Download Students` Workbook

T
Thhee K
KIISSSS G
Grraam
mm
maarr B
Booookkss
B
Booookk 22
The Boys’ New York
by John George Brown
(1886) Private collection
Source:The Athenaeum
© Dr. Ed Vavra
Revised August 26, 2015
KISS Instructional Materials are available for free at KISSGrammar.org.
2
Welcome and Introduction ............................................................................. 5
Unit 1—Review ................................................................................................ 6
Capital Letters .................................................................................................................. 6
Ex. 1 - On Capitalization .............................................................................................. 7
Punctuation ....................................................................................................................... 8
Ex. 2 - Punctuating Sentences: from "Dick Whittington" ........................................... 8
Ex. 3 - Apostrophes to Show Possession ...................................................................... 9
Ex. 4 - Punctuating Contractions ................................................................................ 10
Ex. 5 – Replacing Lost Punctuation ........................................................................... 11
Other Constructions........................................................................................................ 12
Ex. 6 - “There” as a Subject........................................................................................ 12
Ex. 7 - Modal Helping Verbs...................................................................................... 13
Unit 2—Nouns and Pronouns ....................................................................... 14
Identifying Nouns and Pronouns ................................................................................... 14
Ex. 1 - Identifying Nouns From Bunny Rabbit’s Diary ............................................. 16
Ex. 2 - Identifying Nouns and Pronouns TThhee SSttoorrkk.................................................... 17
Ex. 3 - A Focus on Pronouns From Bunny Rabbit’s Diary (#1) ................................ 18
Common and Proper Nouns ........................................................................................... 19
Ex. 4 - Common and Proper Nouns ............................................................................ 20
Nouns— Singular and Plural (Number) ........................................................................ 21
Ex. 5 - Singular and Plural Nouns .............................................................................. 22
Ex. 6 – Number: Irregular Plurals............................................................................. 23
Ex. 7 - Replacing Nouns with Pronouns The Blacksmith .......................................... 24
Possessive Nouns and Pronouns..................................................................................... 25
Ex. 8 - Possessive Nouns and Pronouns From The Haliburton First Reader (#1) .... 25
Ex. 9 - Possessive Nouns and Pronouns From The Haliburton First Reader (#2) .... 26
Unit 3 – The Five Types of Complements ................................................... 27
Identifying the Types of Complements—a Flowchart ................................................... 28
Examples of the Process for Identifying the Types of Complements ........................ 29
Ex. 1 - From Old-time Stories, by E. Louise Smythe ................................................. 32
Ex. 2 - From Old-time Stories, by E. Louise Smythe ................................................. 33
The Ugly Duckling by E. Louise Smythe ..................................................................... 34
Ex. 3 - Identifying Predicate Adjectives from “The Ugly Duckling” ......................... 37
3
Ex. 4 - Identifying Predicate Nouns from “The Ugly Duckling” ............................... 38
Ex. 5 - Identifying Indirect and Direct Objects from “The Ugly Duckling” .............. 39
Ex. 6 - Zero Complements from “The Ugly Duckling” ............................................ 40
Ex. 7 - A Passage for Analysis from “The Ugly Duckling” ....................................... 41
Ex. 8 – Writing about “The Ugly Duckling” .............................................................. 41
Unit 4 – Adding Three Simple Constructions ............................................. 42
Nouns Used as Adverbs ................................................................................................. 42
Ex. 1 - Nouns Used as Adverbs from Laughing-Eyes ............................................... 43
Simple Interjections........................................................................................................ 44
Ex. 2 - Interjections From Growth in English ........................................................... 45
Direct Address ................................................................................................................ 46
Ex. 3 - Exercise on Direct Address from The Haliburton First Reader .................... 47
Ex. 4 - Nouns Used as Adverbs, Interjections, and Direct Address .......................... 48
Unit 5 – A Focus on Style—“The Gingerbread Boy” ................................ 49
The Gingerbread Boy from Everyday Classics First Reader ........................................ 49
Ex. 1 - Sentence Combining with Adjectives ............................................................. 54
Ex. 2 - Sentence Combining with Verbs .................................................................... 55
Ex. 4 - Sentence Building with Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositional Phrases..... 57
Ex. 5 - Sentence Models ............................................................................................. 58
Ex. 6 - Writing Your Own Version of ”The Gingerbread Boy” ................................ 59
Unit 6 – More about S/V/C Patterns............................................................ 60
Verbs as Subjects and Complements.............................................................................. 60
Ex. 1 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet ........................................................... 61
Ex. 2 - From At the Back of the North Wind ............................................................... 62
Varied Positioned in the S/V/C Pattern .......................................................................... 63
Ex. 3 - From Old-time Stories .................................................................................... 63
Palimpsest Patterns ......................................................................................................... 64
Ex. 4 - From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales .......................................................... 65
Ex. 5 - From At the Back of the North Wind ............................................................... 66
Phrasal Verbs—Preposition? Adverb? Or Part of the Verb? ......................................... 67
Ex. 6 - From the Tales of by Beatrix Potter ................................................................ 69
Ex. 7 - Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan ............................................ 70
Unit 7 – More about Prepositional Phrases ................................................ 71
Compound Objects of Prepositions ................................................................................ 71
4
Ex. 1 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet ........................................................... 71
The “To” Problem .......................................................................................................... 72
Ex. 2 - Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan ............................................ 73
Is It a Preposition? (PP or SC?) ...................................................................................... 74
Ex. 3 – Ten Sentences................................................................................................. 75
Prepositional Phrases as Indirect Objects ....................................................................... 76
Ex. 4 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet ........................................................... 76
Ex. 5 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet ........................................................... 77
Embedded Prepositional Phrases.................................................................................... 78
Ex. 6 - Based on The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher ........................................................ 79
Ex. 7 - Based on The Tale of Benjamin Bunny ........................................................... 80
Unit 8 – Phrases: Modification and Chunking ........................................... 81
What is a “Phrase”? ........................................................................................................ 81
Two Ways of Looking at Sentences—Modification and Chunking............................... 81
The Chunking and Functions of Prepositional Phrases .................................................. 84
Ex 1. – “One Stormy Winter Day,” Part 1 .................................................................. 85
Ex 2. - “One Stormy Winter Day,” Part 2 .................................................................. 86
Ex 3. - Writing about One Stormy Winter Day .......................................................... 86
Ex. 4 – “A Squirrel’s Morning Run,” Part 1............................................................... 87
Ex. 5 – “A Squirrel’s Morning Run,” Part 2............................................................... 88
Ex. 6 – Write about “A Squirrel’s Morning Run” ...................................................... 88
Ex. 7 – “The Happy Butterfly” .................................................................................. 89
Ex. 8 – Writing with “The Happy Butterfly” as a Model ........................................... 90
Ex. 9 - Based on “Sammy’s Flying Machine” ............................................................ 91
Ex. 10 - Based on “Sammy’s Flying Machine” .......................................................... 92
Ex. 11 – Punctuation—“Sammy’s Flying Machine” .................................................. 93
Unit 9 -- Compound Main Clauses .............................................................. 94
Main Clauses .................................................................................................................. 94
Ex. 1 - From The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan .................................................. 96
Ex. 2 - From The Tale of Benjamin Bunny ................................................................. 97
Ex. 3 - From The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin ................................................................... 98
Ex. 4 - From The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher .............................................................. 99
Ex. 5 - From The Tailor of Gloucester ..................................................................... 100
Other Ways of Combining Main Clauses..................................................................... 101
5
Ex. 6 - From The Tale of Peter Rabbit ..................................................................... 102
Ex. 7 - Punctuation from “Billy Mink’s Swimming Party” ..................................... 103
W
Weellccoom
mee aanndd IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn
Welcome to the second of the KISS Grammar Books. You might be interested
to know that if you successfully completed the first book, you have mastered the two
parts of KISS that give many college students the biggest problems—you can identify
most subject/verb patterns, and you can identify most prepositional phrases. You can
also identify the functions of adjectives and adverbs. As you continue to work in
KISS, keep in mind how many of the words in sentences that you can already explain.
In this book you will build on what you have already learned. For example, in
the first book, you learned to identify complements. In Unit Three of this book, you
will learn how to distinguish the five important types of complements. Unit Four
introduces three concepts that appear frequently in what you read and write. They are
Nouns Used as Adverbs, Interjections, and Direct Address. These will increase the
number of words that you can intelligently discuss in what you read and write. Unit
Five focuses on the style of sentences in your writing.
Units Six and Seven will expand your understanding of S/V/C patterns and
prepositional phrases. Unit Eight, on phrases, begins your study of how all the words
in any sentence work together to make meaning. In the final unit, Nine, you will learn
the important difference between “sentence” and “clause.”
Remember that you are expected to make some mistakes as you work with
new materials, but there are some mistakes that you should never make. For example,
you should always underline “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” and “were” twice because they
always function as verbs, and you should always place parentheses around simple
prepositional phrases.
6
U
Unniitt 11—
—R
Reevviieew
w
The Painter
to the Moon
C
Caappiittaall L
Leetttteerrss
1917
by
Marc Chagall
(1887-1985)
1. A capital letter is used for the first word in a sentence.
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
2. Every proper noun begins with a capital letter. A proper noun is a
noun that names a particular person, place, or thing. The
following are proper nouns:
The name of a person—Patrick Coleman, Anne White
The name of a city or a town—Buffalo, Centralia
The name of a state or a country—Texas, China
The name of a street or an avenue—Market Street, Chester Avenue
The name of a holiday—Christmas, Thanksgiving
The name of a school—Upton School, John Monroe Middle School
The name of a religious denomination—Catholic, Quaker, Protestant
The name of a political party—Democratic, Republican
The name of a day of the week—Sunday, Friday
The name of a month of the year—January, October
3. An abbreviation begins with a capital letter when a capital would be
used if the word were written in full.
Dr. John Warren Dawes moved to Ohio.
The last item on Mother’s shopping list is “1 qt. strawberries.”
4. An initial is always written with a capital letter.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
7
Ex. 1 - On Capitalization
Young Girl
Reading
by
Mary
Cassatt
c.1908
Directions:
1. Fix the missing capital letters.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once.
3. Write “C” over complements.
1. they flew to sandorf, alaska.
2. my brother goes to taylor elementary school.
3. elaine would like to go to tokyo, japan in june.
4. a big pine tree is in mr. william's yard.
5. in december, many people have a pine tree in their house for christmas.
6. billy lives on maple street in greenville.
7. janet johnson visited the national museum in washington, d.c.
8. mary cassatt painted a picture named a girl in a big hat.
8
PPuunnccttuuaattiioonn
Ex. 2 - Punctuating Sentences:
from "Dick Whittington"
in THE BEACON SECOND READER
Lesson: A sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or
exclamation point.
