Syntax!

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Ten Grammatical Mini-Units on
Syntax!

• Syntax is sentence structure -- the way a writer
  arranges words in a sentence.
• By the end of our units, you will
• Use the basic forms of syntax and the four basic
  sentence types to enrich your writing.
• Learn the hardest rules of punctuation to help
  make you a confident writer and a competent
  editor.

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Our overall big question How can learning syntax
improve my writing? Our strategy The hardest
punctuation rules in the English language become
easy as you become masters at identifying phrases
and clauses. Your writing grows richer as you
master manipulating phrases and clauses.
This slide presentation should be worked through
with (1) your sentence structure packet, (2) your
online exercises, (3) the Interactive Grammar
Summary (IGS), (4) your journal writing, and
other material I may give you.
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Unit 1- Nouns, Nominals, Pronouns, Subjects, and
Verbs The units big questions How do I
identify what role a targeted word plays in a
sentence? How can I make clear thesis statements
by using lists of words with the same role?
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Write this down in your journals lab section
____ is my favorite pastime. Your job is to
write a list of words or word groups that could
fit in the blank. Each word or word group must
describe only one thing. No more than two
adjectives per blank, please! One word or word
group must have exactly 2 letters. (Spaces dont
count.) Another must have exactly 5 or 8
letters. A third must have exactly 20, 30, or 50
letters. Fiction is fine! Work in your groups of
2 or 4.
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What is a noun? A naming word. It names a
person, place, thing, or abstract concept. What
are the nouns in the following sentence? Patriots
fought the British for liberty. Patriots fought
the British for liberty. Circle all of the nouns
on packet page 5, sentences 1 - 4. What is a
nominal? A word or group of words that acts as a
noun. What acts as a noun in the following
sentence? Swimming is my favorite sport. Swimming
is my favorite sport.
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When is a door not a door? When its ajar!
When is a verb not a verb? When its a jar . . .
und! A gerund!
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Swimming is my favorite sport. Swimming in the
above sentence looks like a verb, but it acts
like a noun. Used this way, swimming is a
gerund. A gerund is a word made from a verb that
functions as a noun. What acts as a noun in the
following sentence? Learning to fly would be a
great birthday present. Learning to fly would be
a great birthday present. Because learning to
fly starts with a gerund, its called a gerund
phrase. A gerund phrase, as you might expect, is
a phrase that acts like a noun and that starts
with a gerund. Circle all of the gerunds and
gerund phrases on page 5, sentences 5 through
8. Circle all of the gerunds and gerund phrases
you wrote in the blank today in _______ is my
favorite pastime.
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Besides a gerund, what other word substitutes for
a noun? A pronoun. What are the pronouns in the
following sentence? They fought them for it.
They fought them for it. Circle all of the
pronouns on page 5, sentences 9 10. What is a
subject? How is it different from a noun? A
subject is the noun or nominal that does the
action in a sentence. Which of the nouns in the
following sentence is the subject? Patriots
fought the British for liberty. Patriots fought
the British for liberty. Double-circle the
subjects on page 5, sentences 1 - 8.
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What is a verb? A verb describes the action in a
sentence and forms the main part of the
sentences predicate. What are the verbs in the
following sentences? He leaves tomorrow on the
first train. He leaves tomorrow on the first
train. The quick, brown fox jumped over the lazy
dogs. The quick, brown fox jumped over the lazy
dogs. Put rectangles around the verbs on page 5,
sentences 1 - 10.
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Sometimes, when we talk about our schools gyms,
we have to distinguish between the two. How do we
do that? To get to the lockers, walk down the
hall between the auxiliary gym and the main gym,
Julie instructed. Sometimes we have to
distinguish between verbs, too. When we speak in
the future tense, the auxiliary verb helps out
the main verb, Julie instructed. Julie will
instruct us more tomorrow. Will is the
auxiliary verb, and instruct is the main
verb. Does anybody remember the other name for
auxiliary verbs? Julie hinted at it. Auxiliary
verbs are also called helping verbs.
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Some common auxiliary verbs are is, was, will be,
have, has, has been, will, will be, will have
been. They differ depending on the tense. (Tense
shows the time of the verbs action.) For
instance She was flying earlier today. She is
flying now. She will be flying tomorrow. She has
flown before. She has been flying for hours. She
had been flying before you got there. She will
have been flying when you get there. Turn to
packet page 5. Put diamonds around the auxiliary
verbs in sentences 1 through 10. (Some sentences
wont have auxiliary verbs.)
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Pick a sentence in your journal and rewrite it to
add or change an auxiliary verb. Then describe
what it does to the time the action takes
place. By the way, though auxiliary verbs may be
called helping verbs, they have a different
function from linking verbs. Auxiliary verbs help
main verbs. But linking verbs link nominals with
other nominals or with adjectives Paul is
president. He is happy. Linking verbs use some of
the same words as auxiliary verbs, like is.
Wheres the auxiliary verb in this sentence? Paul
is working. Paul is working.
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Turn to packet page 5. Circle the auxiliary verbs
and put a rectangle around the linking verbs in
sentences 11 through 14.
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Complete the writing practice worksheet for Unit
1. In your journal, write the units big
question How do I identify what role a targeted
word plays in a sentence? Write a journal entry
(1) addressing this question and (2) discussing
how the unit can help your writing, and (3)
describing what youre still unclear on and what
youd like to learn more about. This ends unit 1.