Fundamentals in the Sentence Writing Strategy University of Kansas

5 things every complete English sentence needs.

Mark out the imposters. Infinitive Prepositional phrase Ask if there is a verb. Action Linking Root out the subject. Who or What __________? (Person, place, thing, idea) Key in on the beginning, ending, and meaning. See if there is an Adverb How When What Where Frequency

Nouns/Subjects (boy, girl, he, I, mom, man, teacher, student, fireman) (store, house, farm, forest, street, gym) (ball, hat, tree, window, car, chair, computer) (peace, friendship, marriage, politics, happiness, sorrow) Person Place Thing Idea

California Hanna Montana John Lexington Ms. Arnold Three Little Pigs Jacob Hall Happy Feet Reebok woman boy building actress movie shoe city state book Common NounsProper Nouns

Body: sleep, jump, play, run, cry, look, hit, kiss, drink, blink, eat, sign, talk Mind: think, want, like, hate, love, dream, imagine, desire, need, wish, wonder, fear, believe

Examples : Body : The dog jumped. She kissed the boy. I play checkers. My brother will eat a taco. He hit a pole. Don’t drink the water. Mind: I want to play. He fears roller coasters. I dream of flowers. My mom wishes for a new car. They wonder about the future. I imagine a bright tomorrow.

An adjective is a word that describes or tells more about a noun. Examples That is a big dog.That dog is big. Mr. McClain is a crazy teacher. It is freezing cold outside. The yellow bus has a tire that is flat. My best friend has a happy dog. The loud train is late. I saw many people at the new store.

The ball is red. That is a red ball. The blue car is fast. My silly friend is happy. She is a nice person. He is sad about his old bike. The box is heavy. The fat cat is hungry. I am very late to the teacher meeting. The balloon is thin and long.

The verb that links the subject / noun to another word that describes the subject. AmWas AreWere IsSeem Seemed Be Been Become Became Bob is ugly. I am hungry. Students are hungry. You seem sad. Bob has been happy. Bob was ugly. She seemed hungry. Students were hungry. You became sad. Bob will be ugly. Bob will become ugly. I will be hungry. Students will seem crazy. Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense SUB ADJ/Noun

appear, feel, grow, smell, become, look, seem, sound, remain, stay, taste Other linking verbs.

Bob seems nice. The banana is yellow. The bananas are yellow. The cups are on the table. The truck has been broken. I was happy. We were happy. The monkeys became happy. The weather seemed nice. Bob will be ten on his birthday. Bob will become ten on his birthday. The toy will be fun. The toys will be fun. The students will seem crazy.

An infinitive is usually two words: the word “to” in front of an action verb Examples: to ride, to sleep, to eat, to kiss, to think I want to play outside. Mary hopes to win the soccer game. We went to the mall to buy new shoes. To get an ‘A’ in English class is great! The best way to get an ‘A’ is to do your homework. I went to the store. John is going to school. Nancy will go to Florida tomorrow. The class is going to lunch. We are going to the mall!

A group of words that show place or time. Example: in, of, for, with, on, over, beside The boy walked under the table. The boy walked on the table. The boy walked beside the table. The boy walked over the table. The boy walked since yesterday. The boy walked during a race.

Tense is shown by endings, by helping verbs, or by both. Three common tenses: past, present, and future. Time of the verb.

liked practiced likes practices will like will practice Past FuturePresent

Words that help the main verb to show the action of the sentence.

Fred can jump two chairs. Fred will jump two chairs. Fred did jump two chairs. I do like ice cream. We will go to the basketball game. Were is Mary going after school? Girls are talking to friends. Boys were playing rough! What should I ask for my birthday? I am thinking about summer vacation. Mary might like to go swimming.

An adverb tells you… an action is performed. Bill runs fast. Fred likes ice cream a lot. Nancy carefully jumped in the pool. I will happily dance with you now. The boy loudly ate the pie. The girl ate the pie quietly. I eat pie everyday! She always laughs sleepily. Can you jump quietly? Can you smile seriously? Can you laugh a little? Can you hit me easily? Can you dance sleepily? Can you run lazily? Can you sit quickly? Please read … Adds to the verb! how, when, where, how much, and frequency

Subject Pronouns – used as the subject of a sentence. I can never remember jokes They really make people laugh. Singular: I, you, he, she it Plural : we, you, they

Object Pronouns- used after an action verb or in a prepositional phrase. Mr. Lange teases me. (after verb) My friends made a funny card for him. (PP) Singular: me, you, him, her, it Plural: us, you, them

Possessive Pronouns – shows ownership John finished writing his story. (before noun) The idea for it was mine. (alone) Before a noun: my, you, his, her, its, our their Stand alone: mine yours his hers its ours theirs

The subject and the verb of a sentence must agree! Plural noun agrees with a plural verb. S V EX: The boys eat. Singular noun agrees with a singular verb. S V EX: The boy eats. ONE Yes S Many No S

Examples… I eat lunch before dinner. The boy ______________ his spelling words. He eats lunch before dinner. The dogs __________________ at the moon. We sit in class. They ______________________ far and fast. She sits in class. It __________________________ far and fast. You like red, but you do not like blue. He ______________________ in a bed. She likes red, but she does not like blue. We _______________________ in a chair. I We== You ________________________ plural subject They subject verb He She== S single subject It ________________________ subject verb