Download Building Paragraphs from the Sentence Up

BUILDing
paragraphs
from the
sentence
UP
An LSCC Learning Center
Self-Paced Tutorial
Subjects & Verbs
The building blocks for complete
sentences!
What is a complete sentence?
 States a complete thought
 Will contain (at least) a subject and a verb
 Normal order: subject, verb



The dog ran away.
Bob asked Mary out on a date.
I like pizza.
 Helpful hint….start with the verb!

Action verbs vs. linking verbs
Action Verbs
Indicate action on the part of the subject
 Examples:



Two cars crashed on the highway.
Rachel cooked dinner.
Mark sleeps late on Saturdays.
 Which words indicate action?

crashed, cooked, sleeps
Exercise: find the action verbs
1.
In his spare time, my Uncle Joe tends the community
vegetable garden.
2.
Early in the morning, he pulls the weeds between the
rows of vegetables.
3.
Often this task takes him a half an hour or more.
4.
He also monitors the irrigation system every day.
Exercise: find the action verbs
Uncle Joe knows from experience the
dangers of overwatering.
2. One year, one whole section of the garden
died from excess water.
3. On his day off during the week, Joe also
loosens the dirt from around the plants.
4. Year after year, Uncle Joe’s efforts pay off in
the form of an abundance of produce.
1.
Answers: find the action verbs
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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In his spare time, my Uncle Joe tends the community vegetable
garden.
Early in the morning, he pulls the weeds between the rows of
vegetables.
Often this task takes him a half an hour or more.
He also monitors the irrigation system every day.
Uncle Joe knows from experience the dangers of overwatering.
One year, one whole section of the garden died from excess water.
On his day off during the week, Joe also loosens the dirt from around
the plants.
Year after year, Uncle Joe’s efforts pay off in the form of an
abundance of produce.
Using action verbs
 On a sheet of paper write FIVE sentences using FIVE
action verbs from the following list:
Talk
Run
Think
Write
Drive
Wonder
Laugh
Imagine
Paint
Read
Ask
Consider
Call
Visit
Cook
Linking Verbs
 While all verbs fall into the “action word” definition,
some serve as connectors between the subject and
some further information about the subject
 We call these “linking verbs”
 Most common is “to be,” but many sensory action
verbs serve as linking verbs from time to time as well:
Appear
Feel
Look
Sound
Become
Grow
Seem
Taste
Linking Verb Samples
 Mothers are often chauffeurs as well.
 Reading is fundamental.
 Holly seems sick today.
 The runners might have been winners in the
race.
 The teachers were our bearers of knowledge.
 In 2000, George Bush became the President.
Identify the linking verbs
1. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a serious problem for some
children.
2. This preventable syndrome is a result of a mother’s
alcohol intake during pregnancy.
3. The effects of the syndrome are devastating.
4. From the moment of their birth, babies with fetal
alcohol syndrome are behind their peers in every
mark of development.
Identify the linking verbs
For example, children with fetal alcohol syndrome
are smaller and thinner than most kids their age.
2. As a result of physical weaknesses, they are
frequent victims of viruses and other communicable
diseases.
3. In school, children with fetal alcohol syndrome are
almost always far behind their peers.
4. Leaning, especially with higher level skills like
reading and mathematical computation, is extremely
difficult for them.
1.
Identify the linking verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a serious problem for some children.
This preventable syndrome is a result of a mother’s alcohol
intake during pregnancy.
The effects of the syndrome are devastating.
From the moment of their birth, babies with fetal alcohol
syndrome are behind their peers in every mark of development.
For example, children with fetal alcohol syndrome are smaller
and thinner than most kids their age.
As a result of physical weaknesses, they are frequent victims of
viruses and other communicable diseases.
In school, children with fetal alcohol syndrome are almost
always far behind their peers.
Leaning, especially with higher level skills like reading and
mathematical computation, is extremely difficult for them.
Choosing verbs
 Proofread your paragraphs and choose verbs
that sound right and make sense
 Use both action and linking verbs to vary the
style and sense of your writing.
Finding Subjects
 Once you find the verb, find who or what is
doing it in order to find the subject.
 Subjects will be nouns or pronouns
 Examples:




Two cars crashed on the highway.
Rachel cooked dinner.
Mark sleeps late on Saturdays.
He likes to stay up late Friday nights.
Identify subjects & verbs

First identify the verbs; then identify the subjects in the
following sentences:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
In the last few years, meditation has become increasingly
popular in the United States.
People from many walks of life now meditate on a daily basis.
Regular meditation offers a number of benefits.
This ancient practice improves overall health, including
circulation and respiration.
As a result, meditators enjoy a higher overall level of energy.
Also meditation is a sage stress reliever.
According to some research findings, blood pressure goes
down after only fifteen minutes of meditation a day.
Identify subjects & verbs

