Finding the Right Conjunction

You probably had some trouble doing that last quiz. Try this game now:



End of the Lesson!

Introducing Subordinate Clauses

If you look here, you will see an diagrammed example of what is called a subordinate clause.

From the page on clauses

With rare exceptions, every subordinate clause functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb within another clause. This means that a subordinate clause is embedded in, and thus a part of, a main clause. The easiest way to identify clauses is to first identify the S/V/C patterns.

Here's a step by step on how to identify clauses

I should mention that if you are getting confused here, don't worry. We are covering this quickly in order to give you an overview of different parts of sentences. For now, the main thing to remember is that:

• prepositional phrases are nouns or noun phrases with a preposition in front of them (like "with a preposition" in this sentence).

• Clauses are sentence patterns -- they have a subject/verb, or subject/verb/complement pattern. There are two sentence patterns in that last sentence.

• compound sentences are two main clauses (that can each stand on their own) which are united by a joining word, a conjunction; sometimes, they are united by a semi-colon (like this sentence ; -)).

• complex sentences are sentences with a main clause and a subordinate clause. (Although I tried to come up with a complex sentence structure for this sentence, I couldn't until just now ;-)).

Try this quiz on identifying simple, compound and complex sentences. There are several really tricky ones. Do your best.

Hint:

The trickiest ones are probably the ones that look like compound sentences but are really simple sentences with compound elements, like this one:

The teacher walked (into the classroom), greeted the students, and took attendance.

You can see that there is one subject (the teacher) who did three things (walked, greeted, and took) and there are two direct objects (the students, attendance).

Go on to next section

Clauses in Sentences

Read:

Types of clauses

A "clause" is a subject, finite verb, complement pattern and all the words that chunk to it.

In the last lesson I talked about compound sentences -- sentences that are joined together with a word like "and".

You can see in the reading above that "main clauses" are those that can stand by themselves.

Here is a diagram that shows how it looks when two main clauses are joined together with a conjunction.

example from here

Here's another one that shows a similar sentence pattern to our sentence about the squirrels.

Go on to next section

Quiz

• Here is a quiz on conjunctions.
• Here's another one (finding the best conjunction for the sentence).
• Here's a quiz asking you to tell the difference between a simple and a compound sentence.

More on Compounds

Compound sentences are sentences joined by a conjunction -- conjunctions are words like for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Read the linked page.

You can tell them apart from prepositions because they link two things of similar kinds.... either nouns, verbs or whole sentences. Let's go on to the next sentence for another example.

It is a very social animal and may share a nest and live (in groups) (of eight or more adults and juveniles).

This sentence is also a compound sentence -- it actually has three sections.

• The first part is Subject/Verb/Predicate Nominative "It is a very social animal"
  
• The second part is Subject/Verb/Direct Object "(It) may share a nest"
  
• The third is Subject/Verb. "(It may) live ...."
  

The subject for all three parts is "IT". "It" is a pronoun, meaning a word that substitutes for another word. It means "northern flying squirrel" in this sentence.

Go to next section

Introduction to Compounds

The northern flying squirrel is nocturnal and is active throughout the year. It is a very social animal and may share a nest and live in groups of eight or more adults and juveniles.

Let's study these two sentences by breaking them up into their parts.

Here is a Subject/Verb/Predicate Adjective pattern.

The northern flying squirrel is nocturnal and is active (throughout the year)

I've bolded the main parts of the sentence, color-coded the adjectives or adverbs depending on what they modify, and put the prepositional phrase in brackets.

The word "and" is a conjunction. It makes this into a compound sentence. You could rewrite it into two simple sentences as follows:

The northern flying squirrel is nocturnal. The northern flying squirrel is active throughout the year.

You can see that this would be hard to read and sound sort of like a beginner book. Conjunctions allow us to join subjects, verbs, complements or sentences together into compounds.

Go on to next section

An Exercise on Prepositional Phrases

Go to this page: The Story of the Oriole

Copy the text into your Grammar Notebook and follow the directions -- particular focus on telling what noun or verb is being modified by the prepositional phrase.

