Proficiency in the Sentence Writing

StrategyWe begin with simple sentences. Most of you will learn how to write four kinds of sentences in 3 to 4 weeks. By the end of 10 to 11 weeks, most of you will be writing at least 14 different kinds of sentences. You will learn how to vary your sentence length.

Rational

Beforewe begin learning about simple sentences, let us discuss why it is important to write complete and interesting sentences.

Rational #1

How do you suppose sentence writing will help

you in school?

Rational #2

How can writing complete and interesting sentence writing skills help you outside of school?

Rational # 3

Sentence Writing Strategy can help you another way; it can help you say what you really mean. Can you think of times when it is important that people express their ideas in writing?

As you can see, learning the Sentence Writing Strategy can help you get better grades in school, make good impression on people, and express yourself better in important situations.

Simple Sentences

Today you will learn the first kind of sentence, the simple sentence. Within the next 3 to 4 weeks, most of you will learn the four kinds of simple sentences.

By 10 to11 weeks, most of you will be writing 14 different kinds of sentences.

You will know how to write complete sentences and how to vary your sentences to make them interesting.

Results of Sentence Writing Strategy

● Other students who have learned the Sentence Writing Strategy have been pleased with the way this strategy has helped them.

Sample Tests

● The pretest and practice sample has been written by the same student. The pretest was before he learned the Sentence Writing Strategy. The writing sample was after he learned this strategy.

● Let us compare the two.

Pretest vs. Practice Sample

● Pretest ● Practice Sample

We Want You!

● These are the types of improvements you can expect in your writing. You will find that writing becomes easy for you. Your sentences will be well written, and your ideas will be easy to understand. Best of all, your writing will be interesting to read.

Commitment to Learn.

You and I need to create a partnership to create success.

● I need to work hard at teaching.● You need to work hard at learning how to

write.● Let us make a commitment to each other.

Commitment

I, Sallie Salazar, commit to do my very best

to teach you, ____________, the Sentence Writing Stategy.

I, (your name), commit to work hard and try my best in learning the Sentence Writing Strategy.

Simple Sentence

A simple sentence is made up of one independent clause.

Independent Clause

Susan ran. This is a simple sentence and one

independent clause. An independent clause is a group of

words that makes a complete statement and stand alone.

What are the two important things?

Two Important Things

Susan / ran. Every independent clause has a subject

and a verb.

Subject

The subject is what the sentence is about.

It is a person, place, thing, quality, or idea that the sentence is about (noun or pronoun).

Noun Phrases

So far, the sentences we have covered, we have talked about were sentences in which the subject consists of one word (even the compound subject, two subjects). However two or more words are sometimes used for the subject. When several words are placed together like that, we call it a noun phrase. The noun phrase is the complete subject.

Example of Noun Phrase

The old gray mule limped down the lane.

When we apply the verb-subject identification procedure (MARK) to this sentence, what is the verb?

When we root out the subject, who or what, what group of words give us the answer?

Explanation

“The old gray mule is the complete subject. It is the group of words or noun phrase that tells what the sentence is about.

What is the main, or simple subject?

The old gray mule limped down the lane.

The old gray mule is the complete subject. What is the simple subject?

Mule

Mule is the main subject (simple subject). This is the one word is the most important

word in the complete subject. Without the main subject, or simple subject,

you would not know what the sentence is about.. In this class, whenever you are asked to identify the subject of a sentence, remember to identify the one word that the sentence is about. You do not need to identify the complete subject. You need to identify the main subject and place a “s” above the main subject (simple subject).

You Try The silver-winged plane soared. Johnny’s baby sister cried for hours. The first three girls giggled. Fourteen good pilots died in the war. The chairman of the meeting left early. The chrome-plated motorcycles glistened

in the sun.

Subject

The subject is the person, place, thing, quality, or idea that the sentence is about.

In a sentence with a noun clause, the main subject is the one word that names what the sentence is about.

Verbs

What is the name of the second part of an independent clause?

The verb is a word that shows the subject’s state of being or action. That is, it tells what the subject is or does.

Verbs 2

If the verb shows some sort of action, it usually easy to pick out. That means it shows physical or mental activity. An activity is something done in the mind or through physical motion. It is something you can do.

