Download Sentence Patterns 13-26

Sentence Patterns 13-26
13. Open with a Present Infinitive.
14. Open with a Perfect Infinitive.
15. Open with a Present Participle.
16. Open with a Past Participle.
17. Open with a Perfect Participle.
18. Open with a Direct Object.
19. Open with a Verb.
20. Open with a Present Gerund.
21. Open with a Perfect Gerund.
22. Use a Restrictive Adjective Clause.
23. Use a Non- Restrictive Adjective Clause.
24. Open with a Noun Clause.
25. Open with a Predicate Noun.
26. Open with a Predicate Adjective.
Sentence Pattern #13: Open with a Present Infinitive…
The verbals - half-verb, half-something else - make sentences more active. The English language has three
verbals: infinitives, participles, and gerunds. An infinitive includes one preposition (to) plus one present
tense verb (ie, improve), resulting in to improve. It can be used as three different parts of speech:



Noun
Adverb
Adjective
To improve one’s mind becomes a worthwhile goal.
She struggled to improve her mind.
He had a desire to improve his mind.
Infinitives form phrases in three ways:
1. By combining with adverbs: he wanted to sit quietly by himself.
2. By combining with prepositional phrases: To sing in the shower became a daily habit.
3. By taking objects: He yearned to see his sweetheart.
Commas usually follow long infinitive phrases that open sentences unless they are being used as the
SUBJECT of the sentence.
Note: In its usage as an adjective, an infinitive will never appear as a sentence opener. The noun or pronoun
that the infinitive modifies must appear as a sentence opener. The noun or pronoun that the infinitive
modifies must appear in front of the infinitive; thus we will not have an infinitive opener.
Examples:
1. To reduce expenses, the newspaper had to trim its staff from twenty to twelve.
2. To make a long story short, Father carried his point.
3. To show how far affairs had gone with Mr. Henry, I will give some words of his.
4. To get into my car, I had to break the window.
5. To arrive at an understanding, officials held many conferences.
6. To sit quietly by himself became his desire.
7. To speak French became Jan’s primary goal.
8. To finish before Bob’s arrival meant that I had to start earlier.
Sentence Pattern #14: Open with a Perfect Infinitive…
The present infinitive to have + the third principal part of the verb (or its past participle) = the perfect
infinitive (to have written). The perfect infinitive usually refers to a time previous to the time indicated by
the verb of the main part of the sentence. A comma usually follows the perfect infinitive used as a sentence
opener. Perfect infinitives form phrases in the same three ways as the present infinitive:
1. by combining with adverbs: To have talked more loudly, I would have needed a microphone.
2. by combining with prepositional phrases: To have arrived on time, I would have had to come by
air.
3. by taking objects: To have given an answer, I should have heard the question.
Examples:
1. To have spoken at the convention, I would have needed an invitation.
2. To have gone by train, I would have needed a reservation.
3. To have thrown the ball, I would have needed a catcher.
4. To have known about the book, I would have had to see the ad.
5. To have eaten such a big dinner, I would have had to go without food for a day.
6. To have sent the letter would have meant I need the address.
7. To have penned that note, I would have needed a purple pen.
8. To have chosen that coat, I would have had to have spent a fortune.
Sentence Pattern #15: Open with a present participle…
Participles, the second of the three verbals, serve as half verb, half adjective. The present participle = the
ing form of the verb (sitting, twisting, eating). Like a verb, the participle often expresses an action. Like an
adjective, it describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. A participle may form a participial phrase in three
ways, similar to the infinitive:
1. by combining with an adverb: Writing hurriedly, I finished the lesson.
2. by combining with a prepositional phrase: Writing in my diary, I spilled the ink.
3. by taking an object: Writing the last page, I sighed with relief.
When a participle phrase opens a sentence, use a comma after it. The noun or pronoun immediately
following the comma must serve as the word modified by the participle; otherwise, the participle dangles.
