© Capital Community College Diagramming sentences provides a way of picturing the structure of a sentence. By placing the various parts of a sentence in relation to the basic subject-verb relationship, we can see how the parts fit together and how the meaning of a sentence branches out. Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College We begin with the representation of a very simple sentence: Glaciers melt. We will place the subject-verb relationship on a straight horizontal line... Glaciers melt and separate the subject from its verb with a short vertical line extending through the horizontal line. Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Sentence Diagramming Diagram the following sentences: 1.) Students study 2.) Cats meow 3.) Birds fly

© Capital Community College Modifiers (including articles) go under the words they modify on slanted lines. The glacier is melting slowly. glacier is melting The slowly Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Sentence Diagramming Diagram the following sentences: 1.) The fat dog barked. 2.) The boys are running quickly. 3.) A red car crashed yesterday. 4.) Sarah yelled angrily.

© Capital Community College A direct object follows the verb on the horizontal line; it is separated from the verb by a vertical line that does not go through the horizontal line.direct object The glacier is slowly destroying the forest. glacier is destroying The slowly forest the Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Sentence Diagramming Diagram the following sentences: 1.) The friends ate the snacks. 2.) Mary called Josie unfortunately. 3.) I climbed the tall mountain. 4.) She brought the birthday cake.

© Capital Community College Predicate nouns and predicate adjectivesPredicate nouns and predicate adjectives follow the verb and are separated from the verb by a slanted line. The glacier is not really dangerous. glacier is The dangerous not really Josiah Budnick is professor a b r i l l i a n t Josiah Budnick is a brilliant professor. Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Sentence Diagramming Diagram the following sentences: 1.) The smart students are older. 2.) The small girl is not very bright. 3.) We are suspicious. 4.) She is extremely understanding.

© Capital Community College With compound subjects and predicates, the sentence diagram begins to branch out.subjectspredicates The professor and her colleagues are studying glaciers and avalanches. professor T h e colleagues h e r are studying a n d glaciers avalanches a n d Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Compound verbs are put on branches in a similar fashion. The professor and her colleagues are studying and classifying glaciers. professor T h e colleagues h e r a n d are studying classifying a n d glaciers Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Indirect objectsIndirect objects are arranged under the main sentence line. Professor Higgins gave her students two projects. Professor Higgins gave projects t w o students h e r Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Prepositional phrasesPrepositional phrases are arranged on branches below the words they modify. Professor Higgins studied glaciers in Antarctica during the 1950s. Professor Higgins studied glaciers Antarctica i n 1950s t h e d u r i n g Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Sentence Diagramming Diagram the following sentences: 1.) The girl sat in the chair. 2.) The large lion roared in his cage. 3.) A small group stood outside the classroom. 4.) The small child

© Capital Community College Gerund and infinitive phrasesGerund and infinitive phrases are displayed on standards — except when the infinitive is a modifier. Jorge likes to study glaciers. Jorge likes t o study glaciers Studying glaciers is fun. S t u d y ing glaciers is fun His decision to study glaciers was fortunate. decision was fortunate H i s t o study glaciers Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College The relationship between clauses in compound and complex sentences is shown with a dotted line.compound and complex sentences Glaciers are powerful forces, but they move very slowly. Glaciers are forces p o w e r f u l they move s l o w l y v e r y but Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College One last diagram: a complex sentence.complex sentence Professor Higgins invited Jorge to the conference because he had written the best research paper. Professor Higgins invited Jorge t o conference t h e he had written paper t h e b e s t r e s e a r c h b e c a u s e Sentence Diagramming

© Capital Community College Exit Ticket Diagram the following sentences: 1.) Tina borrowed the red car. 2.) The family paddled the canoe in the river. 3.) I am extremely tired. 4.) They carried the heavy bricks.