- Sentences Level 1 Lesson
For more information, see http://www.growingwithgrammar.com/files/samplelessons13.pdf
Vocab to learn for your Quiz:
- Subject
- Predicate
- Fragment Sentence
- Conjunctions
- Run-on Sentences
- Rambling Sentences
- Agreement
- Pronoun
So what is a sentence?
A sentence is a complete idea.
“The parent” not a complete idea.“The parent called” complete idea.
Subject and Predicate Required
Sentences can be short or long, but all sentences need at least one subject (usually a noun) and at least one predicate (usually a verb).
This is a complete sentence:
“Jesus wept.” “Jesus” is the subject. “Wept” is the predicate. Even though it is short, it is a complete idea.
Fragments
If your sentence is missing a subject or a verb, it is called a fragment.
These are fragments:
“The red car.” Where’s the predicate? This is a fragment.“The store and the gas station and then to grandma’s.” Where’s the predicate? This is a fragment.“Was the last one.” Where’s the subject? This is a fragment.“Turned over on the steep bank.” Where’s the subject? This is a fragment.
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are useful words-- they join words and ideas.
Run-on Sentences and Rambling Sentences
Run-ons are simple sentences joined without punctuation or conjunctions. Rambling sentences have too many ideas without the break of a new sentence.
“The ice cream melted it was hot it fell out of the cone onto my bare feet.” RUN-ON
“The ice cream melted because it was so hot. It fell out of the cone onto my bare feet.” Fixed it.
“And then the ice cream melted because it was so hot because of the bright shining sun and the ice cream fell onto my bare feet and got between my toes and into my slippers and they got all sticky and that’s why mom says no more sugar for me today young lady.” RAMBLING.
“And then the ice cream melted because it was so hot because of the bright shining sun and the ice cream fell onto my bare feet and got between my toes and into my slippers and they got all sticky and that’s why mom says no more sugar for me today young lady.” Just take a breath, slow down, and tell me what happened a little at a time.
“The bright sun was shining hot. The ice cream melted and fell onto my bare feet! It got between my toes and into my slippers, and they got all sticky. That’s why mom said, “No more sugar for you today, young lady!” Ah, fixed it.
Agreement:
Here is more detailed information. http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-subject-verb-agreement.html
Sometimes in long sentences you can lose track of what you’re talking about. How many people? When did this happen? Making sure your sentences make sense in terms of tense and number is called AGREEMENT. Basic Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.
It’s easy to see if your sentences agree in short sentences. The subject has to match the predicate in number and tense.
Singular= is, was
plural= are, were
past= was, -ed
present = ing
future= -will
My brother is tall. CORRECT
My brother are tall. WRONG.
My sisters are short.CORRECT
My sisters is short. WRONG.
Yesterday they called me. CORRECT
Yesterday they will call me. WRONG.
Tomorrow I will call them back. CORRECT.
Tomorrow I called them back. WRONG.
So yes, simple sentences are easier to correct. But in compound and complex sentences it can be harder to find the subject and the predicate to make sure they match.
The rule in all the English classes is that homework is due on time.(The rule is…)
A nasty virus going around all the elementary classroom is a real problem.(A virus is…)
The causes of this disease are not washing hands and sharing drinks.(The causes are…)
The clothes I got at the store were really expensive.(The clothes were…)
The members of the halau are so proud of their hard work. (The members are…)
Pronouns and Agreement
The really tricky thing with subject verb agreement is that sometimes it’s hard to tell whether or not a subject is singular or plural. This is especially true with pronouns-- or words that stand in for nouns.
Anyone who saw the invitations is welcome to come. (Anyone is...) CORRECT.
Anyone who saw the invitations are welcome to come. (Anyone are…) WRONG.
Many of the books in the library are damaged. (Many are…) CORRECT.
Many of the books in the library is damaged. (Many is…) WRONG.
Phew! For the quiz, be prepared to define and explain the words on the vocab list from the top.
Many of the books in the library is damaged. (Many is…) WRONG.
Phew! For the quiz, be prepared to define and explain the words on the vocab list from the top.
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