Download How Sentences Work: A Summary of the Eight

How Sentences Work: Eight Principles of Sentence Architecture
Principle 1
There are three basic sentence forms (core sentences):
subject-verb (S-V)
The phone rings.
subject-verb-object (S-V-O)
A student answers the phone.
subject-linking verb-complement (S-LV-C)
Another student seems concerned.
The subject answers the question “who or what is doing something?”
The verb is what the subject is thinking, doing, being, or becoming.
The action verb expresses thinking or doing.
The object is the answer to “who or what is having something done to him/her/it?”
The student read the novel.
The linking verb expresses the last two items, being and becoming.
The complement is the thing or condition that the subject is being or becoming.
Some complements are people or things.
The novel is Bless Me, Ultima.
Some complements are conditions.
The novel is wonderful.
Activity 1
Write your own versions of the three types of core sentences described above. Keep them handy for building
and practice throughout this unit.
S-V
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S-V-O ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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S-LV-C ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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How Sentences Work: Eight Principles of Sentence Architecture
Principle 2
The two major players in all sentences are nouns and verbs.
Subjects, objects, and complements – when they are people or things, not conditions – are generally nouns.
Subjects do things. Objects have actions done to them. Complements essentially rename subjects.
Verbs either express what these subjects do or link them to people, things, or conditions.
Subject (noun) Verb
Object (noun)
The student
the novel.
read
Subject (noun) Linking Verb
Complement (noun)
The novel
a masterpiece.
was
Principle 3
Two modifiers – adjectives and adverbs – alter, change, or modify other components.
Adjectives modify the subject, the object, and the complement when it is a person or a thing.
A well-prepared student passed the quiz. (well-prepared modifies student)
An apathetic student did not read. (apathetic modifies student)
The successful student studied the long list of terms. (successful modifies student and long modifies list)
Adverbs modify the verb, the linking verb, or the complement when it is a condition.
A well-prepared student passed the quiz easily. (easily modifies passed)
An apathetic student apparently did not read. (apparently modifies read)
The successful student carefully studied the long list of terms. (carefully modifies studied)
Activity 2
Return to the three core sentences you wrote. Add adjectives and adverbs to them and consider how your additions
changed the sentences.
S-V
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S-V-O ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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S-LV-C ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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How Sentences Work: Eight Principles of Sentence Architecture
Principle 4 - Two Building Blocks – phrases and clauses
Phrases and clauses build and develop sentences. They are often introduced or joined by prepositions and conjunctions.
A phrase is a group of words that DOES NOT have a subject and a verb.
A well-read student excels on the test over the novel.
A clause is a group of words that DOES have a subject and a verb.
After he finished the exam, the student quickly opened his book and searched for answers.
A preposition is a word that introduces a phrase called a prepositional phrase.
Common prepositions are: of, to, from, for, in, over, under, etc.
A well-read student excels (on the test)(over the novel).
A conjunction is a word that either joins together components in a sentence or introduces a clause.
Common conjunctions are: and, but, yet, when, which, either, or, neither, nor, etc.
The student was relieved and elated when he realized he had answered correctly.
A dependent clause cannot stand by itself.
The student was relieved and elated when he realized he had answered correctly.
An independent clause can stand on its own as a complete sentence.
The student was relieved and elated when he realized he had answered correctly.
So far in this system of architecture we have:
Two players – nouns and verbs
Two modifiers – adjectives and adverbs
Two building blocks – phrases and clauses
Two introducers/joiners – prepositions and conjunctions
Activity 3
Return to the three core sentences to which you added adjectives and adverbs. To each sentence, add either a
prepositional phrase or a dependent clause. Consider how your additions changed your sentences.
S-V
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S-V-O ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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S-LV-C ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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How Sentences Work: Eight Principles of Sentence Architecture
Principle 5 – Verbals
Three other types of phrases - infinitive, gerund, and participial - are introduced by verb forms. The infinitive, the
present participle, and the past participle forms of verbs introduce these phrases.
An infinitive phrase consists of ‘to + verb + optional other components’ (usually a complement or object).
To procrastinate is considered an acceptable practice by students.
They want their grades, however, to be outstanding.
They learn to change their behavior much too late.
A gerund is the present participle form of a verb that serves as a noun.
A gerund phrase consists of ‘a gerund + optional other elements’ (usually a complement or object).
Procrastinating is considered an acceptable practice by students.
Many students are practiced at procrastinating about their work.
