Writing Sentences English I Grammar

Writing is like baking a cake…you just need to follow the recipe! BASIC SENTENCE RECIPE: Combine one subject with one predicate to yield one complete sentence subject + predicate = sentence

Simple Subjects and Simple Predicates subject = noun (person, place or thing) doing the action predicate = verb (action) or verb phrase; main action of the subject EXAMPLES: The children carved the pumpkins. The children are carving the pumpkins this afternoon.

Compound Subjects and Compound Predicates A sentence can have more than one subject that uses the same verb or more than one verb when there are two subjects joined by and, or or nor, they are called compound subjects when there are two or more verbs joined by and, or or nor, they are called compound predicates EXAMPLE: Mario and Luigi cannot speak or read Italian.

PRACTICE Write the following sentences. Underline the subject once and the highlight the predicate in each sentence. Larry ate the sushi. The paper route was taking too long. Bobby and Devon sat in their chairs. Campbell fished and hunted in the Cascade Mountains. They were running to catch the bus. In the haunted house went the children. The building and the house caught on fire.

Nina brought a present to the birthday party. Objects The direct object in a sentence is the part of the predicate that is receiving the action of the verb or shows the result of the action Nina brought a present to the birthday party. Some sentences have an indirect object which tells to whom/what is receiving the direct object. Most common type of indirect object is an object of a preposition…phrases beginning with words such as, to, with, of, by, from, between, among…

Clauses Together, the subject and predicate make up a clause If the clause expresses a complete thought, it is an independent clause The team won the game. If the clause does not express a complete thought, it is a dependent clause Though I was tired

Sentence Fragments Sentence fragments do not make complete sentences by themselves. Often they occur as a result of faulty punctuation. If you put a period in the wrong place, before a complete thought is expressed, you will create a fragment. If you omit a subject or predicate, you will also create a sentence fragment. EXAMPLES I thought I saw. The new student taking the bus. I thought I saw the new student taking the bus. “The Little Mermaid.” A great movie. “The Little Mermaid” is a great movie.

Practice Proofread and revise the following sentence fragments: Ran for student body president. Chose the new soccer team captains, Michael and Alex. Sent me an email with a virus. The cat while she ate. After the accident happened in front of the school. Rarely gets up before noon on Saturdays. Put too much syrup on his pancakes. Luis to Puerto Rico rather frequently.

Fragments contd. Sentence fragments also occur when a conjunction – like after, although, as, as much as, because, before, how, if, in order that, in as much as, since, than, though, that, unless, until, when, where, while – precedes an independent clause. FRAGMENT: Until the players began stretching.

PRACTICE Proofread and revise the following sentences and then add the proper punctuation: Because the announcer spoke quickly. We didn’t understand. The two point conversion. Made football games more exciting. Sewing my Halloween costume. I stuck my finger with the needle. Unless you know how to drive a manual transmission car. Buy an automatic. After the concert was over. I bought a t-shirt for the band. After we saw the movie. We went to the café and discussed it. Since we had eaten a big breakfast. We just snacked for the rest of the day. Because the workers had no contract. They discussed going on strike.

Run-on Sentences Run-on sentences are two or more independent clauses written as though they are one sentence. The main cause of run-on sentences, like fragments, is incorrect punctuation. EXAMPLE: Julie studies hard she is trying to win a scholarship.

Fixing Run-Ons You can use a semi-colon (;) Julie studies hard; she is trying to win a scholarship. You can use a comma with a conjunction. Gillian lived in Portland, and she lived in New York. Julie studies hard, because she is trying to win a scholarship.

Practice Add end marks, commas, or semi-colons to fix the following sentences: Will you come to the party we think you’ll have fun. I sent her flowers. Hoping she would forgive me. I found it therefore I get to keep it. The flag has thirteen stripes. As most U.S. citizens know. The dance team also travels to southern states. Such as Texas and Louisiana. Mrs. Rammos introduced me to the new principal. A neighbor of mine. Neil locked the gate then we left the ranch. We spent a year traveling in Asia, consequently, we speak Chinese.