Part Of Sentences
A sentence is a group of words which starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop (.), question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!). A sentence contains or implies a predicate and a subject.
Simple sentences have one clause.
The subject in a sentence is generally the person or thing carrying out an action. The object in a sentence is involved in an action but does not carry it out, the object comes after the verb.
For example:
The boy climbed a tree.
If you want to say more about the subject (the boy) or the object (the tree), you can add an adjective.
For example:
The young boy climbed a tall tree.
If you want to say more about how he climbed the tree you can use an adverb.
For example:
The young boy quickly climbed a tall tree.
The sentence becomes more interesting as it gives the reader or listener more information.
There are more things you can add to enrich your sentence.
Parts of a sentence
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Description
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Adjective
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Describes things or people.
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Adverb
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Alters the meaning of the verb slightly
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Article
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a, an - indefinite articles
the - definite articles |
Conjunction
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Joins words or sentences together
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Interjection
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A short word showing emotion or feeling
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Noun
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Names things
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Preposition
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Relates one thing to another
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Pronoun
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used instead of a noun to avoid repetition
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Proper noun (subject)
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The actual names of people or places etc.
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Verb
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Action or doing word
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What makes a complete sentence?
If it helps you, think about a sentence as if it were a skeleton, the skeleton contains various bones and these bones are put together to form different parts of the body. So are sentences formed by words, the words are the bones and they are put together in different ways to form sentences.
A simple sentence contains a single subject and predicate. It describes only one thing, idea or question, and has only one verb - it contains only an independent (main) clause.
Any independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. It has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.
For example:
- Jill reads.
Even the addition of adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases to a simple sentence does not change it into a complex sentence.
For example:
- The brown dog with the red collar always barks loudly.
Even if you join several nouns with a conjunction, or several verbs with a conjunction, it remains a simple sentence.
For example:
- The dog barked and growled loudly.
Compound sentences are made up of two or more simple sentences combined using a conjunction such as and, or or but. They are made up of more than one independent clause joined together with a co-ordinating conjunction.
For example:
"The sun was setting in the west and the moon was just rising."
Each clause can stand alone as a sentence.
For example:
"The sun was setting in the west. The moon was just rising."
Every clause is like a sentence with a subject and a verb. A coordinating conjunction goes in the middle of the sentence, it is the word that joins the two clauses together, the most common are (and, or, but)
For example:
· I walked to the shops, but my husband drove.
· I might watch the film, or I might visit my friends.
· My friend enjoyed the film, but she didn't like the actor.
Complex sentences describe more than one thing or idea and have more than one verb in them. They are made up of more than one clause, an independent clause (that can stand by itself) and a dependent (subordinate) clause (which cannot stand by itself).
For example:
"My mother likes dogs that don't bark."
Dependent clauses can be nominal, adverbial or adjectival.
The Verb
The verb is the fundamental part of the sentence. The rest of the sentence, with the exception of the subject, depends very much on the verb. It is important to have a good knowledge of the forms used after each verb (verb patterns), for example: to tell [someone] TO DO [something]
Here we can see that the verb to tell is followed immediately by a person (the indirect object, explained later), an infinitive with 'to', and, possibly, an object for the verb you substitute for DO.
Verbs also show a state of being. Such verbs, called BE VERBS or LINKING VERBS, include words such as: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, became, seem, appear, and sometimes verbs of the senses like tastes, feels, looks, hears, and smells.
For example:
- "Beer and wine are my favourite drinks." The verb "are" is a linking (be) verb.
Fortunately, there are only a limited number of different verb patterns. Verbs can descibe the action (something the subject actually does) or state (something that is true of the subject) of the subject.
For example:
Some verbs can represent both actions and states, depending on the context.
For example work:
- ACTION: David's working in the bank.
- STATE: David works in a bank.
When you analyze a sentence, first identify the verb. The verb names and asserts the action or state of the sentence.
For example:
- "Working at the computer all day made David's head ache."
The main verb of the sentence is "made", not working.
Verbs identify our activity or state.
