1. Diagramming Sentences
Starting with the basics…
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

2. Every sentence must have a S (subject) and a V (verb)
A subject can be a noun or pronoun
The verb might be one word, two or three words.
To diagram a sentence, start with a base line
Then put a line crossing the middle of the baseline
The subject goes on the left side of the line
The entire verb (or verb phrase) goes on the right side of the line S V

3. Diagram the following sentence: Susan ran.
S V
Determine the subject and the verb.
First, draw the base line.
Then add the cross line.
Place the subject on the left (be sure to capitalize if the word is capitalized in the sentence)
Place the verb on the right.
You’re done!
Susan
ran

4. Practice diagramming the following sentences
1. George slept.
2. Isaac was playing.
3. Laura is shopping.

5. If your subject is a pronoun (which takes the place of a noun), simply put the pronoun in the subject position:
She is running
She
is running

6. Practice diagramming the following sentences
We were talking.
They argued.

7. Some sentences have two subjects joined by a conjunction.
Both must be reflected on the diagram.
If you have a compound subject, we have to split the subject area of the baseline
Then we join the two baseline parts with a dashed line.
The verb part of the base line will look the same
The conjunction is written sideways on the dashed line S V
Conj S

8. Joe and Susan are running.
Diagram the following sentence:
Joe and Susan are running.
S S V
First, determine the subjects and verb
Then draw your baseline accordingly
Put the subjects and verbs where they go
Put the conjunction on the dashed line
Joe
are running
and
Susan

9. Practice diagramming the following sentences
Erin and Jacob ate.
She and Jennifer are singing.

10. Some sentences have a compound verb.
These are diagrammed similarly to the compound subject, but the base line is split on the verb end instead of the subject end
The subject section of the base line remains the same
Place the subject and the verbs in their appropriate places
Write the conjunction on the dashed line V S
conj V

11. Practice diagramming the following sentences
Jen slept and snored.
Eloise fell and cried.

12. You might even encounter sentences with both a compound subject and a compound verb.
In this case, you will have to divide both the subject part AND the verb part of your base line
Put the subjects and verbs where they go and put the conjunctions on the dashed lines S V
conj
conj V S

13. Practice diagramming the following sentences
John and Joan waited and planned.
Sue and Alexi sang and danced.