Download II. Subject and Predicate

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Ms. Strothman’s Parsing Guide
Advanced English, Grades 9-12
I.
Sentence:
A. Type:
1. Simple: One independent clause
Example: Freshman and sophomores faced one another in the intramural
basketball game.
2. Compound: Two independent clauses
Example: The subway car was crowded, but we piled in anyway.
3. Complex: One independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
Example: After she cashed her paycheck, my mother bought a DVD
player.
4. Compound-Complex: Two independent clauses and one or more
dependent clauses.
Example: It is a flock of ravens that lives in the Tower of London, and
those birds are fed by British tax money.
B. Kind:
1. Declarative: makes a statement; ends with a period
Example: A beautiful opera house overlooks the harbor of Sydney,
Australia.
2. Interrogative: asks a question; ends with a question mark
Why do we have to parse sentences, Ms. Strothman?
3. Imperative: a command; may end with either a period or an exclamation
point.
Example: Jake, brush your teeth!
4. Exclamatory: Expresses strong emotion; ends with an exclamation point.
Example: I passed my grammar test!
II.
Subject and Predicate
***Note: complete section II for independent clauses only.
A. Subject: the topic of the sentence; who or what is performing the action
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1. Person:
a. First person: from the speaker’s viewpoint; can substitute
pronouns “I” or “we”
b. Second person: the speaker/writer addresses someone directly;
uses the pronoun “you”; if imperative, “you” is
implied/understood.
c. Third person: can substitute the pronouns “it”, “he”, “she,” or
“they”
2. Number: is the subject singular or plural
Example: John Lennon wrote many songs.
Subject: John Lennon—third person singular.
***Note that if a compound subject exists, each subject must be listed and
annotated separately:
Example: Jeff and I went to the store.
Subject: a. Jeff—third person singular
b. I—first person singular
***Note that subjects are nouns and pronouns. Therefore, do not include any modifiers,
such as adjectives, or articles (“a,” “an,” “the”) in this category.
B. Verb
1. Type:
a. action: may include helping verbs
1) transitive: has a direct or indirect object
2) intransitive: has no object/complement
b. linking: denotes a state of being only; may also include a
helping verb
Examples: is, are, was, were, am, be, being, been, looks, appears,
smells, tastes, feels, sounds, seems, remains, stays
2. Principal Parts:
Present
present participle
past
past participle
Example: sing:
Present
present participle
past past participle
sing
(is) singing
sang (have) sung
***Note: if a verb phrase is used, list the principal parts for the main verb
only.
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3. Tense
a. present: action occurs in the present; ends in –s or –es
Example: He skates; we skate
b. present perfect: uses a present form of “to have” as a helping
verb; action is completed in recent past
Example: She has sung the song.
c. past: action was completed in the past; regular verbs in –ed or
–d
Example: Jean saw the tractor.
The fire blackened the forest.
d. past perfect: uses the helping verb “had”
Example: They had left before we arrived.
e. future: uses the helping verb “will” or “shall”
Example: I will attend the banquet.
f. future perfect: uses the helping verbs “will have” or “shall
have”
Example: She will have completed her final exams by noon
tomorrow.
g. progressive tenses: uses one of the above forms of the helping
verb “to be” plus a present participle
Example: We have been reading Huckleberry Finn in class.
--present perfect progressive
4. Mood:
a. Indicative: The verb is indicative if it is any of the tenses
mentioned above.
b. Conditional: uses “could,” “should,” or “would” as a helping
verb:
Example: He could accomplish that task if he wanted to.
c. Conditional perfect: uses “could have” “should have,” or “would
have” as helping verbs:
Example: We could have succeeded if we had tried.
d. Subjunctive: used in “if” clauses or after “wish” clauses; uses the
plural form of the verb
Example: If I were tired, I would have quit by now.
He wishes that he were going to the game tonight.
e. Emphatic: contains a form of the helping verb “do”
Present emphatic: He truly does enjoy doing his homework!
Past emphatic: Sheila did indeed buy that new dress.
***Note: Do not include negatives (words like “not” or “never”), or any other adverbs,
in your verb listing.
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Example: In the future, however, computer technology will no doubt have improved.
B. Verb—will have improved
1. Type—action--intransitive
2. principal parts:
present
past
present participle
past participle
improve improved
(is) improving
(have) improved
3. Tense--future perfect
4. Mood—indicative
***Note: if the verb is compound, you must analyze/list each one separately.
C. Complements
1. Direct object:
-is a noun or pronoun
-is used with an action verb; receives the action
-answers the question “who(m)?” or “what?”
Example: Tom threw the ball.
Tom threw what? The ball. Therefore, ball is the sentence’s direct
object.
2. Indirect Object
-is a noun or pronoun
-is used with an action verb
-occurs before the direct object: S-V-IO-DO
-there must be a direct object in order to have an indirect object; in
other words, if there is no direct object, then there will be no indirect
object
-answers the question “to who(m)?” or “to what?”
Example: Tom threw Sam the ball.
Tom threw the ball to whom? To Sam. Therefore, Sam is the indirect
object.
3. Predicate Nominative
-is a noun or pronoun
- is used after a linking verb
-refers back to the sentence’s subject
Example: My puppy is a Doberman Pinscher.
Doberman Pinscher is the predicate nominative.
***Note that direct object, indirect objects, and predicate nominatives are nouns and
pronouns. Therefore, do not include any modifiers, such as adjectives, or articles in this
category.
