English Upgrading

Sentences

What is a Sentence?

Identifying Sentences and Fragments

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.

A fragment does not express a complete thought. You can turn a fragment into a sentence by completing the thought.

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All of the following groups of words are fragments. On a piece of paper, turn each fragment into a sentence by adding information that completes the thought. To tell which information to add, answer the question after the fragment.

For example:

Fragmented: Went on a job interview. (Who went on a job interview?)

Corrected: The man went on a job interview.

After, click the arrow to compare your answers ( your answers may be different, that's okay as long as fix the sentence.)------>

Described the job, salary, and benefits.(Who described the job, salary, and benefits?)
The person who was hired.(What would the person who was hired be doing?)
The salary.(What was the salary?)
Receive group health insurance.(Who receive group health insurance?)
Was hired for the job.(Who was hired for the job?)
Felt happy.(Who felt happy and why?)

The interviewer described the job, salary, and benefits.
The person who was hired would be working on a computer.
The salary was $300 a week.
All full-time employees receive group health insurance.
The man was hired for the job.
He felt happy because he liked working on the computer.

Types of Sentences

There are four types of sentences.

Statement: A statement gives information.
Command: A command tells someone to do something.
Question: A question asks something.
Exclamation: An exclamation shows strong feeling.

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Finding the Subject in a Sentence

To find the subject of a sentence, look for the verb. Then ask, Who or what is performing the action? Who or what is the sentence about?

Directions: On a piece of paper write out these sentences. Mark a (V) after verb. Then mark an S after the subject.

For Example: Farmers(S) work(V) very hard.

1. Machines help farmers do their jobs.

2. A tractor is an important piece of farm equipment.

3. Plows are heavy machines with blades.

4. The blades loosen the soil.

5. Crops need certain foods for growth.

6. Fertilizers are plant food.

7. Farmers spread fertilizers on the soil.

8. Some insects ruin crops.

9. The locust eats plant leaves.

10. Scientists developed chemicals for killing pests.

11. Some pesticides were poisonous to other living things.

12. People want safer methods of protecting crops.

Click the arrow to right to check your answers below-------------------------------------->

1. Machines(s) help(v)

2. tractor (s) is(v)

3. Plows(s) are(v)

4. blades(s) loosen(v)

5. Crops(s) need(v)

6. Fertilizers(s) are(v)

7. Farmers(s) spread(v)

8. insects(s) ruin(v)

9. locust(s) eats(v)

10. Scientists(s) developed(v)

11. pesticides(s) were(v)

12. People(s) want(v)

Predicates

Action and Linking Predicates

The predicate of a sentence tells what the subject does or is. To find the predicate, look for an action verb or a linking verb. There is always a verb in the predicate.

Action Predicate: Tony baked fudge cookies.

Linking Predicate: The cookies were delicious.

Verb form and tense

Verb tenses tell when an action happens. The present tense is used to show that something takes place regularly.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Add the letter s to the end of a present tense verb when it goes with one of these subjects: he, she, it. Do not add ans when the verb goes with one of these subjects: I, you, we, they.