SENTENCE PATTERNS

8th Grade Language Arts

La Conner Middle School

Mrs. Keith

1. USE STRONG, ACTIVE VERBS

• Fire belched from the dragon’s mouth.

• The problem perplexed the student.

• The human brain does not shrink, wilt, perish, nor deteriorate with age.

2. ASK A QUESTION

• Who drives the red Corvette?

• What will we work on next?

• When will this boring class end?

• Why do we have to do this?

• How are we going to finish in time?

3. USE AN EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE

• Why are you doing this to me!

• I can’t believe this is happening!

• Run!

• Yikes!

4. OPEN WITH AN ADVERB

• Noisily, the mosquitoes buzzed around our heads.• Quickly, the barber shaved my head.• Silently, the mouse nibbled on the cheese.• Ferociously, the bull charged at the matador.• Yesterday, my grandmother wrecked her Harley.

5. OPEN WITH AN ADJECTIVE

• Cold, the homeless man shivered.

• Polite, the young man waited his turn.

• Angry, the child threw the toy across the room.

• Hungry, my uncle wolfed-down the ham sandwich.

6. OPEN WITH APREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

• During the day the robber hid in a dingy basement apartment.

• In the morning the blackbirds stole the berries from the bushes.

• Between 1900 and 1902, Picasso made three trips to Paris.

7. USE AN APPOSITIVE(words that rename a noun right beside it)

• My sister, Diane, came home for Christmas.

• Homer Simpson, my favorite cartoon character, hits himself on the forehead.

• The billionaire bought a painting by Picasso, a famous cubist.

8. USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE IN WORDS

• Mom bought chips, soda, and pickles for the picnic.

• America, Fiji, and Chile have the same color flags.

9. USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE IN PHRASES

• In the park, on the beach, and behind my house are three of my favorite places.

• Two fun activities are swimming in the lake and surfing in the ocean.

10. OPEN WITH A PRESENT INFINITIVE

“to” + verb + phrase

• To prevent a mess, the chef covered the counter with wax paper.

• To brighten the kitchen, we painted the walls and ceiling white.

• To reach the new world, the Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower.

11. PRESENT PARTICIPLE“ing” words that act like adjectives

• Gazing at the ballerinas, Degas planned his next painting.

• Working as a team, the students produced a Power Point presentation for science class.

• Hunching over the quilt, my grandmother looked for missed stitches.

12. PAST PARTICIPLE“ed” word or past tense verb + phrase

• Neglected by its owners, the puppy looked hungry and dirty.

• Battered by the wind, the boat capsized.• Known as a landscape painter, Monet gave

a shimmering quality to his artwork.• Caught red-handed, my brother admitted he

stole the chocolate chip cookies.