Verb Action

Sally sneezed. The verb denotes the physical activity,

an activity done with the body. What is the activity?

Verb Action 2

John thinks. The verb shows a mental activity. What is the mental activity?

Linking Verbs

Sometimes, the verb shows the subject’s state of being or condition. Words like “is”, “are”, and “were” are verbs that show the subject’s being.

For example, in the sentence, “Jessie is happy,” the word “is” is the word that shows state of being.

It links or connect the subject ‘Jessie” with what Jessie is. For this reason, words used to show state of being are called linking verbs.

Verb Phrases

Just like several words can form the subject of a sentence, the verb can consist of two or more words. The is called a verb phrase.

For example, in the following sentence, see if you are able to pick out the verb phrase.

The bus must have gone by now.

Verb Phrases con’t.

The bus must have gone by now.

“must have gone” These three words form the verb phrase.

What do you think is the main verb. Think-Pair-Share

Main Verb

“must have gone”

The word “gone” is the main verb, or simple predicate.The bus must have gone by now.

This word “ gone shows the action. Without it, the action of the bus would be unknown.

Helping Verbs

Verb phrases are formed by putting one or more helping verbs in front of the main verb.

Here is a list of helping verbs. (Cue Card #5)

Cue Card #5

You will notice that the linking verbs are circled on this list of helping verbs. They can be used in front of another verb. For example, the linking verb “am” can be used as a helping verb in a sentence like, “I am swimming.” ‘Swimming’ is the main verb.

Helping Verbs con’t.

Two or more helping verbs can be used in combination in front of the main verb. Usually one helping verb is used in combination with one of the helping verbs starts with the letter ‘h’.

I could have eaten. You could also use “been”. I have been eating. I have been swimming all afternoon.

Practice Finding Complete and Main Verb

My best friend could not work tonight. The light green grapes have been eaten. Steven’s aunt is not following her new

diet. The old rickety wagon should not have

been filled to the top. The merry pied piper would have played

a happy tune.

Subject Verb Identtification

You must know how to find the subject and verbs in sentences because this will help you to know if you have a complete sentence.

A complete sentence has a subject and a verb.

An incomplete sentence has a subject but no verb, or a verb but no subject.

Verb – Subject Identification

Simple Sentences Verbs First

In some simple sentences, the verb comes before the subject of the sentence. For example, in the sentence, “Down the street moved the bulls.”

What is the action word?

Who or what moved?

Down the street moved the bulls.

As you can see, the verb in this sentence appears in front of the subject. Sometimes the subject appears between the helping verb and the verb. This happens most often in a sentence that is written in the form of a question. In the sentence, “Will you go to the movies tonight?”

What is the action word? Is there a helping verb? Who or what _____ _______?

Verbs in Questions

As you can see, the helping verb comes before the subject and the main verb comes after the subject in some questions. Thus, the subject of a simple sentence does not always have to come first. Be sure to take this into account when you are looking for subjects and verbs.

Let us try some.

Let Us Try

Will you go to the store for me? When will we eat lunch? How are you feeling? May I have some ice cream? Can you count to ten? Are you able to fix my bike? When will I be allowed to go on vacation? Will you drive us to the beach?

Did You?

Find the main verb? Find the helping verb? Find the subject between the helping and

main verbs?

Infinitives

Sometimes words in sentences show action without being the main verb of the sentence. Let us look at an example.

Infinitive Example

Clad hoped to go sledding. In this sentence, several words

represents things you can do. What are they?

Which one is the main verb of the sentence (shows the subject’s action or state of being)?

Infinitive Con’t.

Chad hoped to go sledding. The word, hoped, is the main verb. How about “to go sledding?” The phrase, to go sledding, is an

infinitive phrase. It is not a main verb of the sentence. Notice the word “to”? Never identify a word with “to” in front of

it. This is an imposter, an infinitive.

Types of Simple Sentences

The next set of notes will deal with the types of simple sentences.

We had diagram the different types of simple sentences at the beginning of the school year. We will revisit this skill tomorrow.

Bibliography

The information in these slides are from Proficiency in the Sentence Writing Strategy, by Jean B. Schumaker and Jan B. Sheldon.

This Learning Strategy Curriculum was developed by the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning.

Many of the slides use direct passages from this curriculum due to the script required from this curriculum.