Sentence Structure

Sentence Structure

Vocab. C-14 Both candidatesdisclaim any ties to special interest groups. = Simple

Build-your-own-structure, all about Bob Super-Creative Independent Clause : Bob rides his bike to school. Use one of the following coordinating or correlative conjunctions to build the compound structures that follow: CoordinatingCorrelative: and foreither . . . or but norneither . . . nor or yetboth . . . and not only . . . but also

Using the Super-Creative Independent Clause, build: • a simple sentence w/ a compound subject 2. a simple sent. w/ a compound predicate • a compoundsentence

Using one of the subordinating conjunctions listed, build: 4. a complex sentence 5. a compound-complex sentence Subordinating conjunctions: although where when while

Vocab. C-14, p. 176 1. Some court rulings amplify the authority of the individual states. 4. Some people prefer to live in a place where the climate is bland and unchanging all year round. 7. A long and bitter feud may estrange a family that was once close-knit.

Vocab. C-14, p. 178 15. A few ramshackle buildings are all that remain of the old mining town. 16. Robbers ransacked the house for cash and other valuables. 17. Most people learn to type by rote. Rote memorization can be helpful when you begin to study a foreign language. 18. If you want to remain solvent, set a budget and stick to it. 20. If the appliance you purchased turns out to be defective, you should return it to the vendor.

Uses of Infinitives As subject: To laugh at yourself is the highest form of self acceptance. As pred. nom: My favorite pastime is to ski in France. As D. O.: I want to tell you about infinitives. As Object of Prep – I was (about to tell her), but I reconsidered. As Indirect Obj: Of all the imperatives I’ve received over the years, I give “Memorize!” the most credit for developing my retention.

Analyze the sentences in Exercise 1 and… 1. Put all prepositional phrases in (parentheses). How many prep. phrases are there? Which sentences contain NO prep. phrases? 2. Identify the appositive phrase. What gives it away? 3. Why is #4 a simple rather than compound sentence? 4. How many verbs are AV and how many LV?

Exercise 1: In each of the sentences below, put an S over the simple subject(s) and a V over the verb(s). 1. Physical fitness is important to everyone. 2. William James, a famous Harvard psychologist, discovered a relationship between muscle tension and the emotions. 3. During World War II, navy pilots used his technique of voluntary muscle relaxation. 4. Today, athletes and others learn this technique and practice it daily. 5. People have discovered the importance of good health practices. 6. Some have developed personal programs of exercise. 7. Tennis is one of the world’s most popular sports. 8. A public park may have several tennis courts. 9. Of course, anyone can see the positive effects of exercise for the body. 10. But exercise also benefits the mind.

Exercise 2: Each of the following sentences contains a single subject and a single verb. Rewrite each sentence to make either the subject or the verb compound. 1. I really enjoy watching cartoons on Saturday morning. 2. Bugs Bunny is my all-time favorite cartoon character. 3. The Angry Beavers cartoon on the Nickelodeon network is a great cartoon. 4. Television entertains millions of people every day.

Exercise 2 1. Try to make each sentence into one with a compound predicate. -- Which sentence is easier to do this with? Can you infer a reason? 2. When writing a sentence w/ a compound subject, when do you need to change the VERB?

Exercise 3: Each of the sentences below is a compound sentence. Underline each independent clause and circle the conjunction that connects them. 1. Hermione is in my English class at school, and we have become good friends this year. 2. The Potter family invited me to a campground near our town for the weekend; I was so excited! 3. The Potters had purchased a new van; we certainly needed it for all our gear. 4. They did not bring a large tent, for they sleep in the open at campgrounds. 5. On our first night, the others put their sleeping bags out under the stars, but I preferred a small tent.

Exercise 3 continued 6. I feared all kinds of wild creatures, and the family very kindly did not tease me about my apprehensions. 7. They owned a black Labrador retriever, and it evidently shared my fears. 8. The dog must have been nervous, for it joined me in the tent! 9. In the middle of the night, another problem arose, for the dog left the tent. 10. Later, he bounded into the tent, and it collapsed on top of us both!

Exercise 5 1. Look carefully at sentence numbers 4, 6, 7, 10, and 11. 2. Find something in each of those sentences that LOOKS LIKE it might be a prepositional phrase, but isn’t. 3. What IS IT??? What does it do?? Why isn’t it a prepositional phrase?

Exercise 5: Compound and Simple Sentences: Place an S next to simple sentences and a Cd next to compound sentences. _______1. Ann signed up for woodworking, but I haven’t seen her in the class for the last several days. _______2. Mr. Holmes takes his son to school, and then he goes to work. _______3. Spiders have eight legs and are classified as arachnids. _______4. Will you wait for me, or do you want to go ahead? _______5. The children laughed and giggled at the puppets. _______6. We had nearly finished our game of touch football, and I was exhausted and ready to go home!

