Los Angeles Mission College

1. Los Angeles Mission College Basic Sentence Patterns Academic Success Center Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions Funded by the United State Department of Education

2. Identifying Subjects and Verbs Key Concept: A complete sentence requires a subject and a verb; it also must express a complete thought. This PowerPoint presentation is based on the following source: Fitzpatrick, Carolyn H. and MaryBeth B. Ruscica. The Complete Sentence Workout Book. 4th ed. Mass: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. Print.

3. Subjects A sentence must have a subject. • A subject is a noun • A person, place or thing • Ms. Jones • Los Angeles Mission College • Hat • Or a pronoun • A word that takes the place of a noun • She/he/they • It

4. Verbs A sentence must also have a verb. • There are 2 types of verbs: • Action • Show movement • Examples: to sing, to joke, to run, to walk • Linking • Linking verbs do not show action. Instead, they convey existence, being, becoming, and sometimes, one of the 5 senses. Linking verbs connect the subject and the word after the linking verb. • Examples: to be, to seem, to become

5. Identifying Subjects and Verbs To identify the subject and verb in a sentence, ask these questions: • What is the action? What word links two or more other words? • theverb • Who or what is performing the action? • thesubject

6. Practice 1. Barbara sang. • What is the action? Sang (verb – action) • Who sang? Barbara (subject) 2.The children were happy. • What word joins the description to the subject? Were (verb – linking) • Who were happy? Children (subject)

7. More Practice Identify the subjects and verbs in the following sentences: • Terry laughs. Subject = Terry Verb = laughs (action) • Lady Gaga is famous. Subject = Lady Gaga Verb = is (links description to subject) 3. The dog barked. Subject = the dog Verb = barked (action) 4. Seth MacFarlane creates funny characters. Subject = Seth MacFarlane Verb = creates (action)

8. Simple and Compound Subjects and Verbs • A single subject is referred to as a simple subject. • A single verb is referred to as a simple verb. Example: The artist quickly drew the tourist’s caricature. What is the action? Drew (one action = simple verb) Who drew? Artist (one actor = simple subject)

9. Compound Subjects A sentence may also contain a compound subject: two or more stated nouns or pronouns perform the same action. Example: Charles and the boys have gone to the movies. What is the action? Have gone (one action = simple verb) Who has gone? Charles + boys (two stated actors = compound subject)

10. Compound Verbs A sentence may also contain a compound verb: the subject performs two or more actions. Example: Jane frequently drinks, dances, and parties through the night. What is (are) the action(s)? Drink, dance, + party (3 actions = compound verb) Who drinks, dances and parties? Jane (one stated actor = simple subject)

11. 3 Possible Combinations • Compound Subject/Simple Verb: In this case, two or more subjects perform one action. Example: George and Frank went to Mexico. Verb: went Subject: George + Frank

12. 3 Possible Combinations 2. Simple Subject/Compound Verb: The simple subject of the sentence performs two or more actions. Example: The audience booed and hissed at the performer. Verb: booed + hissed Subject: The audience

13. 3 Possible Combinations 3. Compound Subject/Compound Verb This means that two or more subjects perform two or more actions. Example: Greg, Peter, and Bobby danced and ate all night. Verb: danced + ate Subject: Greg, Peter, + Bobby

14. Practice C S Directions: Find the verbs and subjects. Indicate whether they are simple or compound by writing S (for simple)or C (for compound)beside the verbs and subjects. • Fords and Chevrolets are two makes of American cars. • He and Martha took a vacation last spring. • The clown juggled and sang. • Whales and skates returned to the bay. • Fred and Ethel visited the Ricardos every day. S C C S S C S C

15. Sentence Formats Here is an example of a Format 1 sentence: Birdssing. The abbreviation for Sentence Format 1 is NS-V. NS = V = Birds sing

16. Format 1 - Practice Directions: Fill in the blanks with words that follow Sentence Format 1. • _______________ yell. • _______________ meow. • _______________ dance. • _______________ swim. • Athletes _____________. • Dogs ________________. • Joggers ______________. • Flowers ______________. Children Cats Dancers Swimmers practice bark jog blossom

17. Format 1 - Practice Directions: Put a box around the subject and circle the verb. • The lamb cried loudly. • Every summer, Selina goes to day camp. • The class practiced for an hour every week. • The price of gas just increased by 20 cents. • At night, hundreds of bats fly out of that cave.

18. Format 2: The Direct Object Example: Harry hit the baseball. Noun Subject = Harry Verb = hit What relationship does baseball have to hit? Baseball is the noun direct object (NDO) of the verb. Abbreviation for Sentence Format 2: NS-V-NDO

19. Format 2: Practice Directions: Label each sentence format. Identify the subjects, verbs, anddirect objects. • Children like ice-cream. • The arrow struck a tree. • Mary cried. • The dog crossed the road. • The speaker declined the invitation. • The fullback caught the football. • The children jumped the fence. NS-V-NDO NS-V-NDO NS-V NS-V-NDO NS-V-NDO NS-V-NDO NS-V-NDO

20. Format 3: The Indirect Object Example: Hector threw methe ball. Noun Subject: Hector Verb: threw Noun Direct Object: ball ME? The noun indirect object tells to whom the object was thrown. The abbreviation for Format 3 is:NS-V-NIO-NDO

21. Format 3: The Indirect Object To test for indirect objects in a sentence, follow these 2 steps: • Rewrite the sentence in format 2 (NS-V-NDO) • Add to or for plus the word in question to the end of the sentence.

22. Format 3: The Indirect Object Example: May gave me the book. Let’s decide whether me is the NIO: • Rewrite the sentence to follow Format 2: May gave the book. (NS-V-NDO) 2. Add to or for plus the word in question to the end of the sentence: Maygavemethe book. (May gave the book tome?) NS-V-NIO-NDO

23. Format 3: Practice Directions: Label all subjects, verbs, indirect objects, and direct objects. • Pablo awarded Henry the prize. • The boy bought the girl a flower. • I gave my friend an umbrella. • Sharon bought her father a sweater. • My English teacher gave me an A on my test. • Hector fed the dog his dinner.

24. Thank you Presented by the Los Angeles Mission College Academic Success Center Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions Funded by the United State Department of Education