Teaching sentence structure

Introduction

The goal work is dedicated to the English grammar I hope my work will the process of teaching and learning grammar fun and exciting for students, also want to make teaching grammar as easy as possible by providing you with all tools heeded to give students a rich and enjoyable experience.

Grammar becomes exciting and dynamic when you bring the real world into your classroom and bring your class out into the world. The aim of investigation.

1) To acquire a terminology for discussing sentence correctness and effectiveness

2) To look for subjects and verbs when puzzling out the meaning of difficult sentences.

3) To understand how structure clues help identify parts of speech

4) To recognize participles, gerunds, and infinitives and use them to improve sentences

To study the structure of the simple sentence, to make the process of learning grammar understandable.

One of the main tasks of qualification work is the saving private tasks of grammar, to show:

SV Patterns 1 Subject Verb

SVN Pattern 2 Subject Verb Predicate Nominative

SVA Pattern 3 Subject Verb Predicate adjective

SVO Pattern 4 Subject Verb Object

SVIO Pattern 5 Subject Verb Indirect object Direct object

SVOC Pattern 6 Subject Verb Direct object complement

The actually of the work. It is no doubt that student grow toward maturity and independence of thought, as they progress trough the grades.

Explains that, inspire of the great interest to a learning grammar, to the problem sentences structure, there are some difficulties in learning it. There is a great number of some foreign linguists.

In my work I tried to choose the best works of some foreign linguists as Henry I Christ, Francis B. Connors and other grammarians

The novelty of the work. Introduce some of the newest and most challenging concepts of modern grammar. It utilizes new terminology and shows how teachers may begin working new definitions new explanations, and new approaches into the regular language study. Yet the work is arranged so that we can concentrate upon traditional elements.

The theoretical signifies of the work is concluded in comparison with the nature languages Russian and Uzbek, the correlation between the principle parts of the sentences which based on practical application.

1. Practical significance

The practical works are given in the work and tests, what can be used in learning the structure of the sentences on the course of theoretical grammar and at the practical classes of learning English.

The main recourse from where I have taken the material of my qualification work are works done by Henry I Christ Modern English in Action work done by Francis B Connors «New voyages in English» Material from Internet and world encyclopedia.

1.1 The structure of the Simple Sentence

«Every sentence has a subject and a predicament».

Although you may not be like the school boy who wrote the preceding explanation, you will probably welcome a review of grammar. Knowing the names of eight parts of speech and about two dozen other terms will give you tools for improving your writing and speaking. This chapter will also provide a refresher course on fundamentals of sentence structure.

DIAGNOSTIC TEST 1.A Parts of the Simple Sentence.

Copy the italicized words in a column and number them 1 to25. Then, using the abbreviations given below, indicate the use in the sentence of each word. Write the abbreviations in a column to the right of the words.

s.s.-simple subject d.o.-direct object

v.-verb i.o.-indirect speech

p.a.-predicate adjective o.p.-object of preposition

p.n.-predicate noun ap.-appositive

p.pr.-predicate pronoun a.n.-adverbial noun

1. The Pharos of Alexandria, a tall lighthouse, was a wonder of the ancient world.

2. The next day the new neighbors brought us a dinner of spaghetti and delicious sauce.

3. The son of Mr. Oliver, the corner grocer, gave me a piece of apple pie with raisins in it.

4. In the morning the gypsies strung beads a round the neck of the donkey and tied her tail with a bright red ribbon a yard long.

5. What kind of minerals can you find in the old lead mine?

6. The Buddha of Kamakura, a huge bronze statue, is considered one of the most beautiful sights in Japan.

7. The imprint of the fossil shell in the rock was sharp and clear.

In the winter the rock garden looks lifeless and barren.

2. The main part

 

2.1 Subject, verb

A.1 SENTENCE A sentence expresses a complete thought. It contains a subject and a predicate (or verb) either expresses or understood.

