Download File - Mrs. Williams English

Sentence Notes
Parts of a Sentence
 Subject – tells whom or what the sentence is about
 Complete subject – all the words that tell whom or what the sentence is about
The orange cat ran up the tree.
 Simple subject – the most important word or words in the subject
The orange cat ran up the tree.
 Compound subject – more than one noun is doing the action of the sentence
The orange cat and fluffy squirrel ran up the tree.
 Implied (understood) subject – In a command or request, the subject of the sentence is
not stated, but it is understood that you are to do the action. (You) Listen carefully.
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Natural order – subject comes before the verb
The thunder roared through the dark night.
Inverted order – the verb comes before the subject.
Through the dark night roared the thunder.
o To find the subject of a question – make it a statement
Did you do it?
You did do it.
o To find the subject in sentences that start with there or here – turn it around
to natural order
Here is my book.
My book is here.
 Predicate – includes the verb and is the action of the sentence
 Complete predicate – the verb and all words that complete the action of the
sentence.
The orange cat ran up the tree.
 Simple predicate – the most important word, the verb or verb phrase
The orange cat ran up the tree.
 Compound predicate (verb) – there is more than one verb or action taking place.
The orange cat ran up the tree and jumped on the roof.
Kinds of Sentences
 Declarative (Declare) – makes a statement or expresses an opinion and ends with a period
The dog chased the cat.
 Interrogative (Interrogate) – asks a question and ends with a question mark
Is that my book?
 Imperative (Imperial) – makes a request or gives a command and can end with either a
period or an exclamation point
Pass your paper to the right.
Look out!
 Exclamatory (Exclaim) – expresses strong feelings and ends with an exclamation point.
That was the best day ever!
Sentence Structure Notes
Phrases
 A group of words that do NOT contain both a subject and a verb
a brown dog
Clauses
 A clause is a group of words that DO contain a subject and a verb
 Independent clause – can stand on its own as a sentence (in bold)
The dog barked.
 Dependent clause – can’t stand on its own and depends on another independent clause to
help it make sense (underlined)
when the cat came in the yard
Types of Sentence Structures
 Simple Sentence – 1 independent clause
I
The team scores a goal.
 Compound Sentence – 2 or more independent clauses and NO dependent clauses
I
I
The team runs up the field, and they score a goal.
 Complex Sentence – 1independent clause + 1or more dependent clauses
D
I
After Max ran up the field, he scored a goal.
 Compound-Complex Sentence – 2 or more independent clauses + 1 or more dependent
clauses
D
I
I
While the player was running, his shoelace came untied, and he tripped.
Punctuation Notes
End Marks
●
?
!
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End of a statement (declarative sentence)
This is a dog.
At the end of most commands (imperative sentences)
Wash your hands.
At the end of an indirect question.
The girl asked what her favorite color was.
At the ends of most abbreviations and initials
hr. Jr. P.M. Oct. Mon. U.S.A.
 At the end of a question (interrogative sentence)
Where did you park the car?
At the end of a sentence expressing strong feeling (exclamatory sentence) We’re in trouble!
 After an interjection
Oh no! I forgot my shoes.
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Commas
,
 Before a conjunction joining the independent clauses in a compound sentence
I cleaned my room, and I did my homework.
 After every item in a series or list, except the last one.
I need pencils, paper, and my book. We will read a lot, study hard, and do well.
 Between two or more adjectives of equal rank that describe the same noun.
Remember the tests: 1. Can you put and between them and have it still make sense?
2. Can you switch the order of the adjectives and still make sense?
It was dark, stormy night.
It was a dark and stormy night. It was a stormy, dark night.
 After an introductory word or phrase
Slowly, he opened the door.
 To set off interrupters
The class, at last, finished studying grammar.
 To set off names of people directly being spoken to. Can you show me, Jill, how to do it?
 To set off an appositive that provides bonus information about a noun that comes right
before it
Mrs. Williams, our English teacher, wants us to do well.
 Between the day and the year in a date
July 4, 1776
 Between the city or town and the state or country when writing an address
Ashton, ID
 After the state or country if the sentence continues In St. Anthony, Idaho, there is one stop light.