Directions:
In the following ten items, one is not a sentence. Write “NS” after it (for
“not a sentence”). For those that are sentences,
1.) fix the capitalization and punctuation,
2.) place parentheses around each prepositional phrase,
3.) underline the verbs twice and their subjects once,
4.) label complements “C.”
1. dick whittington was a poor little boy
2. where are you going
3. i could pick up gold from the streets
4. he had heard many times about the great city of London
5. will you sell me that cat
6. mr fitzwarren again and again for his kindness
7. london was a long way from his home
8. how lonely poor dick was without puss
9. that night dick slept in a barn with the horses
10. what is dick going to send in the ship
9
Ex. 3 - Apostrophes to Show Possession
Based on Bunny Rabbit's Diary
by Mary Frances Blaisdell
Directions: Fix the apostrophe problem in each sentence. Then
1. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase,
2. underline the verbs twice, their subjects once,
3. and label complements “C”.
1. Then he pulled Bobtails long ears.
2. Teddy jumped out of Jacks arms.
3. Someone is in my masters garden.
4. Poor Bunnys heart began to beat very fast.
5. They came to Mr. Mans barn.
6. Then they told Mrs. Ducks secret to all their friends.
7. One little duck wriggled out from under her mothers wing.
8. At last they reached Whities house.
9. The rabbits could hear Bobbys feet.
10. Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammys door.
10
Ex. 4 - Punctuating Contractions
Based on
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
by Beatrix Potter
An apostrophe is used to indicate that letters have been left out. This
usually happens when two words are combined into one. The resulting word
is called a “contraction.” For example, “it’s” is a contraction of “it is.”
Directions:
1. In the line after each sentence, write the full forms of the contractions.
2. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
3. Underline subjects once, verbs twice, and label complements (C).
1. I’m in sad trouble, Cousin Ribby. ____________________
2. I’ve lost my dear son Thomas. ____________________
3. He’s stolen a pat of butter and the rolling-pin. ____________________
4. I’m not afraid of rats. ____________________
5. Here’s one of your kittens at least. ____________________
6. There’s been an old woman rat in the kitchen. ____________________
7. She’s stolen some of the dough! ____________________
8. He’s a bad kitten, Cousin Tabitha. ____________________
11
Ex. 5 – Replacing Lost Punctuation
Based on
The Tale of Tom Kitten, by Beatrix Potter
Directions: In addition to their clothes, the kittens lost
the punctuation and capitalization in the following text.
Please fix it (right on this page).
Then:
1. Put parentheses around prepositional phrases.
2. Underline subjects once, verbs twice, and label
complements “C.”
once upon a time there were three little kittens their names were
mittens tom kitten and moppet
they had dear little fur coats of their own and they tumbled about the
doorstep and played in the dust
but one day their mother expected friends to tea she fetched the kittens
indoors
first she scrubbed their faces
then she brushed their fur
then she combed their tails and whiskers
tom was very naughty and he scratched
12
O
Otthheerr C
Coonnssttrruuccttiioonnss
Ex. 6 - “There” as a Subject
Based on The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
by Beatrix Potter
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements “C.”
1. There was scarcely any light.
2. There was less smoke.
3. There is no end to them!
4. There used to be queer noises inside the walls.
5. There might be a little secret staircase.
6. There are rats, and rats, and rats in his barn!
7. But there was a strong smell of rats.
8. So there was plenty of room for a little Tom Cat.
9. Sure enough there were marks of little scratching fingers.
10. After that, there were no more rats
13
Ex. 7 - Modal Helping Verbs
Based on The Tales of Beatrix Potter
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
1. But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr.
McGregor!
2. Shall I come in and cut off your threads?
3. The storeroom ought to have been empty.
4. But there would be no Christmas dinner for Simpkin and the poor old
Tailor of Gloucester.
5. He will throw sticks at you, and stamp his feet and scold, and shout.
6. I might fall in the fire and singe my beautiful tail and my little blue jacket.
7. We must lay up a store of nuts for winter and spring.
8. I should never have dared to go fishing again!
9. Now what can that be?
10. May I pass you the marmalade?
11. I need never leave my nest.
12. They could be stitched by an old man in spectacles, with crooked old
fingers, and a tailor’s thimble.
14
U
Unniitt 22—
—N
Noouunnss aanndd PPrroonnoouunnss
Vincent van Gogh's
(1853-1890)
IIddeennttiiffyyiinngg N
Noouunnss
Self-Portrait
with Bandaged Ear
aanndd PPrroonnoouunnss
1889
You may or may not know it, but the words that you have been identifying
as subjects and objects of prepositions are either nouns or pronouns. Many of the
complements are also nouns or pronouns, but some of them are adjectives. We’ll
look at adjectives later. Now we need to focus a bit on nouns and pronouns.
Nouns
Words that name people, places, or things are nouns:
dad, sister, friend, Mr. Jones,
park, school, New York,
tree, apple, car, air, idea, health
Note that many nouns name things that you can see, but others name things
such as “air,” “idea,” or “health” that cannot be seen.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words that act like nouns but do not name specific people,
places, or things. They take the place of nouns:
Karla and George went to the store.
They went to the store.
Pronouns can stand in for a noun anywhere in a sentence.
15
The following words can be pronouns. You need not remember the top
row (“Subjects,” etc.). It is there to suggest how the different pronouns function
in sentences. You’ll learn more about functions later. Right now, it will help you
just to recognize these words as pronouns.
Subjects
Objects
Possessive
Intensive
I
we
you
he
she
it
they
who
me
us
(you)
him
her
(it)
them
whom
mine
ours
yours
his
hers
its
theirs
whose
myself
ourselves
yourself (yourselves)
himself
herself
itself
themselves
Other words that can be pronouns are:
which, what, this, that
some, someone, something, somebody
any, anyone, anything, anybody
Some of these words, like “his,” her,” “this,” “that,” “some,” or “any” can be
pronouns, but sometimes they function as adjectives: In “His is in the car.”
“His” functions as a pronoun, the subject of the sentence.
But in “Where is his book?” “his” functions as an adjective.
Similarly, some words can be nouns or verbs. The real test is how a word
functions in a sentence. “Fish,” for example, can be a noun or a verb:
Noun:
The fish were swimming in the pond.
They were watching the fish (DO).
Verb:
Billy and Jane fish in the pond.
16
Ex. 1 - Identifying Nouns
From Bunny Rabbit’s Diary
by Mary Frances Blaisdell
Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1915
Directions:
1. Write “N” over every noun and “P” over every pronoun.
2. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
3. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“C”).
1. So Bunny sat down on the stump and opened his book.
2. One morning in winter Bunny opened his eyes.
3. The big round sun peeped up from behind the hills.
4. The ground was covered with snow.
5. Something hit Bunny on the head.
6. Billy can make a long slide over in the meadow.
7. The rabbits stood at the top of the hill and looked down at the pond.
8. Jack Frost covered the pond with ice last night.
9. But the garden was far away, across the field and over the other side of
the road.
10. All the red squirrels scampered off to get the best seats among the
branches of the oak tree.
17
Ex. 2 - Identifying Nouns and Pronouns
The Stork
Adapted from: Chit-chat stories for little folks.
New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons; London: S. W. Partridge & Co.
Directions:
1. Write “N” above each noun and “P” above each pronoun.
2. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
3. Underline the verbs twice, subjects once, and label (“C”) any complements.
The stork is a large bird, and has a long bill, and very long
legs. He needs these as he lives in marshes, and feeds on frogs and
fishes. He makes a rough nest of sticks and twigs. The stork is held
in high honor in most countries, because he is so useful. He helps
keep the streets clean.
18
Ex. 3 - A Focus on Pronouns
From Bunny Rabbit’s Diary (#1)
by Mary Frances Blaisdell
Illustrated by George F. Kerr
Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1915
Directions:
1. Write “N” above each noun and “P” above each pronoun.
2. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
3. Underline the verbs twice, subjects once, and label (“C”) any complements.
1. That is too large for our Christmas tree.
2. Why don’t you try it, Bunny?
3. They were waiting for him near the old stone wall.
4. But they did not tell the secret to any of their friends.
5. You did not make it the right way.
6. Then he went to the door and peeped out of it.
7. She made it herself out of maple leaves.
8. That is a diary. You must write the stories in it yourself.
9. There Bunny found the acorn, and he tied the string around it.
10. Bunny sat still on the bank, but he did not say anything.
19
C
Coom
mm
moonn aanndd P
Prrooppeerr N
Noouunnss
A common noun is a noun that is used as the name of
a class of things.
cat, forest, hill, fishhook
Common nouns tend to be abstract. There are lots of
different kinds of cats, forests, hills, fishhooks, etc.
A proper noun is a name that belongs only to some
particular person, place, or thing.
Henry, Boston, Monday, April, Christmas
Proper nouns tend to name one specific person, place, or
thing. Begin every proper noun with a capital letter.
20
Lady Sewing
1879
by
PierreAuguste
Renoir
(1841-1919)
Ex. 4 - Common and Proper Nouns
Ex. # 3, Adapted from
Voyages in English - Fifth Year
by Rev. Paul E. Campbell
and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle
Directions: In the following sentences, write “C” over each common noun and “P” above
each proper noun.
1. Weeds grow rapidly in rainy weather.
2. The United States built the Panama Canal.
3. Gertrude plays the piano.
4. In March, the rain caused a flood in Mississippi.
5. Andrew washed Rex.
6. Mr. and Mrs. Smith went to France.
7. Mexico produces silver.
8. Cinderella wore glass slippers to the Prince’s ball.
9. Sam and Sarah live in Albany, New York.
10. The French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted Lady Sewing.
21
N
Noouunnss—
—
SSiinngguullaarr aanndd PPlluurraall ((N
Nuum
mbbeerr))
Number is that form or use of a word by
which it denotes one or more than one. The
singular number of a noun is the form or use of it that denotes one. The
plural number of a noun is the form or use of it that denotes more than one.
Five rules for forming plurals.
Rule 1. Most nouns add s to the singular to form the plural.
books, rats, lions, cars
Rule 2. When the singular ends in a hissing letter or letters, such as s,
z, sh, ch (sounded as in the word church), and x, the plural is formed by
adding es to the singular.
hisses, kisses, sashes, latches
Rule 3. When the singular ends in y preceded by a vowel, the plural is
formed by adding s to the singular.
bays, keys, volleys, toys, guys
Rule 4. When the singular ends in y preceded by a consonant, the y is
changed into i and es is added to form the plural.
Spy—spies, sky—skies, belfry—belfries
Rule 5. Most nouns ending in f or fe form their plurals by adding s to
the singular; some by dropping the f or fe and adding ves.
fifes, skiffs, cliffs, strifes, half—halves, shelf—shelves
22
Ex. 5 - Singular and Plural Nouns
A. Write the plural form (meaning more than one) of each of the
following nouns. Then use that form in a simple sentence. Underline the verb in
the sentence twice, its subject once, and label (C) any complements.