The nation’s largest herd of buffalo grazes in Custer State Park.

PREDICATE VERB The predicate verb makes a statement, asks a question, or gives a command.

Statement Custer State Park borders on the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota.

Question Who was calamity Jane?

Command For an authentic view of the old West visit Custer State Park.

AUXILIARY VERB An auxiliary helps a verb to make a statement, ask a question, or give a command.

The auxiliaries are: (be group) be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being; (have group) has, have, had; (do group) do, does, did; (other) may, might; can, could; shall, should; would, must. With auxiliaries a complete verb can be two, or for words.

Have you ever eaten buffalo steak?

Income from the sale of buffalo meat has been partially paying for the upkeep of Custer State Park.

You should not have been amazed at the sight of buffalo burger stands.

SIMPLE SUBJECT The simple subject answer the question «Who?» or «What?» before the verb.

A simple subject is commonly a noun or a pronoun.

Winter temperatures in Alaska may fall to 60 degrees below zero.

(Temperatures answer the question «What my fall?»)

Fort Yukon has recorded temperatures of 100 degrees above zero in July. (Fort Yukon answer the question «What has recorded?»)

Write the Alaskan Visitors Association for information about vacations in Alaska. (You, understood, answer the question «Who write?»)

MODIFIER A modifier is a word or expression that makes clearer or limits the meaning of another word.

For further help see Teacher’s Manual.

George Washington planned one of the first American canals. (the first American canals is more limited than canals. The, first, and American modify canals.)

Canalboats were drawn by sturdy mules. (Were drawn by sturdy mules is different from were drawn. By sturdy mules modifies were drawn.)

Complete Subject The complete subject is the simple subject with its modifiers.

A windmill on Nantucket still grinds cornmeal.

COMPLETE PREDIDICATE The complete predicate is the predicate verb its modifiers and the words that complete its meaning.

Words which complete the meaning of a verb are complements or completers. Ordinarily every word in a simple sentence belongs either to the complete subject or the complete predicate.

Windmills were once a common sights along the Massachusetts coasts (The vertical line separates the complete subject from the complete predicate. The complete subject is underline once and the predicate verb twice.)

The first copper coins in the colonies were minted by John Higley at Simsbury, Connecticut.

1.Find the verb.

2.Ask «Who?» or «What?» before the verb. Your answer is the simple subject.

3.Find all the words attached to the subject. This step gives you the complete subject.

4.Everything else is the complete predicate.

PRACTICE 1 Expanding Complete Subject and Complete predicates.

Expand each of the italicized subjects and predicates by adding colorful, exact modifiers.

Example: The rain came.

The prayed-for rain came with the crack of thunder and the persistent tattoo of raindrops as big as marbles.

INVERTED ORDER A sentence is inverted when the verb, or part of it, precedes the subject.

In most English sentences the subject precedes the verb.

Inverted order. Along the Hudson River are found reminders of our Dutch heritage.

Reminders of our Dutch heritage are found along the Hudson River.

Was the first elementary school in the United States on Staten Island?

Natural order. The first elementary school in the United States was on Staten Island.

THERE When there begins a sentence in invented order, it is not the subject and does not modify anything.

There is never the subject and doesn`t add anything to the meaning.

Inverted order. There were English settlers in New England before the Pilgrims.

Natural order English settlers were in New England before the Pilgrims.

OVERDOING THERE. Don’t overuse there.

Too frequent use of there is monotonous.

OTHER WORDS BEFORE SUBJECT Frequently a portion of the complete predicate precedes the subject. Other words before subject In1889 the first movie. Film was produced in America by Thomas A. Edison.

Natural order. The first movie film was produced in America by Thomas A. Edison in 1889.

ARRANGEMENT FOR STILE Often a portion of the predicate verb can be placed before the complete subject for emphasis, for joining the sentence to the preceding sentence, or for improving the rhythm of the passage in which it occurs.