I can't think of a way to have you draw arrows, so you could just bold the noun or verb that is being modified. Try color-coding it like this:

He will build his nest (DO) {on our trees} [Adv. to "will build"].

Prepositional Phrases and What They Modify

Most prepositional phrases function as adjectives, as adverbs, or both. Just as with regular adjectives and adverbs, to determine the function of a prepositional phrase you need to first find what it describes.

Read more about how prepositional phrases function.

Try this quiz -- if you get the ones wrong about infinitive, gerund and participal phrases wrong, that is fine -- we are doing those later. Basically I want you to think about whether the prepositional phrases describe (modify) the VERB or the NOUN. If it refers to the verb, it's being used as an adverb. If it refers to the noun, it's being used as an adjective.

Prepositional Phrases as Modifiers

We have been covering a lot of new ideas in grammar. It is probably a good time for a review. Work for about 15 minutes doing some or all of these quizzes, then go on to the next page.

• Adjective/Adverb Quiz
• Finding the right preposition to fit in the sentence
• Mixed Up Modifiers
• Is it an Adjective or an Adverb? (quia)
• Using the Correct Form of the Word
• Finding the Preposition

Go on to next section

Finding Adjectives and Adverbs

Let's go on to the next sentence of the passage:

They swarmed like bees that sally from some hollow cave and flit in countless throng among the spring flowers, bunched in knots and clusters; even so did the mighty multitude pour from ships and tents to the assembly, and range themselves upon the wide-watered shore, while among them ran Wildfire Rumour, messenger of Jove, urging them ever to the fore.

I'm not sure quite how to have you mark this. Why don't you put nouns in bold, verbs in italic. Then put adjectives in blue and adverbs in green. Any prepositional phrases that you see, put in parentheses.

Remember that a prepositional phrase can have an adjective within it -- describing the noun. I see at least one and there may be more.

I don't expect you to get these all perfect. It's important to think about how things work together in sentences -- it's good for understanding, for logical thinking and also for learning language patterns to be a better writer. But it is definitely not something that's always totally clearcut.

Notice Homer's rolling, cumulative sentences, by the way! Other authors have quite different patterns.

End of Lesson

Adjectives and Adverbs in a Sentence

Consider this passage from Book II of the Iliad

With this he led the way from the assembly, and the other sceptred kings rose with him in obedience to the word of Agamemnon; but the people pressed forward to hear. They swarmed like bees that sally from some hollow cave and flit in countless throng among the spring flowers, bunched in knots and clusters; even so did the mighty multitude pour from ships and tents to the assembly, and range themselves upon the wide-watered shore, while among them ran Wildfire Rumour, messenger of Jove, urging them ever to the fore. Thus they gathered in a pell-mell of mad confusion, and the earth groaned under the tramp of men as the people sought their places. Nine heralds went crying about among them to stay their tumult and bid them listen to the kings, till at last they were got into their several places and ceased their clamour. Then King Agamemnon rose, holding his sceptre.

So far we've talked about how to tell what pattern a sentence has by identifying the subject and predicate verb, then deciding whether there is a complement of some sort (if you need to review, go here)

For example:

With this he led the way from the assembly, and the other sceptred kings rose with him in obedience to the word of Agamemnon; but the people pressed forward to hear.

There are three basic parts to this sentence.

he led the way (S/V/DO)
kings rose (S/V)
people pressed (S/V)

Now I find the prepositional phrases and put them in parentheses -- remember there will be a "position" or relationship word, and a noun:

(With this) he led the way (from the assembly), and the other sceptred kings rose (with him) (in obedience)( to the word)( of Agamemnon); but the people pressed forward to hear.

"To hear" is not a prepositional phrase because "hear" is a verb -- what the people are doing. So it is an infinitive verb.

Does that make sense so far?

There are only a few words left now in the sentence.

"other sceptred" -- these describe the kings. Words that describe nouns are called adjectives.

"forward" -- this describes how the people are pressing to hear -- it modifies a verb or action. Words that modify or describe verbs are called adverbs.

