Week 2

This English lab explores sentence-level writing concerns in detail. A complete sentence must have three things: (1) a subject, (2) a verb, and (3) a complete thought.

Every sentence has a "thing" that "does" something or "is" something. Identifying the thing (subject) and its action (verb) can at times be easy, and other times more difficult. It is best to start with the verb, so then you can figure out who or what is engaged in this action.

Review:

A. Action Verbs: Express physical (hit, run, dance, sing) or mental (think, know, believe) action.

Physical Action: The waves crash against the shore. Birds fly above our heads.

Mental Action: Tim believes in ghosts. I think Tim is out of his mind.

B. Linking Verbs: do not express action. They help to make a statement by linking a subject to a word or an idea.

They are often associated with a form of the verb "to be." Some examples of linking verbs are appear, become, be, seem, feel.

You seem tired. Sam is late. Rosa became a lawyer. Harry appears nervous.

C. Compound Verbs and Verb Phrases: Sometimes verbs come in groups of words, such as in the case of the compound verb (two or more connected verbs that have the same subject).

We left at noon and arrived at four. George washed the windows and mowed the lawn.

Or in the case of verb phrases (a group of words that acts as a verb)… The game has been played...The movie will be coming to a theatre near you.

Once you have found the verb, it is easier to locate the subject. Just ask yourself "who?" or "what?" is performing this action.

Subjects are often people or things, but they can also be places, events, or ideas.

Sarah sang. Who sang? Sarah sang.

My book fell in a puddle. What fell? My book fell.

A. Sometimes the subject may be compound (two or more connected words): My aunt and uncle own a bakery. Who owns? My aunt and uncle

B. Sometimes the subject may come after the verb: There is a spider in the sink. What is in the sink? A spider

C. And sometimes the subject may be separated from the verb by several words: The books (subject) on that shelf are (verb) old. My cat (subject), startled by the noise, ran (verb) under the bed.

There are other variations, but the bottom line is: Find the verb and then ask it "who?" or "what?"

In addition to the above variations of subjects and verbs which can make it difficult to find exactly what is the subject and verb of a sentence, the presence of certain clauses and phrases can help bury the key components of a sentence as well.

You will be hearing these terms often over the course of the semester, so let's make sure you understand what they mean.

To put it as succinctly as possible, a clause has the same qualities of a sentence (a main verb and subject), while a phrase is not complete, and relates specifically to either the subject or verb of a sentence.

While we have already seen on the previous page some examples of verb phrases (The game has been played), some other types of phrases are:

A. Prepositional Phrases relate to the subject of the sentence, modifying it by giving it a sense of time or place: The class down the hall is noisy. Students with self-motivation perform well.

B. Verbal Phrases are different from verb phrases in that they contain either an -ing verb or the infinitive form of a verb (to + verb). They can be used to modify words in a sentence, or can even function as a subject:

Parking his car a mile off campus, Juan ran to class. Parking a mile off campus is a pain.

Martha has the talent to be a good student. To be a good student is Martha's wish.

As for clauses, there are two main types that you should know about:

A. Independent Clauses: Have the same three qualities of a sentence-a main verb, subject, and the expression of a complete thought. As a matter of fact, a sentence is an independent clause. The ability to recognize independent clauses only becomes important in dealing with complex sentences. For instance… College life can be challenging. College life can be fun. These are not only sentences, but also independent clauses. We just don't refer to them as independent clauses until they are combined into one sentence… College life can be challenging, but it can also be fun. Now what we have are not two sentences, but one sentence containing two independent clauses.

B. Dependent Clauses: Are like independent clauses in that they also have a main verb and subject. The difference is that dependent clauses do not express a complete thought. For example… As cars quickly fill the parking lot. If we all try to get along. These two clauses have a subject and a verb, but they are not expressing a complete thought. They clearly need another clause (an independent clause) attached to it to make sense. Tension grows as cars quickly fill the parking lot. If we all try to get along, we can be more productive. Thus, unlike an independent clause, a dependent clause can never be a sentence by itself.

A complete sentence must have three things: (1) a subject, (2) a verb, (3) a complete thought. If the group of words does not have all of these three things, then it is a fragment. Fragment means "a broken piece." A sentence fragment is a piece of a sentence that is written as though it were a complete sentence-it is written with a capital letter and a period.

A. The following are fragments because they do not have subjects:

Almost missed the bus to Cabrillo. Who almost missed the bus? Never gets hungry. Who or what never gets hungry?

To make the fragments above complete sentences, we need to rewrite them and add a subject:

I almost missed the bus to Cabrillo. A computer never gets hungry.

B. The following are fragments because they do not have verbs:

Mrs. Wong, while on the phone. What did Mrs. Wong do? The phone with pushbuttons. What did the phone do?

To make the fragments above complete sentences, we need to rewrite them so that each has a verb:

Mrs. Wong, while on the phone, checked the appointment book. The phone with pushbuttons is easy to use.

C. The following are fragments because they do not express complete thoughts and leave the reader with questions:

Whenever Sally eats chocolate. What happens when Sally eats chocolate? Because my car broke down. What happened because my car broke down? Until Ana arrives with the ladders. What can't happen until Ana arrives?

To make the fragments above complete sentences, we have to rewrite them to finish the thought. Whenever Sally eats chocolate, she breaks out in a rash. I was late to work because my car broke down. We can't begin until Ana arrives with the ladders.

D. Sometimes fragments happen because the verb is incomplete. Some verb forms cannot be used alone-they must have helping verbs with them ("ing" words are an example of helping verbs).

Mrs. Thomas worrying about her son. worrying is not a complete verb. The lake frozen in the middle. frozen is not a complete verb.

Mrs. Thomas was worrying about her son. The lake is frozen in the middle.

E. Often fragments happen because the writer used a period too soon. Information was divided into two "sentences" that should have been kept together as one sentence.

The fragments below can be corrected by removing the period (in some places you will need to use a comma in place of the period) and changing incorrect capital letters to small letters.

Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese. Who used it for fireworks.

Corrected: Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese, who used it for fireworks.

The young man apologized. Realizing his mistake.

Corrected: Realizing his mistake, the young man apologized.

Sometimes creative writers use fragments deliberately for emphasis or special effect. Usually, you should avoid using sentence fragments in college writing. It is too easy to write a fragment that confuses the reader instead of lending emphasis to your writing. Some instructors will not accept writing with fragments except in dialogue. See the résumé assignment for another appropriate use of fragments.

EXERCISE


YOUR NAME:
YOUR EMAIL:
TODAY'S DATE:

Add the verb or complete the existing verb phase and rewrite the following sentences so they are complete:

1. Always asking me to run errands for him

2. Is up in the attic by the old cedar chest under the window.

3. The substitute teacher's wheezing old car.

4. Stinks of foul play.

5. Lupe, who lives next door.

Correct the fragments in the following passage:

At this very moment. You are reading the English Lab Book. Although the work may be difficult, time-consuming, and even tedious. Because grammar imposes order on our thinking. Studying the basics also helps us sort out and organize our ideas. Students who write well. Usually do well in courses throughout the curriculum. Because writing encourages us to think critically and helps us learn. From taking notes, summarizing text, writing essay exams, to writing research papers. Make us more confident students. Strong writing skills. The English Lab should be taken seriously. Because it gives you the solid foundation that you need for all your college writing. Keep up with the work in the Lab book and with the homework. To facilitate your learning and to master the material.

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