Download Sentence Basics

Grammatical Scaffolding
Writing Basics
● Communicating an idea
● Can be incredibly simple
● Evolves into more complex ideas
Writing Basics
● Look at children
o
o
o
Simple vocabulary to communicate basic info
“Cookie”
“TV”
● Develops in complexity as they mature
o
o
o
“I want a cookie.”
“Can I watch TV?”
Now includes subject and verb working to complete
an idea.
Writing Basics
● Eventually they add description to the idea
o
o
o
o
“I am really hungry!”
“I hate soggy cookies!”
“I want to watch my favorite show now!”
Now adjectives and adverbs are added to give
clarity to their idea.
Writing Basics
● Then they learn that two different ideas can
be connected
o
o
o
“I am really hungry, so can I have a cookie?”
“I don’t want to go to bed because my favorite show
is on!”
Now conjunctions and dependent clauses are used
to better express ideas
Sentence Scaffolding Simple to Complex
● Verbs
● Nouns (subject, direct object,, indirect object,
object of preposition)
● Descriptors (adjectives and adverbs)
● Sentence types (simple, compound,
complex, compound-complex)
● Rhetoric
Sentence Basics
● All sentences have three basic elements:
o
o
o
Subject (noun)
Predicate (verb)
Complete thought
● The simplest sentence? The command.
o
o
o
“No.”
“Run.”
Understood you as the subject, run is the verb, the
idea is clearly stated.
Sentence Basics: Noun
● Subjects are nouns
● Nouns can be person, place, thing, or IDEA.
● Proper nouns are capitalized because they are
a specific thing
o
Milwaukee Lutheran High School or just any high school
Sentence Basics: Noun
● Nouns can also be other parts of the sentence
direct objects
 I gave a passing grade.
o indirect objects
 I gave Jack a passing grade
o object of preposition
 I gave a passing grade to Jack.
o predicate nominative
 Torture is running in the morning.
o
Sentence Basics: Noun
● Collective nouns are nouns refering to a group
o
The class sat in their seats.
● Compound nouns are two or more things acting
as one
o
peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese...
Sentence Basics: Noun
● IDEA nouns can be anything that can’t be
physically touched - they are ideas
o
o
o
freedom
love
is
 “Is”? Yes, “is”. Is is a word that has two letters.
“Is” is the subject - the idea of the word “is”,
therefore, ‘is’ is a noun.
Sentence Basics: Noun
● IDEA nouns can be more than just one word
- they can be clauses, phrases...
o
o
o
o
Freedom from oppression is important.
Loving a TV show like Lost can be difficult.
To pass this test is a key goal of her’s.
Whoever passes the test will pass the class.
 In each case, the subject is more than one word it is the idea of something expressed in a phrase
or clause.
Sentence Basics: Phrase as Noun
● Gerund phrase (verb + “ing” used as a
noun)
o
o
o
Loving a TV show like Lost can be difficult.
Greunds can also be direct objects, indirect objects,
objects of prepositions, predicate nominatives
For example...
Sentence Basics: Noun - Gerund
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
direct objects
 I hate exercising in the morning. - gerund
Sentence Basics: Noun - Gerund
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
indirect objects
 I gave exercising in the morning a try. - gerund
Sentence Basics: Noun - Gerund
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
objects of preposition
 After exercising in the morning, I was tired. gerund
Sentence Basics: Noun - Gerund
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
Predicate nominative – renames or identifies
subject
 Happiness is sleeping in until noon. - gerund
Sentence Basics: Phrase as Noun
● Infinitive phrase (“to” + verb used as a
noun)
o
o
To pass this test is a key goal of her’s.
Infinitives can also be used as adjectives and
adverbs (more on this later)
Sentence Basics: Noun – Infinitive
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
direct objects
 I want to go to the movies. - infinitive
Sentence Basics: Noun – Infinitive
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
Predicate nominative – renames or identifies
subject
 Happiness is to sleep until noon. - infinitive
Sentence Basics: Clause as Noun
● Noun Clause (Dependent word + verb phrase)
o
o
o
Whoever passes the test will pass the class.
Noun clauses have a verb
Noun clauses start with a dependent word
 who/whoever - whom/whomever - which/whichever
where/wherever - when/whenever - that - if - how why
Sentence Basics: Noun – Noun Clause
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
direct objects
 I love whatever she loves. - noun clause
Sentence Basics: Noun – Noun Clause
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
indirect objects
 I want whoever studied to get an “A”. - noun
clause
Sentence Basics: Noun – Noun Clause
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
objects of preposition
 I will have to go before whatever happens
happens. - noun clause
Sentence Basics: Noun – Noun Clause
● Nouns can also be other parts of the
sentence
o
Predicate nominative – renames or identifies
subject
 The winner is whoever finishes first. - noun
clause
Sentence Basics: Punctuation
● Because all of these (gerund, infinitive, noun
clause) are essential to the sentence, there
is usually no need for a comma.
● Non-essential is the exception
o
added information that could be removed and the
sentence would not lose any meaning
Description
Sentence Basics: Description
● Description comes in two forms:
o
adjectives modify
 nouns/pronouns
 The red car slid on the icy road.
 The broken clock only worked once a day.
 Everyone’s favorite day is the first day of summer
vacation.
Sentence Basics: Description
● Description comes in two forms:
o
adverbs modify
 Verbs

He quickly added up his score.

