Download Sentence Structure and development

Root Words,
Prefixes, and
Suffixes
Words are broken into parts
Prefixes are at the beginning of words
Suffixes are at the end of words
A root is a set of letters that have
meaning. It is the most basic form
A root can be at the front, middle or end
of a word.
The Word
Word
Meaning
Form
To Shape
Port
To Carry
Rupt
To Break or Burst
Prefix
Re (Again)
Re-Form means to shape again
De (Out)
De-Port means to carry out
Inter (in the middle)
Inter-rupt means to break in the middle
Combining syllables
Sentence
Structure and
development
•One way to begin studying basic sentence
structures is to consider the traditional parts of
speech (also called word classes): nouns,
pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions,
conjunctions, and interjections
•the parts of speech come in many varieties and
may show up just about anywhere in a sentence.
•To know for sure what part of speech a word is,
we have to look not only at the word itself but also
at its meaning, position, and use in a sentence.
The Parts of Speech
WHAT IS IT?
EXPLANATION
• The basic parts of a
sentence are the
subject, the verb,
and (often, but not
always) the object.
This is the noun or
pronoun that comes
after the
preposition
Parts of a sentence
• The subject is usually
a noun--a word that
names a person, place,
or thing. The verb
(or predicate) usually
follows the subject and
identifies an action or a
state of being. An
object receives the
action and usually
follows the verb.
Verbs
By Mrs. Caro
VERBS
A verb shows action.
There’s no doubt!
It tells what the subject does,
Like sing and shout!
Action verbs are fun to do!
Now it’s time to name a few!
So clap your hands and join our rhyme!
Say those verbs in record time!
Wiggle, Jiggle, Turn around
Raise your arms and stomp the ground!
Shake your finger and wink your eye!
Wave those action verbs GOODBYE!
• An action verb that describes an
action that is happening now is
called a present tense verb.
The bird flies
through the sky.
Flies is a present tense verb
because it is happening right
now.
Present verbs
These are Action Verbs:
clap
coughed
swallowed
awake
ride
sang
ran
• Many present tense verbs end
with s, but some end with es,
or ies.
cries
sleeps
splashes
Present tense verbs
• Verbs which tell about actions
which happened some time ago
are past tense verbs.
The dog wanted a
bone. Wanted is a past tense verb
because the action has
already happened.
Past Verbs
• Many past tense verbs end with
ed, but some end with d, or
ied.
tried
clapped
played
Past tense verbs
• Verbs which tell about actions
which are going to happen are
future tense verbs.
We will awaken at six
a.m.
Will awaken is a future tense
verb because the action has not
yet happened.
Future Verbs
• Future tense verbs use special
words to talk about things that
will happen: will, going to,
shall, aim to, etc.
going to start
will enjoy
email
Future tense shall
verbs
• A helping verb works with a main
verb to help you understand what
action is taking place.
Elmer was
using the
computer.
Helping Verbs
may be
do
might being does
must been did
am
are
is
was
were
should have
could had
would has
23 Helping
Verbs
(main) (main)
(main)
will
can
shall
Other things to keep in mind:
•Not every sentence will have a
helping verb with the main verb.
•When you see an "ing" verb such
as "running", be on the lookout for
a helping verb also.
Helping Verbs
•Sometimes there is another word
which separates the helping verb
from the main verb. One common
example is "not", as in: The boy
couldn't find his socks. The helping
verb is could and the main verb is
find.
Helping Verbs
Locate the subject
Then ask yourself, “What is it doing?”
The dog barked.
Who?
dog
“What did the dog do?”
barked
To find the verb:
The verb is barked, it’s what the dog is doing.
Let’s Practice:
The big lion roared loudly.
Who?
Lion
“What did the lion do?”
roared
The verb is roared, it’s what the lion is doing.
Let’s Practice:
The lighthouse shines brightly.
What?
lighthouse
“What does the lighthouse do?”
shines
The verb is shines, it’s what the lighthouse does.
Let’s Practice:
The snowman waves his hat to us.
Who?
Snowman
“What did the snowman do?”
waves
The verb is waves, it’s what the snowman is doing.
Let’s Practice:
Alexander takes his bath.
Who?
Alexander
“What does Alexander do?”
takes
The verb is takes, it’s what Alexander is doing.
Let’s Practice:
Sally dances in the recital.
Who?
Sally
“What does Sally do?”
dances
The verb is dances, it’s what Sally is doing.
Let’s Practice:
Mrs. Smith arrives late.
