Simple complex: Full thought + incomplete thought
Compound: Has two independent clauses--two full thoughts
Comp. Complex: Full thought + Full thought + incomplete thought
Main idea Main idea Main idea Minor idea
, for while
, and since
, nor because
The cat ate , but the dog slept. The cat ate although the dog slept
, or after
, yet when
, so until
Minor idea Main idea
While
Since
Because
Although the dog slept , the cat ate.
After
When
Until
Phrase: Not a full thought, missing subject or missing predicate or missing both subject and predicate
Clause: Has both subject and predicate
Dependent Clause: Not a full thought: while the cat slept
Independent Clause: Is a full thought: The dog slept
Simple sentence: One independent clause: The dog slept
Compound sentence: Two independent clauses (two simple sentences) put together:
The cat slept, and the dog slept.
The cat slept; the dog slept.
All sentences that are “complex” have a dependent clause. The only reason that they are called “complex” is because they have a dependent clause.
Simple Complex: One independent clause and one dependent clause:
While the cat slept, the dog slept.
The dog slept while the cat slept.
Compound Complex: Two independent clauses and one dependent clause
The dog slept, and the cat slept while the mouse ate.
The dog slept, and while the mouse ate, the cat slept.
The cat slept while the mouse ate, and the dog slept.
While the mouse ate, the cat slept, and the dog slept.
Phrases
A phrase is a group of words that function in a sentence as a single part of speech. Phrases do not contain a subject or a verb. A phrase has too few words to be a full sentence.
Prepositional Phrase: A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun called the object of the preposition. He walked to the school.
Prepositional phrases can act like adjectives or like adverbs:
Adjective Phrase: An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun by telling what kind or which one.
Resources:
Capital Community College Foundation One of the best and most comprehensive sources.
Daily Language Practice
Write these sentences. Copy / paste these, then do what it says. Always put in bold complete independent clauses, underline dependent clauses, and bracket [prepositional phrases].
Use different subject / predicates. Save as "16 Sentences." Use your other document titled, "10 Sentences" as a resource. Create new sentences.
Grammar Test
Paste these questions onto a new document. Answer these questions.