Grammar for Beginners Across the KLAs Workshop 3

Grammar Workshop 3 In this session we will review and learn more about: grammar terms/categories verbs/verb groups and tense what is a successful sentence conjunctions pronouns simple, compound and complex sentences

Grammar terms at word level Activity

What is a verb or verb group? The verb is the engine house of our language. Verbs are the basis of any message communicated. They provide movement or action or a sense of what is happening. There are different types of verbs: Action verbs (They danced all night.) Saying verbs (He whispered softly.) Thinking verbs (She forgot his name.) Feeling verbs (Sarah likes baked beans.) Relating verbs (Cows are herbivorous.) Ref “A Grammar Companion” pages 54-60

What is a verb or verb ? What is a verb or verb group?  A verb/verb group may consist of a single word eg He rode the bike. or a number of words eg We are travelling by bus to the game. eg He will probably be arriving at 6pm. eg They had been waiting for two hours.  Activity Name the types of verbs/verb groups from the passage.

Verb Tense Tense tells us about time – when an action takes place. The verb group tells us whether something is happening in the present, the past or the future. Activity: Past - Present - Future

Simple Sentences 1. Ian Thorpe lived in Australia. 2.This extraordinarily fast, gold medal winner, Ian Thorpe lived in Australia with his Mum, dad and sister.

An independent clause

English is... A subject, verb and (often) object language...(SVO) The clause is our basic unit of meaning. A clause conveys a message. What is happening, who is taking part and the circumstances surrounding the activity. Verbs are the engine room of our language...

Compound sentences 3.Ian Thorpe lived in Australia and this extraordinarily fast, gold medal winner lived in Sydney with his mum, dad and sister.

Compound sentences are... Two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction (joining word) eg and, but, yet, or, either...or, neither…nor Each clause makes sense and could stand alone by itself. It does not need the other clause to make sense.

Simple and compound sentences For example I saw the egg. It was beautiful. I wanted to go but decided to keep watching. It had three orange eyes and two blue legs and it was scaly and red.

Conjunctions Conjunctions can join words or phrases or clauses and only operate within a sentence. In compound sentences conjunctions join independent clauses. eg and, or – give same weighting or importance yet, but – provide contrast Activities: Clive Eats Alligators by Alison Lester Sample Text D

Simple or Compound? 1.Grammar can be challenging. 2.Who is Ian Thorpe? 3.Grammar can be challenging but I like learning about it. 4.Shoot the goal! 5.They came; they stayed. 6.A dog loves to play ball. 7. I found the plates. 8. They were chipped and had lots of cracks. 9. I picked them up but I could not hold them.

Are these successful sentences? long and rambling The thing that came out of the egg was small and green and it had wings but I don’t think it could fly and it looked at me because it was cold and I asked it what its name was and it said it was called Bruce.

Are these successful sentences? run on It was totally amazing, it had the greenest eyes I have ever seen. I told Mum, she did not believe me.

Are these successful sentences? fragment Because it was too small. In the world of dragons where everything is dangerous but wonderful things happen. an essential part of the sentence is missing Don’t pick up the because it might bite. (Creature, monster, dragon, child…) What you do important because it might die. (is, might be, could be…)

Learning to live with Complex Sentences

In this session you will Define Independence and Dependence Review Independent Clauses Learn about the three basic patterns that make up complex sentences.

Independent Clause The menacing muppet flew into a rage.

An independent clause

Is a sentence Stands on its own Is perfectly fine as it is.

But sometimes we want more Pictures or images using words More general information Information specific to a topic More detailed description

But how do we add information to our sentences without making run-on or incorrect sentences? eg When you get a dog you will find that they can waste a lot of your time and money because they need to be taken for walks and they need to be bathed every week and they cause trouble with neighbours especially when they bark at night and keep people awake when they need to sleep because they have to get up and go to work the next day.

We can write complex sentences. Not all of our sentences have to be short. We need both long and short sentences.

What Bev says…….. “In a complex sentence, there is a clause expressing the main message and another clause (or clauses) which elaborates on that message in some way. While the main clause is independent, the other clause is dependent on the main clause for its meaning.” Derewianka, B (1998) A Grammar Companion for Primary Teachers Sydney:PETA

Some Examples They ran Independent Clause as if they were being chased by a madman Dependent Clause The metal rod expanded Independent Clause because it was heated Dependent Clause If the box breaks Dependent Clause the beads will spill everywhere Independent Clause A gunman died of massive head wounds today Independent Clause while injuring two other people Dependent Clause after shooting his estranged wife Dependent Clause Derewianka, B (1998) A Grammar Companion for Primary Teachers Sydney:PETA

There are three basic patterns Add information at the beginning of a sentence Add information in the middle of a sentence Add information at the end of a sentence

The Three Basic Patterns Beginning,the menacing muppet flew into a rage. The menacing muppet, middle, flew into a rage. The menacing muppet flew into a rage, end

What you add to the sentence Can’t be a whole new sentence Can’t stand on its own— it must be…

If independence means to stand on your own,what does dependence mean?

