Level Three of Grammar Analysis

Transcription

1 Phrases

2 Phrases Level Three of Grammar Analysis What is a phrase? A phrase is a group of words that does not have a subject and a predicate and that acts as a single part of speech. What are the types of phrases? 1. Prepositional Phrases 2. Appositives 3. Verbals Gerunds Participles Infinitives Additional facts about phrases: Every phrase is a part of a clause.

3 Prepositional Phrases What is a preposition? Level Three of Grammar Analysis A preposition is one of the parts of speech that often shows relationship but can also show direction. (Examples: to, for, from, under, beside, on, in) What is a prepositional phrase? Prepositional phrases are modifiers. Where will a preposition be in a prepositional phrase? Prepositions are in the pre-position the preposition comes before the rest of the phrase. What is the object of the preposition? The object of the preposition is the noun or objective pronoun that follows the preposition and completes the phrase. Examples: on the floor, to my mom, beside a table

4 Appositives Level Three of Grammar Analysis What is an appositive? An appositive is an interrupting definition. Where does the word appositive come from? Other facts about appositives: The word appositive comes from the word appose, which means to place side by side. Appositives act as either a noun or an adjective by restating the noun. Appositive phrases are plan A for writers. They allow you to explain something immediately instead of having to wait until the next sentence. Appositives are enclosed in commas! Examples: Bob, my gray cat, went to the door. Mrs. Dill, the world s best English teacher, is sick today.

5 Verbals Level Three of Grammar Analysis What is a verbal? A verbal is a group of words that look like verbs but are used as nouns. Why are verbals weird? You must see a group of words as one word and one part of speech. The verb form is used as a noun or a modifier. Summary: When you see a verby thingy in a sentence, and it is not a verb, it is a verbal! What are the three types of verbals? 1. Gerund 2. Participle 3. Infinitive

6 Gerunds A type of Verbal Phrase What is a gerund? Level Three of Grammar Analysis A gerund is an ing verb form used as a noun Gerunds can be the subject, an object, or an object of the preposition. Anything a noun can do, a gerund can do. Examples: Clear thinking is good. S LV I love fishing. S AV DO Expanding the empire was Alexander s dream. S LV DO

7 Participles A type of Verbal Phrase What is a participle? Level Three of Grammar Analysis A participle is any verb form (including the ing form) used as an adjective. What is an introductory, participial phrase? An introductory, participial phrase is a participial phrase that comes at the beginning of the sentence. There are two rules for these phrases: 1. Introductory participial phrases must be set off by a comma. 2. Introductory participial phrases will always modify the subject. Example: Grabbing the rail, Gene leaned out. (The participial phrase, grabbing the rail, modified the noun, Gene, so it is an adjective.)

8 Errors with Participle Phrases What are the two errors that people make when using participle phrases? Example of a misplaced modifier: Level Three of Grammar Analysis 1. Misplaced Modifiers when the noun being modified is in the sentence but not in the correct place 2. Dangling Modifiers when the noun being modified is not in the sentence at all X Chewing the bloody antelope haunch, Robert stared at the lion. (This sentence says that Robert was chewing a bloody antelope haunch. This Participle phrase is a misplaced modifier. It should modify the noun lion instead of the noun Robert. ) Correction: Example of a dangling modifier: Robert stared at the lion chewing the bloody antelope haunch.? Sneezing fitfully, the sun felt warm. (This sentence says that the sun was sneezing fitfully. This participle phrase is a dangling modifier because the word that the writer is trying to modify isn t even in the sentence. We have no idea who was sneezing fitfully.) Correction: Sneezing fitfully, I enjoyed the warm sun.

9 Infinitives A type of Verbal Phrase What is an infinitive? Level Three of Grammar Analysis An infinitive is the to verb form used as a noun or a modifier. Examples: The book to read is Hamlet. Adj N Adj V N S LV SC The phrase to read is an adjective because it modifies the noun, book. To write the novel took five years. N Adj N V Adj N S AV DO What is a split infinitive? A split infinitive is an ERROR. We do NOT split infinitives! Example: X I had to really work hard. I had to work really hard.

10 NOW FOR A SMALL WARNING

11 One word can make phrases a little tricky:

12 The tricky to The word to is found in BOTH prepositional and infinitive phrases

13 CAUTION--Don t mix these up! Prepositional Phrases: to the football stadium (prepositional) to the teacher (prepositional) to run a mile Infinitive Phrases: to finish my homework

14 VERBALS Gerund -ing noun Gerrings Participle Adj Adjiciples Infinitive to verb Tofinitives

15 Phrase Practice Copy the following 5 sentences skipping 4 lines between each one. Then, complete a 3 Level Grammar Analysis of each sentence. Rollo, the shaggy dog, barked. Eating ice cream is fun. Breaking a pencil, Sam laughed. I want to write a book. He stood on the dock.

16 4 Level Grammar Analysis Rollo, the shaggy dog, barked. Parts of Speech n adj adj n v Parts of a Sentence S AV (intransitive) Phrases... Appositive Clauses

17 4 Level Grammar Analysis Eating ice cream is fun. Parts of Speech n v adj Parts of a Sentence S LV SC Phrases... Gerund Clauses

18 4 Level Grammar Analysis Breaking a pencil, Sam laughed. Parts of Speech v adj n n v Parts of a Sentence S AV (intransitive) Phrases... Introductory Participle Clauses

19 4 Level Grammar Analysis I want to write a book. Parts of Speech pro v prep v adj n Parts of a Sentence S AV DO Phrases.. Infinitive Clauses