Simple Sentences

Simple sentences are independent clauses.

They contain a subject and a predicate.

(Part 5)

Rule 6: Simple sentences can have a compound predicate.                    e.g: Marianne sang, danced, and played the violin with equal                  competence, passion, and enthusiasm. (compound                  predicate)              Her last semester in school, the brilliant student received top                marks on all her final exams, graduated with honors, and was                         interviewed for a junior faculty position at the university.             (compound predicate; verbs separated by modifiers)

Exercise E. Identify the subject and predicate in these simple sentences.

Circle the simple subject and underline the compound simple predicate .

1. The telephone on the principal’s desk rang and rang and then suddenly

    stopped ringing.

2. Who is coming to the party and bringing the ice cream?

3. Several of the trees at the arboretum had leafed out already and were

    looking very full and beautiful.

4. The man in the brown raincoat slipped quietly around the corner and hid in

    a dark doorway.

5. Wash and dry your hair first thing in the morning.

6. Will you sing me a song, show me a few dance steps, and then tell me a

    story?

7. The girls hurried home with their packages under their arms, rushed up

    the steps into the family room, and dropped all the boxes on the floor in

   front of their mother.

8. He didn’t eat anything for supper or drink anything at all that evening.

9. Will the three of you please come over here, sit down on this bench, and

fill out these forms?

10. Last week she walked in the park for several hours in the morning, had a

      healthy and delicious lunch with her friend in the middle of the afternoon,

      and then slept like a log all night long.

Answer Key

Exercise E

(subject / verb)

1. telephone / rang, rang, and stopped

2. who / is coming and bringing

3. several / had leafed and were looking

4. man / slipped and hid

5. you (understood) / wash and dry

6. you / will sing, show, and tell

7. girls / hurried, rushed, and dropped

8. he / did eat or drink

9. three / will come, sit, and fill

10. she / walked, had, and slept

Modal Auxiliaries

 

Simple Sentences

Simple sentences are independent clauses.

They contain a subject and a predicate.

(Part 3)

Rule 4: Simple sentences can have a verb in any tense (past, present,                   future), mood (indicative or imperative), or voice (active or passive).             e.g:  My friend shops at the mall on the weekend. (present)                     My friend shopped at the mall last weekend. (past)                     My friend will shop at the mall next weekend. (future)                     You shop at the mall every weekend. (indicative)                     Shop at the mall this weekend! (imperative; subject is “you”                        understood)                     The next player at bat hit the baseball into left field. (active)                     The baseball was hit into left field by the next player at bat.                         (passive)

  

Exercise C. Identify the subject and predicate in these simple sentences.

Circle the simple subject and underline the simple predicate.

1. Three years ago my baby sister was born on the first day of January.

2. Put your dirty clothes in the basket in the upstairs bathroom, please.

3. The older boys were given a chance to buy raffle tickets after the meeting.

4. Most of the time my classmates were wearing heavy clothes in the winter

    months.

5. The shiny yellow toy was easily caught by the eager collie puppy.

6. Both of my brothers will be in Oregon next week for the festival.

7. Please don’t leave your wet raincoat lying on the dining room chair.

8. She had been wondering about that idea for quite a while now.

9. Her left arm was badly broken at the wrist during the automobile accident.

10. In 2010, the leaders of the nations of this planet will face many important

      environmental problems.

Answer Key

Exercise C

(subject / verb)

1. sister / was born

2. you (understood) / put

3. boys / were given

4. classmates / were wearing

5. toy / was caught

6. both / will be

7. you (understood) / do leave

8. she / had been wondering

9. arm / was broken

10. leaders / will face

Simple Sentences

Simple sentences are independent clauses.

They contain a subject and a predicate.

(Part 2)

Rule 3: Simple sentences can be declarative or interrogative.                          e.g:  You can shop at the mall on the weekend. (declarative)                  Can you shop at the mall on the weekend? (interrogative)

Exercise B. Identify the subject and predicate in these simple sentences.

Circle the simple subject and underline the simple predicate.

            1. Who can tell me the answer to the question about the Civil War?

            2. The boy in the third row explained the role of slavery in the Civil War.

     

      3. Several of the students were thinking about the final examinations in the

       history course.

4.   Which of the following words in this list have been misspelled?

5.   Did Mary have time to call her brother this morning?

       6. One of her younger cousins is having a birthday next Saturday.

       7. Will you share your lunch with the new girl in class?

        8. On Fridays, we usually go to the movies in the afternoon with my little

            nephew, Jerry.

        9. Where in the world did your sister put her purse and car keys?

       10. When are you planning to come home from summer camp?

Answer Key

Exercise B

(subject / verb)

1. who / can tell

2. boy / explained

3. several / were thinking

4. which / have been misspelled

5. Mary / did have

6. one / is having

7. you / will share

8. we / go

9. sister / did put

10. you / are planning

What is a proverb? (Part 3)

A proverb is a short saying or sentence that is generally known by many people. 

The saying usually contains words of wisdom, truth or morals that are based on 

common sense or practical experience. It is often a description of a basic rule 

of conduct that all people generally follow or should follow. 