(Use this device for emphasis only sparingly.)

Emphasis That will never forget. (I will never forget that.)

Sentence rhythm: Suddenly and without warning, the panther leaped suddenly without warning upon the deer).

PRACTICE 2 Rearranging for stile

Rearrange each of the following sentences for increased emphasis or improvement in sentence rhythm.

SIMPLE SENTENCE A simple sentence has one subject and one predicate, either or both of which may be compound.

Compound Subject: Seagoing cutthroats and thieves once hid along the Carolina coast.

Compound predicate: Blackbeard tarred and caulked his boats in Oracoke Inlet.

Compound Subject and Compound Predicate In 1718 Blackbeard and Srese Bonnet blockaded Charleston and captured five ships.

PRACTICE 3 Finding Subject and Verbs

Copy the following sentences, arranging inverted sentences in their natural order. Rearrange also those sentences that have any part of the predicate before the subject. Then draw one line the under the predicate verb. Separate the complete subject from the complete predicate with a vertical line. Place all modifiers of the verb after the vertical line.

Example: During the Twenties was born the luxurious movie place.

The luxurious movie place was born during the Twenties.

MOVIE PALACES OF THE TWENTIES

1.  In city after city there arose some of the most lavish building of all time.

2.  Can you visualize imitation Assyrian temples, Chinese pagodas, Italian palaces?

3.  Really, words cannot do justice to the magnificence of these structures.

4.  Highly ornamental and spacious were the colorful interiors.

5.  In many theaters moonlit skies, twinkling stars, and drifting clouds soothed the air – conditioned customers and transported them to another world.

6.  IN a few of these «atmospheric» paradises, special dawn and sunset effect delighted the moviegoers.

7.  Unbelievable was the word for these giant buildings.

8.  The Roxy Theater in New York had 6214 seats and room for 110 musicians in the pit of the orchestra.

9.  A huge carpet covered the rotunda and required the services of many persons for maintenance.

10.  Each evening the ushers had a changing-of-guard ceremony of considerable intricacy and split-second precision.

11.  Have these elaborate showpieces survived changing tastes and habits?

12.  Unfortunately, most have been demolished and have been replaced with supermarkets, garages, and parking lots.

THE PARTS OF SPEECH

A word becomes a part of speech when its used in a sentence.

NOUN: A noun is a name.

Nouns name:

a.  Persons, animals, places, things.

Many Americans have come to know the Hudson River throught the stories of Washington Irving and the canvases of the Hudson River painters.

b.  Collection or groups of persons, animals, or things (collective nouns)

The council named a safety committee.

c.  Qualities conditions, actions, processes, and ideas (abstract nouns)

The declaration of Independence upheld the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

PRONOUN A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.

Because a pronoun substitutes or stands in for a noun, it avoids tiresome repetition of the noun. The word the pronoun refers to is its antecedent.

In his tales Washington Irving peopled the Hudson valley with comic Dutchmen, headless horsemen, and bowling gnomes. (His is used instead of Washington Irving)

These are commonly used pronouns:

Speaker: I, me, mine, we, us, our, ours.

Person spoken to: you, your, yours.

Person or things spoken of: he, him, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs.

Other pronouns: who, whom.

Several pronouns are formed by adding self or selves to other pronouns: myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, itself, himself, herself, themselves,

Some pronouns are formed by joining some, any, every, and no to body, one and thing: somebody, someone, something, anybody, nothing.

All, another, any, both, each, either, few, many, neither, one, other, several, some, this, these, that, those, which, whose, and what are usually pronouns when they stand alone but are modifiers, not pronouns, when they modify nouns.

VERB Verbs make statement about persons, places, or things, ask questions, or give commands.

Statements: Some historians still question Captain John Smith’s account of his adventures.

Question: Did Pocahontas actually rescue him?

Command: Read Marshall Fishwick`s article «Was John Smith a Liar?» in American Heritage.