For example:
- eat, sleep, run, jump, study, think, digest, shout, walk ....
The subject is the person or thing the sentence is 'about'. Often (but not always) it will be the first part of the sentence. The subject will usually be a noun phrase (a noun and the words, such as adjectives, that modify it) followed by a verb.
Finding the Subject
Once you determine the verb, ask a wh...? question of the verb. This will locate the subject(s).
For example:
- David works hard.
- Who "works hard"?=David does=the subject.
- Beer and wine are my favourite drinks.
- What "are my favourite drinks"? Beer and wine are=the subjects.
The subject(s) of a sentence will answer the questions, "who or what."
Once you have identified the subject, the remainder of the sentence tells us what the subject does or did. This part of the sentence is the predicate of the sentence.
The predicate always includes the verb and the words which come after the verb. For example:
- Michael Schumaker drove the race car.
- "Michael Schumaker" is the subject; "drove the race car" is the predicate.
Some verbs have an object (always a noun or pronoun). The object is the person or thing affected by the action described in the verb.
Objects come in two types, direct and indirect.
The direct object refers to a person or thing affected by the action of the verb.
For example:
- "He opened the door. "- here the door is the direct object as it is the thing being affected by the verb to open.
The indirect object refers to a person or thing who receives the direct object.
For example:
- " I gave him the book." - here him (he)is the indirect object as he is the beneficiary of the action.
Verbs which don't have an object are called intransitive. Some verbs can only be intransitive (disagree). In addition they cannot be used in the Passive Voice e.g. smile, fall, come, go.
For example:
David disagreed. - intransitive.
Verbs that have an object are called transitive verbs e.g. eat, drive, give.
For example:
- David gave her a present.
Some verbs can be transitive or intransitive e.g. sing
For example:
- Afgan sings. - intransitive.
- Afgan sings pop songs. - transitive.
An 'adverbial' or 'adverbial phrase' is a word or expression in the sentence that does the same job as an adverb; that is, it tells you something about how the action in the verb was done.
For example:
- I sometimes have trouble with adverbs.
- He spoke very quietly.
- I've read that book three times.
- She's gone to the bank.
The first tells us the frequency of the action (sometimes), the second how he carried out the action (quietly), and the third how many times the action has happened (three).
The fourth is a little different, as in this case the adverbial (gone to the bank) is more or less demanded by the verb (has).
To remember the form of such verbs use your notebooks to write down the different forms.
For example:
- to go [somewhere]
- to put [something][somewhere]
This information is also useful when deciding the order of adverbials in a sentence. Unlike the previous parts of the sentence, a sentence can contain an indefinite number of adverbials, although in practice it's a good idea to keep them few in number.
A complement is used with verbs like be, seem, look etc. Complements give more information about the subject or, in some structures, about the object.
There are various definitions of 'complement', which range from the very general (anything in the predicate except the verb, including the direct object and adverbs) to the much more restrictive one used here.
A complement is the part of the sentence that gives you more information about the subject (a subject complement) or the object (an object complement) of the sentence.
The complement to be used, if any, is dependent on the verb used in the sentence. Subject complements normally follow certain verbs.
For example:
- He is Spanish.
- She became an engineer.
- That man looks like John.
Object complements follow the direct object of the verb-
For example.
- They painted the house red.
- She called him an idiot!
- I saw her standing there.
The complement often consists of an adjective or noun phrase, but can also be a participle phrase, as in the last example. It is often not very clear whether a phrase is a complement or an adverbial.
The Parts of the Sentence
The parts of the sentence are a set of terms for describing how people construct sentences from smaller pieces. There is not a direct correspondence between the parts of the sentence and the parts of speech -- the subject of a sentence, for example, could be a noun, a pronoun, or even an entire phrase or clause. Like the parts of speech, however, the parts of the sentence form part of the basic vocabulary of grammar, and it is important that you take some time to learn and understand them.
Written by Frances Peck
Subject and Predicate
Every complete sentence contains two parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject is what (or whom) the sentence is about, while the predicate tells something about the subject. In the following sentences, the predicate is enclosed in braces ({}), while the subject is highlighted.