1. rabbit
2. tree
3. acorn
4. noise
5. game
B. Write the singular form (meaning just one) of each of the following
nouns. Then use that form in a simple sentence. Underline the verb in the
sentence twice, its subject once, and label (C) any complements.
1. secrets
2. leaves
3. branches
4. stories
5. dresses
23
The Railway
Ex. 6 – Number:
(1872-73)
by
Edouard
Manet
Irregular Plurals
(1832-1883)
Many nouns form their plurals irregularly. There is no better way to learn
these forms than to study them one by one. A few are given below. Study them so
that you will be able to give the plural when you hear the singular, or the reverse.
Singular
Plural
Singular
Plural
ox
oxen
foot
feet
mouse
mice
penny
pennies or pence
goose
geese
cow
cows or kine
man
men
brother
bothers or brethren
woman
women
die
dies or dice
child
children
cherub
cherubs or cherubim
tooth
teeth
seraph
seraphs or seraphim
Select five of the words in the list above and write two sentences for each.
In one sentence, use the noun in the singular. In the second sentence, use it in the
plural.
24
Ex. 7 - Replacing Nouns with Pronouns
The Blacksmith
Adapted from: Chit-chat stories for little folks.
New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons; London: S. W. Partridge &
Co.
Directions:
1. Cross out nouns that are not needed and above them write the pronoun
that can replace them.
Optional:
2. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
3. Underline the verbs twice, subjects once, and label (“C”) any
complements. (Skip the words in small letters. Note that some sentences
have more than one S/V/C pattern.)
John Roper is a blacksmith. John Roper works hard
and gets up very early. John Roper shoes horses, mends
carts, and strikes the hot iron on John Roper’s anvil till
John Roper sends a shower of sparks flying about. The
children often stand at the door of John Roper’s smithy
after dark and look at the sparks. Just now John Roper is
resting John Roper, and is reading the newspaper.
25
PPoosssseessssiivvee N
Noouunnss aanndd PPrroonnoouunnss
Possessive nouns and pronouns function as adjectives:
That is Anthony’s house. It is his house.
This is the dog’s house. It is its house.
Ex. 8 - Possessive Nouns and Pronouns
From The Haliburton First Reader (#1)
Boston: D.. C. Heath and Co., 1912
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline the verbs twice, their subjects once, and write “C” above any
complements.
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective and adverb to the word it modifies.
1. The hen’s name is Cluck-cluck.
2. Can you help build my house?
3. Her name is Betty.
4. The bird’s nest is on the big bough.
5. They will find their baby birds.
6. Here is the children’s home.
7. Then he took his pick from the bag.
8. The kitty’s name is Mink.
9. There he saw his friend the sparrow with his bow and arrow.
10. We will put some flowers on your pet’s neck.
26
Ex. 9 - Possessive Nouns and Pronouns
From The Haliburton First Reader (#2)
Boston: D.. C. Heath and Co., 1912
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline the verbs twice, their subjects once, and write “C” above any
complements.
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective and adverb to the word it modifies.
1. We will read in our story book.
2. She saw a bird’s nest in the oak tree.
3. She jumped out of her teeny-tiny bed.
4. Max found a lark’s nest on the ground.
5. I can cut down the trees with my sharp teeth.
6. Do you see Betty’s doll and the kitty?
7. The three little kittens lost their mittens.
8. They set out to go to the king’s castle.
9. Betty’s bonnet isn’t like Daffydowndilly’s.
10. He shook his feathers and his wings and sat in the king’s window.
27
U
Unniitt 33 –– T
Thhee FFiivvee T
Tyyppeess ooff C
Coom
mpplleem
meennttss
“Complement “is simply one word we can use instead of repeating the five types of
complements: Zero Complement; Predicate Adjective; Predicate Noun; Direct and/or Indirect
Object.
Use the following sequence to identify the types of complements.
Step # 1: Subject / Verb
If nothing answers the question “Verb + whom or what?”, the pattern is
S/V.
[STOP: You have your answer.]
Step # 2: Subject / Verb / Predicate Adjective
If the word that answers the question “what?” after the verb describes the
subject, it is an adjective. The pattern is S/V/PA.
[STOP: You have your answer.]
Step # 3: Subject / Verb / Predicate Noun
If the word that answers the question is a noun (or pronoun) that
renames the subject and the verb implies an equality or identity between
subject and complement, the pattern is S/V/PN. For example:
Ed remained a child.
(“Remained” here means “was” and “continues to be.”)
Bill became a teacher. (He “was” not, but now he “is.”)
A sentence such as “Sleeping children resemble angels.” means that when they are
sleeping, children equal angels. “Angels” is therefore a predicate noun.
[STOP: You have your answer.]
Note that the equality between subject and complement eliminates
“herself” from consideration as a predicate noun in a sentence such as
“She washes herself.” “Washes” does not mean “equals.”
Steps 4 and 5: Subject / Verb / (Indirect Object) Direct Object
[If it’s not 1, 2, or 3, it has to be #4 or 5.]
If a word or construction answers the question “whom or what?”
after a verb and is not a predicate noun or predicate adjective, it has to
be an indirect or direct object. An indirect object indicates the person
“for” or “to” whom something is done.
Examples of Direct Objects:
Sally bought ice cream (S/V/DO)
The cat washed itself (S/V/DO)
Examples with Indirect Objects:
They sent him (IO) a letter (DO).
The sun gave the church’s windows (IO) a warm glow (DO).
28
IIddeennttiiffyyiinngg tthhee T
Tyyppeess ooff C
Coom
mpplleem
meennttss—
—aa FFlloow
wcchhaarrtt
Contributed by Elaine Augustine, a Homeschooling mother in Lehi, Utah
29
Examples of the Process for
Identifying the Types of Complements
These examples are based on modified sentences from “Little Red Riding
Hood,” in Children’s Hour with Red Riding Hood and Other Stories, edited by
Watty Piper.
The directions will always be:
Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO,” or “DO”).
Note that the directions tell you to look for “PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO.”
What you want to do is to use this sequence. It will soon become automatic and
easy to use.
Example # 1: Her grandmother often gave her a great many pretty things.
Step # 1. Find and underline the subject and verb:
Her grandmother often gave her a great many pretty things.
Step # 2. Find the complement by making a question with the subject, verb,
and “whom” or “what.”
Grandmother gave whom or what?
In this sentence, two words answer this question—“her” and “things.” Thus there
are two complements. Since there are two of them, take them one at a time.
Step # 3. What type of complement is “her”?
a.) Is it a predicate adjective? “Her” does not describe “grandmother,” so it
cannot be a predicate adjective.
b.) Is it a predicate noun? “Her” is not the same thing as “grandmother,” and
“gave” does not mean “equals.” Thus “her” cannot be a predicate noun.
c.) Is it an indirect object? The sentence means that grandmother gave something
“to her.” Thus “her” is an indirect object of “gave.”
What type of complement is “things”?
30
a.) Is it a predicate adjective? “Things” is not an adjective, so it does not
describe the subject “grandmother.” Therefore it can not be a predicate
adjective
b.) Is it a predicate noun? “Things” is not the same thing as the subject
“grandmother,” and “gave” does not mean “equals,” so “things can not be a
predicate noun.
c.) Is it an indirect object? The sentence does not mean that the grandmother
gave something to or for the things. Therefore, “things” can not be an
indirect object.
d.) The only option left is “direct object, so “things” has to be a direct object of
“gave.”
Nothing else in the sentence answers the “whom” or “what” question, so
we have finished finding the complements and their types:
Her grandmother often gave her (IO) a great many pretty things (DO).
Example # 2: It was a bright and sunny morning.
Step # 1. Find and underline the subject and verb:
It was a bright and sunny morning.
Step # 2: Find the complement by making a question with the subject, verb,
and “whom” or “what.” It was whom or what? The answer to this question is
“morning,” so “morning” is the complement of “It was.”
Step # 3. Find the type of the complement.
a.) Is it a predicate adjective? “Morning” does not describe “It.” Therefore
“morning” is not a predicate adjective.
b.) Is it a predicate noun? “Morning” tells us what “It” means or is “equal to.”
Thus “morning” is a predicate noun.
We have found all the subjects, verbs, and complements in this sentence, so
we are finished with it: It was a bright and sunny morning (PN).
31
Example # 3: Little Red Riding Hood lived with her father and mother in a pretty
little cottage at the edge of the village.
Step # 1. Find and underline the subject and verb:
Little Red Riding Hood lived with her father and mother in a pretty
little cottage at the edge of the village.
Step # 2: Find the complement by making a question with the subject, verb,
and “whom” or “what.”
Little Red Riding Hood lived whom or what?
Nothing in this sentence answers that question. Many linguists—people
who study language—would say that we have a “zero” complement. In KISS, we
do not need to worry about that. We have here a simple subject/verb pattern.
32
Mixed Complements
Ex. 1 - From Old-time Stories, by E. Louise Smythe
(Old-time Stories, Fairy Tales and Myths Retold by Children)
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1. Jason was a brave young man.
2. Loki was always playing tricks.
3. A fairy came by and gave the tree gold leaves.
4. The only light came from the dwarfs’ fires.
5. Loki was ugly and mean.
6. All the other trees in the woods have pretty leaves.
7. Can you make me a gold crown?
8. This is not a very pretty hammer.
9. The next night the Frost Giant flew into the house.
10. No other tree was so bright.
33
Mixed Complements
Ex. 2 - From Old-time Stories, by E. Louise Smythe
(Old-time Stories, Fairy Tales and Myths Retold by
Children)
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1. She must be very hungry.
2. Her grandma made her a red coat with a hood.
3. They would have to fight wild men and animals.
4. He lived a little way from the king’s city.
5. It was a very dark night.
6. The bride ate a whole ox and eight salmon.
7. Then the little pine tree was happy.
8. Will you give me the golden fleece?
9. Then the two men with wings flew up in the air.
10. The eagle was a giant and not a bird.
34
T
Thhee U
Uggllyy D
Duucckklliinngg
bbyy E
E.. L
Loouuiissee SSm
myytthhee
A duck made her nest under some leaves.
She sat on the eggs to keep them warm.
At last the eggs broke, one after the other. Little ducks came out.
Only one egg was left. It was a very large one.
At last it broke, and out came a big, ugly duckling.
“What a big duckling!” said the old duck. “He does not look like us. Can he
be a turkey?—We will see. If he does not like the water, he is not a duck.”
The next day the mother duck took her ducklings to the pond.
Splash! Splash! The mother duck was
in the water. Then she called the ducklings to
come in. They all jumped in and began to
swim. The big, ugly duckling swam, too.
The mother duck said, “He is not a turkey. He is my own little duck. He
will not be so ugly when he is bigger.”
Then she said to the ducklings, “Come with me. I want you to see the other
ducks. Stay by me and look out for the cat.”
They all went into the duck yard. What a noise the ducks made!
