Download Sentence Patterns #1-17

SeNTeNCe PaTTeRNs
#1 STrONg, aCTiVE VErBS
—  Any form of the word “be” is overused (see,
just did it).
—  Using “be” is called passive voice.
—  Active voice involves using action verbs to
show action (run, manufacture), condition
(feel, sleep), or process (grow, shrink).
#1 STrONg, aCTiVE VErBS
— Fire belched from the dragon’s mouth.
— The human brain does not shrink, wilt,
perish, nor deteriorate with age.
— The problem perplexed the student.
#2 ASk A QuEStIOn
—  Sentences that ask a question are called
interrogative.
—  Sometimes writers use questions to state their
central idea in a paragraph---we’re better than
this!
—  Questions most often begin with who, what, when,
where, why, or how.
—  Questions always end with a question mark (?).
#2 ASk A QuEStIOn
— Who settled the American colonies?
— When might microbes multiply?
— Why do clubs typically have a mission
statement?
#3 USe An ExCLaMAtORy SeNTeNCe
—  Exclamatory sentences express a strong, genuine
feeling, whether it’s surprise, disgust, or joy.
—  It ends with ONE exclamation point—adding
multiple doesn’t add anything or convey more
emotion.
—  It doesn’t add any weight to a simple statement of
fact.
—  Ex.: Some dogs possess long tails, while some
have short ones!
#3 USe An ExCLaMAtORy SeNTeNCe
— Surrender in the name of the King!
— I do want a donkey ride!
— How nice of you to come to my party!
#4 OPeN wITh An AdVErB
—  An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or
another adverb.
—  Adverbs answer these questions: How?
When? Where? Why? How much? How many?
—  Use a comma after an adverb when you use
it as a sentence opener with special
emphasis.
—  Ex.: Wisely, Helen made her course choices.
#4 OPeN wITh An AdVErB
— Tomorrow I shall enjoy a hearty
breakfast.
— Angrily the student leaped to his feet.
— Carefully and cautiously they walked
through the brush.
#5 OPeN wITh A PRePOsITiONaL pHRaSE
—  A prepositional phrase contains a preposition and a
noun/pronoun known as an object. These phrases
modify nouns and verbs.
—  Prepositions connect their objects to other words in
a sentence.
—  Prepositions describe direction (from, over),
position (under, within), time (at, until), means
(with, by), and relationship (except, of)
#5 OPeN wITh A PRePOsITiONaL pHRaSE
—  With the white flag in his hand, the soldier
surrendered.
—  Without plan or purpose, Jordan moved
around the room.
—  During the day off, Toby read.
#6 VErB pREcEDeS tHE SUbJEcT
—  Every sentence has a subject and a verb,
and usually the subject comes first.
—  Precedes=comes before
#6 VErB pREcEDeS tHE SUbJEcT
— Along the avenue sped a brand new
Corvette.
— Next to the hobo sat a mangy squirrel.
— Throughout the story appear
references to the author’s childhood.
#7 USe CoNVeRSaTIoN oR a QuOTaTIoN
—  Indent like you would a new paragraph
whenever a new speaker begins.
—  Punctuation goes INSIDE quotation marks.
#7 USe CoNVeRSaTIoN oR a QuOTaTIoN
—  “Anthony,” the teacher smiled, “you have a
wonderfully active imagination.”
—  One of Canada’s greatest prime ministers,
Mackenzie King, summed up the dilemma
when he said, “If other countries have too
much history, we have too much
geography.”
#8 USe An ApPOsITiVE
—  Appositives are nouns/pronouns following another
noun/pronoun that give more information about it.
—  An appositive is NOT a prepositional phrase.
—  Use commas to set them apart from the rest of the
sentence.
—  Ex. Ginger, my first dog, only had three legs.
—  Don’t use commas if the only information in the
appositive is one name.
#8 USe An ApPOsITiVE
— My mother, a polite and generous
woman, gave me excellent advice.
— Our capital city Nashville is located in
Middle Tennessee.
#9 OPeN wITh An AdVErB cLAuSE
—  An adverb (adverbial) clause has a subject and a
predicate, but cannot stand alone as its own sentence.
—  Common adverb clause beginners: after, although, as,
because, before, if, in order that, since, so, though,
unless, until, when, where, while
—  Use a comma after the adverb phrase when it opens the
sentence.