ADJECTIVE An adjective is a word that describes or limits a noun or pronoun.

An adjective usually answers one of these questions: «Which?» «What kind of» «How many?» «How much?» A, an, and the, the most common adjectives, are also called «articles».[1]

By 1700 there were 80,000 settlers in the low-lying areas along the New England coast and in the great central valley of Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The massive oak door opened.

The subject and predicate, placed on a straight line, are separated by a short vertical line. Adjectives are placed on slant lines under the words they modify.

ADVERB An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.

Adverbs not only answer the questions «When?» «Where?» «How?’ «Why?» «How much?» and «How often?» but also help to ask questions.

Where and when did Oliver Hazard Perry defeat the British navy?

Many adverbs and some adjectives end in ly.

To the tune of a lively polka the dancers whirled merrily about the hall.

(Lively is an adjective modifying polka. Merrily is an adverb modifying whirled.)

The extremely important meeting was quite poorly attended.

Adverbs are placed on slant lines under the words they modify. The adverb extremely modifies the adjective important. The adverb poorly modifies the verb was attended. The adverb quite modifies the adverb poorly.

If two or more words are used as a single unit, check the dictionary to see if the group is given as a separate entry. If so, diagram the group as though it were one word. Examples of such groups are Bay of Fundy, Siamese cat, and post office.

PREPOSITION A preposition shows the relation of the noun or pronoun following it to some other word in the sentence.

About seventy words may be used as prepositions: about, above, across, after, against, along, among, etc.

The story of Los Angeles begins with a Portuguese sea captain in the employ of Spain.

A preposition may be two or more words.

According to by means of in regard to on account of

Ahead of by way of in spite of out of

Because of in front of instead of up of

OBJECT OF PREPOSITION The noun or pronoun after a preposition is the object of the preposition.

In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed up the west coast of Mexico to San Pedro Bay.

PHRASE A phrase is a group of related words not containing a subject and a predicate.

Phrases may be used as nouns, adjectives or adverbs.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE consists of a preposition and its object, which may or may not have modifiers.

A prepositional phrase is ordinary used like an adjective or an adverb.

One of California’s most prosperous missions was built near the present site of Los Angeles.

A preposition is placed on a slant line, and its object is put on a horizontal line joined to the slant line. Nouns and pronouns in the possessive case (see California’s) are used like adjectives.

PRACTICE 4 Identifying Parts of speech.

Diagram the following sentences.

OR Copy the following sentences, skipping every other line. Underline the simple subject once and the predicate verb twice. Write adj. over every adjective and adv. Over every adverb. Enclose prepositional phrases in parentheses.

Example: Berea College is located in a beautiful town in central Kentucky.

BEREA COLLEGE

1.  Visitors at the college walk along tree-shaded lanes to the various workshops of the college.

2.  Many college industries operate successfully.

3.  Students work at various activities for ten hours during each weak.

4.  The profitable enterprises help with college expenses.

5.  A beautiful hotel in town is owned by the college.

6.  Student waitresses serve in the cheerful dining room.

7.  Other students work busily at administrative jobs in the hotel.

8.  A dairy farm is operated by the students.

9.  Excellent baked goods are distributed throughout a large area.

10.  Clever toys are sold in local shops.

11.  Furniture of superior quality is turned out by student craftsmen.

12.  Cooperative education has prospered for a century at Berea College.

CONJUNCTION A connects words or groups of words.

Conjunction is from conjugate, a Latin word meaning «to join together»

Conjunctions, unlike prepositions, do not have objects.

A natural ice mine in Pennsylvania forms ice in the spring and summer but never in the winter months.)[2]

Before the Revolutionary War, Kentucky and Tennessee were known to the Indians as the Middle Ground or the Dark and Bloody Ground. (And connects Kentucky with Tennessee. Or connects as the Middle Ground with the Dark and Bloody Ground. And connects dark with bloody.)