Judy {runs}.
Judy and her dog {run on the beach every morning}.
To determine the subject of a sentence, first isolate the verb and then make a question by placing "who?" or "what?" before it -- the answer is the subject.
The audience littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.
The verb in the above sentence is "littered." Who or what littered? The audience did. "The audience" is the subject of the sentence. The predicate (which always includes the verb) goes on to relate something about the subject: what about the audience? It "littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn."
Unusual Sentences
Imperative sentences (sentences that give a command or an order) differ from conventional sentences in that their subject, which is always "you," is understood rather than expressed.
Stand on your head. ("You" is understood before "stand.")
Be careful with sentences that begin with "there" plus a form of the verb "to be." In such sentences, "there" is not the subject; it merely signals that the true subject will soon follow.
There were three stray kittens cowering under our porch steps this morning.
If you ask who? or what? before the verb ("were cowering"), the answer is "three stray kittens," the correct subject.
Simple Subject and Simple Predicate
Every subject is built around one noun or pronoun (or more) that, when stripped of all the words that modify it, is known as the simple subject. Consider the following example:
A piece of pepperoni pizza would satisfy his hunger.
The subject is built around the noun "piece," with the other words of the subject -- "a" and "of pepperoni pizza" -- modifying the noun. "Piece" is the simple subject.
Likewise, a predicate has at its centre a simple predicate, which is always the verb or verbs that link up with the subject. In the example we just considered, the simple predicate is "would satisfy" -- in other words, the verb of the sentence.
A sentence may have a compound subject -- a simple subject consisting of more than one noun or pronoun -- as in these examples:
Team pennants, rock posters and family photographs covered the boy's bedroom walls.
Her uncle and she walked slowly through the Inuit art gallery and admired the powerful sculptures exhibited there.
The second sentence above features a compound predicate, a predicate that includes more than one verb pertaining to the same subject (in this case, "walked" and "admired").
Written by Frances Peck
The Parts of Speech
Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the interjection.
Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used. In fact, the same word can be a noun in one sentence and a verb or adjective in the next. The next few examples show how a word's part of speech can change from one sentence to the next, and following them is a series of sections on the individual parts of speech, followed by an exercise.
Books are made of ink, paper, and glue.
Deborah waits patiently while Bridget books the tickets.
Here "books" is a verb, and its subject is "Bridget."
We walk down the street.
In this sentence, "walk" is a verb, and its subject is the pronoun "we."
The mail carrier stood on the walk.
In this example, "walk" is a noun, which is part of a prepositional phrase describing where the mail carrier stood.
The town decided to build a new jail.
The sheriff told us that if we did not leave town immediately he would jail us.
They heard high pitched cries in the middle of the night.
The baby cries all night long and all day long.
But here "cries" is a verb that describes the actions of the subject of the sentence, the baby.
The next few sections explain each of the parts of speech in detail. When you have finished, you might want to test yourself by trying the exercise.
Written by Heather MacFadyen
Objects and Complements
Objects
A verb may be followed by an object that completes the verb's meaning. Two kinds of objects follow verbs: direct objects and indirect objects. To determine if a verb has a direct object, isolate the verb and make it into a question by placing "whom?" or "what?" after it. The answer, if there is one, is the direct object:
Direct Object
The advertising executive drove a flashy red Porsche.
Direct Object
Her secret admirer gave her a bouquet of flowers.
The second sentence above also contains an indirect object. An indirect object (which, like a direct object, is always a noun or pronoun) is, in a sense, the recipient of the direct object. To determine if a verb has an indirect object, isolate the verb and ask to whom?, to what?, for whom?, or for what? after it. The answer is the indirect object.
Not all verbs are followed by objects. Consider the verbs in the following sentences:
The guest speaker rose from her chair to protest.
After work, Randy usually jogs around the canal.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Verbs that take objects are known as transitive verbs. Verbs not followed by objects are called intransitive verbs.