#9 OPeN wITh An AdVErB cLAuSE
— Because he reads faster, he finishes
before I do.
— Whenever Georgia forgets her tutu,
Donna performs the solo dance.
#10 UsE pARaLLeL sTRuCTuRE
—  When you have multiple words, phrases,
and clauses in a series, make the
grammatical elements the same in each
item.
—  Ex. The chihuahua barked at his shadow,
chomped on his finger, and scurried away.
#10 UsE pARaLLeL sTRuCTuRE
—  The strict professor demanded that we
write in permanent marker, use only yellow
paper, and stay within the margins.
—  You may go by air, you may travel by auto,
or you may sail by cruise ship.
#11 OpEN WItH aN aDJeCTiVE
—  An adjective modifies a noun/pronoun or another
adjective.
—  Adjectives answer these questions: What kind?
Which one? How many/much? Whose?
—  Normally adjectives precede the noun they modify.
When placed at the beginning of the sentence,
they get special emphasis with a comma (always).
#11 OpEN WItH aN aDJeCTiVE
— Fearful, the hunter fled through the
jungle.
— Furious, Gary slammed his door and
screamed like a girl.
#12 OpEN WItH aN aDJeCTiVE PHrASe
—  Adjective phrases consist of adjectives plus
a group of words without a subject and a
verb. This group of words is often a
prepositional phrase.
—  Adjective phrases also end with a comma.
#12 OpEN WItH aN aDJeCTiVE PHrASe
—  Passionate on the subject of elephant ears,
he spoke for over an hour.
—  Confident in his ability and in possession of
his favorite yoyo, Bob could amaze any
crowd with his tricks.
#13 OpEN WItH a PrESeNT INfINiTIvE
—  An infinitive is a word that looks like a verb
(verbal) but acts like a noun.
—  The preposition “to” + 1 present tense verb =
infinitive
—  Ex. To + improve = to improve
—  Commas follow long infinitive phrases at the
beginning of a sentence.
#13 OpEN WItH a PrESeNT INfINiTIvE
—  To learn the whip was Eugene’s primary
goal.
—  To make a long story short, the dog
devoured my project.
#14 OpEN WItH a PeRFeCT INfINiTIvE
—  To + have + past tense verb = perfect
infinitive
—  Ex. To have frolicked
#14 OpEN WItH a PeRFeCT INfINiTIvE
—  To have won the lottery, I would have
needed a lottery ticket.
—  To have murdered that man, the criminal
would have had to have been a nine-foot
tall gorilla.
#15 OpEN WItH a PrESeNT PArTIcIPlE
—  A participle is another type of verbal. It is halfverb, half-adjective.
—  Present Participle = the ing form of the verb
—  Swimming, burping, lying
—  Present participial phrases are only formed by:
—  Combining with an adverb
—  Combining with a prepositional phrase
—  Taking an object
—  Use a comma after the participle/participial
phrase at the beginning of a sentence.
#15 OpEN WItH a PrESeNT PArTIcIPlE
— Walking quietly into the den, I saw my
father and the cat dozing on the sofa.
— Dying of stab wounds, Caesar
muttered, “Et tu, Brute?”
— Drying my hair, I noticed I was going
bald.
#16 OpEN WItH a PaST PArTIcIPlE
—  A past participle is still a verb acting like an
adjective.
—  It is the past form of the verb
—  Ex. Bought, Ventured
—  Past participial phrases are only formed by
combining with:
—  An adverb
—  A prepositional phrase
#16 OpEN WItH a PaST PArTIcIPlE
—  Satisfied immensely, the villian retired to
his lair.
—  Exhausted from the swim meet, Freddy
came home and slept for four days.
#17 OpEN WItH a PeRFeCT PArTIcIPlE
— Perfect Participle = having + past
tense verb
— Perfect participial phrases are only
formed by:
— Combining with an adverb
— Combining with a prepositional
phrase
— Taking an object
#17 OpEN WItH a PeRFeCT PArTIcIPlE
—  Having shrieked loudly, the kindergartener
alerted the playground of the presence of
cooties.
—  Having come from the Mexican restaurant,
Charlie smelled like salsa.
—  Having purchased a new swimsuit, Mel was
prepared for her trip to Hawaii.