While the mother duck was eating a big bug, an old duck bit the ugly
duckling.
“Let him alone,” said the mother duck. “He
did not hurt you.”
“I know that,” said the duck, “but he is so
ugly, I bit him.”
The next duck they met, said, “You have lovely ducklings. They are all
pretty but one. He is very ugly.”
35
The mother duck said, “I know he is not pretty. But
he is very good.”
Then she said to the ducklings, “Now, my dears,
have a good time.”
But the poor, big, ugly duckling did not have a good time.
The hens all bit him. The big ducks walked on him.
The poor duckling was very sad. He did not want to be so ugly. But he
could not help it.
He ran to hide under some bushes. The little birds in the bushes were afraid
and flew away.
“It is all because I am so ugly,” said the duckling. So he ran away.
At night he came to an old house. The house looked as if it would fall
down. It was so old. But the wind blew so hard that the duckling went into the
house.
An old woman lived there with her cat and her
hen.
The old woman said, “I will keep the duck. I
will have some eggs.”
The next day, the cat saw the duckling and began to growl.
The hen said, “Can you lay eggs?” The duckling said, “No.”
“Then keep still,” said the hen. The cat said, “Can you growl?”
“No,” said the duckling.
“Then keep still,” said the cat.
And the duckling hid in a corner. The next day he went for a walk. He saw
a big pond. He said, “I will have a good swim.”
But all of the animals made fun of him. He was so ugly.
The summer went by.
36
Then the leaves fell and it was
very cold. The poor duckling had a
hard time.
It is too sad to tell what he did
all winter.
At last it was spring.
The birds sang. The ugly duckling was big now.
One day he flew far away.
Soon he saw three white swans on the lake.
He said, “I am going to see those birds. I am afraid they will kill me, for I
am so ugly.”
He put his head down to the water. What did he see? He saw himself in the
water. But he was not an ugly duck. He was a white swan.
The other swans came to see him.
The children said, “Oh, see the lovely swans. The
one that came last is the best.”
And they gave him bread and cake.
It was a happy time for the ugly duckling.
37
Ex. 3 - Identifying Predicate Adjectives
from “The Ugly Duckling”
by E. Louise Smythe
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
Note: Some of these sentences have more than one S/V pattern.
1.) They are all pretty but one.
2.) He is very ugly.
3.) But he is very good.
4.) It was so old.
5.) The poor duckling was very sad.
6.) Then the leaves fell and it was very cold.
7.) The ugly duckling was big now.
8.) The little birds in the bushes were afraid and flew away.
9.) He will not be so ugly when he is bigger.
38
Ex. 4 - Identifying Predicate Nouns
from “The Ugly Duckling”
by E. Louise Smythe
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1.) He is not a turkey.
2.) He is my own little duck.
3.) At last it was spring.
4.) But he was not an ugly duck.
5.) He was a white swan.
6.) It was a happy time for the ugly duckling.
39
Ex. 5 - Identifying Indirect and Direct Objects
from “The Ugly Duckling”
by E. Louise Smythe
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1.) He did not hurt you.
2.) You have lovely ducklings.
3.) What did he see?
4.) He saw a big pond.
5.) He saw himself in the water.
6.) And they gave him bread and cake.
7.) I will keep the duck. I will have some eggs.
8.) The next day, the cat saw the duckling and began to growl.
9.) But the poor, big, ugly duckling did not have a good time.
10.) Soon he saw three white swans on the lake.
40
Ex. 6 - Zero Complements
from “The Ugly Duckling”
by E. Louise Smythe
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1.) The mother duck was in the water.
2.) They all jumped in and began to swim.
3.) The big, ugly duckling swam, too.
4.) They all went into the duck yard.
5.) Now, my dears, have a good time.
6.) The big ducks walked on him.
7.) At night he came to an old house.
8.) An old woman lived there with her cat and her hen.
9.) And the duckling hid in a corner.
10.) The next day he went for a walk.
41
Ex. 7 - A Passage for Analysis
from “The Ugly Duckling”
by E. Louise Smythe
This is a short selection from Smythe’s story. It includes some sentences
that have more than one subject/verb/complement pattern, and it includes some
other things that you are not expected to be able to explain. Do your best and see
how much you CAN already explain--from a real text!
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
A duck made her nest under some leaves.
She sat on the eggs to keep them warm.
At last the eggs broke, one after the other. Little ducks came out.
Only one egg was left. It was a very large one.
At last it broke, and out came a big, ugly duckling.
“What a big duckling!” said the old duck. “He does not look like us.
Can he be a turkey? -- We will see. If he does not like the water, he is not a
duck.”
The next day the mother duck took her ducklings to the pond.
Ex. 8 – Writing about “The Ugly Duckling”
Your teacher will give you the assignment.
42
U
Unniitt 44 –– A
Addddiinngg T
Thhrreeee SSiim
mppllee C
Coonnssttrruuccttiioonnss
N
Noouunnss U
Usseedd aass A
Addvveerrbbss
Nouns often function as adverbs to answer questions such as:
”When?” “How long?” “How far?” “How much?” “Where?”
Peter is six months old.
Tuesday, the cat was in the garden.
Peter stopped five feet from her.
The cat looked two feet tall.
It happened a week ago.
Peter ran home.
He was ill five weeks.
The watering can cost five dollars.
The fish are worth twenty dollars.
43
Ex. 1 - Nouns Used as Adverbs
from Laughing-Eyes
Anonymous
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Label every noun used as an adverb (“NuA”).
1. Every day Bertie hurried home from school.
2. That spring, she took her dolly with her every time.
3. I’m just five years old!
4. I saw a monkey the other day.
5. But one summer the water was shut off for a while.
6. She had a beautiful home a few miles from the city.
7. One day brother John came home from market and brought a baby lamb
for Maude.
8. She was only seven years old.
9. One day he came home and ran down to the mill as usual.
10. Down in the valley, two thousand feet below, a hen may be scratching
for worms for her dinner.
44
SSiim
mppllee IInntteerrjjeeccttiioonnss
“Interjection” comes from the Latin words for
“throw” (“ject”) and “among” (“inter”). An
interjection is thus a word or construction that is
“thrown among” the words in a sentence. Unlike all
the other words, interjections DO NOT chunk to the
rest of the sentence. Instead, they usually indicate an
attitude about the entire sentence.
In speech, short interjections are common:
Golly, Peter looks sick!
Uhm, do you think supper is ready?
Ah, it’s a beautiful day!
Ouch! That hurt.
Whew, that was close.
Well, I thought I was right.
Alas, all is lost.
Gee, I forgot!
Interjections such as those above are not considered proper in formal
writing, but the following, which consist of prepositional phrases, are
common to both writing and speech:
In fact, Peter was lucky.
He was, in my opinion, brave.
Of course Freddie won.
“In fact” here simply emphasizes the writer’s belief that the sentence is
factual, whereas “in my opinion” suggests that the sentence may not be. “Of
course” suggests that the statement is obviously true. (But sometimes it may
not be.)
45
Ex. 2 - Interjections
From Growth in English
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements
(“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Write “Inj” over every interjection.
1. Ah, I forgot my notebook.
2. Hmm, do you really want that?
3. Alas, Sue’s kitty is sick.
4. Whew, that was a lot of work!
5. Gee, that was a silly picture.
6. Shute! I left my coat at school.
7. Ouch! That wasn't funny!
8. Um, I don't know the answer.
9. Oh well, maybe we will win tomorrow's game.
10. Boo hoo! I didn't get any candy!
46
D
Diirreecctt A
Addddrreessss
Nouns sometimes function to get the attention of someone to whom a
person wants to speak. This function is called “Direct Address” because the
speaker is directly addressing the person. Note that the name of the person is
usually set off by a comma or commas.
Peter, where are you going?
Mother, can I have the basket?
Dear Flopsy, you can have the basket.
Mommy, can I stay home?
No, Mopsy, you have to go.
Can you tell me, children, that you will be good?
47
Ex. 3 - Exercise on Direct Address
from The Haliburton First Reader
Boston: D.. C. Heath and Co., 1912
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Label each example of direct address (“DirA”).
1. Alice, let us play Queen in the Garden.
2. I will get up on the wall, Grace.
3. But the baby birds are gone, Frank.
4. Mother bird, sing a little song to me.
5. Do you like wheat and corn, Cousin?
6. It is such a pretty nest, Alice.
7. Look at the rosebuds, Betty.
8. Lambikin! Lambikin! I’ll eat you!
9. Frank, did you and Max see the nest in the rose vine?
10. Little girl, little girl, Where have you been?
48
Ex. 4 - Nouns Used as Adverbs, Interjections,
and Direct Address
from The Haliburton First Reader
Boston: D.. C. Heath and Co., 1912
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an adverb
(“NuA”), and each example of direct address (“DirA”).
1. The children have been happy all winter.
2. Well, come along with me.
3. Well, go on to your granny's house, but come back this way.
4. See the flowers, Grace.
5. I eat wheat and corn year after year.
6. Oh, such good things they saw!
7. Look at the clock, children.
8. Alice, you must wake Boy Blue.
9. Pray, where are you going, Wee Robin?
10. One day the children found a mouse in the meadow.
49
U
Unniitt 55 –– A
A FFooccuuss oonn SSttyyllee—
—““T
Thhee G
Giinnggeerrbbrreeaadd B
Booyy””
T
Thhee G
Giinnggeerrbbrreeaadd B
Booyy
ffrroom
mE
Evveerryyddaayy C
Cllaassssiiccss F
Fiirrsstt R
Reeaaddeerr
Baker and Thorndike, eds.
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Perersham
New York: Macmillan, 1922, 53-62.
One day an old woman was making gingerbread cookies.
Her little boy was looking on.
She made a Gingerbread Boy for him.
She put sugar on the head for hair.
She put in two raisins for eyes.
Then she went out to call
the old man to his dinner.
She said to her little boy,
“Stay here and watch the oven.
See that the cookies do not burn.
And watch the Gingerbread Boy.
We do not know what he may do.”
Well, the boy watched the oven
for a time;
but, by and by, he went out
to get a drink of water.
50
As soon as he was out of the door,
the Gingerbread Boy
hopped out of the pan,
jumped out of the oven,
and was down on the floor.
The boy heard him and ran back
as fast as he could.
He tried to shut the door.
But he was not in time.
In a minute the Gingerbread Boy
was through the door
and out in the yard.
He ran through the yard.
He ran out into the road,
and he kept running
as fast as he could go.
The boy ran after him.
He called to his mother.
The old woman saw what had happened,
and she ran too.
The old man saw them, and he
ran as fast as he could.
But they could not run fast enough.
They could not catch the Gingerbread Boy.
So they walked back home.
The Gingerbread Boy ran on and on.
51
He felt happy, and he liked to run.
He was pleased with himself.
By and by he came to two farmers.
“Wait a minute,” they cried.