_______7. I had planned to attend the U2 concert; however, now I can’t. _______8. The ear receives sound; it also helps us maintain a sense of balance. _______9. Ben is afraid of the water, so he didn’t want to swim. _______10. George is going to audition for the play; however, he has had little theatrical experience. _______11. Should I go to the store for the movies, or do you want to do it? _______12. Abby was calm after the accident, but Suzanne was very nervous. _______13. On their vacation, the Potters hiked and camped outdoors. _______14. That farm has a windmill and generates its own electricity. _______15. President Lincoln gave a very famous speech at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Exercise 6: Identifying Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences. Underline each independent clause and [bracket] each dependent clause. Write an S for simple, a Cd for compound, and a Cx for complex _______1. Caroline rang the doorbell, but no one answered it. _______2. I wrote Anita a letter while she was away at camp. _______3. Have you seen Mr. Dursley’s garden at the back of his house? _______4. When Abby bakes bread, she uses whole grain flour. _______5. My sister enjoys chemistry, but she likes English better. _______6. After a stroke paralyzed his right arm, Leonardo Da Vinci learned to paint with his left hand.

_______7. When I’m tired, I’m not good company for anyone! _______8. Walking slowly along the path, I saw several kinds of wildflowers. _______9. Bananas are picked green and later turn yellow. _______10. When the rain began, we were playing football. _______11. When Uncle Jim comes to town, we all have a good time. _______12. Albus worked all morning, and then he relaxed in the afternoon. _______13. Minerva likes all seasons of the year, but she likes fall best. _______14. Pearl Buck won a Nobel Prize for her novel The Good Earth. _______15. Although his health was failing, Franklin Roosevelt ran for a third term.

Exercise 7: In the following sentences, underline each independent clause and [bracket] each dependent clause. 1. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos have immigrated to America. 2. For the most part, their adjustment to American life has been easier than the adjustment of many other immigrants has been. 3. Many Philippine immigrants have adjusted easily to American life because English is widely used in the Philippines. 4. They are proud of their Philippine heritage, which they share with others. 5. Many Philippine immigrants speak English perfectly, but they continue to use their native language, Pilipino, in their homes.

Exercise 8: Underline each independent clause and [bracket] each dependent clause. Identify each sentence’s structure by using S for simple, Cd for compound, or Cx for complex. _______ 1. With the start of the Industrial Revolution, child labor laws were needed. _______ 2. When these laws were enacted, employers didn’t always obey them. _______ 3. When young children went to work in factories, many of the children suffered. _______ 4. Eventually public outrage protected these children. _______ 5. New laws forced employers to consider the children’s needs, but the laws left much to be desired. _______ 6. Dickens, who saw the problem in England, wrote persuasively about it. _______ 7. He wrote stories that outlined the abuses of child labor in graphic detail, and as a result, helped to abolish some of these abuses. _______ 8. Today, no such child labor abuses exist in England or the United States.

Exercise 9:In the following sentences, underline each independent clause once and [bracket] each dependent clause. On the line provided, writeS for simple, Cd for compound, Cx for complex, or Cd-Cx for compound-complex. _______ 1. Songkran, the Water Festival of Thailand, lasts for three days. _______ 2. Some people, who spray water over the crowds, also carry large statues of Buddha down the street, and others set birds free. _______ 3. People wear new clothes; they also carry bowls that contain fish to the river, where they release the fish. _______ 4. Children show respect for their parents by pouring perfumed water into the adults’ hands. _______ 5. After the Queen of the Water Festival is chosen, people sing and dance.

_______ 6. In Pakistan, the twenty-ninth night of Ramadan is the night of the big feast. _______ 7. It is traditional that the house is cleaned so that it will sparkle for the celebration. _______ 8. Children get up early in the morning and put on their best clothes. _______ 9. All day long they eat sweet candies and spicy morsels; then they go off to fairs to see fireworks. _______ 10. In Japan, when the peach trees bloom in March, the festival HinaMatsuri takes place. _______ 11. Then Toshiko unpacks her cherished collection of old dolls, for the feast is the Girls’ Doll Festival. _______ 12. Mothers tell daughters tales that fascinate the girls; also, the adults teach the girls how to prepare special foods for visitors.

_______ 13. After the celebration is over, the dolls are packed away for another year. _______ 14. In India Holi is a day of frivolity celebrated every year in late February or March. _______ 15. Throughout the day, young and old squirt each other’s hair and clothes with colored water, so all the participants wear old clothing, for they do not want to ruin their good clothes with the colors of the brilliant dyes.

