1. Collect homework Notes on Diagramming Sentences
English December 2016
Collect homework
Notes on Diagramming Sentences

2. Diagramming sentences provides a way of picturing the structure of a sentence.
s v
Glaciers melt.
We will place the subject-verb relationship on a straight horizontal line . . .
Glaciers melt
and separate the subject from its verb with a short vertical line extending through the horizontal line.

3. Modifiers (including articles) go under the words they modify on slanted lines.
s hv av
The glacier is melting slowly.
glacier is melting
The
slowly

4. s hv av do
The glacier is slowly destroying the forest.
glacier is destroying
forest
The
the
slowly
A direct object follows the verb on the horizontal line; it is separated from the verb by a vertical line that does not go through the horizontal line.

5. Predicate nouns and predicate adjectives follow the verb and are separated from the verb by a slanted line.
s lv pa
The glacier is not really dangerous.
glacier is
dangerous
The
not
really
Josiah Brown is a brilliant professor.
Josiah Brown is professor a
brilliant

6. With compound subjects and predicates, the sentence diagram begins to branch out.
The professor and her colleagues are studying glaciers and avalanches.
professor
glaciers
The
and
are studying
and
colleagues
avalanches
her

7. Compound verbs are put on branches in a similar fashion.
The professor and her colleagues are studying and classifying glaciers.
professor
are studying
The
and
glaciers
and
colleagues
classifying
her

8. Indirect objects are arranged under the main sentence line.
Professor Higgins gave her students two projects.
Professor Higgins gave projects
students
two
her

9. Prepositional phrases are arranged on branches below the words they modify.
Professor Higgins studied glaciers in Antarctica during the 1950s.
Professor Higgins studied glaciers in
Antarctica
during
1950s
the

10. Diagramming Sentences
The porters hiked toward the summit.
Someone in the class has seen the movie.
Tamara and Dawn floated the raft down the river.
The ocean is calm beneath the waves.
We ordered a dish of salsa and a basket of tortilla chips.
Here is the test.
Buy me a present!

11. Diagramming Sentences
porters hiked
The porters hiked toward the summit.
The
toward
summit
the

12. Diagramming Sentences
Someone in the class has seen the movie.
Someone
has seen
movie in
the
class
the

13. Diagramming Sentences
Tamara and Dawn floated the raft down the river.
Tamara
floated
raft
and
the
Dawn
down
river
the

14. Diagramming Sentences
ocean is
The ocean is calm beneath the waves
calm
The
beneath
waves
the

15. Diagramming Sentences
We ordered a dish of salsa and a basket of tortilla chips.
dish a of
salsa We
ordered
and
basket a of
chips
tortilla

16. Diagramming Sentences
Here is the test.
test is
the
here

17. Diagramming Sentences
(you) Buy me a present!
(you)
buy
present a me

18. This PowerPoint presentation was created by
Charles Darling, PhD
Professor of English and Webmaster
Capital Community College
Hartford, Connecticut
copyright November 1999