Dependent: because people had started to laugh This has a noun and a verb Does it stand on its own? Does it express a complete thought?

Independent clause (sentence) must lean on an

Where should we add the dependent? Beginning Middle End

Let’s try it out Which one sounds the best? Does it add detail to the sentence? Does it really matter?

The three basic patterns Because people had started to laugh, the menacing muppet flew into a rage. The menacing muppet, after realising that people had started to laugh, flew into a rage. The menacing muppet flew into a rage because people had started to laugh.

Dependent

Dependents can be many things, but they will always Begin (in the first or initial position) Interrupt (in the middle or medial position) Close (in the end or final position) Add detail to, or elaborate an independent clause

Remember Independent clause (sentence) must lean on an

Complex sentences A complex sentence has a main clause and at least one dependent clause. It has at least two verbs. The main clause can stand alone. There are many different types of dependent clause.

Dependent clauses Today we will explore 2 types of dependent clause: Adverbial clause Adjectival clause

Complex sentences - examples I ran to the window because I needed to escape. (adverbial) When I awoke, I was terrified. (adverbial clause in first position) The hat, which was colourful, lay on the floor. (adjectival)

Activity - Building complex sentences The dog smelled horrible. He was covered in mud and slime. The magician is very old. He knows many tricks. We landed with a bang. We fell out onto the ground. We were not hurt.

Activity – possible answers The dog smelled horrible because he was covered in mud and slime. The magician, who knows many tricks, is very old. Although we landed with a bang and fell onto the ground, we were not hurt.

The adverbial clause An adverbial clause is a dependent clause and performs a job similar to adverbs and adverbial phrases by providing more information about a verb (in the main clause). An adverbial clause begins with a conjunction and includes a verb/verb group.

Some Examples They ran Independent Clause as if they were being chased by a madman Dependent Clause The metal rod expanded Independent Clause because it was heated Dependent Clause If the box breaks Dependent Clause the beads will spill everywhere Independent Clause A gunman died of massive head wounds today Independent Clause while injuring two other people Dependent Clause after shooting his estranged wife Dependent Clause Derewianka, B (1998) A Grammar Companion for Primary Teachers Sydney:PETA

Conjunctions and Relationships Different types of conjunctions are used to show different types of relationships: 1.Adding information: and, but, or, yet (in compound sentences) 2.Place eg wherever 3.Time eg after, as long as, whenever, while, until 4.Manner eg like, as though, by 5.Cause eg because, as a result, so that 6.Concession eg even though, despite, although

Conjunctions used to link dependent and independent clauses include:

Binding words and complexity Because is an example of a binding conjunction. I am hungry. I am going to eat. (simple sentences) I am going to eat because I am hungry. (complex sentence) The two sections cannot be moved while leaving ‘because’ in the same place as it changes the meaning. Because needs to travel with the dependent clause: Because I am hungry, I am going to eat. (complex) One test for whether a clause is using a binding conjunction is to consider whether it can be moved to the first position (before the main clause).

The adverbial clause Binding conjunctions are trigger words for adverbial phrases. Examples: see blue handout sheet

The adjectival clause An adjectival clause is a dependent clause and performs a job similar to adjectives and adjectival phrases by providing more information about a noun/noun group preceding it. An adjectival clause usually begins with a relative pronoun (who, whose, whom, which, that, where) which refers to the preceding noun and includes a verb/verb group.

Relative pronouns who whose whom which that where (refer handout booklet for types of pronoun)

The adjectival clause For example, the house that I live in an old lady who swallowed a fly the house which was made from bricks the unfortunate lady whose credit card was stolen ‘The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was None of his Business’ by Werner Holzwarth/Wolf Erlbruch

The adjectival clause Adjectival clauses work like adjectives and adjectival phrases – they add more information to the noun. –Which mole? The mole ‘who knew it was none of his business.’ –Which dove? The dove ‘who was flying past’

The adjectival clause (Relative pronouns: who, whose, whom, which, that, where) The adjectival clause usually begins with a relative pronoun that refers to the preceding noun/noun group: eg The hat, which was colourful, lay on the floor.

The adjectival clause Relative pronouns are the trigger words for adjectival clauses. Examples: see blue handout sheet

Sentences with dependent clauses Activities - Sentence Structure: Is it simple, compound or complex? What type of dependent clauses are in the complex sentences? - Sample Text C

In Workshop 3 we have reviewed and explored: grammar terms/categories verbs/verb groups and tense what is a successful sentence conjunctions pronouns simple, compound and complex sentences

Evaluation and Reflections