“You look good enough to eat.
Come here, and we will eat you.”
But the Gingerbread Boy did not stop.
He ran on and called out:
”I’ve outrun a woman,
A boy, and a man.
I can outrun you, too.
I’m sure that I can.”
Down the road he ran.
The farmers ran behind him
as fast as they could.
But they could not catch him.
So they walked back home.
The Gingerbread Boy ran on and
on.
He came to two puppies by the road.
First they saw him,
and then they smelled him.
He smelled good enough to eat.
“Wait a minute,” they said.
“You smell good enough to eat.
52
Wait, so that we can eat you.”
But the Gingerbread Boy ran on.
He called back:
”I’ve outrun two farmers,
As fast as they ran,
A little old woman,
A boy and a man.
I can outrun you, too.
I’m sure that I can.”
Down the road ran the Gingerbread Boy.
The puppies ran after him.
They ran as fast as they could.
They ran until their legs were tired.
But they could not run fast enough
to catch the Gingerbread Boy.
So they walked back home.
The Gingerbread Boy ran on and on.
By and by he came to a fox.
The fox was lying close by the road.
He did not move.
He called to the Gingerbread Boy;
”Good morning.
You seem to be in a hurry.
Where are you going so fast?”
The Gingerbread Boy stopped a minute.
53
He wanted to hear what the fox said.
“You are a fine boy,” said the fox.
“Where are you going so fast?”
Then the Gingerbread Boy said:
”I’ve outrun the puppies,
And farmers who ran.
A little old woman,
A boy and a man.
I can outrun you, too.
I’m sure that I can.”
“Oh,” said the fox, “I see.
It’s those fine legs of yours.
I think I never saw such fine legs.
Please come close to me.
Don’t be in such a hurry.”
No one had ever been so kind
to the Gingerbread Boy before,
So he came nearer and nearer.
Soon he was close to the fox.
Then the fox gave one jump,
and one bite with his teeth.
That was the end
of the Gingerbread Boy.
54
Ex. 1 - Sentence Combining with Adjectives
From “The Gingerbread Boy”
in Baker and Thorndike, Everyday Classics First Reader
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Perersham; New York: Macmillan, 1922, 53-62.
Directions:
Rewrite the sentences in each of the following by
putting the adjectives in the later sentences into
the first.
Example:
They ran through the grass. The grass was green.
They ran through the green grass.
1. One day a woman was making cookies. She was old. The cookies were
gingerbread.
2. Her boy was looking on. He was little.
3. He came to two puppies by the road. The puppies were playful.
4. They could not catch the Gingerbread Boy. The Gingerbread Boy was fast.
5. It’s those legs of yours. They are fine.
55
Ex. 2 - Sentence Combining with Verbs
From “The Gingerbread Boy”
in Baker and Thorndike, Everyday Classics First Reader
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Perersham; New York: Macmillan, 1922, 53-62.
Directions:
Rewrite the sentences in each of the
following by combining the verbs into one
sentence.
Example:
They ran through the grass. They played in the field.
They ran through the grass and played in the field.
1. Stay here. Watch the oven. See that the cookies do not burn.
2. The old man saw them, and he ran fast after them.
3. The Gingerbread Boy felt happy. He liked to run.
4. The boy heard him. He ran back. He tried to shut the door. But he was not in
time.
5. In a minute the Gingerbread Boy was through the door. Then he was out in
the yard. He ran through the yard. He ran out into the road.
56
Ex. 3 - Sentence Building
with Adjectives and Adverbs
From “The Gingerbread Boy”
in Baker and Thorndike, Everyday Classics First
Reader
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Perersham;
New York: Macmillan, 1922, 53-62.
Directions: Rewrite the following sentences by adding as many adjectives and adverbs as
you sensibly can.
1. But the Gingerbread Boy did not stop.
2. So the boy, the woman, and the man walked back home.
3. The farmers ran behind him.
4. The puppies ran after him.
5. The fox was lying by the road.
57
Ex. 4 - Sentence Building
with Adjectives, Adverbs, and
Prepositional Phrases
From “The Gingerbread Boy”
in Baker and Thorndike, Everyday Classics First Reader
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Perersham;
New York: Macmillan, 1922, 53-62.
Directions: Add at least one prepositional phrase plus some adjectives and/or adverbs to
each of the following sentences. Think of adjectives that would describe the
people (or animals). Add adverbs that indicate where they were, when things
happened, or how they felt.
1. The Gingerbread Boy ran.
2. He came to two farmers.
3. He came to two puppies.
4. The puppies ran until their legs were tired.
5. Then the fox made one jump and one bite with his teeth.
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Ex. 5 - Sentence Models
From “The Gingerbread Boy”
in Baker and Thorndike,
Everyday Classics First Reader
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Perersham
New York: Macmillan, 1922, 53-62.
1.
The following sentence has one subject with three compounded verbs. Each
verb is modified by a prepositional phrase. (This is called “parallel construction,”
but you do not need to remember that now.)
The Gingerbread Boy hopped out of the pan, jumped out of the
oven, and was down on the floor.
Write a sentence that has the same sentence pattern—three verbs for one subject
and each verb modified by a prepositional phrase. The following are things you
may write about, or you can choose something else, but do not write about
anything in “The Gingerbread Boy.”
an airplane, a rabbit (or some other animal or bird), a teacher, a
policeman, a baseball player, a dancer, a book
2.
In the following sentence, the verb “have outrun” has four complements.
Write a sentence about something else (see above) that has four complements for
one verb phrase.
I’ve outrun two farmers, a little old woman, a boy, and a man.
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Ex. 6 - Writing Your Own Version of
”The Gingerbread Boy”
In Baker and Thorndike,
Everyday Classics First Reader
Illustrated by Maud and Miska Perersham;
New York: Macmillan, 1922, 53-62.
1.
You have read “The Gingerbread Boy” and done several exercises about
it. Now write your own version of the story without looking at the text. The
following list of characters will help you remember them. You are welcome to
add your own details to the story.
an old woman, the Gingerbread Boy, her little boy, the old man,
two farmers, two puppies, a fox
End your story by explaining what the Gingerbread Boy did wrong that led to
his being eaten by the Fox.
2.
Your first version should be considered a draft. Rewrite it and add more
details by adding sentences, adjectives, adverbs, and/or prepositional phrases.
3.
Before you feel you are done, check your second version for spelling and
punctuation.
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U
Unniitt 66 –– M
Moorree aabboouutt SS//V
V//C
C PPaatttteerrnnss
V
Veerrbbss aass SSuubbjjeeccttss aanndd C
Coom
mpplleem
meennttss
Leonardo
da Vinci
1452-1519
The Mona Lisa
Verbs can act as subjects or complements. These verbs are called
“verbals” to distinguish them from the verbs that you underline twice (which
are called “finite”). You will learn more about verbals later, but for now
consider the following:
Swimming is good exercise (PN).
To win is wonderful (PN).
Many children hate to go (DO) to bed early.
The family stopped swimming (DO) in the pond.
Happiness is being (PN) with your family.
Verbs that act as subjects or complements may themselves have
complements:
Sandi started reading (DO) a story (DO).
Playing baseball (DO) is fun (PA).
They began to play (DO) the game (DO).
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Ex. 1 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
By C. Collodi
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1. Asking for a little bread isn’t a disgrace, is it?
2. No, the quickest way of all is to cook it in a saucer.
3. Pinocchio began kissing him again and again.
4. He then began to run about the room.
5. Going to school will be good for you.
6. To give a spring and seize hold of it was the affair of a moment.
7. Climbing up the wall was the only way to get in the window.
8. Pinocchio continued to sleep and to snore.
9. He became furious and there was no holding him.
10. “And that trade—what is it?”
“It is to eat, drink, sleep and amuse myself, and to lead a vagabond life from
morning to night.”
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Verbs as Subjects or Complements
Ex. 2 - From At the Back of the North Wind
by George Macdonald
Simplified by Elizabeth Lewis; Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1. Wandering up and down wasted a lot of time.
2. Diamond’s first thought was to run away from the misery of it.
3. To drive all sorts of horses amused Diamond.
4. Watching the ships at Sandwich interested Diamond.
5. To not give them a share is not being really kind to them.
6. To use many rough and bad words in front of the boy embarrassed the
men.
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V
Vaarriieedd PPoossiittiioonneedd iinn tthhee SS//V
V//C
C PPaatttteerrnn
Ex. 3 - From Old-time Stories
Fairy Tales and Myths Retold by Children
By E. Louise Smythe
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1. In this room was a table.
2. On the sea were two big rocks.
3. By the tree was a dragon.
4. Oh, how angry the king was!
5. There on the grass was a fine large sheep.
6. How big your eyes are, grandma.
7. There in an oak tree was a big eagle.
8. Here comes the bride!
9. How thirsty she is!
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PPaalliim
mppsseesstt PPaatttteerrnnss
Before the invention of paper, people wrote on clay tablets. These tablets
were often erased by rubbing them fairly smooth and then new writing was put
over the old. These tablets are called “palimpsests.”
Sometimes the easiest way to explain a sentence pattern is to see it as an S/V
pattern written over an S/V/PA pattern. For example, in the sentence
At last the tears came hot (PA) and fast (PA).
“hot” and “fast” could be considered adverbs to “came,” but they are also
adjectives to the subject “tears.” Thus we can explain this as an S/V/PA pattern
(“tears were hot and fast”) with an S/V pattern (“tears came”) on top of it.
“Palimpsest” is a big word, and palimpsest patterns are not
very frequent, but you may find the idea very helpful.
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Palimpsest Patterns
Ex. 4 - From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales
by Edric Vredenburg; Illustrated by Jennie Harbour
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1. Then there came a wind.
2. The sun appeared a marvelous sight to her.
3. The wife of a rich man fell sick.
4. I shall die a brave man.
5. Many years ago there lived a dear little girl.
6. So the Wolf lifted the latch, and the door flew open.
7. She began to feel very ill.
8. He lay thinking in his bed one night.
9. They got very hungry.
10. All the little birds under heaven came chirping and fluttering in.
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Palimpsest Patterns
Ex. 5 - From At the Back of the North Wind
by George Macdonald
Simplified by Elizabeth Lewis; Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO” or “DO”).
1. Even the ground smelled sweet.
2. Even the ground smelled sweetly.
3. They had been sitting silent for a long time.
4. Diamond stood looking at the great elm tree.
5. The stars were still shining clear and cold overhead.
6. She sat motionless with drooping head and did not move nor speak.
7. But a little later they came floating past a window.
8. And indeed, Diamond felt very strange and weak.
9. After the first month, however, he fell lame.
10. The grass showed white in the morning with the hoar frost.
11. The small panes in the roof of his loft were glimmering blue in the light of
the morning.
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PPhhrraassaall V
Veerrbbss—
—PPrreeppoossiittiioonn?? A
Addvveerrbb?? O
Orr PPaarrtt ooff tthhee V
Veerrbb??
