Download Sentence Analysis – D

H3
Session 6
Sentence Analysis – D.W. Emery
(see the pdf on the H3 website for greater detail and practice)
Lesson One: Subject and Verb
“The subject and the verb form the heart of a sentence. . . When a subject and a verb are
combined the result is a predication, that is, a statement, a question, or a command.” 1
Kinds of Predication:
1. The subject does something. Often the verb names an action which is easily visualized because
there is motion or change of position suggested in the meaning of the verb.
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The dog jumped at me.
I broke my glasses.
However, sometimes the action is not as visible, but the subject is still doing something.
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The police believed his story.
They own three cars.
The subject is the thing that does something; the verb names the activity that takes place.
2. The subject merely exists. The verb with this kind of predication is nearly always some form of
“be” (am, are, is, was, were, will be, has been, could be, etc.).
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Summer is here.
They are in the dining room.
There might be trouble. (What is the subject in this sentence?)
3. The subject is renamed or described. The verb serves to tie the subject to something related to
it; the verb is roughly the equivalent of “equals” or “becomes.”
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Jack is my closest friend.
The situation might be dangerous.
4. The subject is acted upon. The very in this kind of sentence is the passive verb. It requires two
words. The subject is not the doer; the subject precedes the verb but receives the action of the
verb.
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The truck was emptied this morning.
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He should have been told about the accident
Auxiliary Verbs.
Sometimes the verb in a sentence will consist of only one word. But very often the complete verb
is made up of two, three, or four words (have, be, do; shall, will; may, might, must, can, could,
would, should).
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I have found the answer.
I was told about it.
I shall leave early.
You might have been injured.
Verbs in Questions.
The normal arrangement of the subject-verb is often changed when we ask questions. With
many verbs in English, we have a verb phrase made up of at least two words; when we have
such verb phrases we ask the question by inserting the subject between the auxiliary verb and
the main verb.
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The have returned. (statement) Have they returned? (question)
Pronouns As Subjects:
The subject of a verb is a noun or another grammatical unit (participles, gerunds, infinitives) taking
the place of a noun.
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Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those
Interrogative pronouns: who, which, what
Indefinite pronouns: any, some, nobody, each, few, etc.
Imperative Sentences:
An imperative sentence gives a command, or makes an entreaty or request. The subject is always
“you,” and the only thing that makes the sentence different from most is that the subject usually is
not expressed.
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Turn left at the next intersection.
Lesson Two: Simple Modifiers: Adjective, Adverbs, Prepositional Phrases
1. Adjectives.
Adjectives describe, or identify, or limit, or in some way characterize nouns.
Form vs. Function.
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Nouns can be used to describe, identify, or qualify other nouns.
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chemistry teacher, soccer team, etc.
Although their form may be that of a noun, by function they are adjectives.
2. Adverbs.
Adverbs are clearly modifiers that do not modify a noun or a pronoun. Most adverbs modify verbs,
adjectives, or other adverbs.
Form vs. Function.
Nouns may have adverbial uses.
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I walked home.
On the basis of form we must call these words nouns – hence the term “adverbial noun.” On the
basis of function, however, these words are adverbs, and on this basis they may be treated just
as regular adverbs.
3. Prepositional Phrases.
A preposition is a word which connects a noun (or another word or word group serving as a noun),
called its object, to some other part of the sentence.
About, above, according to, across, after, against, along, around, as for, as to, at, because of,
before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, except for,
for, from, in, in addition to, in regard to, inside, in spite of, into, like, near, of, off, on, on account
of, out, out of, outside, over, since, through, till, to, toward, under, until, up, upon, with, without
Lesson Three: Complements: The Direct Object
Notice how these subject-verb combination form complete statements as they stand. These verbs can
be called verbs of complete predication.
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The boat sank.
The price of oil has risen.
However, the following subject-verb combinations form incomplete predications.
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Your latest theme was. . .
He has often told. . .
5 kinds of complements (“completers”): direct object, subjective complement, indirect object, objective
complement, retained object.
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A transitive verb is an action verb that has a receiver of its action (a “complement”). This receiver or
complement of the action is called the direct object. The direct object is always a noun or a noun
equivalent.
The normal position for the direct object is following the verb. For emphatic effect or with interrogatives
the writer will place the direct object before the subject.
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Such behavior I could never excuse. (What is excused? “Behavior” is the d.o.)
Which car should I drive tonight? (I should drive which car tonight?)
Lesson Four: Complements: The Subjective Complement
When the subject is renamed or described, the verb used in this predication is a special type of
intransitive verb called the linking verb, and the complement added to it, the subjective complement, will
be a noun unit renaming the subject or an adjective describing the subject.
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Sam was once a professional magician. (subjective complement = noun)
Lately he has seemed despondent. (subjective complement = adjective)
Lesson Five: Complements: The Objective Complement and the Indirect Object
When verbs are followed by direct objects, these verbs are called transitive verbs. Many such verbs,
however, may be followed by two objects instead of one. Following a transitive verb, one of three
patterns must develop: 1) a direct object alone (lesson 3), 2) a direct object and an objective
complement, or 3) an indirect object and a direct object.
The Objective Complement:
A serviceable test for an objective complement is that the insertion of “to be” between the direct object
and the objective complement will nearly always give a perfectly good idiom.
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I consider Tim honest.
We elected John treasurer.
The Indirect Object:
The usual position for the indirect object is between the verb and the direct object. In all except a very
few slightly irregular cases, the indirect object names the person (or thing) to whom or for whom the
action of the verb is performed. In other words, the indirect object is the noun or noun element (very
often a personal pronoun) which nearly always could just as well pattern as the object of a preposition to
or for.
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I gave him my old jacket. (d.o. = jacket; i.o. = him)
I gave my old jacket to him. (d.o. = jacket; him = object of the preposition)
You must give me a complete account of your travels. (d.o. = account; i.o. = me)
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Lesson Six: Complements of Passive Verbs
When the subject receives the action: This predication is rhetorically useful when one wishes to report
an action occurring but does not want to place the doer of the action in the important subject position,
either because the doer of the action is unknown or because the doer is of only incidental interest.
When the receiver of the action stands in the subject position the verb form used for this purpose is the
passive voice. The passive verb must be made up of at least two words.
1. The passive verb may be a verb of complete predication and will therefore have no complement
added to it.
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Last night my car was stolen.
2. A subjective complement is added.
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Jones was appointed treasurer
The house was painted green.
3. A retained object is added. The retained object is always a noun, or a noun equivalent; and it, with
the subject, receives the action named in the verb.
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I was given the report. (r.o. = report)
You will be told the results of the poll. (r.o. = results)
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband. (Pr 12:4a)
In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence. (Pr 14:26a)
The plans of the heart belong to man. (Pr 16:1a)
The heart of man plans his way. (Pr 16:9a)
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious. (Pr 16:23a)
Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty. (Pr 18:12a)
The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water. (Pr 20:5a)
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child. (Pr 22:15a)
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Apply your heat to my knowledge. (Pr 22:17b)
The heart of her husband trusts in her. (Pr 31:11a)
Do not desire her beauty in your heart. (Pr 6:25)
Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord. (Pr 11:20a)
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