Look at this example: Standing on the hilltop, the sky was red and golden. The wording of this example
indicates that the sky does the standing. Thus, we call this a dangling participle. To correct it, we must
show who does the standing: Standing on the hilltop, we admired the red and gold sky.
Examples:
1. Watering the flowers, Martha stood in the garden.
2. Stepping up to the door, I saw my father dozing on the sofa.
3. Writing rapidly, I finished the essay.
4. Washing her hands, she dropped the soap.
5. Standing on the mountain top, we viewed the entire valley.
6. Shrieking loudly, the train entered the station.
7. Raising his hand, Marc Antony silenced the throng.
8. Dying of stab wounds, Caesar muttered, “Et tu, Brute?”
Sentence Pattern #16: Open with a Past Participle…
The past participle = the third principal part of the verb (satisfied, compared overtaken, gone). Past
Participles form participle phrases in two ways:
1.
2.
By combining with adverbs: deeply grieved
By combing with prepositional phrases: disturbed by the events
Past participles do not take objects, as do present participles. When a past participle phrase opens a
sentence, use a comma following it.
Examples:
1. Torn badly and exhausted physically, he scrambled to the summit.
2. Tired from having stayed up all night studying, the girl fell asleep during the test.
3. Scarred with glacial grooves, the crag loomed ahead.
4. Impressed by the ceremony and deeply moved by the speeches, we all left the hall in silence.
5. Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered, I fell in love.
6. Moved from his home at an early age, he soon learned to fend for himself.
7. Worn out from running a marathon, the woman collapsed in the chair.
Sentence Pattern #17: Open with a Perfect Participle…
The perfect participle = having + the third principal part of the verb (having, deposited, having kissed,
having begun, having come). When a perfect participle or perfect participial phrase opens a sentence, use a
comma following it. Perfect participles form perfect participle phrases in three ways:
1. by combining with adverbs: having shrieked loudly
2. by combining with prepositional phrases: having come from the abandoned quarry
3. by taking objects: having kissed his forehead
Examples:
1. Having kissed his forehead, she returned with her buoyant step to the window.
2. Having slipped the packstrap from his shoulders, he sat quietly.
3. Having finished his essay, the student decided to go for a jog.
4. Having barely begun to read, Stefan laid the newspaper down.
5. Having come to the abandoned quarry, they stood looking down at the water.
6. Having reconsidered his proposal, Elizabeth Bennett decided to marry Mr. Darcy.
Sentence Pattern #18: Open with a Direct Object…
A transitive verb carries action from the doer of the action to the receiver. The doer of the action we call the
subject; the receiver of the action we label the direct object. The usual pattern of the English sentence
follows the order of S-V-DO. By placing the direct object as the sentence opener, the writer gives much
more emphasis to the receiver of the action. It might help to think of these as “Yoda” sentences.
Examples:
1. Strands of colored weeds she had made into a blanket.
2. Real estate Jeff Sherwood sells.
3. A better job I never had.
4. A Jaguar Uncle Terry owns, but he rarely drives it.
5. Mary and John the director chose.
6. Civilized ways of doing things you must learn if you wish to assume a role in society.
7. Soup, a salad, cheese, and the house wine he ordered in the restaurant.
8. The Queen’s arrival he did not notice until she tapped him on the shoulder.
Sentence Pattern #19: Open with a Verb…
Verbs supply action to a sentence, they make statements ask questions, or give commands. When you open
a sentence with a verb, you may take credit for two different sentence patterns #19 and #7, “Use
conversation.”
