Subjects and Predicates Grammar Notes

The Sentence A sentence needs two things to do its job: First it needs a… SUBJECT Someone or something to talk about

The Sentence The subject is usually in the form of a noun A noun is a person, place, or thing

The Sentence Say we want to talk about… Rosita. We should probably say what Rosita did (usually in the form of a verb): Met an incredible guy. Combine the two parts…and we have a juicy sentence: Rosita met an incredible guy.

The Sentence Rosita met an incredible guy. So now you know a sentence needs a subject and a verb. In grammar-speak, Rosita is the subject of the sentence. The verb met, and everything that comes after it, is the predicate.

Let’s Practice! Directions: underline the main noun in the subject once and the main verb in the predicate twice. Then draw a line between the subject as a whole and the predicate. Ex: Chris scored the winning touchdown. 1.Jennifer passed her math test. 2.The dog chased after the car. 3.New York City never sleeps. 4.The earthquake shook the house.

Answers 1.Jennifer passed her math test. 2. The dog chased after the car. 3. New York City never sleeps. 4. The earthquake shook the house..

Compound Subjects and Predicates Here’s a bit of trickiness: Sometimes a sentence wants to talk about more than one person, place, or thing. In other words, a sentence needs more than one subject: Rosita and I like good grammar for different reasons.

Compound Subjects and Predicates Rosita and I like good grammar for different reasons. Both Rosita and I are the main actors in that sentence. We share the verb like. When you put two subjects into a sentence, you’ve created a compound subject.

Compound Subjects and Predicates Sometimes a subject does more than one thing: Rosita met and liked an incredible guy. Rosita did two things: Rosita met an incredible guy. Rosita liked an incredible guy. When you use two verbs you create a compound predicate.

Compound Subjects and Predicates Whenever you have two subjects or two verbs, you should join them together with and or or. These words are called conjunctions Rosita and I like good grammar for different reasons. Rosita met and liked an incredible guy.

Let’s Practice! Directions: underline the main nouns in the subject once and the main verbs in the predicate twice. Then draw a line between the subject as a whole and the predicate. Ex. Rosita is talented at meeting guys and seldom sits home on a Saturday night. 1. Good grammar skills and football games help you meet cute girls. 2.Chris and Rosita went to the game and cheered for their team. 3.The Hawks beat San Jacinto and won the championship title. 4.Jason and Maria are fans of football.

Answers 1.Good grammar skills and football games help you meet cute girls. 2.Chris and Rosita went to the game and cheered for their team. 3.The Hawks beat San Jacinto and won the championship title. 4.Jason and Maria are fans of football.

Clauses and Phrases Grammar Notes

Clause A group of words in a sentence

Independent Clauses A basic, simple sentence is also called an Independent clause. Rosita talked to her boyfriend. These clauses are called independent because they can stand alone and make complete sense…without extra information.

Sentence Fragments Sometimes, sentences are incomplete. They may be missing a subject or a verb: Met an incredible guy. Rosita at the football game.

Dependent/Subordinate Clauses Sometimes fragments can have a subject and a verb, but still not make any sense: Although Rosita met an incredible guy at the football game. Eeek! One little word, although, threw this entire sentence off. To make it work, we need to add another subject and verb.

Dependent/Subordinate Clauses Although Rosita met an incredible guy at the football game, she’s worried she’ll lose him if she doesn’t improve her grammar. When you have a subject and a verb together but not a whole sentence, what you have is a dependent or subordinate clause. This type of clause relies on an independent clause to get its meaning across.

Dependent/Independent Clauses See my list of words above the board? These are called conjunctions! When you see one of these words at the beginning of a clause, you know it will be a dependent clause! Because we were feeling really bummed, we ate everything in the fridge. When you begin a sentence with a dependent clause, you always add a comma after it.

Independent and Dependent Clauses Let’s review: An independent clause is the basic foundation of the sentence. That’s where you’ll find the main subject and verb. If you take away the dependent clause, it still makes sense on it’s own. A dependent clause adds extra information to the sentence. It simply provides more meaning for the reader. However, it can’t stand alone as it’s own sentence. Even though grammar is difficult to learn, it is an important skill to have. Dependent ClauseIndependent Clause

Let’s Practice! Directions: a.Underline the main noun(s) in the subject once and the main verb(s) in the predicate twice. b.Draw a line between the subject as a whole and the predicate. c.Finally, label the independent clause with an I and the dependent clause with a d. Ex. With her long hair flipped over her shoulder, Rosita rummages through Sarah’s closet. 1.On the subject of clothes, Rosita shares her opinions freely. 2.If Chris asks Rosita out, Rosita will buy a new dress. 3.Even though basketball season hasn’t started yet, players practice everyday. 4.Whenever I go to a basketball game, I cheer loudly. DI

Answers 1.On the subject of clothes, Rosita shares her opinions freely. 2.If Chris asks Rosita out, Rosita will buy a new dress and shoes. 3.Even though basketball season hasn’t started yet, players practice everyday. 4.Whenever I go to a basketball game, I cheer loudly. D D D D I I I I

Complete the following sentences by adding an independent clause to a dependent clause. Because they took my soggy burrito, When I dropped my pink tutu in the sewer, After the pig danced the hula, Since she ate my hat, Whenever they eat macaroni and cheese with salsa,