Simple Sentences

Simple sentences are independent clauses.

They contain a subject and a predicate.

(Part 5)

Rule 5: Simple sentences can have a compound subject.    e.g: Simon and Garfunkel recorded an album that year. (compound             subject)           America’s best known novelists, journalists, and editors attended a           conference in New York last week. (compound subject)           Yellow-throated warblers, red-breasted robins, and flightless rails             Were pictured in her new bird identification guide.            (compound subject; nouns separated by modifiers)

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

Circle the nouns in the subject and underline the simple predicate.

1. You and I know the names of these kinds of flowers.

2. Frisky squirrels, tiny, jewel-like hummingbirds, white-tailed deer, quick little

    wild bunnies, and small black voles were hiding in the garden.

3. Barbara Kingsolver and Amy Tan are two of my sister’s favourite novelists.

4. Every six weeks or so, her next-door neighbours, younger cousins, and

    grade school classmates came over to her house for a little tea party.

5. Are the violinists and the cellists ready to begin playing the nocturne yet?

6. The daily newspapers, television news, and other media were not given

    enough information about the emergency.

7. Even in the middle of the summer, Jan and her dog liked to stay outdoors

    all afternoon long.

8. Could you and your mother please meet with me after school next

    Wednesday?

9. Three eggs, two cups of milk, a package of cheese, and chopped ham

    went into the bowl to make a quiche.

10. Are tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and garlic your favourite foods?

 

Answer Key

Exercise D

(subject / verb)

1. you and I / know

2. squirrels, hummingbirds, deer, bunnies, and voles / were hiding

3. Barbara Kingsolver and Amy Tan / are

4. neighbours, cousins, and classmates / came

5. violinists and cellists / are

6. newspapers, news, and media / were given

7. Jan and dog / liked

8. you and mother / meet

9. eggs, cups, and package / went

10. tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and garlic / are

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 )