Introduction to Grammar Having Fun in 2008!

The Sentence All sentences must have the following: 1.Subject 2.Predicate All sentences must do the following: 1.Form a complete thought 2.Begin with capital letter and end with a punctuation mark (. ? !)

The Subject Definition: The subject is who or what the sentence is about. Ex. My best friend loves to swim. Last summer, he went to France. The subject is not just the noun or pronoun!

The Predicate Definition: States what the subject is doing or makes a statement about the subject. Ex. My mom drives to work. August is the warmest month. The predicate is not just the verb!

Phrases and Clauses Phrase – Part of a sentence without a subject and predicate. Ex. After work, I drank a glass of milk. Clause – Part of a sentence that contains a subject and predicate. Ex. Although I quit my job, I still have a lot of money.

More Clauses Dependent ClauseDependent Clause Cannot stand alone as a sentence –Does not express a complete thought Ex. When I went to Italy, I lost my wallet. Independent Clause Could be a sentence by itself –Complete thought Ex. When I went to Italy, I lost my wallet.

Problems with Sentences 1.Run-on sentences 2.Comma splices 3.Fragments

Run-On Sentences Definition: A run-on sentence contains two or more independent clauses with no punctuation or connector between them. Ex. I like basketball it is the best sport ever my best friend Tyler loves it too. How many independent clauses do we see?

Three Solutions Run-on sentences can be fixed in three ways 1.A period (.) 2.A semicolon (;) – used to separate independent clauses 3.A comma plus a coordinating conjunction FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

The Comma Splice DO NOT USE A COMMA TO FIX A RUN-ON SENTENCE!!! We call this a comma splice. Ex. I like basketball, it is the best sport ever. Good example: I like basketball; it is the best sport ever.

Sentence Fragments Fragments are posers! They are parts of sentences pretending to be complete ones. Ex. To catch a thief. We must be vigilant at all times. I remember one thing from my childhood. A yellow Lamborghini driven by Lance Briggs.

More Fragments Watch out for sentences that start out with “ing” words!Watch out for sentences that start out with “ing” words! Ex. Flying through the air. Jumping with all my might.Ex. Flying through the air. Jumping with all my might. These are dependent clauses. They are not sentences.These are dependent clauses. They are not sentences. Good Example: Flying through the air, the pilot performed ten loops.Good Example: Flying through the air, the pilot performed ten loops.