Many words that function as prepositions can
also function as simple adverbs, or as a part of the verb
itself. In order to tell how a word that looks like a
preposition actually functions, you need to look at the
meaning of the sentence. As you will see, in many
cases, more than one explanation is acceptable.
Elk
Deer
Adverbs That Look Like Prepositions
Consider the following sentence:
Cotton-tail and Peter folded up the pocket-handkerchief.
“Up” can function as a preposition, but in this sentence “up the pocket-handkerchief”
does not make sense as a prepositional phrase. Note also that we can change the word
order to “folded the pocket-handkerchief up.” In cases like this, we can simply consider
“up” as an adverb to the verb. What you may at first take as the object of the preposition,
is usually the direct object of the verb:
Cotton-tail and Peter folded up the pocket-handkerchief (DO).
In many cases, the word is a preposition, but its object has been left out (ellipsed).
Consider the following, perfectly correct sentence:
Then he took out his nephew Peter.
Here again, “out his nephew Peter” does not make sense as a prepositional phrase, and
here again we can move the preposition—“Then he took his nephew Peter out.” To
understand what the “out” means, we often can look at the context. This sentence is from
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, by Beatrix Potter. Before this sentence, we find the
following. It makes it clear that our sentence means “Then he took out of the basket his
nephew Peter.”
When old Mr. Bunny had driven the cat into the greenhouse, he locked the
door.
Then he came back to the basket and took out his son Benjamin by the
ears, and whipped him with the little switch.
Then he took out his nephew Peter.
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Then he took out the handkerchief of onions, and marched out of the
garden.
Instead of explaining all of this, we can simply explain the preposition as an adverb:
Then he took out his nephew
Peter (DO).
“Prepositions” That Are Part of the Verb
Sometimes words that look like prepositions are actually part of the verb:
He had to figure out the answer.
If you rely on your knowledge of what words mean, you will be able to see that “out the
answer” is not a prepositional phrase here. The “out” goes with “figure.” Together, they
mean “discover,” or “find,” etc. Whenever you can replace a verb plus what looks like a
preposition with one verb, you can consider the “preposition” to be part of the verb. This
combination is fairly frequent in English. The following are just a few examples.
cry out = scream
think of = remember
go on = continue
think up = invent
look like = resemble
look out for = seek, guard, avoid, watch
put up with = endure
went in = entered
went up = approached
Note that your final decision needs to be based on the meaning of the words in
the sentence. In
She ran up the hill; he ran up the flag.
(“up the hill”) indicates where she ran, but he probably raised the flag up the flagpole.
Note again that sometimes you can tell because words that are not prepositions can be
moved. We would say “He ran the flag up,” but “She ran the hill up” would not make any
sense.
In some cases, two explanations are equally acceptable:
*You* Look {at the doggie} {in the window}.
*You* Look at the doggie (DO) {in the window}.
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Phrasal Verbs
Ex. 6 - From the Tales of by Beatrix Potter
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO”
or “DO”).
1. Mr. McGregor tied up the sack.
2. He was looking for his son.
3. A little old mouse picked over the rubbish among the jam pots.
4. Mr. McGregor threw down the sack on the stone floor.
5. Mr. McGregor came back and picked up the sack.
6. The slanting slates kept out the rain.
7. He was looking over the top of the newspaper.
8. Unfortunately the puppies rushed in and gobbled up all the eggs.
9. She borrowed a small saucer, and scooped up the dough with her paws.
10. Old Mrs. Rabbit strung up the onions and hung them from the kitchen
ceiling.
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Phrasal Verbs
Ex. 7 - Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan
by Beatrix Potter
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO”
or “DO”).
1. I will pour out the tea.
2. Ribby put on her shawl and bonnet.
3. Has somebody been trying on my mittens?
4. I have taken out all the bones.
5. Ribby put on some coal and swept up the hearth.
6. I put in a little tin patty-pan to hold up the crust.
7. I will just lock up the spoons!
8. Duchess tilted up the pie-dish.
9. The patty-pan held up the pie-crust.
10. She got up and went to the table.
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U
Unniitt 77 –– M
Moorree aabboouutt PPrreeppoossiittiioonnaall PPhhrraasseess
C
Coom
mppoouunndd O
Obbjjeeccttss ooff PPrreeppoossiittiioonnss
Ex. 1 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
By C. Collodi
When some students see a sentence such as “He played with Bob and Bill,”
they mark “with Bob” as the prepositional phrase. Make sure that you pay
attention to the meaning of the sentence and include all the compound objects of
the preposition, in this case “with Bob and Bill.”
Directions:
1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,”
“PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
1. He looked into a basket of shavings and sawdust.
2. The building was made of wood and canvas.
3. In the meanwhile, a crowd of idlers and inquisitive people began to
assemble.
4. Between today and tomorrow your five sovereigns would have become
two thousand.
5. The beautiful little carriage was lined on the inside with whipped cream,
custard and vanilla wafers.
6. After the hare, the Fox sent for a dish of partridges, rabbits, frogs, lizards
and other delicacies.
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T
Thhee ““T
Too”” PPrroobblleem
m
When the word that answers the question "To what?"
is a noun or pronoun, the construction is a prepositional
phrase. When that word is a verb, the construction is not a
prepositional phrase.
(It is an infinitive, but you do not need to remember that now.)
Not Prepositional Phrases:
Prepositional Phrases:
Do the mice want to talk?
Pay attention {to their talk}.
To give is better than to receive.
He gave some money {to an orphanage}.
It was a summer to remember.
They traveled {from April} {to August}.
Sam went to see Bill.
But Bill went {to sea}.
Carol wished to play.
Carol went {to a play}.
Jerome wanted to object.
Jennifer went close {to the object}.
Terri loves to shop.
She’ll go {from shop} {to shop} all day long.
Note that an “a,” “an,” or “the” before a word usually indicates that it is a noun.
Remember that you need to pay attention to the meanings of the words:
Margaret remembered to bill the team. She gave the bill {to Bill}.
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Ex. 2 - Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan
by Beatrix Potter
Directions:
1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,”
“PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
1. Ribby went out down the field to the farm, to fetch milk and butter.
2. Then she went out with a can to the well, for water to fill up the kettle.
3. Ribby went out again with a basket, to the village shop to buy a packet of
tea, a pound of lump sugar, and a pot of marmalade.
4. Ribby settled Duchess in an armchair before the fire, and went out and
hurried to the village to look for the doctor.
5. I was just going to invite you to come here, to supper, my dear Ribby, to
eat something most delicious.
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IIss IItt aa PPrreeppoossiittiioonn?? ((PPPP oorr SSC
C??))
Is it a Preposition?
If it looks like a duck,
and it quacks like a duck,
it’s a duck.
Many words that function as prepositions also have other functions. You find a
prepositional phrase by asking the question “What?” after a word that can function as
a preposition. When the word or words that answer that question form a
sentence, the construction is not a prepositional phrase.
They are subordinate clauses, but you do not need to remember that now.
Just remember: do not put parentheses around them.
Examples
Prepositional Phrase:
Not
a Prepositional Phrase:
Prepositional Phrase:
Not
a Prepositional Phrase:
Prepositional Phrase:
Not
a Prepositional Phrase:
We watched television {after dinner}.
We watched television after we had dinner.
{Before sunrise}, the birds begin to chirp.
Before the sun rises, the birds begin to chirp.
Billy can’t swim {like her}.
Billy can’t swim like she does.
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Ex. 3 – Ten Sentences
When the words that answer the question "To what?" form a
sentence, the construction is not a prepositional phrase.
Directions:
1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,”
“PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
1. They haven’t eaten since breakfast.
2. They have had nothing to eat since they had breakfast.
3. Karen was late because of her brother.
4. Roberta won the race because she practiced a lot.
5. My mother made supper after she returned from where she works.
6. My brother played baseball with us when he got home from work.
7. After they read the story, they wrote about it.
8. They took a nap after dinner.
9. They talked about Sam.
10. They talked about what they wanted to do.
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PPrreeppoossiittiioonnaall PPhhrraasseess aass IInnddiirreecctt O
Obbjjeeccttss
In a sentence such as “He gave the flower to June,” some
grammarians consider “to June” to be an adverbial phrase that modifies
“gave.” Others consider “to June” to be a prepositional phrase that functions
as an indirect object of “gave.” Either explanation is acceptable.
Ex. 4 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
By C. Collodi
Part One:
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO,” or “DO”).
3. Write “IO” above phrases that can be explained as an indirect object.
1. I am teaching the alphabet to the ants.
2. Pinocchio kept calling to his father by name.
3. Make a little room for me.
4. One chicken we will give to you.
5. Geppetto gave his own breakfast to Pinocchio.
Part Two:
Rewrite each of the sentences, but replace the prepositional phrases with
normal indirect objects.
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Ex. 5 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
By C. Collodi
Part One:
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO,” or “DO”).
3. Write “IO” above phrases that can be explained as an indirect object.
1. I will buy a spelling-book for myself.
2. I would lend it to you willingly.
3. Geppetto found a name for his puppet and began to work in good earnest.
4. The wind brought to me the smell of fried fish.
5. Go at once and take them to him with my compliments.
Part Two:
Rewrite each of the sentences, but replace the prepositional phrases with
normal indirect objects.
78
E
Em
mbbeeddddeedd PPrreeppoossiittiioonnaall PPhhrraasseess
When a prepositional phrase modifies a word
that is inside another phrase, it is said to be
“embedded” in the first phrase. [Think of it as being
planted in the flower bed of the first phrase.] Other
phrases may “jump over” phrases to modify a word
that is separated from them.
Embedded: They went {to the store} {on the corner}.
Here, “on the corner” describes the store, so we consider it embedded in the “to
the store” phrase. This creates one longer phrase that begins with “to the store.
That phrase chunks to “went,” forming one long verb phrase.
Not Embedded: They went {to the store} {on Monday}.
In this case, “on Monday” explains when they “went.” The phrase thus “jumps
over” the “to the store phrase” and modifies “went.” From “went” to “Monday” is
still one long verb phrase, but the words are connected differently.
The chunking of embedded prepositional phrases:
Image courtesy of Shelagh Manton (in Australia)
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Ex. 6 - Based on The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher
by Beatrix Potter
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase, and draw an arrow from each
preposition to the word that its phrase modifies.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,”
or “DO”).
1. Mr. Jeremy Fisher lived in a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the
edge of a pond.
2. His boat was tied to a water-plant in the middle of the pond.
3. MR. JEREMY bounced up to the surface of the water, like a cork and the
bubbles out of a soda water bottle.
4. He hopped home across the meadow with his macintosh all in tatters.
5. Instead of a nice dish of minnows—they had a roasted grasshopper with ladybird sauce.
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Ex. 7 - Based on The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
by Beatrix Potter
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional
phrase, and draw an arrow from each
preposition to the word that its phrase
modifies.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
3. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an
adverb (“NuA”), and each example of direct
address (“DirA”).
