Teaching grammar has both roses and thorns. The thorns: Many very good writers aren't that versed in grammar, it's abstract and not easy when it's presented to some people young and not so young (some students will continue not to get it year after year), it feels analytical and reductive, focused more on the sentence level, and not connected to larger elements such as paragraphs, essays and literature itself, it's not a focus on the MCAS, except for possibly one question a year, and teachers tend to teach what they know or find comfortable, or they assume it's already been taught and not in their mandate. (These have been, at varying points in my teaching life, my issues with it, too.)
Yet (the roses...and this is why I like teaching grammar to 8th+ graders), grammar instruction can eventually move from parts of speech to parts of sentences, with the clauses and phrase patterns that you'll see in this activity below. Here grammar can verge and merge with creative writing and the important concept of variety in sentence patterns. The literary phrases -- the absolute or zoom phrase, and the present and past participial phrases -- don't necessarily come naturally. Either we read a lot and absorb them osmotically, or we study them and learn how and when to use them effectively.
And to be fair about teaching parts of speech, you need to know them to understand that phrases and clauses can act as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, so you need to know how parts of speech operate and what questions they answer. Also, grammar is the more mathematical side of the language, the left brain side, so studying it may have a value in terms of brain integration. It presents puzzles for us that can be solved, showing there is an inherent order in our language.
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The English language has a variety of phrase and clause patterns that most of us as writers employ almost unconsciously. Studying them make us more conscious of them and able to use them resourcefully. Some of these phrase patterns are more "literary" in style (the participial and zoom/absolute phrases, especially), so those of us who read a lot are more likely to pick them up and use them in our writing.
We will study (to some degree) these phrase patterns:
prepositional phrase
verb phrase
noun phrase / appositive phrase
infinitive phrase
past participial phrase
present participial phrase
absolute phrase (zoom phrase)
gerund phrase
We will also study (to some degree) these clause patterns:
adjective clause
adverb clause
noun clause
As our review of these phrase and clause patterns comes to a close, I had students apply their knowledge of these phrases to their own areas of interest and encourage them to come up with an I-Movie or Powerpoint presentation of their writing.
Here are David's sentences on his baseball hero, Stephen Strasburg, on a YouTube video that he put together. The sentences are also printed out below the video, too. I appreciate David's knowledge and passion for his sport -- he clearly has a familiarity with the colorful language or jargon of baseball. David also suggested the project, so he gets big-time kudos for that.
Verb Phrases: The verb phrase is composed of the helping verb(s) plus the main verb. It can have a maximum of four words (three helping verbs plus one main verb) and does not include any adverbs. This verb phrase has two helping verbs (had been) and a main verb (warming). 'Up' is an adverb, although 'warming up' is an idiom, so it's hard to separate out.
Before his first Major League start, Stephen Strasburg HAD BEEN WARMING up in the bullpen.
Prepositional phrase: The prepositional phrase is ubiquitous and is scattered like grass seed in our writing. It begins with a preposition, ends with an object; it never has the subject and verb in it, so it supplies extra information outside the "sentence core" (subject and verb). The sentence can "survive" without them without being fragmentary, but prepositional phrases provide important descriptive elements in our writing. Here "after" is the preposition and "hype" is the object of the preposition; "all that" are modifiers. AFTER ALL THAT HYPE, baseball fans only hoped that Strasburg was as good as advertised.
Present Participial Phrase: The present participial phrase begins with a present participle [a verb ending in 'ing' -- here it's 'creeping'] and is followed by an object and or modifiers. Here 'creeping' is followed by a prepositional phrase. The entire phrase acts as an adjective and modifies a nearby noun. Participles are verbals; since they are formed from verbs, they retain their "verbishness" and can take objects. Strasburg’s slurve, CREEPING OUT OF THE STRIKE ZONE, got the Pirates’ hitters to chase and strike out.
Past Participial Phrase: The past participial phrase begins with a past participle [a verb usually ending in 'ed' -- here it's 'stifled'] and is followed by an object and or modifiers. Here 'stifled' is followed by a prepositional phrase. The entire phrase acts as an adjective and modifies a nearby noun. Participles are verbals; since they are formed from verbs, they retain their "verbishness" and can take objects.: The Pirates, STIFLED BY STRASBURG’S ARSENAL, had no choice but to “wave the white flag.”
Gerund Phrase: The gerund phrase begins with a present participal functioning as a noun [subject or object] and is followed by an object or other modifiers. Here it is 'winding.' Gerunds are "verbals," which means they are verbs functioning as other parts of speech; verbals still retain their verb-like qualities, so they can, like verbs, have objects.
For Stephen Strasburg, WINDING UP FOR THAT FIRST PITCH must have been exhilarating.
Infinitive Phrase: The infinitive phrase begins with an infinitive. Here it is 'to win.' It is followed by an object [since it still retains its "verbishness"] and/or modifiers; it can function as a noun (as it does here) or an adjective or an adverb.
The goal of the San Diego State star was TO WIN HIS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE START.