Adjectives

The deep red car sped down the road.

Adverbs

The children woke unusually early today.
● can be individual words or...Phrases and Clauses
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Phrases
● prepositions
can be used either as adjectives or adverbs
 The cat flew over the boat.(v)
 The note from Sam was delivered too late.(j)
o should always be places as close to the word
modified (described) as possible
o ALWAYS separate with commas when starting a
sentence when 4+ words are used in 1 or more
phrases.
o
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Phrases
● infinitives
can be used either as adjectives or adverbs
 The best way to prepare for the test is studying.(j)
 He attended school to become a lawyer.(v)
o ALWAYS separate with commas when
 starting a sentence and a noun follows the phrase
 To become a doctor, Jack went to medical school.
 Interrupting the subject and the verb
 Jack, to become a doctor, went to medical school.
o
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Phrases
● participles
present verb + “ing”
o past past tense of verb
o only used as adjectives
 Broken into three pieces, the bat was unusable.
 The bat, broken into three pieces, was unusable.
o can be just the participle without modifiers
 He grabbed the broken bat.
o
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Phrases
● participle punctuation
o
ALWAYS separate with commas when
 starting a sentence
 interrupting the subject and verb
 never when it ends a sentence
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Phrases
● participle and prepositional phrase
placement
o should always be places as close to the
word being modified (described) as
possible
 Made of snow, the children built a fort.
 The children built a fort made of snow.
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Clauses
● adjective clauses
o
o
o
adjective clauses have a subject and a verb
lacks a complete thought
begins with
 relative pronoun

●
who, whom, whose, which, or that
●
at times these can be omitted (understood)
●
“The movie (that) you recommended was not good.”
relative adverb
●
when, where, or why
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Clauses
● adjective clauses
o
answers
 what kind?
 which one?
 how many?
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Clauses
● adjective clauses
o
commas?
 only if the information is non-essential
 “Mike, who claimed to have a limp, went to the
movies.”
●

“The man who claimed to have a limp ran to the bus.”
●
o
added information not relevant to the main idea of the sentence
essential information because it lets you know which specific man is
running.
place as close to the modified word as possible
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Clauses
● adverb clauses
adverb clauses have a subject and a verb
o adverb clauses do not have a complete thought
o begins with
 subordinate conjunction
o
●
after, although, as, because, before, even if, even though, in
order that, once, provided that, rather than, since, so that, that,
than, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas,
wherever, whether. while, why
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Clauses
● adverb clauses
o
answers
 time, place, or cause/effect relationship
 reduces the importance of one clause so that a
reader understands which ideas is more important
(the independent clause)
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Clauses
● adverb clauses
o
commas?
 ALWAYS when

●
it starts a sentence
●
interrupts the main clause’s subject and verb
NEVER at the end of a sentence
Sentence Basics: Descriptive Clauses
● adverb clauses
o
placement
 a moveable feast
●



do not have to be near the modified item because it modifies/gives
a condition/restriction to the entire independent clause, not just a
part of it
“Mike, whenever it rains, goes to the movies.”
“Whenever it rains, Mike goes to the movies.”
“Mike goes to the movies whenever it rains.”
Sentence Basics: Sentence types
● simple
o
o
Subject, verb, complete thought
Also called an independent clause
Sentence Basics: Sentence types
● compound
o
2 (+) subjects, verbs, and complete thoughts
 punctuation: 2 options
●
comma (,) + conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (fanboys)
●
semi-colon (;)
o
can use semi-colon alone, or use it with a conjunctive adverb

accordingly, also, besides, consequently, conversely,
finally, furthermore, hence, however, indeed, instead,
likewise, meanwhile, moreover, nevertheless,
otherwise, similarly, still, subsequently, then,
therefore, thus
Sentence Basics: Sentence types
● compound
o The punctuation exception:
o
If the clauses are short (usually 3 or fewer words
each), then no conjunction or semi-colon is needed.
Sentence Basics: Sentence types
● complex
o
1 independent clause + 1(or more) dependent clauses
 Punctuation:
●
comma (,)
●
See Noun and Descriptive Clauses for details
Sentence Basics: Sentence types
● Compound-complex
o
2 (+) independent clauses + 1(or more) dependent
clauses
 Sophisticated ideas
 Punctuation:
●
See Compound Sentences for details