1. He led the way boldly towards the other end of the garden.
2. Anyway, she sat down upon the top of the basket.
3. They went along a little walk on planks, under a sunny, red brick wall.
4. In the neatest, sandiest hole of all lived Benjamin's aunt and his cousins.
5. His relations lived in the wood at the back of Mr. McGregor's garden.
6. Little Benjamin came round the back of the fir-tree, and nearly tumbled
upon the top of his Cousin Peter.
7. They got upon the flat top of the wall at the bottom of the wood.
81
U
Unniitt 88 –– PPhhrraasseess:: M
Mooddiiffiiccaattiioonn aanndd C
Chhuunnkkiinngg
Study:
At a
Reading Desk
W
Whhaatt iiss aa ““P
Phhrraassee””??
1877
by
Fredrick Lord
Leighton
(1830-1896)
A “phrase” is a group of words that work together as one. For example, the
words that you have been identifying as prepositional are in prepositional phrases.
Adjectives modify nouns and by doing so form noun phrases:
the old fir tree
Every prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus a noun phrase, as in
He was sitting (under the old fir tree).
Similarly, adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and by doing
so they form phrases:
Verb phrases:
came quickly
Adjectival phrases:
very beautiful
Adverbial phrases:
too slowly
Phrases grow as more words are added to them or as they connect to other words.
Phrases are named by the most important word in them. Thus
very beautiful house
is called a noun phrase because the “very” modifies “beautiful,” and “beautiful”
modifies the noun “house.”
T
Tw
woo W
Waayyss ooff L
Looookkiinngg aatt SSeenntteenncceess—
—M
Mooddiiffiiccaattiioonn aanndd C
Chhuunnkkiinngg
When we talk about “modification,” we are looking at the way a word
modifies, or affects the meaning of the word it modifies. For example, when we
say “very beautiful,” we mean that it is not just “beautiful.” And when we say
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speak of a “very beautiful house,” we do not mean any old house—we are talking
about a “very beautiful” house. “Modification” changes the meaning of the word
that is modified.
There is, however, another important way of looking at sentences. Almost
every word in every sentence connects to another word (or construction) in its
sentence until all the words end up connected to a main subject / verb /
complement in the sentence. Linguists (people who study how language works)
call this connecting “chunking.” They call it that because when we hear or read
English, we do not read individual words. As we read we chunk words into
phrases and often phrases into longer phrases until almost every word connects to
an S/V/C pattern.
You will be learning more about this later, but for now we are simply
interested in noun, verb, and prepositional phrases. Consider the following
sentence:
The little
boy ran very quickly {through the yard}.
The adjectives “The” and “little” modify (and thus chunk to) the noun “boy.” They
form a noun phrase that functions as the subject of the sentence. Similarly, the
adverb “very” modifies (chunks to) the adverb “quickly,” and “quickly” modifies
(chunks to) the verb “ran.” They thus form a verb phrase that functions as the verb
in the sentence. At the end of the sentence, the prepositional phrase “through the
yard” explains where he ran. That means that the phrase functions as an adverb
and chunks to “ran.” This makes the verb phrase in this sentence “ran very quickly
through the yard.”
Usually the words in a phrase are right next to each other in the sentence.
Adjectives are well behaved and stay very close to the noun they modify. Adverbs,
on the other hand, move around and are sometimes separated from the word they
modify, as in:
Then
mother loudly sang the rain song (DO).
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In this sentence, “Then” functions as an adverb (when?) to “sang,” so it is part of
the “loudly sang” verb phrase. The words “the” and “rain,” of course, are part of
the noun phrase (the rain song” that functions as the direct object of “sang.”
Nouns Used as Adverbs also tend to be separated from the verb that they
modify:
One
day [NuA] the children found a mouse (DO) {in the meadow}.
You probably noticed that the prepositional phrase in this sentence is also
separated from the verb that it modifies.
If you keep working with KISS, you will learn how every word in any
sentence chunks to the words in an S/V/C pattern, but you probably can already
understand the two exceptions mentioned above. They are “Interjections” and
“Direct Address.”
The word “interjection” comes from Latin words that mean “throw into.”
Thus the words we call “interjections” are words that are thrown into a sentence
without chunking to any other specific word in the sentence. In “Whew, that was
a lot of work!” “Whew” is the speaker’s comment on the entire sentence.
(Many linguists call these words “sentence modifiers.”)
Direct Address, the second exception, is actually a specific type of
interjection. It is like the address on an envelope—it names the person or
people for whom the sentence is meant, as in “Can I have a cookie, mother?”
The question is addressed to “mother.”
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T
Thhee C
Chhuunnkkiinngg aanndd FFuunnccttiioonnss ooff PPrreeppoossiittiioonnaall PPhhrraasseess
Most prepositional phrases function as adjectives, as adverbs, or both.
Just as with regular adjectives and adverbs, to find the function of a
prepositional phrase you need to first find what it describes.
The squirrel {in the tree} was
eating nuts (DO).
The phrase “in the tree” describes the squirrel, and
since “squirrel” is a noun, the prepositional phrase
functions as an adjective. Compare this to:
The squirrel
was eating nuts (DO) {in the tree}.
In this sentence, the phrase “in the tree” explains
where the squirrel was eating. It therefore functions as
an adverb to “was eating.”
Sometimes a prepositional phrase can function
as both an adjective and an adverb at the same time.
The squirrel
wants nuts (DO) {for supper).
Some people will see “for supper” as explaining which
nuts the squirrel wants. Thus they will explain the “for
supper” as an adjective to “nuts.” Other people will
view the phrase as answering the question “Wants
why? They will consider it to be an adverb to “wants.”
Either explanation is acceptable.
Remember that some prepositional phrases
function as indirect objects:
The squirrel
offered a nut (DO) {to the owl) (IO).
In this sentence, “to the owl” functions just like the
indirect object would in
“The squirrel offered the owl (IO) a nut (DO).”
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Ex 1. – “One Stormy Winter Day,” Part 1
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements
(“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective to the word it modifies; and an
arrow from every adverb to the word it modifies.
4. Draw an arrow from every preposition to the word that its phrase
modifies. Above the phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for
“adverb.”
1. Large, feathery snowflakes are floating slowly through the air.
2. Bright, cheerful fires are noisily crackling on the hearth.
3. Five lively little chickadees have quickly come for their supper.
4. A beautiful white blanket is spread silently over the field.
5. The bare, brown branches of the trees are completely covered
with pearl.
6. Each tall pine is fully wrapped in a pure, white cloak.
7. The world is strangely changed into a new, white world.
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Ex 2. - “One Stormy Winter Day,” Part 2
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements
(“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective to the word it modifies; and an
arrow from every adverb to the word it modifies.
4. Draw an arrow from every preposition to the word that its phrase
modifies. Above the phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for
“adverb.”
1. Here comes a big party of boys and girls.
2. The loud wind blows very fiercely.
3. The children are snugly tucked under warm robes.
4. The metal bells jingle merrily.
5. The big horses toss their heads impatiently.
6. Away they dash into the woods.
7. Soon they plunge into a snowbank.
8. Over goes the wooden sleigh.
Ex 3. - Writing about One Stormy Winter Day
Write a short story of two or more paragraphs, telling what happened on a
stormy winter day. Take what you choose from the two preceding exercises. Use
adverbs that tell how, when, or where.
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Ex. 4 – “A Squirrel’s Morning Run,” Part 1
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,”
“PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective to the word it modifies; and an arrow
from every adverb to the word it modifies.
4. Draw an arrow from every preposition to the word that its phrase modifies.
Above the phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for “adverb.”
1. A barking, scolding sound is heard from the tree.
2. Two black eyes appear at a knot-hole.
3. An empty nut rattles to the ground.
4. A red squirrel scurries down through the branches.
5. He leaps upon the fence.
6. Away he goes with flying colors.
7. Suddenly he halts and springs into an apple tree.
8. A buzzing is heard among the bees.
9. Down comes a snowfall of blossoms.
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Ex. 5 – “A Squirrel’s Morning Run,” Part 2
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective to the word it
modifies; and an arrow from every adverb to the word it modifies.
4. Draw an arrow from every preposition to the word that its phrase modifies.
Above the phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for “adverb.”
1. Again he is dashing down the fence.
2. He clears a certain rail with one long jump.
3. Under this rail hangs a hornet’s nest.
4. He finds a woodpecker’s den in a dead tree.
5. Madam is at home.
6. She delivers a pickax blow between his eyes.
7. Away he speeds with whisking tail.
8. He looks wistfully at a robin’s nest.
9. His appetite for birds’ eggs has been spoiled.
Ex. 6 – Write about “A Squirrel’s Morning Run”
Make a connected story of the sentences given in
the two preceding exercises. You may make any changes
and additions that will help your story.
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Ex. 7 – “The Happy Butterfly”
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional
phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and
label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or
“DO”).
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective to the word it modifies; and an arrow from
every adverb to the word it modifies.
4. Draw an arrow from every preposition to the word that its phrase modifies.
Above the phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for “adverb.”
1. For a few weeks or months the butterfly flits in the sunshine
among the flowers.
2. The butterfly’s happy life in the sunshine among the flowers
lasts only for a few weeks or months.
3. Have not the earth, the sky, and the sea given all their prettiest
tints to the butterfly?
4. How beautifully the colors are put together in spots, streaks, and
rich borders!
5. On the butterfly’s gorgeous wings look for all the colors of the
rainbow.
6. He goes through the air with a zig-zag motion.
7. This gay creature of the sunshine is seldom seen on the wing
before nine in the morning.
8. Long before sunset he steals away under the leaves.
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Ex. 8 – Writing with
“The Happy Butterfly” as a Model
Make a composition about “The Happy Butterfly.” You may change
the sentences of the preceding exercise, and work them into your
composition. Or you can write about a different insect or animal. Note that
the preceding exercise describes all butterflies in general. The first two
sentences describe where and how long butterflies live. Sentences three,
four, and five describe how butterflies look. Sentence six tells how they
move. Sentence seven tells when the butterflies first appear in the day, and
the last sentence tells when they disappear in the day.
If you can, make the preceding one paragraph, and in a second
paragraph, tell what happened one specific time when you saw a butterfly or
another insect or when you were with the animal that you decided to write
about.
91
Ex. 9 - Based on “Sammy’s Flying Machine”
by Mary Frances Blaisdell
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO,” or “DO”).
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective to the word it modifies; and an arrow from
every adverb to the word it modifies.
4. Draw an arrow from every preposition to the word that its phrase modifies.
Above the phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for “adverb.”