Examples:
1. Said she politely, “Good morning, Brother Snake”.
2. Declaimed Marc Antony: “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”
3. Replied the senator, “I haven’t yet made up my mind about the legislation.”
4. Answered Andy, “I didn’t hear you call me.”
5. Retorted Marge, “You didn’t listen to me!”
6. Inquired Gary, “Where have all the kittens gone?”
7. Whispered Dick, “I think I hear a footstep.”
8. Grinned Tom, “How did you manage it?”
Sentence Pattern #20: Open With a Present Gerund…
Gerunds, the third of the three verbals in the language, serve as half verb, half noun. The present gerund =
the ing form of the verb (drumming, twisting, shimmering). It looks identical to the participle, but
remember that the participle functioned as an adjective whereas the gerund operates as a noun. Like a verb,
the present gerund often expresses an action. Like a noun, it may serve as:
1.
2.
3.
subject of a sentence: Driving a tractor appealed to him.
predicate noun: My specialty is fencing.
object of preposition: For silencing her screaming we thanked him.
A present gerund may form a gerund phrase in three ways, similar to the infinitive and the participle:
1. by combining with an adverb: Driving dangerously becomes a bad habit.
2. by combining with a prepositional phrase: Writing in my diary has become a daily ritual.
3. by taking an object: Writing the last chapter gave me a feeling of success.
Examples:
1. Opening the heavy gate took longer than he thought.
2. Changing his accent resulted in a personality change.
3. Writing contemporary essays posed no problems for him.
4. Talking incessantly annoys the class.
5. Driving recklessly could put you in the hospital.
6. Asking me the questions won’t necessarily get you the answers.
7. Communicating with his parents became an arduous task.
8. Ringing doorbells has become a tradition of Halloween.
Sentence Pattern #21: Open With a Perfect Gerund…
The perfect gerund = having + the third principal part of the verb (having deposited, having kissed, having
begun, having come.). Again, it looks identical to the perfect participle; but whereas the perfect participle
functions as an adjective, the perfect gerund operates as a noun. Perfect gerunds form perfect gerund
phrases in the same three ways as perfect participles do:
1.
2.
3.
by combing with adverbs: having shrieked loudly
by combing with prepositional phrases: having come to the abandoned quarry
by taking objects: having kissed his forehead
In its most frequent usage, the perfect gerund will appear as the object of a preposition. Gerund phrases will
end with a comma. The noun or pronoun immediately following the comma must serve as the person, place
or thing doing the action of the gerund; otherwise, the perfect gerund dangles.
Examples:
1. After having written the essay, I analyzed it carefully for errors.
2. By having gone through one ordeal, I felt better about coping with future problems.
3. On having attained the promotion, I began a search for other goals.
4. Before having reached the summit, I should have rested more often.
5. Upon having reached twenty-one, he received his inheritance.
6. Without having had any previous experience, he could not find a job.
7. For having competed against strong odds, he won the metal.
8. Besides having shrieked loudly, I might have lighted a flare.
9. In having arrived promptly, I created a favorable impression.
10. Since having studied diligently, I have become a better student.
Sentence Patten #22: Use a Restrictive Adjective Clause…
A clause is a group of words with a subject and predicate, but dependent upon the rest of the sentence to
make sense. Restrictive = necessary or essential to meaning; an adjective = a word that modifies a noun or
pronoun. Therefore, a restrictive adjective clause = a group of dependent words with a subject and a
predicate, modifying a noun or pronoun in the main part of the sentence, and essential to the meaning of the
sentence.
This type of clause does not take commas. Only five words serve as openers for these clauses: who, whom,
which, that, whose. Who, whom, and whose refer to persons; which and that refer to things.
Examples (with clauses in italics):
1. Students who plan to enter the university in the fall quarter should forward transcripts of their
records to the register.
2. The man who stole the horse shall hang.
3. Sir, you speak of the woman whom I love!
4. Clare dated a boy whom I have never seen before.
5. I saw the mountain which you described.
6. The technology to which I refer goes under various names.
7. I have certain information that the enemy has concentrated twenty thousand troops of all arms in
the Little Buttermilk.
8. The idea that came to him seemed brilliant.
9. Some basic assumptions influenced the men whose ideas formed the basis of American
democracy.