There are a few words still left in the sentence:

"the"

"the" is technically an adjective since it modifies "king" or "word" or "people" -- but we call words like "the" and "a" and "an" articles. You probably remember that in Latin, articles are very seldom used in a sentence.

"but", "and"

These are called conjunctions or "joining words" because they link words together. We will talk about them in more detail in a future lesson.

For now just remember that words that tell about a noun are called adjectives and words that tell about a verb are called adverbs. Read this page.

Go on to next section

Exercise on Finding Prepositions

Try this exercise on finding prepositions. You just click on the prepositions in the passage and they will be listed in a box. Then compare your results with what the answer box shows. Remember that if "to" is followed by a verb, then it is not a prepositional phrase but the infinitive form of a verb (if you don't understand that now, it will come up in Latin before long).

Here is another quiz. It's easier, but focus on how prepositions work in a sentence.

Go on to next section

Introducing Prepositions

Prepositions indicate relation, especially location. They are usually followed by a noun (sometimes an article like "the" will be in between). Prepositional phrases are not part of the "core" of the sentence.

Take a sentence:

King Lear was aweary of the business of his kingdom, and wished only to end his days quietly near his three daughters.

The core or kernel of the sentence is actually a compound:

• King Lear was aweary (Subject/Linking Verb/Predicate Adjective -- describing something about him).... AND (a linking word called a conjunction)

• (He) wished to end his days (Subject/Verb Phrase/Direct Object)....

Now let's look at the whole sentence again -- I'll put the prepositional phrases in parentheses and I will put all the nouns into bold font:

King Lear was aweary (of the business) (of his kingdom), and wished only to end his days quietly (near his three daughters).

Prepositions begin the prepositional phrase and show relationship, so you can see that here they are: of, of, and near.

To can be a preposition, but when it is followed by a verb as it is in the sentence, it is part of the verb phrase.

Now here's the next sentence:

Two (of his daughters) were married (to the Dukes (of Albany and Cornwall)); and the Duke (of Burgundy) and the King (of France) were both suitors (for the hand)( of Cordelia), his youngest daughter.

Do you see how it works? Here the prepositions are: of, to, of, of, for, of.

To here is followed by a noun, not a verb, and shows a relationship. So it is a preposition.

The basic core of the sentence, again a compound sentence, is:

• Two... were married, and the Duke and King were ... suitors.....

The first part is simple Subject/Verb Phrase (were married) and the second part is Compound Subject/Verb/Predicate Nominative (suitors, "renaming" the Duke and King).

Go on to next section

Fill In the Blanks (Prepositions)

This exercise is useful to help you become aware of the way prepositions work in a sentence. Fill in the blanks with whatever word seems to make sense (paste over to your Grammar notebook)

Then Theseus pushed his way ___ through the thick bushes, and saw that they had not been moved ____ many a year. And searching _____ their roots he found a great flat stone, all overgrown ____ ivy, and acanthus, and moss. He tried to lift it, but he could not. And he tried till the sweat ran down his brow ____ heat, and the tears ____ his eyes ____ shame; but all was ____ no avail. And at last he came back ___ his mother, and said, 'I have found the stone, but I cannot lift it; nor do I think that any man could ____ all Troezene.'

Then she sighed, and said, 'The Gods wait long; but they are just at last. Let it be ____ another year. The day may come when you will be a stronger man than lives ____ all Troezene.'

Then she took him ___ the hand, and went ____ the temple and prayed, and came down again ____ Theseus ___ her home.

And when a full year was past she led Theseus up again ____ the temple, and bade him lift the stone; but he could not.

Then she sighed, and said the same words again, and went down, and came again the next year; but Theseus could not lift the stone then, nor the year after; and he longed to ask his mother the meaning ___ that stone, and what might lie ____ it; but her face was so sad that he had not the heart to ask.

