Post by Morgan Pendragon on Jun 26, 2012 23:06:42 GMT -5
Sentence Basics
Grasping how a sentence works is important in gaining and maintaining proficiency in written communication. This month’s lesson will cover both explaining subjects and predicates, as well as defining the four basic sentence types.
Subjects and Predicates
Every sentence contains two parts: a subject and a predicate. A subject is what or whom the sentence is about. The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells something about the subject. In the following sentences, the predicate is italicized, while the subject is bolded.
---Morgan flies.
---Morgan and Mondleid go flying every morning.
---Mondleid soars and swoops.
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. Try the next sentence yourself.
---The spectators littered the Quidditch stands with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.
♦The verb in the above sentence is "littered."
♦Who or what littered? The spectators did.
♦"The spectators" is the subject of the sentence.
♦The predicate, which always includes the verb, goes on to relate something about the subject.
♦What about the spectators? They "littered the Quidditch stands with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn."
Simple vs. Complex
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 vial of sleeping draught would cure his insomnia.
The subject is built around the noun "vial," with the other words of the subject—“a" and "of sleeping draught"—modifying the noun. "Vial" is the simple subject.
Likewise, a predicate has at its center 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 cure"—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:
---Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands, and Sugar Quills tempted her from the shelves of the sweet shop.
---She and her professor talked about her performance in class and decided on ways for her to improve.
The second sentence above features a compound predicate, a predicate that includes more than one verb pertaining to the same subject (in this case, "talked" and "decided").
Basic Sentence Types
When people form sentences, they do many things. They ask questions, make requests, make statements, or they exclaim a powerful feeling or emotion. Because sentences convey statements, questions, strong emotion, and requests or demands; they can be categorized into four different types of sentences:
Declarative: A declarative sentence makes a statement. A declarative sentence ends with a period.
---The castle was built on a hill.
Interrogative: An interrogative sentence asks a question. An interrogative sentence ends with a question mark.
---Who is your favorite professor?
Exclamatory: An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling. An exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation mark.
---The monster is attacking!
Imperative: An imperative sentence gives a command.
---Azrael, stop creating undead minions.
♦Sometimes the subject of an imperative sentence (you) is understood.
---Add a pinch of crushed lavender to the potion. (You, add a pinch of crushed lavender to the potion.)
The best way to distinguish one sentence from the other is to memorize what each type of sentence does, for instance you can say, declarative sentences are the statement sentences, interrogative sentences are the question sentences, imperative sentences are the request and command sentences, or the giving order sentences, and exclamatory sentences are the ones that show a strong feeling or emotion.
Vocab List
wend verb
♦pursue or direct one's way
prone adjective
♦having a natural inclination or tendency to something
feint noun
♦movement made in order to deceive an adversary
droll adjective
♦amusing in an odd way
blithe adjective
♦joyous or playful in disposition
Assignments
[[All assignments for this class will be somewhat Meta, and therefore optional.]]
[[All assignments for this class will be somewhat Meta, and therefore optional.]]
Easy Assignment (5 points): Use both a complex subject and complex predicate in a single post. Multiple complex subjects and predicates will be worth additional points. Indicate subject and predicate of these sentences as in the lesson above.
Intermediate Assignment (10 points): Write a four paragraph post with each leading sentence being a different sentence type. Underline these sentences to make them more visible.
Grammar Nazi Hard Assignment (20 points): Use all five vocab words in a single post. For a few extra points, add one or more words from this list. Feel free to change the tense or part of speech in order to integrate the words into your post. Please bold vocabulary words to make them easier to see.
[[Assignments can only be completed once per character, however one character may complete all assignments. Post links to assignments in this thread. Unlinked assignments will not be counted. These assignments are open until July 27th, 12:00 am Central Time. Doing all three assignments successfully will result in double points.]]
**Special Note: Non-student characters may also take this class if they wish. Points earned will be given to the house of the participant's choice**