10. A man whose face I knew walked in.
Sentence Pattern #23: Use a Non-Restrictive Adjective Clause…
A clause = a group of words with a subject and a predicate, but dependent upon the rest of the sentence to
make sense. Non-restrictive = not necessary, not essential to meaning; an adjective = a word that modifies
a noun or a pronoun. Therefore, a non- restrictive adjective clause = a group of dependent words with a
subject and a predicate, modifying a noun or pronoun in the main part of the sentence, but providing
additional information not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
Non- restrictive adjective clauses take commas. Four words serve as openers for these clauses: who, whom,
whose, which. Who, whom, and whose refer to persons; which refers to things. The word that cannot
introduce a non-restrictive adjective clause.
Examples (with the clauses in italics):
1. He introduced me to his wife, whom he obviously adored.
2. The author, whom many critics blasted, has written a best seller.
3. The Shah, whom the Iranians wanted to put on trial, became a man without a country.
4. Lars, whose escapades had made headlines, declared to remain in hiding for a while.
5. Many people sought out Aristotle, whose wisdom spread through the ancient world.
6. The people applauded President Obama, whose leadership never faltered.
7. She would soon find out about the Nationalist Party, which ruled China at that time.
8. In these paintings, which hung from the wall, my artistic fancy had caused me to take interest.
Sentence Pattern #24: Open With a Noun Clause…
A noun clause is a third type of dependent clause. These words may operate as noun-clause openers:
whoever, whomever, whatever, what, which, whichever, who, that, where, when, how, why, wherever,
whom, whosoever. These clauses can function in several ways:
Subject: Whatever you say will meet my approval.
Object of the verb: The students know what the want discussed.
Predicate Noun: The important consideration becomes what a man does, not what he says.
Object of preposition: Give refreshments to whoever comes.
Examples (with noun clauses in italics):
1. How we will ever finish on time I do not know.
2. Why people feel that way puzzles me.
3. What people see in him is beyond me.
4. Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.
5. For whoever gets there first, I have a prize.
6. Which place you mean I can’t get clear in my mind.
7. Where we will hold the wedding becomes a matter of compromise.
8. Whom they want for president the committee hasn’t decided yet.
9. Whatever they could lay their hands on, they took.
10. What Blackford had to gain, or lose, Jones could not know.
Sentence Pattern #25: Open With a Predicate Noun…
A predicate noun = a noun in the predicate which follows a linking verb. In contrast to an object, a
predicate noun relates to the subject rather than to the verb, because a linking verb expresses a condition
rather than direct action. The common linking verbs for the predicate noun include all forms of the verb to,
be (is, am, are, were, be, been, being) and seem and become. The use of the verb to be with the predicate
nouns serves important purposes in expressing some ideas, as the following examples illustrate.
Examples:
1. A large man he was, strong and muscular.
2. British all four of his grandparents were.
3. A fabulous vacation it was when we went to Hawaii.
4. My best friend she has been for many years.
5. A stranger I become, once I leave my native land.
6. An imposter he seemed.
7. A man he became, once he discarded his childish ways.
8. A pleasant-looking fellow the ambassador seems.
9. The one surviving colonial power we are.
10. An exhilarating hour it had been.
Sentence Pattern #26: Open With a Predicate Adjective…
Predicate adjectives - adjectives that follow linking verb - refer back to the subject. The linking verbs that
may take predicate adjectives include all forms of the verb to be (is, am, was, were, be, been, being); seem,
appear, become, grow, prove, and verbs describing sensations like taste, feel, smell, look, sound.
Examples:
1. Soft her skin was, like that of a baby.
2. Cold the ice felt against his temples.
3. Delicious the pear tasted.
4. Sweet the music sounded.
5. Angry Dad appeared when he heard the news.
6. Tall the grass grows in Wyoming.
7. False the story proved when I checked it out.
8. Lovely the rose smelled.
9. Happy the boy becomes when his father gets home.
10. Discordant the tones of the piano sound.