Sentence Diagramming 1: Verbs, Subjects, Adverbs. English Grammar Lesson

Yossarian the Grammarian introduces you to the lost art of diagramming sentences. English grammar

Category:

Education

Tags:

• sandor
• grammar
• verb
• subject
• adverb
• adjective
• grammer
• english
• part
• parts
• speech
• writing
• reed
• kellogg

[7964103]

im so confused i have to diagram (Government is the foundation of democracy) and i just dont get it =(

[mrthoth]

@7964103 It might help to be really sure you know what a verb is (I have a video called "What a Verb Is, and What Verbs Aren't"). To diagram this sentence you also need to understand what a subjective complement is (I have a video on that, too), and what a prepositional phrase is. Good luck!

[beggarsall]

I agree that the simple subject and simple predicate is the best place to start, but what question would you tell a student to ask in order to find the subject?

I can look at "Thinking about home" and intuitively note that it is a participle phrase set off with a comma, but many students just assume that it is the simple subject because it comes first. What would you tell a student who was struggling with finding the subject?

I am evaluating my practice of starting with the predicate.

[mrthoth]

@beggarsall My video "What a Verb Is, and What Verbs Aren't" is my attempt to deal with this question. Since the most straightforward definition of verb is "something with a subject," subjects and verbs must be identified as pairs. The way you get students to avoid the mistake you mention is to show them that "I thinking" cannot be a subject-verb pair; it's not English.

[beggarsall]

Why don't you begin with the simple predicate and THEN identify the subject? I usually have students parse the sentence first, so they think it through before attempting to diagramming it. I have them ask these questions:

1. What is the verb? (Always the first question!)

2. What kind of verb or verbs are in the sentence? (helping, action, form of be, linking)

3. And then, depending on the type of verb, we ask a question to identify the simple subject.

Just curious.

[mrthoth]

@beggarsall The only thing that every sentence has is a subject-verb combination (even commands have "you" as the understood subject). Since the subject-verb combination is the only thing that one is absolutely sure to find, I think it makes a good starting point. If one starts with the verb and only looks for subjects later, one may be more likely to suppose, e.g., that in "Thinking about home, I grew happy," "thinking" is a verb (which of course it isn't).

[MasterOutdoors]

This helped SO much! I have final testing and diagramming sentences is on it, and your videos realy help me study! THANKS!

[hoytchristmas]

You should have said "you should have said". What is it with people, they can't spell anymore nowadays.

[crazymountaingirl1]

wow thanks this has helped alot

[1966gopackgo]

dude your fat i cant hear you shitface

[jerryptong]

I don't get this if you use passive voice and add a "THE" to the beggining. So, I pretty much don't get The big bright rainbow appears.

[saintoccasionally]

Best youtube channel ever. Ever.

[MsMusicaddict96]

O_0 I now understand the ways of diagramming!!! Thank you oh Wise One, Thank You!!!

[coolio12187]

This video is so helpful. Thanks.

[770buddyboy]

think i got a A on my test

[saraandhearts]

This saved my life.