A participial phrase consists of ‘a present participle or a past participle + optional other components’ (usually a
complement or an object).
He laughed loudly, showing his discomfort at the inappropriate remark.
Shown the photographs of the crime scene, the witness broke into tears.
Being a perfectionist, Caleb practices several hours a day.
Activity 4
Return to the original versions of the core sentences you write earlier. Rewrite one or more of the nouns as an infinitive
phrase or as a gerund phrase. Add a participial phrase to one or more of the sentences. Consider how your additions
changed your sentences.
S-V
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S-V-O ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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S-LV-C ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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How Sentences Work: Eight Principles of Sentence Architecture
Principle 6 - Words, phrases, and clauses can be players – acting as nouns; and they can be modifiers – acting as
adjectives or adverbs.
He promised results. (A single word is acting as a noun acting as an object.)
He promised to achieve results. (An infinitive phrase is acting as a noun acting as an object.)
He promised that he would achieve results. (A clause is acting as a noun acting as an object.)
His claims rubbed people the wrong way. (A single word is a noun acting as the subject.)
Claiming victory over his opponents rubbed people the wrong way. (A gerund phrase acting as a noun is acting
as the subject.)
That he claimed victory over his opponents rubbed people the wrong way. (A dependent clause acting as a
noun acts as the subject.)
Our guest arrived.
Our guest arrived late. (An adverb is modifying arrived.)
Our guest arrived after dinner. (A prepositional phrase is acting as an adverb modifying arrived.)
Our guest arrived after we had eaten dinner. (A dependent clause is acting as an adverb modifying arrived.)
Our guest arrived.
Our honored guest arrived. (An adjective modifies guest.)
Our guest with a red cape arrived. (A prepositional phrase acting as an adjective modifies guest.)
Our guest who was wearing a red cape arrived. (A dependent clause acting as an adjective modifies guest.)
Activity 5
Return again to the original versions of the core sentences. For one of the nouns, rewrite it as a phrase and then rewrite
it again as a clause. With one of your sentences, add modifiers in the form of a word, and then a phrase, and then a
clause.
S-V
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S-V-O ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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S-LV-C ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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How Sentences Work: Eight Principles of Sentence Architecture
Principle 7 – Pronouns stand in for nouns.
A pronoun is simply a word that can take the place of a noun or noun phrase.
A well-prepared student passed the quiz.
He passed the quiz. (A pronoun stands in for a well-prepared student.)
Principle 8 – The combining principle:
All the elements in our system of sentence architecture can multiply and combine so that we can have core sentences
with lots of modifying components, compound sentences with clauses that can themselves serve as complete sentences,
complex sentences that have one independent and one dependent clause, or some combinations of all these conditions.
How Sentences Work: A Summary of the Eight Principles of Sentence Architecture
1. Three core sentences types: S-V, S-V-O, S-LV-C
2. Two players: nouns and verbs
3. Two modifiers: adjectives and adverbs
4. Two building blocks: clauses and phrases
5. Two Introducers/joiners: prepositions and conjunctions
6. Phrases and clauses acting as nouns and modifiers
7. Pronouns standing in for nouns
8. The combining principle: an infinite number of ways to put sentence elements together
Activity 6
1. Write one sentence in the Subject – Verb – Object form.
2. Add a prepositional phrase used as an adjective.
3. Add a prepositional phrase used as an adverb.
4. Add an adjective clause someplace in the middle of the sentence.
5. Add an adverbial clause.
6. Move either the adverbial prepositional phrase or the adverbial clause to another place in the sentence and see
what difference it makes rhetorically.
7. Add an introductory participial phrase.
8. Change one of the nouns to a gerund phrase or an infinitive phrase.
Grammar Calisthenics Quiz/Test
1. Start with a SUBJECT-VERB sentence.
2. Write another SUBJECT-VERB sentence and combine the two sentences into one sentence.
3. Add a single-word ADJECTIVE.
4. Add a single-word ADVERB.
5. Add a dependent clause acting as an ADVERB. Try it at the beginning of the sentence and then try it in the middle of
the sentence. Explain which version is more effective and why.
6. Remove the dependent clause and rewrite it as an independent clause. Explain where you would put it in relation to
the rest of the material you’ve created if it were to stand on its own. Now put it back in the sentence as a dependent
clause again.
7. Change one of the nouns to an infinitive phrase or a gerund phrase.
8. Add a participial phrase somewhere in the sentence. Then move it somewhere else in the sentence and explain which
placement you believe is most effective.