Sentence Structure Lessons # 4 : Created by Michael Friermood An Engaging PowerPoint Lesson with Accompanying Printables with a little help from Bill and Giblet Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood

I have a story for you. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Bill Giblet It’s about Bill and Giblet. Part One: Subject-Verb Agreement: The Basics

Okay, so that’s just the beginning. But let’s use this part for a moment. I’m going to change one word — see if you can find it. Bill and Giblet are pelicans. Bill is smart. Giblet is not smart — he’s annoying. He follows Bill everywhere. Bill has tried to explain to Giblet that he prefers to be alone, but Giblet never seems to remember. As it turns out, Bill does not seem to mind so much, after all. Bill and Giblet are pelicans. Bill is smart. Giblet is not smart — he’s annoying. He follow Bill everywhere. Bill has tried to explain to Giblet that he prefers to be alone, but Giblet never seems to remember. As it turns out, Bill does not seem to mind so much, after all. Do you see the change? Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Introduction

Bill and Giblet are pelicans. Bill is smart. Giblet is not smart — he’s annoying. He follows Bill everywhere. Bill has tried to explain to Giblet that he prefers to be alone, but Giblet never seems to remember. As it turns out, Bill does not seem to mind so much, after all. Bill and Giblet are pelicans. Bill is smart. Giblet is not smart — he’s annoying. He follow Bill everywhere. Bill has tried to explain to Giblet that he prefers to be alone, but Giblet never seems to remember. As it turns out, Bill does not seem to mind so much, after all. Why does one little letter make such a big difference? Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Introduction

Um, what does that mean? Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Patience, Giblet. The Basics: Introduction

He follows Bill everywhere. * * Only one choice here. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Introduction

He follows Bill everywhere. The subject and verb agree by sharing one ‘ s ’. * * Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Introduction

He follows Bill everywhere. ‘He’ is singular, so the verb gets the ‘s’. * * Ooooh, I agree, too! Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Introduction

But what if … He follows Bill everywhere. * * Buzzing mosquitos ‘Mosquitos’ is plural, so it gets the ‘s’. Yep, I was just about to say that. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Ignore him. Let’s regroup. The Basics: Introduction

Silly Giblet follows Bill everywhere. Buzzing mosquitos follow Bill everywhere. The ocean wave follow Bill everywhere. And here are a few more simple examples … The baby duckling follow Bill everywhere. A large whale follow Bill everywhere. OR L Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Practice

Time to practice a bit … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Let’s try one. Some flowers all summer long. bloom blooms OR Some flowers bloom all summer long. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Practice

Time to practice a bit … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Here’s another: That bunny carrots from my garden. eat eats OR That bunny eats carrots from my garden. Ooh, ooh! I have a tip! Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Be careful, people. He’s a doofus. Hmm, that’s not bad, Giblet. The Basics: Practice

Time to practice a bit … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. One more … My coffee so good in the morning. smell smells OR My coffee smells so good in the morning. My coffee smell so good in the morning. Would this sound right? Nope. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Practice

Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood The Basics: Independent Practice Are you ready to practice on your own? Here’s a sheet on the BASICS of Subject- Verb Agreement.

Part Two: Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Subject-Verb Agreement: The Tricky Stuff

Not all plural subjects end in ‘s’. The subject and verb agree by sharing one ‘ s ’. Okay, so do you remember this? Look at this part again closely. But … Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Introduction

Not all plural subjects end in ‘s’. For example … One man … two men … NOT mans One child … three children … NOT childs One tooth … four teeth … NOT tooths One mouse … five mice … NOT mouses Hmm, what about: One sheep … six, uh …. sheep! NOT sheeps Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Introduction

Not all plural subjects end in ‘s’. So what does this mean for subject – verb agreement? First let’s continue our story about Bill and Giblet. Bill and Giblet are on a lazy morning flight. Bill spends much of his flying time thinking up jokes to play on Giblet. He says it keeps life interesting. Giblet spends much of his flying time talking to Bill. Bill hardly ever listens. Sometimes they cross paths with a flock of geese. “Here come some geese, Giblet,” Bill says. “Those geese look for food over in that marsh. Why don’t you follow them and see what you can find?” “Sure thing, Bill.” So Giblet flies off. He’s back in five minutes. “What happened, Giblet?” Bill asks. “All they do is honk, honk, honk. It gets very annoying.” Bill clenches his beak. “Hmmph,” he growls, and they fly on. Now let’s pull out a sentence to look at: Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Introduction