Some verbs can be either transitive verbs or intransitive verbs, depending on the context:
Direct Object
I hope the Senators win the next game.
No Direct Object
Did we win?
Subject Complements
In addition to the transitive verb and the intransitive verb, there is a third kind of verb called a linking verb. The word (or phrase) which follows a linking verb is called not an object, but a subject complement.
The most common linking verb is "be." Other linking verbs are "become," "seem," "appear," "feel," "grow," "look," "smell," "taste," and "sound," among others. Note that some of these are sometimes linking verbs, sometimes transitive verbs, or sometimes intransitive verbs, depending on how you use them:
Linking verb with subject complement
He was a radiologist before he became a full-time yoga instructor.
Linking verb with subject complement
Your homemade chili smells delicious.
Transitive verb with direct object
I can't smell anything with this terrible cold.
Intransitive verb with no object
The interior of the beautiful new Buick smells strongly of fish.
Note that a subject complement can be either a noun ("radiologist", "instructor") or an adjective ("delicious").
Object Complements
(by David Megginson)
An object complement is similar to a subject complement, except that (obviously) it modifies an object rather than a subject. Consider this example of a subject complement:
The driver seems tired.
In this case, as explained above, the adjective "tired" modifies the noun "driver," which is the subject of the sentence.
Sometimes, however, the noun will be the object, as in the following example:
I consider the driver tired.
In this case, the noun "driver" is the direct object of the verb "consider," but the adjective "tired" is still acting as its complement.
In general, verbs which have to do with perceiving, judging, or changing something can cause their direct objects to take an object complement:
Paint it black.
The judge ruled her out of order.
I saw the Prime Minister sleeping.
In every case, you could reconstruct the last part of the sentence into a sentence of its own using a subject complement: "it is black," "she is out of order," "the Prime Minister is sleeping."
Written by Frances Peck
Review: the Subject
Try to determine the simple subject (disregarding any modifiers) in the following sentences, then check your answer to see if it was correct.
Answer:
"Terror" is the simple subject because it answers the question "what?" before the verb "kept." "Of spiders" and "his" are simply modifying the simple subject "terror."
"Concerts" is the simple subject because it answers the question "what?" before the verb "will be." Remember that "there" is merely signalling that the true subject will follow.
3. Would you willingly exchange half your intelligence for one million dollars?
"You" is the simple subject because it answers the question "who?" before the verb "would exchange."
4. Despite the storm's destructiveness, the ship, with its crew of amateurs, might have survived in more experienced hands.
"Ship" is the simple subject because it answers the question "what?" before the verb "might have survived." "With its crew of amateurs" is modifying the simple subject "ship."
5. After the movie, Emma and her brother bought a birthday present for their mother.
Answer:
"Emma, brother" is the simple subject because it answers the question "who?" before the verb "bought." This sentence has a compound subject.
Written by Frances Peck
Review: the Predicate
1. His terror of spiders kept him out of the dark basement.
Answer:
"Kept him out of the dark basement" is the predicate because it contains the verb "kept" and it tells us something about the subject, "his terror of spiders."
2. There will be three concerts in the arts centre tonight.
Answer:
"There will be...in the arts centre tonight" is the predicate because it contains the verb "will be" and it tells us something about the subject, "three concerts."
3. Would you willingly exchange half your intelligence for one million dollars?
Answer:
"Would ... willingly exchange half your intelligence for one million dollars" is the predicate because it contains the verb "would exchange" and it tells us something about the subject, "you."
4. Despite the storm's destructiveness, the ship, with its crew of amateurs, might have survived in more experienced hands.
Answer:
"Despite the storm's destructiveness,...might have survived in more experienced hands" is the predicate because it contains the verb "might have survived" and it tells us something about the subject, "the ship, with its crew of amateurs."
5. After the movie, Emma and her brother bought a birthday present for their mother.
Answer:
"After the movie,...bought a birthday present for their mother" is the predicate because it contains the verb "bought" and it tells us something about the subject, "Emma and her brother."
Written by Frances Peck