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Verb and Sentence Types
(One good way to identify the verb or verbs in a sentence is to look for words that show tense.)
Intransitive Verbs
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Intransitive verbs cannot be followed by adjectives, nouns or noun phrases.
Intransitive verbs can be followed by adverbs or adverb phrases.
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Sally sank. (subject + intransitive verb)
Ellen drove frantically. (subject + intransitive verb + adverb)
Gunpowder burns very rapidly. (subject + intransitive + adverb phrase)
Linking Verbs and Forms of Be
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Commonly used linking verbs: appear, become, feel, grow, look, remain, seem, sound, stay, turn
Forms of be: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
Linking verbs and forms of be cannot end sentences and cannot be followed by adverbs.
Linking verbs and forms of be must be followed by nouns, noun phrases, adjectives and adjective
phrases.
To test for a linking verb, substitute a form of be.
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My weekend was a ruin. (subject + linking verb + noun)
Your cat is one smart feline. (subject + linking verb + noun phrase)
Lisa remained asleep. (subject + linking verb + adjective)
George became insufferably conceited. (subject + linking verb + adjective phrase)
Transitive Verbs
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Transitive verbs must be followed by nouns and noun phrases
These nouns and noun phrases do not rename their subjects.
These nouns and noun phrases are called direct objects.
Often, the object of a transitive verb has something “done” to it.
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Betsy bounced the basketball. (subject + transitive verb + direct object)
Francis broke the fragile, fifty-year-old French horn. (subject + transitive verb + direct object)
Sentences with transitive verbs can be turned into passive sentences or sentences that use the passive
voice. It is generally wise to avoid the passive voice.
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The basketball was bounced by Betsy.
The fragile, fifty-year-old French horn was broken by Francis.
Two-Place Transitives: Indirect and Direct Objects
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These transitive verbs are followed by two nouns or noun phrases.
The first noun after the verb is called an indirect object and the second a direct object.
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The Lizard Alliance gave the zoo seven healthy gators. (subject + verb + indirect object + direct object)
These sentences can be rearranged using the prepositions to or for.
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The Lizard Alliance gave seven healthy gators to the zoo.
Two-Place Transitives: Direct Objects and Object Complements
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These transitive verbs are followed first by a noun or noun phrase that functions as a direct object,
then by another noun or noun phrase, an adjective, or an infinitive phrase.
The phrases after the direct objects are called object complements because they complete the
predicate of the sentence by describing or renaming the direct object.
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George considers Tom a smart man. (subject + verb + direct object + object complement)
Spreadsheets make business analysis easy. (subject + verb + direct object + object complement)
Thomas Jefferson considered the Missouri compromise to be the death of the nation. (subject + verb +
direct object + object complement)
Commonly used verbs that take complements: appoint, name, make, think, call, prepare.
Phrases
Prepositional Phrases
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Prepositions always appear in a sentence as the first word of a short phrase. A phrase is a group of
words that makes sense but does not have a subject or a verb.
Prepositional phrases always begin with a preposition and end with an object of the preposition. The
object is always a noun or a pronoun.
Common prepositions:
about
above
around
at
besides
between
except
for
near
of
since
through
up
upon
Compound prepositions:
according to
by means of
in spite of
out of
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across
before
but (except)
from
off
throughout
with
as of
in addition to
instead of
owing to
after
behind
by
in
on
to
within
against
below
concerning
inside
out
toward
without
aside from
in front of
next to
prior to
along
beneath
down
into
over
under
among
beside
during
like
past
until
because of
in place of
on account of
The article about Indian folklore is fascinating.
Agatha Christie was a widely read writer of mysteries.
According to Stephen King, adverbs are untrustworthy.
Participle Phrases
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A participle is a verb form that can function as an adjective and can be placed in various positions in
a sentence.
A present participle is made up of the base form of the verb plus –ing: falling. A past participle is
usually made up of the base form plus –ed: burned.
A participial phrase contains a participle plus any complements and modifiers.
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Knowing the woodlands well, the groups gathered wild fruit. (adjective)
Some of the groups had totem poles decorated with carvings. (adjective)
The dense forests inhabited by these groups have a temperate climate and plentiful rainfall. (adjective)
Gerund Phrases
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A gerund is a verb form that ends in –ing and is used in the same way a noun is used.
A gerund phrase is a gerund plus any complements and modifiers.
The difference between a present participle and a gerund is that a present participle is used as an
adjective and a gerund is used as a noun.