Example: I gave my sister a green dress.
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Direct object—dress (not green dress)
Indirect object—sister (not my sister)
4. Predicate Adjective
-is an adjective—no other part of speech
-used after linking verb
-modifies the subject
Example: Out of all of Jon’s subjects, math is the most difficult for him.
Predicate Adjective—difficult
***Note that if compound complements exist, you must analyze/list each one separately.
III.
Phrases
A. Prepositional
1. Begins with a preposition; ends with its object (noun or pronoun)
2. Functions as an adverb or adjective
a. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, and
answer questions such as “when?”; “where?”; “how?”’; and “to
what extent?”
b. Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns and answer questions
such as “which?”; “how many?”; “what kind?”; and “which
one(s)?”
Example: Sara skated off the ice.
Prepositional phrase: off the ice—adverb—modifies skated
The prepositional phrase is an adverb because it tells how or where Sara skated.
In your parse, copy the complete prepositional phrase and tell what kind it is, and what it
modifies.
B. Verbal
1. Gerund
a. Gerunds always end in –ing
b Gerunds always function as nouns: as subjects, direct objects,
indirect objects, predicate nominatives, objects of a preposition.
c. A gerund phrase consists of the gerund, any object, and any
modifiers of the gerund and the object
Example: Sitting on these hard benches is uncomfortable.
Gerund--Sitting on these hard benches—subject.
In your parse, give the complete gerund/gerund phrase, and tell which kind of noun it
operates as in the sentence.
2. Participial phrase
a. Participles can be either present or past participles of a verb.
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b. Participial phrases always function as adjectives.
c. A participial phrase consists of the participle, any object that it
might have, and any modifiers of the participle and its object.
Example: We heard the foghorn moaning in the distance.
Participial—moaning in the distance--modifies foghorn
In your parse, give the entire participial phrase, and tell which noun/pronoun that it
modifies.
***Note: When a one-word participle is being used as a simple adjective, do not include
it in the “Verbals” section of the parse:
Example: The sound of running water soothes the soul.
The carpenter used the painted boards.
3. Infinitive phrase
a. Infinitives are formed by using the infinitive form of the verb: to
+ the verb: i.e., to sing, to dance
b. Sometimes, the “to” is implied, not stated.
c. Infinitives can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
d. In addition to giving the infinitive phrase in your parse, you
must also tell which part of speech it is operating as. If it is
operating as an adjective or adverb, you must also tell which
word it modifies. If it is a noun, you must tell what kind.
Example: One customer demanded to talk to my manager.
Infinitive: To talk to my manager—noun—direct object.
Example: Shelly needs someone to advise her.
Infinitive: to adviser her—adjective—someone
C. Appositive
1. An appositive is a noun that renames/refers to another noun/pronoun.
2. An appositive phrase consists of the appositive and its modifiers.
Example: The giant panda, a black and white bearlike animal of China and Tibet, rarely
eats anything but bamboo.
Appositive: a black and white bearlike animal of China and Tibet—panda
Example: The cartoon cat Garfield is overweight, out of shape, and grumpy.
Appositive: Garfield—cat
In your parse, give the complete appositive/appositive phrase and tell to which noun it is
referring.
IV. Clauses
-must contain a subject and verb
- may also contain modifiers of that subject and verb
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A. Independent
1. This clause can stand alone as a complete thought (a complete
sentence).
Example: My dog Tara is a Doberman Pinscher.
B Dependent
-these types of clauses cannot stand alone as complete thoughts
.- if used without an independent clause(s), fragments occur in writing.
-Begin with subordinate conjunctions, such as “since”, “if”, and “because”. See your
grammar book for a complete list, and become familiar with them.
- Subordinate clauses can function as adverbs or nouns, and occasionally adjectives
Example: We arrived after the bus had left.
Subordinate: after the bus had left—adverb—arrived
*** In your parse, give the complete clause and how it functions in the sentence. If it acts
as an adjective or adverb, note that fact, and give which word the clause modifies.
Example: What concerns us most is creeping inflation.
what concerns us most—noun—subject.
***If the subordinate clause acts as a noun, also give the noun type.
Example: We visited a studio where recordings are made.
where recordings are made—adjective—studio
-Other clauses begin with either relative pronouns: “who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,”
“that,” “whoever”; or relative adverbs: “than,” “where,” “when”
-Relative clauses can function as adjectives or nouns.
Example: The person whom we asked was helpful.
whom we asked—adjective—person
Example: We will give whoever calls first a free trip!
whoever calls first—noun—indirect object
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Sample Parse
Parse: Scientists have long wondered who the builders of England’s mysterious
Stonehenge were.
I. Sentence
A. Type: Complex
B. Kind: Declarative
II. Subject and predicate:
A. Subject: Scientists—third person plural
B. Verb—have wondered
1. Type—action—transitive
2. Principal parts:
present
present participle
past
past participle
wonder
(is) wondering
wondered
(have) wondered
3. Tense—present perfect
4. Mood—indicative
C. Complements
1. Direct object—who the builders of England’s mysterious Stonehenge
were
III. Phrases:
A. Prepositional
1. of England’s mysterious Stonehenge—adjective—builders
B. Verbals—none
C. Appositives--none
IV. Clauses
A. Independent: Scientists have long wondered.
B. Dependent:
1. who the builders of England’s mysterious Stonehenge were-noun—direct object
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NOTES