First identify the verbs:
1.
In the last few years, meditation has become increasingly popular in
the United States.
2.
People from many walks of life now meditate on a daily basis.
Regular meditation offers a number of benefits.
This ancient practice improves overall health, including
circulation and respiration.
As a result, meditators enjoy a higher overall level of energy.
Also meditation is a safe stress reliever.
According to some research findings, blood pressure goes
down after only fifteen minutes of meditation a day.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Identify subjects & verbs

Identify the subjects in the following sentences:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
In the last few years, meditation has become increasingly
popular in the United States.
People from many walks of life now meditate on a daily basis.
Regular meditation offers a number of benefits.
This ancient practice improves overall health, including
circulation and respiration.
As a result, meditators enjoy a higher overall level of energy.
Also meditation is a safe stress reliever.
According to some research findings, blood pressure goes
down after only fifteen minutes of meditation a day.
Prepositional Phrases & Subjects
 Remember, the simple subject might be
supplemented by a prepositional phrase and/or
accompanied by descriptive adjectives
 Don’t let that fool you in locating the subject.
 Examples:

The faded, blurry photos on the bookcase are
family heirlooms.



Adjectives: faded, blurry
Prepositional phrase: on the bookcase
The most powerful laptop computer in those
catalogs costs more than $3,000.


Adjectives: most powerful laptop
Prepositional phrase: in those catalogs
Verb Phrases and Compound Verbs
 Verb phrases:
 When you combine the verbs be, have, & do as
helping verbs with another verb:

Examples:

I am going to run to the store later.

We should dance on Saturday.

Tommy has seen the error of his ways
Verb Phrases and Compound Verbs
 Compound verbs:

When the subject is performing more than one
action

Examples:


Ted fishes, swims, and collects stamps.
The doctor operated on Mark and consulted with
Tammy.
Getting the whole verb

Identify the entire verb in the following:
1. I have been coaching a softball team of 9- to 12-year old
girls for the past two years.
2. This season, the kids played hard and won all but two
regular season games.
3. Katrina, the youngest girl on the team, pitched and hit
better than anybody else.
4. She also showed great leadership and demonstrated
good sportsmanship throughout the season.
Getting the whole verb
1. She always cheered or encouraged her
teammates, even following occasional bad plays.
2. During the playoffs, Katrina and the other girls
concentrated and played even better.
3. For the championship game, they were
determined to play at the same level.
4. By the end of the second inning in this game,
they had already scored seven runs, ultimately
celebrating a 7 to 0 championship victory.
Getting the whole verb

Identify the entire verb in the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I have been coaching a softball team of 9- to 12-year old girls
for the past two years.
This season, the kids played hard and won all but two regular
season games.
Katrina, the youngest girl on the team, pitched and hit better
than anybody else.
She also showed great leadership and demonstrated good
sportsmanship throughout the season.
Getting the whole verb
Identify the entire verb in the following:
•
•
•
•
She always cheered or encouraged her teammates, even
following occasional bad plays.
During the playoffs, Katrina and the other girls
concentrated and played even better.
For the championship game, they were determined to
play at the same level.
By the end of the second inning in this game, they had
already scored seven runs, ultimately celebrating a 7 to 0
championship victory.
Compound Subjects
 When you have two or more nouns or
pronouns joined with and or or, you have a
compound subject
 Examples:




John and Mary went sailing.
Apples, oranges, and bananas are all fruits.
Rachel or Janet will show up first.
Dogs, cats, or fish make excellent pets for
children.
Compound Subjects

Identify the subjects:
1.
Shelley and Shannon are identical twins with toally
different personalities.
1.
At first glance, their eyes, the shape of their faces, and
their lips look almost identical.
1.
In addition, their speaking voices and their laughs seem
exactly the same.
1.
But, their smiles and some facial
expressions are quite different.
Compound Subjects
 Identify the subjects:
1.
Also, their interests and attitudes are completely
different.
2. Sports, dancing, and music fascinate Shelley.
3. She and her friends regularly go to sporting events
and dance clubs, especially on karaoke nights.
4. For Shannon, however, books, movies, and politics
are her main interests.
Compound Subjects

Identify the subjects:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Shelley and Shannon are identical twins with totally different
personalities.
At first glance, their eyes, the shape of their faces, and their lips
look almost identical.
In addition, their speaking voices and their laughs seem exactly
the same.
But, their smiles and some facial expressions are quite different.
Also, their interests and attitudes are completely different.
Sports, dancing, and music fascinate Shelley.
She and her friends regularly go to sporting events and dance
clubs, especially on karaoke nights.
For Shannon, however, books, movies, and politics are her
main interests.
And now, it’s your turn
 Save all prewriting and drafts to turn in with
your final assignments
 See the Learning Center for further
instruction
Thanks to Jacklyn Pierce for sharing
this instructional Power Point with us