So he said ___ himself, 'The day shall surely come when I will lift that stone, though no man ___ Troezene can.' And in order to grow strong he spent all his days ___ wrestling, and boxing, and hurling, and taming horses, and hunting the boar and the bull, and coursing goats and deer ____ the rocks; till ____ all the mountains there was no hunter so swift ___ Theseus; and he killed Phaia the wild sow of Crommyon, which wasted all the land; till all the people said, 'Surely the Gods are _____ the lad.'

End of Lesson!

Review on Sentence Parts

Look at:

• Parts of a Sentence Flashcards
• How to Find Parts of a Sentence

Try a Scatter for one or both of these set.

Also Try:

Identifying the parts of a sentence

This is a teaching quiz. Some of the parts of the sentence you probably don't know yet, but give it a try anyway.



Flashcards here

The sentence is:

Wally was eager to prove that his dog, Blue, was different from the other hunting dogs.

Sentence Patterns

Different sources give somewhat different numbers, but there are only a few basic English sentence patterns. All the infinite variety of sentences you can write in English are variations on the basic patterns.

I'll list the basic patterns and you can read here for more details.

Notes:

• Any of these patterns can have more than one subject, verb or object -- this would be called a compound subject, verb or object.
  
• Any sentence pattern can have a verb phrase -- like "has been going" or "will be playing".
• Any of these patterns can have changes in the word order, especially when language is poetic or planned for effect.

A couple of other things to be learned about later, so don't worry about them now:

• Any of these patterns can be expanded or modified by an adjective, adverb, prepositional phrase or clause.
• A phrase or clause or verb form can fill the place of a subject or object.
  

1. No Verb Complement

(Subject/Verb)

Aidan ran.

2. Direct Object Verb Complement

(Subject/Verb/Direct Object)

Aidan ran a forty.

3. Indirect and Direct Object Verb Complements

(Subject/Verb/Indirect Object/Direct Object)

Aidan threw me the ball.
Aidan threw the ball to me.

4. Predicate Nominative Verb Complement

(Subject/Verb/Predicate Nominative)

Soon, Aidan will be a teenager.

5. Predicate Adjective Verb Complement

(Subject/Verb(s)/Adjective )

Aidan is getting faster.

6. Direct Object and Objective Complement

(A rarer pattern -- there is a Subject/Verb/Direct Object but then there is a complement to the object, either an adjective or a noun, telling about the direct object).

(Subject/Verb/Direct Object/Objective Complement)

Aidan made me happy.
Liam's birth made me a mother.

Go to next section

Review and Quiz

Here are a couple of quizzes. You are not expected to get everything right on these. This is material that trips up lots of grammar students. Pay attention to the meaning of the sentence and how the parts fit together to make a statement. That helps more than anything.

Try:

Quiz on Sentence Types
Noun Quiz

Let me know how you did. We will review the areas that gave you trouble.

Identifying Complements -- Indirect Object

Example of Indirect Object

Aidan gave the book to me.
Aidan gave Paddy the cookie.

What did Aidan give?

1. The book
2. The cookie

Who did he give it to?

1. to ME
2. to Paddy

You can find the indirect object by what's left over when you've found the subject (Aidan), the verb (gave), the direct object (WHAT he gave -->book, cookie).

Go on to next section

Identifying Complements: Predicate Adjective

Go here and read

This page gives a 4-step process for identifying sentence types. We've already gone over "simple sentences" (Subject/Verb); "predicate nominatives" (Subject/Linking Verb(s)/Predicate Nominative); "direct objects" (Subject/Verb/Direct Object).

The new ones are:

• Predicate Adjective
• Indirect Object.

Example of Predicate Adjective.

The squirrels have gotten very fat.

(Squirrels do not equal "fat" so "fat" is not a predicate nominative -- it's not another name for the squirrels. A predicate nominative sentence would be:

The squirrels are called Vail, Barkley and Twitch

"Fat" says something about the squirrels though -- it describes them, so it is an adjective. Since the whole sentence is about them being fat, "fat" is what is "predicated" of the squirrels).

Go on to NEXT section

Direct Objects

Try:

• A Quiz on Direct Objects
• Another quiz

Go on to next section