1. Engaging Grammar: Practical Advice for Real Classrooms
Presented by Amy Benjamin
Part Three:
Complete Sentences and Sentence Renovation
“ I’ve never known a person
who wasn’t interested in language.”
-Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct

2. Now Entering the Complete Sentence Zone:
Here are three ways to test whether a group
of words forms a complete sentence.
(We are talking ONLY about DECLARATIVE
sentences.)

3. Now Entering the Complete Sentence Zone:
Test One: The “Guess What!” test
How it works: Say “Guess What!” in front of
a group of words. If the group of words
tells you “guess what!” then
you have a complete sentence!

4. Now Entering the Complete Sentence Zone:
Test Two: The “They believed that…” test
How it works: Say “They believed that…” in front of
a group of words. If the group of words
makes sense when you say “They believed that…”
in front of it, then you have a complete sentence!

5. Now Entering the Complete Sentence Zone:
Test Three: The “Yes/No Question” test
How it works: Can you turn your group of words into
a question that can be answered with YES or NO?
If you can, then your group of words is a complete
sentence.

6. Phrase, Clause, Sentence
A phrase is two or more words that go
together (without being a sentence). There
are noun phrases and verb phrases. Once
we have both a noun and a verb, then
we have a clause.
A clause is a group of words that
may or may not be a complete
sentence. If a clause can stand alone as
a sentence, then we call it
an independent clause. (If a clause
cannot stand alone as a sentence,
then we call it a subordinate clause.

7. Run-ons result from the improper joining of independent clauses.
Why run-ons?
Run-ons result from the improper joining of independent
clauses.
When independent clauses are
joined by JUST a COMMA, we
call that kind of run-on a COMMA SPLICE.
To fix a comma splice,
just add and, but, so, or
a semicolon.
How do you know if you have a
run-on?
Try your favorite sentence test.
Listen carefully for the point at which the
information in each independent clause ends.
A clause is a group of words that
may or may not be a complete
sentence. If a clause can be a
complete sentence, then we call it
an independent clause.

8. Fragments are usually subordinate clauses that
Why fragments?
Fragments are usually subordinate clauses that
need to be attached to the previous sentence.
Subordinate clauses often begin with:
Which, That, Who
Adjective clauses:
Tell you “which one?”
“what kind?”
Adverbial clauses:
Tell you “when?” “where?” “why?”
“how?” “to what extent?”
Subordinate clauses often begin with:
AAAWWUUBBI:
As, Although, After, When, While, Until, Unless, Because, Before, If

9. I went to bed early because <GUESS WHAT>
I don’t have my homework because <GUESS WHAT’>

10. Now, reverse:
Because <GUESS WHAT>, I went to bed early
Because <GUESS WHAT, >
I don’t have my homework

11. The game will be cancelled IF<GUESS WHAT>
                                                                                                                                                       
Keywords: triumph, winning, winner, team
The game will be cancelled IF<GUESS WHAT>
Our team usually wins WHEN <GUESS WHAT>
Format
Size
Dimensions

12. When <GUESS WHAT>, the game was cancelled.
our team usually wins.

13. Sentence Renovation: Four Forms Additions Deletions Rearrangements
Replacements
16 Cards:
Lily (2) is
commas (3)
period
the best athlete
at our school
wants to be
a senator
in the government
yearns
aspires
intends
our school’s

14. Procedure:
As demonstrated, set up a group of students as two sentences:
Lily wants to be a senator in government.
Lily is the best athlete.
ADDITION: Add the prepositional phrase: “at our school” to “the best athlete” (The
prepositional phrase makes the sentence more specific.)
DELETION:
1. Delete “in the government” because it is redundant. (All senators serve
in some kind of government).
2. Create an appositive out of “the best athlete at our school” to eliminate
the sentence with the weak verb and create a single sentence
that has dimension (appositive)
REARRANGEMENT: Switch “Lily” and “the best athlete at our school”; switch
“at our school” and “the best athlete” (You will need a comma after
“at our school” if it begins the sentence.)
REPLACEMENT:
1. Replace the weak verb “wants” with “yearns,” “aspires,” “intends”
2. Replace “the best athlete at our school” with “our school’s best athlete”
(This change does not necessarily improve the sentence—it just
makes it a little different.)

15. The Sentence-Making Kit
Fold a 5 x 8 index card in half, width-wise:
They
believed
that…
Guess
What!
Yes/no
question 2. 1. 3.

16. The Sentence-Making Kit
On the inside of the card:
AAAWWUBBIS:
although, as, after
while, when
until
because, before
if, since
If a sentence begins
with any of these words,
it must have two parts.
Place a comma between
the two parts if one of
these words begins
the sentence.
These words, plus the comma, may join
two sentences. Writers sometimes begin
sentences with these words if they are
doing so for emphasis.
,and
,but
,so
Use as many
ACTION VERBS as possible.
Flip the switch into formal English:
a lot = a great many or a great deal
gonna= going to
wanna= want to
hafta= have to
get,got = become, became, receive
received, obtain, obtained
gotta: must
These words will help you
give detail in your sentences:
Try beginning some of your
sentences with these words:
Use words and groups of words that
answer the ADVERB QUESTIONS:
When? Where? Why? How?
To what extent? How often?
IN FOR
ON WITH AT

17. The Sentence-Making Kit
On the back of the card:
Substitutions for homophones and spelling problems:
their = his
there = here
they’re = they are
your = his
you’re = you are
its = his
it’s = it is; it has
woman = man
women = men
I before E except after C
Or when sounded as A
As in neighbor or sleigh