Grammar

…and other fun stuff you get to learn in school

Nouns What is the name for something

you can hold or touch?

You may point to and name as many nouns as you can in the next ten

seconds.

Verbs What is the name for

something you can do or see being done?

You may act out your most creative,

school-appropriate verb now.

Will you ever use this stuff? What kind of job do you want?

Playable VerbsOne of Constantin Stanislavski's great revelations is the value of using a verb to identify the sub-textural qualities of a performance. The simple value of this process is that it labels the actor's intention/purpose/"need" in an active mode rather than a passive or a descriptive one. To be actively engaged in the drama is the actor's primary goal. Just look at the publicity poster for any movie. The images they use are always the ones where the actor is actively focused.

Which roles do you play best?

Which verbs describe your motivation?

What do you know about types of sentences?

Start simple!

GRAMMAR RULE: All sentences need a minimum of one subject, one predicate, and must make sense.

Subject (S) =What nouns can

become

Predicate (P)What verbs can

become

Watch out for “understood subjects”! (You) take out the trash. (You) sit down.

Simple Sentences… The squirrel laughed.

Tom swatted the bug.

The squirrel has a nut.SP=Subject Predicate

You need a complete thought

that makes sense!

Declaration of Independence…

Another name for a complete thought would be an independent clause.

If the clause needs help from another part of the sentence, it is dependent.

Dogs slobber, yet nobody cares.

How many clauses?

Which one is independent?

Which one is dependent?

Claws vs. Clause…

Phrase vs. Clause…

If there is a verb=clause!

Both clauses and phrases are clusters of words.

No action=phrase!The zebra ran to the river.

The zebra in the river was young.

The lion's attack caused the zebra to run toward the river.

Running toward the river, the zebra escaped.

Attacking zebras was seldom successful.

After the lions drank at the river, they slept.

Phrased Out? When you are analyzing sentence

structure (in this class), you can ignore the prepositional phrases (in your assignments).

The man (in the red jumpsuit) created a commotion (at the disco).

A. Prepositional phrase - The zebra ran to the river. Prepositional phrases function as adverbs or adjectives. In the example above, the prepositional phrase is an adverb because it indicates where zebra ran (adverbs indicate where, when, why, or how). In the following example, the prepositional phrase is an adjective because it modifies a noun:

The zebra in the river was young.

How do phrases act as parts of speech?

B. Infinitive phrase - The lion's attack caused the zebra to run toward the river.C. Participial phrase - Running toward the river, the zebra escaped.D. Gerund phrase - Attacking zebras was seldom successful.

Your job right now… Using up to three articles,

construct a sentence on your paper that follows this basic pattern:

Subject Predicate

Think Noun Verb!Example: The man is walking.

a, an, the

Your next job: Using up to three articles,

and a coordinating conjunction,(for, and, nor, but, or ,yet, so)

construct a sentence that follows this basic pattern:

S cc S P

You may write down these FANBOYS!

Example:

The horse and the man were smiling.

Keep going… SSSccSP

Compound Subject

Example: The teacher, boy, dog, and the clown were laughing.

Items in a series need a comma between each!

Your next job… SPccP

Compound Predicate

Example: The boys were laughing and snorting.

Yet more torture…

SPO

Object

Ask yourself, “They were snorting WHAT?”

That direct question tells you the DIRECT OBJECT!

Example: The boys were snorting snot bubbles.

Your next job… SPOccO

CompoundObject

Example: The girl was snorting snot bubbles and milk.

What do these sentences have in common?

Simple Sentences SP SPO

Simple Sentences with Compound Parts SccSP SPccP SPOccO S,S,S,ccSP

Double your trouble…Compound Sentence Structure:

SP,cc SP

SPO,cc SPO

Independent clause, Fanboy Independent clause

Rules: (1) Always use a comma before the cc connecting two independent clauses--unless the clauses are extremely short.

(2) You cannot start a sentence with a cc.

Compound it…

Any of the sentence parts can also be compound.

SP,cc SP

SPO,cc SPO

Compound: more than one of anything connected by a coordinating conjunction.

How can you make these compound?

(for, and, nor, but, or ,yet, so)

Notice the internal punctuation…

S P, cc S P

Comma

Why do you think this is called a compound sentence?

Example: We tried, but the villain got away.

Test your skills… Use the sentence skeleton to create

your own compound sentence.

SPO, cc SPO.

Other Compound Structures Besides coordinating conjunctions,

COMPOUND SENTENCES may have two independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb (e.g. however,

therefore)• Tom reads novels; however, Jack prefers

comics. a semicolon alone

• Tom reads novels; his friend reads comics.             