1. Sammy Red Squirrel was sitting on the stone wall.
2. Blacky Crow flew over the field.
3. I am going to the pasture now.
4. The crow flew over the tallest tree and out of sight.
5. Just then something hit Sammy on the head.
6. There at his feet lay an oak leaf.
7. He looked up in the top of the tree.
8. West Wind flew by and shook the branches of the tree very gently.
9. And another leaf floated softly down to the ground beside its brother.
10. I can make some wings for myself out of those oak leaves.
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Ex. 10 - Based on “Sammy’s Flying Machine”
by Mary Frances Blaisdell
Directions:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”
“IO,” or “DO”).
3. Draw an arrow from every adjective to the word it modifies; and an arrow from
every adverb to the word it modifies.
4. Draw an arrow from every preposition to the word that its phrase modifies.
Above the phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for “adverb.”
1. Sammy put the two leaves on the ground and covered them with a stone.
2. You must be at the tree in a few minutes.
3. All the red squirrels scampered off among the branches of the oak tree.
4. You would have to go to Mr. Man’s garden and ask him for some of the
leaves from the rhubarb plants.
5. I will fly to the oak tree this very minute.
6. He ran up the tree and out on one of the longest branches.
7. He stood on the very end of the branch for just one minute.
8. The wings would not hold Sammy up in the air.
9. And down to the ground Sammy fell.
10. He almost fell on top of Bunny Rabbit.
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Ex. 11 – Punctuation—“Sammy’s Flying Machine”
by Mary Frances Blaisdell
Directions:
1. The punctuation and capitalization in the following sentences was lost. Please
fix it, on this paper.
Optional:
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from
the preposition to the word that the phrase modifies, and above the
phrase write “J” for “adjective” or “V” for “adverb.”
2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,”
“PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
For analysis, this is a difficult exercise. Remember that you are expected to get
some things wrong. Some of the sentences in this exercise have more than one S/V/C
pattern in them, and you are not expected to be able to explain the functions of the words
that are in blue.
sammy stopped eating the nut and looked up to see who was talking to
him he saw blacky crow sailing round and round over his head
i am eating my breakfast he answered would you like to have a nut to
eat too
oh no answered blacky crow i can find something better than that
94
U
Unniitt 99 ---- C
Coom
mppoouunndd M
Maaiinn C
Cllaauusseess
Claude Monet’s
(1840-1926)
The Parasol
Main Clauses
Camille Monet
and Her Son Jean
(Woman with a
Parasol)
1875
Thus far you have been working with sentences and have learned to
identify the “subject / (finite) verb / complement patterns” in them. You have also
learned that adjectives, adverbs, and most prepositional phrases modify (and thus
chunk to) the words in the S/V/C slots. You have probably noticed that many
sentences have more than one S/V/C pattern. To be able to discuss these patterns
in a sentence, we need to distinguish between “sentence” and “clause.”
What Is a Clause?
A “clause” is a subject, finite verb, complement pattern and all
the words that chunk to it.
Because you can already identify S/V/C patterns, you will probably find
clauses easy to understand. There are two types of clauses, main and subordinate.
Book Three begins the explanation of subordinate clauses. Here, we will explore
compound main clauses.
Main Clauses
Every main clause could be punctuated as a separate sentence, but just as
we compound subjects, verbs, etc., we also compound main clauses. Thus you will
often find more than one main clause in a sentence. Although short main clauses
95
can be combined with commas (I came, I saw, I conquered.), most main clauses
are joined together with the following punctuation:
, and
Tom was very naughty, and he scratched.
, or
Tom went to the lake, or he went home.
, but
Sarah arrived late, but she did her homework.
Note that some writers omit the comma, but you probably should not do so
until you are an established writer. (Some teachers don’t like the missing
commas.)
Later we will be exploring other ways of compounding main clauses, but
because these are the most common, the following exercises focus on them.
In analyzing sentences, you will be asked to put a vertical line after every
main clause:
Tom was very naughty (PA), | and he scratched. |
Tom went {to the lake}, | or he went home [NuA]. |
Sarah arrived late, | but she did her homework (DO). |
Because every sentence has at least one main clause, from now on you will be
asked to put a vertical line at the end of every sentence:
My
friends will arrive {in a minute}. |
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Ex. 1 - From The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Put a vertical line after every main clause.
4. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an adverb
(“NuA”), and each example of direct address (“DirA”).
1. But she thought a great deal about Ribby’s pie, and she read Ribby’s letter
over and over again.
2. She dusted the clock and the ornaments on the mantelpiece, and she
polished and rubbed the tables and chairs.
3. I can’t find it anywhere, and I have looked all over the house.
4. Duchess went home and brushed her beautiful black coat, and then she
picked a bunch of flowers in her garden as a present for Ribby.
5. The pie had become a lovely brown, but it was steaming hot.
6. Duchess opened the door of the top oven, and out came a rich steamy
flavour of veal and ham.
7. Duchess was too early, and she had to wait a little while.
8. I will lend you a nice warm shawl, and you shall take my arm.
9. Ribby and Duchess said goodbye affectionately, and Duchess started
home.
97
Ex. 2 - From The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Put a vertical line after every main clause.
4. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an adverb
(“NuA”), and each example of direct address (“DirA”).
1. Mr. McGregor was driving a gig along the road, and beside him sat Mrs.
McGregor in her best bonnet.
2. That wood was full of rabbit holes, and in the neatest, sandiest hole of all
lived Benjamin’s aunt and his cousins.
3. There was water in the shoes, and the coat was somewhat shrunk.
4. Benjamin tried on the tam-o’-shanter, but it was too big for him.
5. Little Benjamin took one look, and then, in half a minute, he hid himself and
Peter and the onions underneath a large basket.
6. The sun got round behind the wood, and it was quite late in the afternoon,
but still the cat sat upon the basket.
7. At length there was a pitter-patter, pitter-patter, and some bits of mortar fell
from the wall above.
8. Cotton-tail and Peter folded up the pocket-handkerchief, and old Mrs. Rabbit
strung up the onions and hung them from the kitchen ceiling, with the
bunches of herbs and the rabbit-tobacco.
98
Ex. 3 - From The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Put a vertical line after every main clause.
4. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an adverb
(“NuA”), and each example of direct address
(“DirA”).
1. But next morning they all came back again to Owl Island, and Twinkleberry
and the others brought a fine fat mole, and laid it on the stone in front of
Old Brown’s doorway.
2. Presently a little thread of blue smoke from a wood fire came up from the top
of the tree, and Nutkin peeped through the key-hole and sang.
3. Twinkleberry and six other little squirrels each carried a fat minnow, but
Nutkin brought no present at all.
4. The other squirrels hunted up and down the nut bushes, but Nutkin gathered
robin’s pincushions off a briar bush, and stuck them full of pine-needle
pins.
5. Now old Mr. Brown took an interest in eggs, and he opened one eye and shut
it again.
6. Nutkin danced up and down like a sunbeam, but still Old Brown said nothing
at all.
7. This looks like the end of the story, but it isn’t.
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Ex. 4 - From The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Put a vertical line after every main clause.
4. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an adverb
(“NuA”), and each example of direct address (“DirA”).
1. Nobody ever scolded him, and he never caught a cold!
2. His rod was a tough stalk of grass, his line was a fine long white horsehair, and he tied a little wriggling worm at the end.
3. The rain trickled down his back, and for nearly an hour he stared at the
float.
4. Mr. Jeremy bounced up to the surface of the water, like a cork and the
bubbles out of a soda water bottle, and he swam with all his might to
the edge of the pond.
5. He scrambled out on the bank, and he hopped home across the meadow
with his macintosh all in tatters.
6. I have lost my rod and basket, but it does not much matter.
7. He put some sticking plaster on his fingers, and his friends both came to
dinner.
8. He could not offer them fish, but he had something else in his larder.
100
Ex. 5 - From The Tailor of Gloucester
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Put a vertical line after every main clause.
4. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an adverb
(“NuA”), and each example of direct address (“DirA”).
1. The tailor worked and worked, and he talked to himself.
2. No one lived there at night but little brown mice, and they run in and out
without any keys!
3. Behind the wooden wainscots of all the old houses in Gloucester, there are
little mouse staircases and secret trap-doors, and the mice run from
house to house through those long narrow passages.
4. But do not lose the last penny of the fourpence, Simpkin, or I am undone
and worn to a thread-paper.
5. Simpkin hated the snow, and there was snow in his ears, and snow in his
collar at the back of his neck.
6. The little mice inside sprang to their feet, and all began to shout at once in
little twittering voices.
7. He unlocked the door of the little shop in Westgate Street, and Simpkin
ran in.
101
O
Otthheerr W
Waayyss ooff C
Coom
mbbiinniinngg M
Maaiinn C
Cllaauusseess
Writers often use just a semicolon, colon or dash to join compound main
clauses. The following explanations and examples from Beatrix Potter’s Tales and
should help you analyze their sentences.
a semicolon
Now I’ve finished my ironing; I’m going to air some clothes.
a colon
Don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden: your Father had an
accident there
a dash
TOM THUMB went up the kitchen chimney and looked out
at the top—there was no soot.
These punctuation marks have different meanings, so for now, when you
yourself compound main clauses, you should probably use a comma plus “and,”
“or,” or “but.”
In older texts, many writers used both a conjunction and one of these
punctuation marks. The following sentence is from Potter’s Two Bad Mice:
Lucinda sat upon the upset kitchen stove and stared; and Jane leant
against the kitchen dresser and smiled—but neither of them made
any remark.
Lucinda sat {upon the upset kitchen stove} and stared; | and Jane
leant {against the kitchen dresser} and smiled— | but neither {of
them}
made any remark (DO). |
The following exercise includes more examples.
102
Ex. 6 - From The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Directions:
1. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label
complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO” or “DO”).
3. Put a vertical line after every main clause.
4. Label each interjection (“Inj”), each noun used as an
adverb (“NuA”), and each example of direct
address (“DirA”).
1. Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden.
2. Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became
more and more puzzled.
3. Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were
overheard by some friendly sparrows.
4. A white cat was staring at some gold-fish, she sat very, very still, but now
and then the tip of her tail twitched.
5. Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care.
6. His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave a
dose of it to Peter!
7. Now my dears, you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don’t go
into Mr. McGregor’s garden: your Father had an accident there; he
was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.
103
Ex. 7 - Punctuation
from “Billy Mink’s Swimming Party”
Old Mother West Wind, by Thornton W. Burgess
Directions:
1. The punctuation and capitalization in the following text was lost. Please fix it (right on
this page).
2. Put parentheses around each prepositional phrase.
3. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO”
or “DO”).
4. Put a vertical line after every main clause.
billy mink was coming down the bank of the laughing brook
billy mink was feeling very good indeed he had had a good
breakfast the sun was warm little white cloud ships were sailing
across the blue sky and their shadows were sailing across the green
meadows the birds were singing and the bees were humming billy
mink felt like singing too but billy minks voice was not meant for
singing