Exercise 12: In each of the following sentences, Underline the independent clauses and [bracket] the dependent clauses. ________1. Cece went to Chile over the winter vacation, but her older brother stayed home because he had made plans with some friends. ________2. When Mr. Tolstoi entered the United States, he knew a few words of English, but his wife was fluent in the language. ________3. The two young men had avoided injuries because they had worn their seat belts, but the family in the other car was not as fortunate. ________4. Vegetarians, who do not eat any animal products, should watch their diet, and they should eat balanced meals. ________5. Chip went to his soccer practice, and Angela went to her piano lesson, though they were tired.

________6. When I went to the lobby for a drink, there was a long line at the snack counter, but I didn’t mind because I didn’t like the movie. ________7. The two dogs barked at each other constantly until the sun arose, so my mother talked to their owner this morning. ________8. Is it true that people get the hiccups because they are frightened, or does fear only cure the hiccups? ________9. As we left the library, the rain pelted down, so we went back inside. ________10. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw that ugly monster with the glaring eyes, and I became frightened again.

Exercise 13: Underline the independent clauses and [bracket] the dependent clauses. Identify each sentence as S, CD, Cx, Cd-Cx ________1. Insects do not have lungs; instead, they breathe through tiny holes in their bodies. ________2. Professional athletes are well paid; but they usually retire when they are relatively young. ________3. Although they were both writers of renown, neither Mark Twain nor Robert Frost ever received a Nobel Prize. ________4. The dodo bird is extinct; however, other flightless birds do exist. ________5. The debating team chose both Darryl and Kate to represent them in the finals. ________6. Mr. Lewis wants us to turn in our reports by Friday so that he can read them over the weekend.

________7. The tailless Manx cat is an unusual breed; still, it acts like other cats. ________8. People have become more aware of the plight of the homeless because the media have been covering the issue very intensely lately. ________9. Ms. Sherwood said we could borrow her bicycle whenever we wanted to! ________10. English is now one of the most widely spoken languages in the world; however, at one time it was not even the official language of England. ________11. Unless it snows, we’ll pick you up at six o’clock sharp! ________12. They spoke either French or Spanish the whole day. (It was all Greek to me!!!) ________13. Stavros is not only class president but also captain of the swimming team. ________14. Sandy loves to sail, yet she can’t swim very well.

________15. Since the garden was fertilized in the fall, it will grow well in the spring. ________16. Either Ali or James will have the lead in the junior class play. ________17. Some common plants are poisonous; therefore, they should be kept away from small children. ________18. Both Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein were poor students. ________19. That car is ten years old; however, it still runs smoothly. ________20. Since Jason has an after-school job, he can’t try out for the tennis team. ________21. Susan plans to take a short vacation if she can get some time off. ________22. Neither radio nor television offered any good programs last night. ________23. Paul Revere was not only a silversmith but also a dentist.

Exercise 14: Underline the independent clauses and [bracket] the dependent clauses. Identify each sentence as S, CD, Cx, Cd-Cx ________1. Picasso was a famous painter; also, he was a sculptor. ________2. Neither the president nor the vice president will attend. ________3. There was a great deal of discussion, yet nothing was decided. ________4. I hope we’ll have a class party when school is over in June! ________5. Abby will take either mechanical drawing or art next semester. ________6. Snow crystals are all different, but each has six points.

________7. The lizard detached its tail; consequently, it escaped capture. ________8. The candidate was not only articulate but also well informed. ________9. Even though the United States is a comparatively young country, it has the oldest written constitution in the world. ________10. Both Illinois and Michigan are named for Native American peoples. ________11. Mr. Wilson has just moved to the state; therefore, he can’t vote yet. ________12. Our class plans to invite Senator Specter to speak to us because we want to know more about how our government works.

Think of 3 or 4 SYMBOLS found in The Outsiders. Write a sentence explaining each one. Shoot for a SIMPLE sentence, a COMPOUND sentence, and a COMPLEX or COMPOUND-COMPLEX sentence.

Sunsets symbolize the rare, beautiful, and innocent in S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. 2. Bob’s rings represent the damage that wealth and privilege can do to those not in the privileged circle. 3. In The Outsiders, fire symbolizes re-birth; the three boys arrive at the fire as greasers but leave it as heroes. 4. The novel The Outsiders is a rare look into an adolescent’s perspective on the world, but the movie, which is populated with many young soon-to-be-famous actors, sensationalizes gang life rather than providing an introspective view.

Sentence Structure