Those geese look for food over in that marsh. The subject is plural, even though it doesn’t end in ‘s’. So the verb does NOT need an ‘s’. Let’s pull out another sentence to look at: Bill and Giblet are on a lazy morning flight. Bill spends much of his flying time thinking up jokes to play on Giblet. He says it keeps life interesting. Giblet spends much of his flying time talking to Bill. Bill hardly ever listens. Sometimes they cross paths with a flock of geese. “Here come some geese, Giblet,” Bill says. “Those geese look for food over in that marsh. Why don’t you follow them and see what you can find?” “Sure thing, Bill.” So Giblet flies off. He’s back in five minutes. “What happened, Giblet?” Bill asks. “All they do is honk, honk, honk. It gets very annoying.” Bill clenches his beak. “Hmmph,” he growls, and they fly on. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Introduction

Sometimes they cross paths with a flock of geese. ‘They’ is a plural pronoun. Which means the verb does NOT need an ‘s’. So ‘they’ is a plural subject, even though it doesn’t end in ‘s’. ‘Bill and Giblet’ are more than one. It is taking the place of ‘Bill and Giblet’. So we can now say … ALL plural subjects need: a verb without an ‘s’. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Introduction

Let’s play our little game again … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Here we go … People might in the tree house up there. live lives OR People might live in the tree house up there. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Practice

Let’s play our little game again … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. And another … The firemen to the burning shed. rush rushes OR The firemen rush to the burning shed. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Practice

Let’s play our little game again … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Try this one … A moose. out of the woods. jump jumps OR A moose jumps out of the woods. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Practice

Let’s play our little game again … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Hmm, how about this one … Two crazy moose through the weeds. crash crashes OR Two crazy moose crash through the weeds. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #1: Practice

Subject Pronouns For example … SINGULAR It jumps … He jumps … She jumps … PLURAL We jump … They jump … SINGULAR You jump … I jump … Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Now hold on right there a minute, folks. ‘You’ and ‘I’ are singular, but their verbs do NOT get an ‘s’. Wow. It’s a crazy world we live in. Tricky Thing #2: Introduction

We to the park on Saturdays. walk walks I my package will come today. hope hopes She a dish almost every day. break breaks You to finish your homework. need needs Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #2: Practice

Present Tense crawl or crawls Past Tense crawled A beetle crawled onto a stick. Five beetles crawled onto a stick. I crawled onto a stick. We have been working with present tense verbs. PRESENT = happening nowPAST = already happened The past tense verb is spelled the same whether the subject is singular or plural. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #3: Introduction

Here are some common linking and helping verbs: is are am was were has have had does do did Let’s hear more from Bill and Giblet. Then we’ll do a bit more with these verbs. Bill and Giblet were wandering along the shore together. Tall coconut trees overhung the water, and seashells were scattered about. “You are walking extra-waddly these days, Gib. You might be eating too many fish.” Giblet was concerned. “Really? I do feel a bit top-heavy, Bill.” Suddenly, a coconut plopped down in front of them. Giblet stared at it, wondering. Oh boy, thought Bill. Giblet has thought of something. But just before Giblet jammed a coconut into his gullet, Bill stopped him. “Giblet! We’re pelicans. We don’t eat coconuts.” “Well you said not to eat so many fish. So I thought I’d try a coconut instead.” Bill rolled his eyes and kept walking. Now let’s pull out a few sentences: Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Introduction

Common linking and helping verbs: is are am was were has have had does do did Giblet was concerned. Giblet has thought of something. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Introduction

GoodNews! Seashells were scattered about. You are walking extra-waddly these days, Gib. Common linking and helping verbs: is are am was were has have had does do did Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Introduction