Now what? Are you ready for

complex sentences? SP sc SP SPO sc SPO Sc SP, SP

• inside out sentence structure

Now we get complex…

S P sc S P

NO Comma—Unless the

sentence is inside out!

You may use an adv sc

or an adj sc from your list!

Example: I panicked when he pushed the button.

Complex continued… SPO sc SPO

Example: He barked obscenities because she wouldn’t take direction.

Why bother? Your coordinating

conjunctions can totally change the meaning of the sentence.

Your sentences will be more interesting.

You can even go backwards.

scSP,SP

Example: While the doctor operated,

I was snoozing.

Have you seen these before? after although as as soon as as though because before even if if in order that provided that

since so that than that though unless until when whenever where wherever while

adv sc

What are these called? that which who whom whose after before since when where why

adj sc

What’s the difference? Compound sentences are basically

two simple sentences joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction.

Complex sentences are two simple sentences joined by subordinating conjunctions. No comma is used unless the sentence

is inside out.

The exception to the rule…complex sentences with relative pronouns.

  Jack Smith, who reads comics, rarely reads novels. Use commas to set off the appositive. If you can

take it out without changing the meaning, you can set if off with commas.

Independent, nonessential dependent clause, clause.

People who read comics rarely read novels. Independent    essential dependent clause     clause.

Compound + Complex=Compound Complex A compound complex sentence is

simply a combination of the two.

Compound Complex!Now we get even more complex…

S P, cc S P sc SP

Comma!

No fanboy=

no comma

Example: The teachers danced, but the students slept because they had worked too hard.

It all depends…

S P, cc S P sc SP

Comma!Independent Clause

Dependent Clause

Example: The teachers danced, but the students slept because they had worked too hard.

Inside out structure…

scSP , SP, cc SP

Comma!

Independent Clause

Dependent Clause

Example: Although the teachers danced, the students slept, and they had nightmares about homework.

Comma!

Conjunction Junction… Notice the compound complex

sentence uses both types of conjunctions. FANBOY-Coordinating conjunction Subordinating conjunction

Count your commas! Remember that you DO NOT NEED a comma next to the subordinating

conjunction in a compound complex sentence.

Example: The teachers danced, but the students slept because they had worked too hard.

cc=comma

sc=no comma

What is the structure--or sentence skeleton?

2. Teachers danced, but students slept because they had worked too hard.

1. The hyenas laugh.

8. The hyenas and the clowns were laughing.

6. The hyenas, boys, dogs, and the clowns were laughing.

4. The boys were laughing and snorting.

5. The boys were snorting snot bubbles.

7. The girl was snorting snot bubbles and milk.

3. Dogs slobber, but boys snort.

Is that it? How about this? scSPO,SPO,ccSPO Backwards Compound Complex!

Example: Because they really need high energy, teachers eat snacks ravenously, and they drink tons of water.

Review—What does a sentence need?

A complete thought. Subject and Verb “Sit.” A run-on is when

the thought is not finished because you…

A fragment is just a piece of your thought. Not finished.

The Four Sentence Types (1) Simple (2) Compound

Uses one coordinating conjunction (3) Complex

Uses one subordinating conjunction (4) Compound Complex

Uses one coordinating and one subordinating conjunction

Adding meat to the bones…

Example: Because they really need high energy, teachers eat snacks ravenously, and they drink tons of water.

What affect do the words in gray have?

Adding Adjectives and Adverbs Adjectives and

Adverbs provide additional information.

Because they really need high energy, teachers eat snacks ravenously, and they drink tons of water.

What kind of superhero would you be?

Proofreading You can look at conjunctions when

proofreading. Does the sentence complete the

thought? If not = run-on or fragment.

sc=no commacc=comma

Things to Remember Always use a comma before the cc

connecting two independent clauses. I love school, but I love vacation too.

Always use a comma after a dependent clause that precedes an independent clause. Whenever I have a vacation, I love to

sleep in.

Continued… Items in a series need commas—

even before the coordinating conjunction. I love to play my guitar, make pottery,

and walk my dogs. You cannot start a sentence with a

coordinating conjunction. And then the fun started.

Your job as a writer… Find out what sentence structure

you are using most. How can you add spice to your

sentences?

Special Thanks to: Mrs. Haberkorn’s Notecard Grammar Mrs. Fornander’s Parts of Speech Notes/Warner’s Grammar http://www.rehearsalroom.com/verb.htm wwwnew.towson.edu/ows/sentencestruct.htm - http://trc.ucdavis.edu/bajaffee/SAS90B/Course

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