Who?
Mrs. Smith
“What did Mrs. Smith do?”
arrives
The verb is arrives, it’s what Mrs. Smith does.
Let’s Practice:
Stars shine brightly at night.
What?
stars
“What did the stars do?”
shine
The verb is shine, it’s what the stars are doing.
Let’s Practice:
Time flies when you’re having fun.
What?
time
“What does time do?”
flies
The verb is flies, it’s what time is doing.
Let’s Practice:
Tommy plays baseball every year.
Who?
Tommy
“What does Tommy do?”
plays
The verb is plays, it’s what Tommy does.
Let’s Practice:
Jacob beats on his drum all day.
Who?
Jacob
“What does Jacob do?”
beats
The verb is beats, it’s what Jacob is doing.
Let’s Practice:
The bumble bee buzzes near the flower.
What?
bee
“What does the bee do?”
buzzes
The verb is buzzes, it’s what the bee is doing.
Four Basic
Sentence
Structures
• *A simple sentence is a sentence
with just one independent
clause (also called a main
clause)
*A compound sentence contains
at least two independent clauses
* A complex sentence contains
an independent clause and at
least one dependent clause:
*A compound-complex
sentence contains two or more
independent clauses and at least
one dependent clause:
Let’s Practice: Read Mr. Fox
• A common way to connect
related words, phrases, and even
entire clauses is to
coordinate them--that is, connect
them with a basic coordinating
conjunction such as "and" or
"but."
Coordination
Independent clauses can be connected in a
variety of ways:
1. By a comma and little conjunction (and, but, or,
nor, for, yet, and sometimes so).
2. By a semicolon, by itself.
3. By a semicolon accompanied by a conjunctive
adverb (such as however, moreover, nevertheless,
as a result, consequently, etc.).
4. And, of course, independent clauses are often
not connected by punctuation at all but are
separated by a period.
Combining sentences
Adjective Clauses
To show that one idea in a sentence is more
important than another, we rely on subordination-that is, treating one word group as less
important.
My
brother’s
car
Comma
Which he
bought two
years ago
Has already
Comma needed
repairs
• Always put a comma before the word WHICH.The
adjective clause develops, but is not required.
• Never put a comma before the word THAT-this indicates
the information is NEEDED










after
although
as
because
before
even though
if, even if
in order that
once
provided that










since
so [that implied], so that
than
that
though
unless
when, whenever
where, wherever, whereas
whether
while
Subordinate Conjunctions
Use a comma if you subordinate the first of the two
clauses.
Even though cat hair clung to Shelly’s pant legs
during her interview, she still got the job.
The second
clause has less
emphasis
because its thought
is incomplete.
Combining sentences
An appositive is a word or group of words that
identifies or renames another word in a
sentence--most often a noun that immediately
precedes it.
Appositive constructions offer concise ways of
describing or defining a person, place, or
thing.
ALWAYS put a COMMA around the phrase.
Shelly , WHO IS A NURSE, likes cats
Appositives Phrases
Like an adjective clause, an adverb clause is
always dependent on (or subordinate to)
an independent clause
an adverb clause usually modifies a verb,
though it can also modify an adjective,
an adverb, or even the rest of the
sentence in which it appears.
Here is the description of the table. You may change
or delete this text as you wish. This table is compatible
with PowerPoint 97 to 2007.
Adverb Clauses
Punctuation
Use semicolons to join independent clauses
Use a semicolon only if the clauses are
closely related.
Examples:
• Happiness isn't something you
experience; it's something you remember.
• We lavish on animals the love we are afraid
to show to people. They might not return
it; or worse, they might.
Semi-Colon
Use semicolons with conjunctive adverbs
or introductory expressions
When I eat alone, I leave a mess; however,
what’s worse is when everyone laughs at
me.
The movie was awesome; in fact, it was so
funny I cried
Semi-Colon’s
A colon means "that is to say" or "here's what I mean." Colons
and semicolons should never be used interchangeably.
Use a colon to introduce a
I need an assistant who can
series of items. Do not
do the following: input
capitalize the first item after data, write reports, and
the colon (unless it's a proper complete tax forms.
noun).
Avoid using a colon before a list when it directly
follows a verb or preposition
Wrong: I've seen the greats, including: Barrymore,
Guinness, and Streep.
Right: I've seen the greats, including Barrymore,
Guinness, and Streep.
Colons
.
