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Grammar Lessons – Week 5
A review of clauses – their parts and
their types.
Day 1 – Parts of a Clause
• There are two types of word groups in any
given sentence:
– Clauses
– Phrases
• What makes a clause different from a phrase
is that it has both a subject and a verb.
• When identifying the subject and verb, look
for the action, and who / what is performing
it. Usually, these are the subject and verb.
Day 1 – Parts of a Clause
– CLAUSE: The man went to the store.
– CLAUSE: The lady thought.
– CLAUSE: Gilbert ate an apple.
– PHRASE: To the store. (NO SUBJECT, NO VERB)
– PHRASE: The big blue boat (NO VERB)
– PHRASE: Walking alone (NO SUBJECT, potential verb
if you add a helping verb)
Day 1 – Like Verbs, But Not
• Exceptions – Some things are built with verbs, but are not verbs anymore.
These things are called verbals. Avoid labeling these the verb of the
sentence:
– Gerunds – Verb + ing – Acts like a noun.
• Ex: I like swimming.
• Note here swimming is an activity, an idea, a thing I like, not a thing I’m doing right now.
– Participles – Verb + ing or +ed – Acts like adjective
• Ex: My swimming trunks.
• Obviously, my trunks aren’t performing the action swim all by themselves. Swimming is
the type of trunks they are. It’s describing them, like an adjective would.
• Ex: He ate shredded beef.
• What type of beef is it? It’s shredded. We’re not performing the action, just describing
how the beef looks (by how it got that way).
– Infinitives – To + Verb
• Ex: To dance, to sing, to jump, to run
• These are never the verb of the sentence.
• These are also easy to confuse with prep phrases, but are not prep phrases. Always
check to see if there’s a verb after the to.
Day 2 – Recapping
• Yesterday, we talked about clauses – word
groups that have a subject and a verb.
• We also talked about gerunds, participles, and
infinitives – built with verbs, but not verbs
anymore. Don’t confuse them for the main
verb of the sentence.
• Today, we’ll talk about implied subjects.
Day 2 – Implied Subjects
• In most clauses, the subject and the verb are right there in
the sentence.
• When you’re directly addressing someone, however, the
subject (you) is implied.
• Examples
– Go to the store! (You go to the store!)
– Get me a chicken. (You get me a chicken.)
– Stop driving so fast! (You stop driving so fast.)
Notice how all of these are obviously to a person (you) but the
word is not necessarily there. You could add the word you and
it would still be correct, but we don’t usually do that in actual
conversation. You could also add the person’s name, if you
know it. Again, we don’t always do this.
Day 2 – Practice with S and V
• Let’s label the subjects and verbs in these
sentences. If the subject is an implied you,
state that instead:
– Wumpus bit the man.
– Flapjack jumped into the pool.
– Get Flapjack out of the pool!
– The pool is not for dogs.
– Clean the pool afterward.
Day 3 – Recap
• Yesterday, we talked about clauses – word
groups that have a subject and a verb.
• We also talked about gerunds, participles, and
infinitives – built with verbs, but not verbs
anymore. Don’t confuse them for the main
verb of the sentence.
• Furthermore, we discussed implied subjects,
like you in direct address.
• Today, we’ll talk about objects.
Day 3 – Direct Objects and Indirect
Objects
• Typically, subjects perform the action, and the
verb is the action.
• When a sentence has an action verb, it will
occasionally (but not always) have an object –
the thing receiving the action.
• Examples:
– I ate the cheeseburger.
– Wumpus caught the ball.
– Flapjack wanted the dog food.
Day 3 – Direct and Indirect Objects
• Objects can be direct or indirect:
– I gave the money to the cashier.
– She gave me the change.
– Note how the sentence does/gives thing one to thing
two.
– Thing being given and thing that receives it.
• Let’s practice – find the direct and indirect
objects:
– Rocky punched the beef.
– Floober gave the steak to the customer.
– Show me the money!
Day 4 – Recapping
•
•
•
•
•
Clauses vs Phrases
Subjects – Implied and not
Verbs
Verbals
Direct and Indirect Objects
• Now, we’re going to bring back something we
went over a while ago and add it to the mix:
predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives.
Day 4 – DO, IO, PA, PN
• Action verbs take direct objects and, sometimes,
indirect objects.
• A subject performs an action, and the object
receives the action.
– I want cheese.
– Wumpus bites toy burgers.
• Linking verbs, however, take predicate adjectives
or predicate nominatives.
• Here, the subject equals the predicate. We’re
equating the subject with a state of being.
Day 4 - Practice
• Let’s try finding them, together:
– When Gilbert sat in his comfy chair, he wanted
both a book and a cup of coffee.
– Whether you use Italian dressing or balsamic
vinaigrette, the salad will still be tasty.
– Neither the pig nor the sheep knew what to say.
– When you get to the castle, you’ll either have to
open the draw-bridge or scale the walls.