Zoom (Absolute) Phrase: The zoom phrase, more technically called the Absolute phrase, often "zooms" in on part of the main subject [here it's zooming from the entire Strasburg to "arms and legs"]. It is not a full clause because it has an incomplete or no verb. Usually it's missing a helping verb. [here it doesn't say "his arms and legs were lanky...]
Strasburg, HIS ARMS AND LEGS LANKY BUT STRONG, was a prime prospect throughout the amateur ranks.
Appositive Phrase: The appositive [renaming] phrase is really a noun phrase [a noun plus modifiers], but it is in "apposition," which means it is positioned right next to another noun that it renames or gives more information about.
The Nationals, ONE OF BASEBALL’S SMARTEST ORGANIZATIONS, limited the Young Gun to around 90 pitches in his first start.
Adverb Clause: The adverb clause is first a clause, so it has a subject and verb. It is dependent on a main clause [fragmentary on its own]. It functions as an adverb, answering questions such as when, where, how, or why. Adjective clauses often begin with subordinating conjunctions such as 'after, before, until, when, as, because, if'...
BECAUSE THE FANS ARE SO EXCITED, they constantly cheer on their new favorite National.
Adjective Clause: The adjective clause is a clause, so it has a subject and a verb. It's dependent [fragmentary on its own] and it modifies a noun, so it functions as an adjective. Here the clause modifies the noun "tally."
Strasburg, WHO EVENTUALLY SETTLED DOWN, began to paint the corners and strike hitters out.
Thanks, David! You rock!
Here are Aren's sentences on his soccer hero, Wayne Rooney, on a YouTube video that he put together. The sentences are also printed out below the video, with a brief description of the phrase and clause patterns. I appreciate Aren's knowledge and passion for his sport, soccer, and how he applied that to our grammar / creative writing activity, coupling that with his familiarity with technology so he could share his thoughts and feelings with us and a wider audience:
Verb Phrases: The verb phrase is composed of the helping verb(s) plus the main verb. It can have a maximum of four words (three helping verbs plus one main verb) and does not include any adverbs.
Before Wayne Rooney HAD BECOME a star, he HAD BEEN CONSIDERED to be the future of English football.
Adverb Clause: The adverb clause is first a clause, so it has a subject and verb. It is dependent on a main clause [fragmentary on its own]. It functions as an adverb, answering questions such as when, where, how, or why. Adjective clauses often begin with subordinating conjunctions such as 'after, before, until, when, as, because, if'...
WHEN I FIRST SAW WAYNE ROONEY, I knew he was an amazing talent.
Prepositional phrase: (3 in this sentence, actually) The prepositional phrase is ubiquitous and is scattered like grass seed in our writing. It begins with a preposition, ends with an object; it never has the subject and verb in it, so it supplies extra information outside the "sentence core" (subject and verb). The sentence can "survive" without them without being fragmentary, but prepositional phrases provide important descriptive elements in our writing. (AFTER HIS MOVE) (TO MANCHESTER UNITED), Wayne Rooney blossomed INTO AN ELITE PLAYER.
Gerund Phrase: The gerund phrase begins with a present participal functioning as a noun [subject or object] and is followed by an object or other modifiers. Gerunds are "verbals," which means they are verbs functioning as other parts of speech; verbals still retain their verb-like qualities, so they can, like verbs, have objects.
When he gets a through ball, SHOOTING AT GOAL is Wayne Rooney’s natural instinct.
Zoom (Absolute) Phrase: The zoom phrase, more technically called the Absolute phrase, often "zooms" in on part of the main subject [here it's zooming from the entire Wayne to "leg"]. It is not a full clause because it has an incomplete or no verb. Usually it's missing a helping verb. [here it doesn't say "his leg was winding up...]
Wayne Rooney took the ball, HIS LEG WINDING UP FOR THE SHOT.
Present Participial Phrase: The present participial phrase begins with a present participle [a verb ending in 'ing' -- here it's 'sliding'] and is followed by an object and or modifiers [here sliding is followed by two prepositional phrases]. The entire phrase acts as an adjective and modifies a nearby noun. Participles are verbals; since they are formed from verbs, they retain their "verbishness" and can take objects.
His celebration, SLIDING ACROSS THE GRASS ON HIS KNEES, captivates fans around the world.
Infinitive Phrase: The infinitive phrase begins with an infinitive, and is followed by an object [since it still retains its "verbishness"] and/or modifiers; it can function as a noun (as it does here) or an adjective or an adverb.
Wayne Rooney’s goal is TO BRING THE WORLD CUP back to England.
Appositive Phrase: The appositive [renaming] phrase is really a noun phrase [a noun plus modifiers], but it is in "apposition," which means it is positioned right next to another noun that it renames or gives more information about. His jersey, THE NUMBER 10, is typically given to the best player on the team.
Present Participial Phrase #2: SCORING 9 GOALS IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING, Wayne Rooney led England to 27 points.
Adjective Clause: The adjective clause is a clause, so it has a subject and a verb. It's dependent [fragmentary on its own] and it modifies a noun, so it functions as an adjective. Here the clause modifies the noun "tally."
Wayne Rooney’s goal tally, WHICH IS GROWING EVERY YEAR, is going to be even higher next year.
Thanks, Aren!
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