What’s a sentence? : What’s a sentence? Here are three sentences:
He smiles.
Autumn leaves twirled gently to the ground.
The park district will open an outdoor ice skating rink in November.
Slide 2 : Length does not determine what is and is not a sentence. It needs two parts to be a sentence: a subject and a predicate. The subject tells us who or what.
The predicate tells us what about it.
Slide 3 : Who or what? What about it?
He smiles.
Autumn leaves twirl gently to the ground.
The park district will open an outdoor ice skating rink in November. These two parts connect to form a basic sentence, also known as an independent clause.
Slide 4 : We can have just one word in each wheel… Students studied. Children play.
Slide 5 : Old magazines are stacked under the kitchen table.
The weekend seminar explains how to start a small business.
Meditation helps create a peaceful mind and healthy body. We can expand the wheels by adding adjectives:
Slide 6 : We can expand the wheels by adding adverbs: Airline employees worked diligently to reschedule our flights.
We carefully loaded the van with furniture.
The driver realized immediately that he had missed the exit.
Slide 7 : Regardless of how much detail we add, the wheels give the same kind of information. The subject tells us who or what. The predicate tells us what about it. Who or what? What about it?
Randy loves pizza.
Companies benefit from customer loyalty.
Efficient train service will decrease traffic congestion.
Slide 8 : Subjects and predicates connect directly. Do not separate them with a comma. Incorrect: Carlos and his family, showed me that honor is more important than winning.
Correct: Carlos and his family showed me that honor is more important than winning.
Dependent clauses : Dependent clauses Dependent clauses cannot stand alone. They are like baskets that need to be attached to a basic sentence.
.
Slide 10 : When the music began Everyone started to dance. When the music began, everyone started to dance.
Slide 11 : Here are some more dependent clauses: As soon as it stopped raining
Because I registered early
When we need a quiet place to study
Slide 12 : We can place these baskets on the front of a bike. As soon as it stopped raining, we saw a double rainbow. When we need a quiet place to study, we go to the library. Because I registered early, I got the classes I wanted.
Slide 13 : We can also place them on the back of a bike. We saw a double rainbow as soon as it stopped raining.
I got the classes I wanted because I registered early.
We go to the library when we need a quiet place to study.
More Dependent Clauses : More Dependent Clauses who works part-time
which includes a swimming pool
that is parked in my driveway Another kind of dependent clause begins with the relative pronouns who, which, and that. These clauses are not sentences. They are like baskets that need to be attached to a bike.
Slide 15 : These baskets go after the word they describe. Sometimes they’re in the middle of the bike. Frank, who works part-time,will be our guide.
The new fitness center, which includes a swimming pool, will open in February.
The car that is parked in my driveway is Henry’s.
Slide 16 : Sometimes they are on the back of the bike. Karen likes books that have a happy ending. We are making pasta for the Richardsons, who do not eat meat. I have tickets to the jazz festival, which begins at noon.
Slide 17 : Example: The new fitness center, which includes a swimming pool, will open in April. Regardless of what kind of basket we add, we need a basic sentence to support it. Sentence Support Basic sentence: The new fitness center will open in April.
Basket: which includes a swimming pool
Slide 18 : Taking Stock
The baskets help students see that
- dependent clauses are not sentences
- they need to be attached to a sentence
Moving Forward
Fragments : Fragments A fragment is just a part of a sentence. It may lack a subject or a predicate. Often it’s a disconnected basket.
Slide 20 : As soon as I understood the problem. I thought of a solution.
I was not responsible. When I was sixteen.
The village will enlarge the parking lot. Which serves weekday commuters.
Let’s rent the same movie. That we saw last weekend. Disconnected dependent clauses
Slide 21 : Disconnected description and detail It was an easy task. Especially for someone so small.
The corporation provides employees with benefits. Like medical insurance and a pension.
We have ordered everything on the menu. Except fried buffalo wings.
We put an ad in the Lake Norman Times. Our local newspaper.
Slide 22 : I sprinted down the street. Trying to catch the train.
The scientists continued their research. Hoping to find a cure.
To celebrate their anniversary. They are going to Asheville for the weekend.
We walked up sixteen flights of stairs. To prove to ourselves we could do it. Disconnected -ing and –to fragments
Slide 23 : As soon as I understood the problem, I thought of a solution. We can correct these fragments by attaching them to the sentence. I sprinted down the street, trying to catch the train.
Slide 24 : A variety of baskets in the middle: My little brother, unable to sleep, turned on the light.
The elderly couple, walking slowly up the driveway, waved at their grandchildren.
A modern art gallery, funded by a million dollar grant, is under construction.
John Jackson, a friend since grade school, is my math tutor.
Slide 25 : If the basket interrupts the sentence, use commas to show readers where the addition begins and ends. The art gallery, which opens this weekend, features local artists. Ruby, my sister’s best friend, will loan me her car.
Slide 26 : If the basket is attached to the end of the sentence, the comma shows readers where the addition begins. They are living in the present, not the past. The award was given to James Johnson, the most respected person in our town.
Slide 27 : A CONCRETE IMAGE OF HOW SENTENCES WORK