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She is good at remembering trivia. (noun)
Caring for pets is a good way of earning money. (noun)
The most amusing event, catching a greased pig, was the highlight of the fair. (noun)
Infinitive Phrases
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An infinitive is a verb form that is usually preceded by the word to and is used as a noun, an
adjective, or an adverb.
An infinitive phrase is an infinitive plus any complements and modifiers.
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To complete a triathlon is a success in itself. (noun)
One of the most remarkable figures to join the American labor movement was Mary Harris Jones.
(adjective)
Many people worked to piece together the puzzling facts. (adverb)
Dependent Clauses
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A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a
complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence.
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Whenever my cat hears thunder . . .
Dependent markers are words added to the beginning of an independent clause that make it a
dependent clause. (All of the words in the tables below are dependent markers.)
Adjective Clauses
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Adjective clauses begin with the following dependent markers (relative pronouns or relative adverbs).
that
whose
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when
where
which
who
These clauses answer the questions what kind? and which one?
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Henry VIII was a king whose many wives fared badly.
We gave the stray cat, which we found, a bowl of milk.
Anyone who remains calm during a storm will probably be good in an emergency.
Adverb Clauses
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Adverb clauses begin with the following dependent markers (subordinating conjunctions).
after
because
since
until
while
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although
before
so that
when
as
even though
than
whenever
as if
if
though
where
as long as
in order that
unless
wherever
Adverb clauses answer the questions when? where? under what condition? and why?
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Before she gave the assignment, Miss Martin explained the method for review.
Miss Martin explained the method for review before she gave the assignment.
Noun Clauses
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Noun clauses frequently begin with the following dependent markers
how
when
who
why
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if
where
whoever
that
whether
whom
what
which
whomever
whatever
whichever
whose
as if
how
Than
What
Wherever
Who
why
as long as
if
That
Whatever
Whether
Whoever
Noun clauses function as nouns.
 The brochure describes what a tourist can see in Kenya.
Whoever is interested in the past will like the book Foxfire
Dependent Markers
after
because
in order that
Though
When
Which
Whom
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although
before
since
Unless
Whenever
Whichever
Whomever
as
even though
so that
Until
Where
While
Whose
We gave the stray cat, which we found, a bowl of milk.
Before she gave the assignment, Ms. Martin explained the lesson for review.
Ms. Martin explained the lesson for review before she gave the assignment.
The brochure describes what a tourist can see in Kenya.
Whoever is interested in the past will like the book Foxfire.
 Sentence Types
Simple Sentences
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Simple sentences contain one or more subjects and one or more verbs.
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We won! Chippewa, Rice Lake, and Memorial lost. We ran, jumped, and played.
Simple sentences may contain phrases. A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause.
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In the three-way tournament, we won!
Compound Sentences
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Compound sentences contain two independent clauses joined by a coordination conjunction (for,
nor, and, but, or, so, yet) or by a semicolon.
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We won, and they lost. We won; they lost.
Complex Sentences
 Complex sentences contain an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
 When the season ended, our coach bought the team dinner.
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Loose
Loose sentences make complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending because the
subordinate elements come last.
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We reached Vancouver after we had endured a turbulent flight and some very scary experiences.
Periodic
Periodic sentences make sense only when the end of the sentence is reached because the
subordinate elements come first.
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After we had endured a turbulent flight and some scary experiences, we reached Vancouver.
Compound-complex Sentences
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Compound-complex sentences contain two or more independent clauses and one or more
subordinate clauses.
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When the season ended, our coach bought the team dinner, and he presented an award to each player.
Compound Subject
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A compound subject is two or more subjects that have the same verb and are joined by a
conjunction such as and or or.
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Parsley, sage, dill, and rosemary grow in our garden.
Compound Verb
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A compound verb is two or more verbs that have the same subject and are joined by a conjunction
such as and or or.
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Brad Pitt signed autograph books, smiled at his fans, and then departed in a limousine.
Parallel Structure
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Parallel structure refers to a grammatical or structural similarity between sentences or parts of a
sentence. It involves an arrangement of words, phrases, clauses, and paragraphs so that elements
of equal importance are equally developed and similarly phrased.
 Parallel words: The class analyzed, discussed, and questioned the new rules.
 Parallel phrases: Jane loves to swim in the ocean and to water ski at the lake.
 Parallel clauses: We wondered what was in the box, where it came from, who had sent it, and why it had not been
unwrapped.