Hyphens' main purpose is to glue words
together (-)
• Hyphenate two or more words when they come before
a noun they modify and act as a single idea. This is
called a compound adjective.
• an off-campus apartment
• When writing out new, original, or unusual
compound nouns, writers should hyphenate whenever
doing so avoids confusion.
• I changed my diet and became a no-meater.
Hyphens
Hyphens' main purpose is to glue words
together (-)
• An often overlooked rule for hyphens: The
adverb very and adverbs ending in -ly are not
hyphenated.
• Incorrect: the finely-tuned watch (describes
adjective)
• Correct: Correct: the friendly-looking dog (describes
verb)
• Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.
• more than two-thirds of registered voters
Hyphens
• Hyphens are often used to tell the ages of people
and things.
• We have a two-year-old child
• Hyphenate prefixes when they come before proper
nouns or proper adjectives
• Trans-American flight
• Mid-June is when the party is
• Hyphenate all words beginning with the
prefixes self-, ex- (i.e., former), and all-.
• Suffixes are not usually hyphenated. Some
exceptions: -style, -elect, -free, -based.
Hyphens
• Sometimes you have some information which
needs to be added to a sentence, and that little bit
of information is EXTEMELY important and
you’ll want the reader to pay attention to that
information
• You are the friend—my only friend—who
offered to help me.
• indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an
abrupt change of thought
• I wish you would—oh, never mind.
DASHES
Writing clear,
concise sentences
Active Voice
Verbs
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Shows action or state of being
Active or passive
Connects subject and predicate
Most important word in the sentence
Examples:
Pour, laugh (Active)
Am, is, are, was, were, will be, have been,
will have been (Passive)
51
• Active voice is when you are
focusing on the person who is doing
an action
• The ninja attacked the adorable baby.
• Passive voice is when you’re
focusing on the thing that was done.
• The adorable baby was attacked by
the ninja.
Active vs. Passive
Active vs. Passive
In active voice, the subject of the
sentence is present BEFORE the verb.
John picked up the bag
In passive voice, the subject is usually not
present. If it is, it is at the end of a
prepositional phrase.
The bag was picked up by John
53
• Usually needs helping verbs (am/were/etc.),
prepositions like “by” or “of
• If there is a helping verb, to determine if it is passive,
look at the end of the verb phrase
• If it ends in past tense or participle, it is passive voice
• She is going home.
• She was unhappy with her brother.
• Can be more confusing
• My car was driven to Dallas. (By who? Some car thief?)
• Five FBI agents entered the room, and the terrorist was
plastered against the wall. (Was he there already and
they found him? Did the agents put him there?)
Why avoid them?
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
• A common way of expanding
•
the basic sentence is
with modifiers--words that
add to the meanings of other
words. The simplest
modifiers
are adjectives and adverbs.
Adjectives modify nouns,
while adverbs modify verbs,
adjectives, and other
adverbs.
Phrases
Like adjectives and
adverbs, prepositional
phrases add meaning to
the nouns and verbs in
sentences. A
prepositional phrase has
two basic parts:
a preposition plus a noun
or a pronoun that serves
as the object of the
preposition.
Omit the filler phrases "it is," "there is," and "there are" at the
beginning of sentences; these often delay the sentence's true
subject and verb
It is expensive to upgrade computer systems
Upgrading computer systems is expensive
Omit "this" from the beginning of a sentence by joining it to the
preceding sentence with a comma
Chlorofluorocarbons have been banned from aerosols. This
has lessened the ozone layer's depletion
Chlorofluorocarbons have been banned from aerosols,
lessening the ozone layer's depletion
Wordiness
Omit "which" or "that" altogether when possible.
Because the fluid, which was brown and poisonous, was
dumped into the river, the company that was negligent
had to shut down
Because the brown, poisonous fluid was dumped into t
he river, the negligent company had to shut down.
Replace prepositional phrases with one-word modifiers
when possible
The President of the Student Senate was in charge of the
lobbying against the merger at the Minnesota Congress.
The Student Senate President oversaw lobbying the
Minnesota Congress against the merger
Wordiness continued
Use a colon after a statement preceding a sentence of explanation,
and leave out the beginning of the next sentence
The theater has three main technical areas. These areas are costumes,
scenery, and lighting
The theater has three main technical areas: costumes, scenery, and
lighting.
Avoid the overuse of qualifiers.
`Qualified words can often be replaced by a single, more potent word
Sue is extremely angry” could be shortened to “Sue is furious”.
Wordiness continued
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