Download Verb - Amy Benjamin

My Big Fat Grammar Project
To the Teacher:
Welcome to “My Big Fat Grammar Project.” The BFGP takes students
through the patterns of sentences in the English language. As you’ll
see, each of the patterns is explained and expanded. The patterns
are also diagrammed. Your job is to present ONE pattern at a
time. The student’s job is to create a book, booklet, binder, or
poster that demonstrates understanding of each pattern. They do
this by composing 3 sentences for each of the patterns. To make
the BFGP interesting, attractive, and fun, they should choose a
theme, the quirkier the better (giraffes, earthworms, ice cream).
The BFGP is a work of art: Each sentence should take up a full
page (or sizable portion of a poster) and be illustrated with either
original drawings, cut-outs from magazines, or clip art.
The patterns are shown on the next screen.
To the Teacher:
We have three action verb patterns:
1. The intransitive verb pattern: Noun + verb
2. The transitive verb pattern: Noun + verb + noun (direct object)
3. The complex transitive pattern: Noun + Noun (indirect object) +
verb + direct object
And we have thee linking verb patterns:
1. Noun + BE + Subject complement (The subject complement can
be adverbial information, adjectival information, or nominal
information)
2. Noun + OTHER LINKING VERB + Subject complement (same as
above, except that some “other linking verbs” do not need a
subject complement, ex: Sometiimes, sneakers smell.
Fear not! All of this will be explained and illustrated in the
screens that follow.
NB: This is a simplified version of sentence pattern taxonomy, representing only the most common patterns. I used
the BFGB for ninth grade students, but it can be used just as well with other levels.
To the Teacher:
Do the math: The student ends up with 12 sentences, each carefully
written, illustrated, categorized, analyzed, and diagrammed, on a
particular theme.
Twelve sentences may not seem like a lot, but once students
understand the major sentence patterns of English, they are ready
to hang all kinds of information on sturdy frames.
The terminology for the BFGP: sentence, subject, predicate, slots,
noun, verb; direct object, indirect object, transitive verb, complex
transitive verb, intransitive verb; linking verb, helping verb, passive
voice, progressive action, subject complement, adverbial,
adjectival, nominal
Fear not! All of this will be explained and illustrated in the
screens that follow.
NB: This is a simplified version of sentence pattern taxonomy, representing only the most common patterns. I used
the BFGB for ninth grade students, but it can be used just as well with other levels.
The Action Verb
Patterns
• Intransitives
• Transitives
Noun + Verb
The Intransitive
Verb Pattern
Katherine laughed.
This sentence has two slots: Subject + Verb
An intransitive verb is an action verb
that allows for completeness,
needing no other words
in the sentence.
Subject
Katherine
Verb
Laughed.
This sentence has two required slots.
An intransitive verb is an action verb
that allows for completeness,
needing no other words
in the sentence.
Subject
Elephants
Queen
Katherine
Verb
laughs
will laugh
is laughing was laughing
Laughed. has laughed
movies.
This sentence has two required slots.
Make 3 Sentences in the
Noun + Verb Pattern
Noun + Verb + Noun
Transitive Verb +
Direct Object
loves
Everybody
Subj.
Verb (transtive)
Raymond
Direct Object
This sentence has three slots: Subject + Verb + Direct Object
Noun + Verb + Noun
Transitive Verb + Direct Object
Loves whom
or what?
Everybody loves Raymond.
Subj.
Verb (transtive)
Everybody
loves
Direct Object
Raymond.
This sentence has three slots: Subject + Verb + Direct Object
Transitives
Transitive verbs take direct objects.
Direct objects answer “whom” or
“what”
to the (action) verbs.
Make 3 Sentences in the Noun +
Verb + Noun (direct object)
Pattern
Transitives
Complex transitive verbs take indirect
objects as well as direct objects.
Indirect objects answer “to whom,” “for
whom,” “to what,” “for what” to the
direct object.
Sentences having
indirect objects:
Claudia gave Ramon an eyebrow stud.
Claudia
stud
gave
Subj.
Verb (transtive)
Ramon
indirect object
Direct
Object
Sentences having
indirect objects:
Verbs about giving and verbs about
showing like to take indirect objects.
I
am sending
Subj.
money.
Verb (transtive)
Direct Object
you
Indirect Object
Make 3 Sentences in the Noun
+ Noun (indrect object) Verb+
Noun (direct object) Pattern
Now, we come to the LINKING VERB patterns:
Let’s learn about BE:
IS
AM
ARE
WAS
WERE
BE
BEING
BEEN
Three Uses of BE:
• As a main verb, to express existence:
My teacher is a werewolf.
Three Uses of BE:
• As a helping verb, to express
progressive action:
My teacher was turning into a
werewolf.
Three Uses of BE:
• As a helping verb,to form the passive
voice:
Many students were attacked at night.
Pattern : BE + nominal
A nominal is a word or group of words that does the
work of a noun (a noun and its modifiers). A nominal
may be a single word, a phrase, or a clause. You can
tell where a nominal begins and ends by replacing it
with a pronoun. Whatever words the pronoun “eats
up” would be one nominal. (Another test is to use the
word “something” to replace a nominal.)
A ferret is a type of weasel.
A ferret is a type of weasel.
ferret
is
type
a
of
weasel
(Something) is (something).
(Something) = (something).
Subject item = Subject complement item
Same referents on both sides of the verb
This clause has three slots.
Pattern: BE + Adjectival
BE + a subject complement that is
an adjectival
An adjectival is to an adjective
what a nominal is to a noun: a
single word, a phrase, or a
clause that does the work of
an adjective, ie. to answer
Which one? What kind? or
How many?
Pattern : BE + Adjectival
A ferret is furry.
A ferret is furry.
ferret
NP (noun phrase)
Subject
is
BE verb
singular
present
tense
furry.
Adjectival
Subj. Complement
Note that this clause can be expressed in the form of a phrase:
the furry ferret.
This sentence has three slots.
A ferret is furry and funny.
ferret
is
and
a
NP (noun phrase)
Subject
BE verb
singular
present
tense
Note that this clause can be expressed in the form of a phrase:
the furry ferret.
Adjectival
Subj. Complement
This sentence has three slots.
The BE Patterns
BE + Adverbial Information
BE + Adverbial
(An adverbial is to an adverb what an adjectival is to
an adjective and what a nominal is to a noun, ie. a
single word, phrase, or clause that answers the
questions that adverbs answer: after linking
verbs, adverbials usually answer where? or when?)
A ferret is in the garage.
A ferret is in the garage.
ferret
is
A
garage
(Something) is (somewhere).
(Something) is (happening at some time).
This clause has three slots.
My birthday was yesterday.
birthday
was
(Something) is (somewhere).
(Something) is (happening at some time).
This clause has three slots.
Make 3 Sentences
in BE Patterns
THE OTHER LINKING
VERB PATTERNS
Sense verbs:
Look, sound, smell,
taste, feel
Seem, become,
grow…
Pattern: Linking Verb +
Adjective
Linking Verb +
Predicate
Adjective
This ice cream tastes
delicious.
This ice cream tastes delicious.
ice cream
NP
Subj
delicious
tastes
(linking) verb
Subject
complement
Predicate Adj.
Note: In a Pattern 4 sentence, the subject complement
Is an adjective, not an adverb.
Hence: I feel bad (not badly).
This sentence has three slots.
Linking Verb + Noun Pattern :
Linking Verb + Noun
She became a famous doctor..
She
Subj.
became
doctor.
a
(linking) verb
Subject complement
Predicate noun.
Make 3 Sentences
in Other Linking Verb Patterns