Let’s do the pointing-game now with Linking Verbs and Helping Verbs … For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Here we go … OR Cousin Jeb grouchy in the morning. is are Cousin Jeb is grouchy in the morning. Singular subject, so linking verb needs ‘s’ Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Practice

For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Here is another … OR The puppy’s feet dirty. is are The puppy’s feet are dirty. Tricky plural subject, so linking verb needs NO ‘s’ Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Practice

For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Next … OR You a hole in your pocket. has have You have a hole in your pocket. Tricky pronoun ‘you’, so linking verb needs NO ‘s’ Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Practice

For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Switching to helping verbs now … OR The gorillas in a straight line. was walking were walking The gorillas were walking in a straight line. Plural subject, so helping verb needs NO ‘s’ Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Practice

For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Once again … OR A duck during my nap. was quacking were quacking A duck was quacking during my nap. Singular subject, so helping verb needs ‘s’ Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Practice

For the choice on top, point your finger up. For the choice on bottom, point your finger down. Last one … OR She all afternoon. has been waiting have been waiting She has been waiting all afternoon Singular subject, so helping verb needs ‘s’ Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #4: Practice

A compound subject is made of more than one simple subject connected with a word like and or or. But when a compound subject is joined by OR, things get a little trickier. A is PLURAL when it is joined by and. Well that’s not too tricky. Oh. Bummer. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #5: Introduction

This sentence has a compound subject connected with ‘or’. IF both subjects are SINGULAR, the verb needs an ‘s’. IF both subjects are PLURAL, the verb does not need an ‘s’. BUT, if one subject is SINGULAR, and one subject is PLURAL, then it depends on the subject closest to the verb. lead * * * Since ‘ campers’ is plural, the verb does not need an ‘s’. But if ‘ camper’ is singular, the verb needs an ‘s’. Right now, it’s ‘campers’ Now, if our subjects flip-flop, our verb will no longer agree. Since ‘ guides’ is plural, the verb does not need an ‘s’. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #5: Introduction

My two sisters or Caroline with me to the concert. is coming are coming Let’s do just a couple more practice sentences with Tricky Thing #5 … Aunt Judy and Uncle Gill both their hips when they wiggles wiggle dances. dance. Ooh, that’s tricky. We have ‘or’ joining the two subjects. That means we really need to pay attention to the subject closest to the verb. Even though the first subject is plural, ‘Caroline’ is singular, so our helping verb needs an ‘s’ (is coming). A compound subject with ‘and’ automatically makes the whole subject plural, so our verbs do not need an ‘s’ — neither of them! Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #5: Practice

Bill and Giblet are flying low over some water. They are trying to spot some breakfast. Up ahead, Bill sees something bobbing. It’s a boot. “Fresh fish, up ahead, Gib,” says Bill with a smile. Giblet flies down and snags the boot. “It’s not a fish, Bill. It’s a helmet.” Giblet puts the boot on his head. Bill just shakes his head. Right then, a flock of geese flies over the top of Bill and Giblet. “Incoming!” yells Giblet. He has spotted some doo-doo dropping right towards Bill. But Bill doesn’t see it. Giblet charges ahead and blocks the mess with his helmet. Bill stays clean. “That was awesome, Giblet.” “You’re welcome, Bill.” And on they fly together. We’ll use a story sentence to help show something tricky. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #6: Introduction

Sometimes words in the subject can mislead you when you are trying to make the verb agree. ‘Misleading’ means it leads you away from what is correct. A flock of geese flies over the top of Bill and Giblet. ‘flock’ is the true simple subject … A flock flies ‘geese’ is misleading because … geese fly Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #6: Introduction

Either or How about a final round of our game? OR The stack of papers everywhere. is blowing are blowing The stack of papers is blowing everywhere. OR Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #6: Practice

Either or How about a final round of our game? OR Five packs of gum just enough for the trip. is are Five packs of gum are just enough for the trip. OR Here’s another one: Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #6: Practice

Either or How about a final round of our game? OR The gunk in the pipes the plumbing. clogs clog The gunk in the pipes clogs the plumbing. OR And one more: Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Thing #6: Practice

Let’s practice on your own now. Here’s a sheet on the tricky things about Subject-Verb Agreement. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Friermood Tricky Things: Independent Practice