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Grammar Unit 1
Basic Patterns
Simple subject and predicates
Subject=doer of sentence
Predicate=verb; the act of the doer
Examples: Mary sang at our concert.
– Find subject and predicate
Mary is the subject
Sang is the predicate
Simple S&P cont…
Simple Subject=the doer with no phrases
or modifiers—just the noun(s)
Simple predicate=the verb with no
modifiers
Example: A plate of cookies enticed him to
eat.
Example: Joe played in the park.
Compound subjects and predicates
A sentence can have more than one
subject and more than one predicate
Example: John and his friend went to the
game.
Example: Bob stood in the aisle and spoke
loudly.
Commands
In commands, the subject of the sentence
is usually understood.
Example: Wash the dishes. You wash the
dishes.
Example: Stop and listen. You stop and
listen.
Practice
Find the simple subject and simple
predicate.
– Pete and Jim skated all weekend.
– Jerry walked to the Oaks Mall.
– Come in from the rain.
– Her mother left in anger.
– Jim spoke clearly and forcefully.
– Jane writes well.
First Basic Pattern: Subject,
Intransitive Verb
Intransitive Verb: A verb that is complete in
itself. Does not need another word to
complete its meaning.
Example: John jumped into the water.
John jumped is a complete sentence.
Jump is an intransitive verb.
Example: Beth ran in the marathon last
month.
Modifiers
Verbs can have modifiers—Adverbs
– A verb or phrase that modifies the verb
answers the questions how, when, where,
why, or how much (to what extent)
Example: Jack left later.
Example: I jumped on my bed.
Practice
Identify the word or phrase that modifies
the verb and identify the simple subject
and predicate.
– My fountain pen writes better every day.
– The leaf drifted slowly to the ground.
– Robert painted in the dark.
– Jane swam in Jack’s swimming pool.
– She works for money.
Second Basic Pattern: Subject,
Transitive Verb, Direct Object
Transitive Verb: a verb that is not complete
in itself; needs a noun or a pronoun to
complete it called a direct object.
Direct object for a transitive verb always
answers the questions what or whom
A complement is not a modifier. It has to
be part of the basic pattern.
For instance…
If someone said to you, “Yesterday, I
bought.” You would probably ask, “What
did you buy?”
Bought, in this sentence, is not an
intransitive verb. It needs a direct object.
Practice
Identify the basic pattern #2 for the
following sentences (subject, transitive
verb, direct object)
– My sister bought a new dress yesterday.
– Finish your homework.
– She broke her arm during practice.
– Take this book to the library.
– Debra lost an earring during the dance.
Compound Predicates and Basic
Pattern #2
A compound predicate occurs when the
sentence has more than one verb. In the
same sentence, one verb can be transitive
and one can be intransitive.
Example: Bill left early and took a bouquet
of roses to his girlfriend.
Compound Direct Objects
Sometimes a transitive verb can have
more than one direct object
Example: Joan took paper and pencils to
the exam on Saturday.
Practice
Identify the basic pattern for the following
sentences.
– Our old car needs a thorough overhauling.
– Wash the windows and woodwork in your
room.
– Greg ordered two hamburgers and fries.
– My brother borrowed Dad’s car and went to a
dance.
Active and Passive Voice
Voice shows how a verb speaks. A voice is
active when the doer performs the act.
– Paul wrote on the blackboard.
A voice speaks passively when the doer
receives the action.
– The sweater was torn by Margaret.
Practice
Rewrite the following sentences in active
voice.
– The solo was sang beautifully by Jane.
– My brother was grabbed by the bully.
– A message was sent by Ted to his brother.
Third Basic Pattern: Subject,
Linking Verb, Subject Complement
Linking verb links the subject with its
complement
– Referred to as a “state-of-being” verb; it does
not act
– State-of-being verbs: am, is, are, was, were,
be, been
The complement of a linking verb refers
back to the subject
Example: The captain is Tom.
Complements
The complement of a linking verb can be a
noun, pronoun, or an adjective
Find the complements:
– Jerry is an excellent swimmer.
– Jerry is he.
– Jerry is happy.
Transitive Verbs vs. Linking Verbs
Molly won the tennis
tournament.
– Pattern: Molly won
tournament
– Tournament completes
verb, not subject
Molly was a tennis
champion.
– Pattern: Molly was
champion
– Molly and champion
are the same
– Champion
complements Molly,
not the verb
Some practice…
Look at the following sentences…
– Brian played ball in the park.
Ball complements?
– Sally wrote a letter to her aunt.
Letter complements?
– Jim is a good math student.
Student complements.
State-of-being Verbs
Most common linking verbs are forms of to
be: am, is, are, was, were, be, been
To be linking, the verb must link. I
– No linking, then the verb is intransitive
Example: Mary was in her room. (not
linking)
Example: Mary was a teacher. (linking)
Practice
Determine if the state-of-being verbs in the
following sentences are linking verbs or
intransitive verbs.
– I will be famous.
– The flowers were beautiful.
– Jeff was working for my father.
– The books were taken to the library.
– My father was chief engineer.