Proverbs can be found in all languages.

~~Examples of proverbs~~

Spare the rod and spoil the child

A child who is not punished and showed the error of his ways

will become unruly.

Speech is silver, silence is golden

Talk may be beneficial, but sometimes acquiescence may be

 the best option to take.

It takes two to make a quarrel

Both parties in a quarrel should share the blame or take responsibility for it;

 no one can start a quarrel all by himself.

Strike while the iron is hot

Seize a good opportunity as quickly as possible.

 

Still waters run deep

One who is usually silent and goes about his business quietly may be a very wise person.

Look before you leap

Avoid acting hastily, without considering the possible consequences.

Necessity is the mother of invention

When a person is in great need of something, he will find a way of getting it.

Honesty is the best policy

Being honest is believed to be the best route to take.

One man's meat is another man's poison

No two persons are alike - everyone has his own preferences,

likes and dislikes.

Practice makes perfect

It is believed that if one practices a certain skill often, he will excel in it.

Prevention is better than cure

It is better to be careful beforehand than to try to solve a problem

after it has arisen.

     

Rome was not built in a day

Any great plan or big dream cannot be achieved overnight or easily.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

(this is quoted when one takes another loan to pay off an earlier loan )

 taking from one to give another.

Once bitten twice shy

If a person has been tricked once he will more be careful

and alert the next time.

Like father, like son, like mother, like daughter

(used to describe a child's behavior when he or she acts

 like the father or mother )

Simple Sentences

Simple sentences are independent clauses.

They contain a subject and a predicate.

(part 1)

Rule 1: Simple sentences can be very short, consisting of only one word             (a noun) for the subject and one word (a verb) for the predicate.             The noun is called the simple subject, and the verb is the simple                predicate.               e.g:  John laughed.

Rule 2:  Simple sentences can be long, although they still consist of one                 subject (a noun and modifiers) and one predicate                 (a verb and other elements).                           The noun is called the simple subject, and the verb is the simple                  predicate.         e.g: The tall, good-looking boy with the curly blond hair laughed uproariously        at his best friend’s suggestion.

Exercise A. Identify the subject and predicate in these simple sentences.

Circle the simple subject and underline the simple predicate.

1. My best friend in the whole world is coming over to my house to visit me

this afternoon.

2. Three beautiful little kittens looked up at me from inside a box of old

clothes.

3. At the stroke of midnight, the carriage turned into a huge orange pumpkin.

4. A really friendly old man with long white whiskers lives in the apartment

above my aunt’s and uncle’s apartment.

5. Several of her favourite romantic love songs were playing on the radio that 

afternoon in the park.

6. Cool, deep, dark blue water flowed through the rough limestone rocks in

the gorge.

7. One-hundred fifty-five dollars is certainly a lot of money for a young

     person living with his or her parents.

8. The large red book sitting on the hall table was a dictionary published by

     an encyclopedia company in the United States.

9. The three girls carried back packs filled with books, food, candy, clothes,

     make-up, pens, paper, hairbrushes, and other assorted items.

10. I don’t remember the name of that tall, thin actor with the sparkling blue

      eyes.

 

Answer Key

Exercise A

(subject / verb)

1. friend / is coming

2. kittens / looked

3. carriage / turned

4. man / lives

5. several / were playing

6. water / flowed

7. dollars / is

8. book / was

9. girls / carried

10. I / do remember

What is a proverb? (Part 2)

A proverb is a short saying or sentence that is generally known by many people. 

The saying usually contains words of wisdom, truth or morals that are based on 

common sense or practical experience. It is often a description of a basic rule 

of conduct that all people generally follow or should follow. 

Proverbs can be found in all languages.

~~Examples of proverbs~~

 

When in Rome do as the Romans do

When one is in a new place, country or situation he must adapt himself to

the new manners and customs.

When the cat is away the mice will play

When law enforcers are not present, certain public members will take the

opportunity to break the law.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

One usually desires another more when he or she is far away.

There's no smoke without fire

Rumors do not spread unless there is some element of truth in them.

Time and tide wait for no one

Time is precious, once it is past no one can go back and claim it thus everyone

should be mindful of how his time is spent.

To err is human, to forgive divine

 It is only normal for man to make mistakes and do wrong, but for one to forgive 

another for his wrong is indeed  great and gracious act.

What's done can't be undone

 In life there are some things once done or decisions once made cannot be changed; 

malicious words once uttered or harmful actions once done cannot be taken back.

Two heads are better than one

It is always better to get the view of another than to rely entirely on one's own judgment.

 

Jack of all trades and master of none

Is a person who can do almost anything, but he rarely excels in any of them.

Let bygones by bygones

One should consider forgiving one's and forget all the bad deeds done by others.

Let not the pot call the kettle black

 A person who has a fault should not point out the same fault in another; 

do not criticize another person as you may have the same weakness.

Let sleeping dogs lie

One should preferably avoid discussing issues that are likely to create trouble.

No news is good news

When there is no news, it is likely that everything is all right.