 After the greeting of a casual letter and the closing of all letters
Dear Bob, Sincerely,
Semicolons
To join parts of a compound sentence without a conjunction The dog ran; it caught the cat.
 To join parts of a compound sentence or items in a series when the phrases and clauses are
long and complicated or have commas
Students should bring pencils, paper, and books to class; do their homework;
and, above all, always do their best.
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;
Colons
 To introduce a list of items (not right after a verb or preposition that already introduces it)
:
Players will need specific equipment: cleats, shin guards, black shorts, and a jersey.
 After a formal greeting in a business letter
 Between hours and minutes when telling time
Dear Mr. Banker:
9:25
Hyphens
-
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In compound numbers
In spelled-out fractions
In compound nouns that have a single letter as the first element
In compound nouns that lack a noun as one of the elements
In compound nouns that end with a prepositional phrase
When without the hyphen it creates confusion or a different word
thirty-five
three-fourths
x-ray
two-by-four
mother-in-law
co-op ex-president
Dashes
—
 To show an abrupt break in thought. Jack was—I’m not kidding—absolutely hilarious.
Parentheses
()
 To set off bonus information, often dates, that are loosely related to the rest of the sentence.
During the Civil War (1861-1865), many soldiers died on both sides.
Apostrophes
’
 Use with any noun to show possession (check by covering up everything after it and see
what’s left)
cat’s
women’s Russ’s
 Use in contractions or slang words to show replace missing letters can’t rockin’ awesome
 Use to form the plural of a letter, number (not years such as 1950s), or word that is being
referred to as a word
Dot your i’s. He scored 9’s. Replace your said’’s with stronger verbs.
Quotations
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“”
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Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of a direct quotation. Bob said, “I like pizza.”
Use commas to set off explanatory words (the narrator that says who is speaking).
If the quote is a question or exclamation, then the mark goes inside the closing quotation
marks.
Jane asked, “What’s for dinner?”
If the narrator is the one asking the question, not the person being quoted, then the question
mark goes outside the quotation marks.
Did Bob say, “I like pizza”?
Commas and periods always go inside closing quotation marks because they’re too little to
stay outside.
A divided quotation is where you split what the person actually said and put explanatory
words (the narrator) right in the middle.
“Well,” Bob said, “my favorite food is pizza.”
An indirect quote is a restatement of a person’s words, and does not need quotation marks.
An indirect quote often is introduced by the word that. He said that he didn’t want to go.
Punctuating Titles
Italics – bigger things
Book name
CD title
Magazine or Newspaper
TV series
Long musical work
Painting
Movie
Specific trains, ships, airplanes, spacecraft
“ ” – smaller things
Chapter
Song
Article
Name of an episode
Song
Poem
Essay
Short story
Capitalization Notes
ALWAYS Capitalize:
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The first word of a sentence.
The pronoun “I”
The first word in a line of traditional poetry
The first word of a direct quotation if it begins a complete sentence.
The first word in the greeting and closing of a letter:
Yours truly,
Capitalize important words in the titles of things
People’s names and initials including family words used in the place of names:
I gave Mom a flower. (If you added the word my - no capital.)
Personal titles and religious terms
Names of ethnic groups, languages, cultures, and races
Directions such as north, south, east, west when they name particular regions or are parts of
proper names:
I live in the West. North America
Names of bodies of the universe
Names of monuments, bridges, and other landmarks
Names of particular planes, trains, and other vehicles
Names of historical events, eras, and documents
Names of special events, awards, and product brands
Names of organizations, institutions, businesses, and their abbreviations
Names of school subjects when they contain a proper noun or proper adjective and class
names when they tell the actual name of the class
Months, days, holidays
NEVER Capitalize
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Common nouns that name people, places, or things
Family words used as common nouns (Usually have the word “my” before them.)
Words after the first word of a closing in a letter:
Sincerely yours,
Articles, conjunctions, short prepositions (5 letters or less) in a title: How to Paint a Bird
Calendar items if they name a season
god or goddess when referring to Greek gods