1. Diagramming Sentences
We can diagram a sentence to show its structure, and to see how its parts are related.
We can diagram sentence a

2. Start with a horizontal line.
Artists paint
Write the simple subject and verb on the line.
Artists paint.
Separate them with a vertical line that crosses the base line.

3. Another example: Birds are singing Birds are singing.
Write the simple subject and verb on the line.
Separate them with a vertical line that crosses the base line.

4. What if we describe the subject?
artists paint
Talented
Talented artists paint.
“Talented” describes “artists.”
Write it on a diagonal line below the word it describes.

5. What if we describe the verb?
Artists paint
Talented
well
Talented artists paint well.
“Well” describes how they paint.
Write it on a diagonal line below the word it describes.

6. What if there is a direct object?
Artists paint
Talented
well
pictures
What do artists paint?
Talented artists paint pictures well.
Write the direct object after the verb.
Draw a vertical separator which stops at the line.

7. Have you noticed? Artists paint pictures
The vertical line that separates the subject from the verb crosses the base line.
The vertical line that separates the verb from the direct object stops at the base line.

8. What if we describe the direct object?
Artists paint
Talented
well
pictures
realistic
Talented artists paint realistic pictures well.
What kind of pictures do artists paint?
“Realistic” describes “pictures.”
Write it on a diagonal line under “pictures.”That’s All . .

9. Practice another sentence.
Hamsters eat.
Hamsters eat

10. What do hamsters eat? Hamsters eat seeds. Hamsters eat seeds
“Seeds” is the direct object.
It follows the verb, after a vertical separator.

11. What kind of seeds? Hamsters eat sunflower seeds. Hamsters eat seeds
“Sunflower” describes “seeds.”
Write it on a diagonal line under “seeds.”

12. Have you noticed?
Only subjects, verbs, and objects go on the horizontal line.
Words that describe them go below them on diagonal lines.
Monkeys eat bananas
sweet
Hungry

13. That’s All . . . For now Next up:
Linking verbs with predicate adjectives

14. Linking verbs Tweety is yellow. Tweety is yellow subject verb
Predicate Adjective
What follows a linking verb describes the subject.
It is a adjective, not a direct object.

15. Linking verbs Tweety is yellow. Tweety is yellow subject verb
Predicate adjective
The adjective describes the subject so the dividing line tilts back toward the subject.

16. Try another sentence. Sylvester is sly. Sylvester is sly
Sly = describes Sylvester.
Sly = predicate adjective.

17. Add more description. Poor Sylvester is frustrated.
frustrated = describes Sylvester.
frustrated = predicate adjective.

18. That’s All . . .
For now