How to Diagram Sentences - WikiHow

How to Diagram Sentences: 13 Step teps (wi (with Pict ictures)

http://www www.wik wikiho ihow.com/index.php?t p?title=Diagram-Sentences&p s&printab...

How to Diagram Sentences Two Parts:

Part Pa rts s of Sp Spee eech ch

Diag Di agra ramm mmin ing g Se Sent nten ence ces s

Ques Qu esti tion ons s an and d An Answ swer ers s

Diagramming sentences might seem complicated at first, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it. Sentence diagramming enables you to visually understand the function of every part of a sentence, which helps you construct better sentences. Once you understand the essentials, diagramming a sentence can be like completing a Sudoku Sudoku or or a crossword puzzle. puzzle.

Part

1

1

Parts of Speech Review the parts of speech. speech . Understanding what nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions, conjunctions, prepositions, etc. are is essential to sentence diagramming. Nouns are words representing people, places, things, or ideas. Dog , computer , computer , Haiti , teacher , and dream Pronouns are words like he, he, she, she, they , it , or who or who,, which represent nouns. Verbs are action words. To run, run, to swim, swim, and to fly Adjectives are description description words words that apply to nouns. nouns. Blue in Blue in b l u e water water , big in in b ig baby , and smelly in in s m e l l y garbage garbage Adverbs, like adjectives, adjectives, are description description words; however, however, adverbs apply apply to verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Quickly in in q u i c k l y run, run, quite in quite in q u i t e slowly slowly , and very in in v e r y beautiful beautiful Conjunctions join clauses or words within the same clause. And , but , and or Joining independent clauses: "Jalissa took the car keys, and she drove to work." Joining words in the same clause: "Arturo likes apples and oranges equally."

Prepositions tell you how nouns in a sentence relate to one another. There are many prepositions. prepositions. Above, Above, on, on, in, in, between, between, through, through, and to Articles modify nouns nouns differently differently than adjectives. adjectives. They help make nouns nouns more specific. a, an, an, and the

2

Parse your sentence to find the different parts of speech. It speech. It is much easier to diagram a sentence if you already have an idea of the grammatical contents of that

sentence. You can write out and label the different words in the sentence, or you can simply note mentally which words serve what purpose. Some words are difficult to parse, so save those for last. Determine your subject and verb. These are the foundations of a sentence, and thus the foundations of a sentence diagram. The subject is a noun or pronoun that is performing the verb. The verb is the action of the sentence. The subjects of the following sentences are bold, bold, and the main verbs are italic .

How to Diagram Sentences: 13 Steps (with Pictures)

http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Diagram-Sentences&printab...

Children will listen. Though John doesn’t like broccoli, he will eat other vegetables. Vegetables disgust Felipe. Felipe was disgusted by vegetables. Ira gave Cho her necklace. Find the direct object if there is one. Direct objects are nouns or pronouns that are the recipients of the verb. From the above examples, Children will listen does not have a direct object; but, Vegetables disgust Felipe does. Felipe is the direct object of the verb disgust .

Part

2

1

Diagramming Sentences Draw a horizontal line with a small vertical line through the middle. To the left of the vertical line, write your subject. To the right of the vertical line, write your verb.

This is the most basic complete sentence.

2

Draw another vertical line stopping at the horizontal line if there is a direct object. To the right of this line, write the direct object.

In the above sentence, Vegetables disgust Felipe, vegetables is the subject, disgust is the verb, and Felipe is the direct object.

3

Place indirect objects beneath the verb. In general, indirect objects could take a preposition and so are drawn with a diagonal line coming off of the word they modify.

See step 6 for prepositions. In the above sentence, The farmers gave their kids fresh vegetables, farmers is t h e s u b j e c t , gave is the verb, vegetables is the direct object, kids is the indirect

object, the is an article, their is a possessive pronoun, and fresh is an adjective modifying vegetables.

4

Draw a slash if there is a p r e d i c a t e n o m i n a t i v e or p r e d i c a t e a d j e c t i v e. A predicate nominative is a noun, pronoun, or adjective that refers to the subject. The

verb preceding the predicate nominative or adjective is usually a linking verb, such as the forms of to be (is, are, was, etc.) or sense words (looks, smells, tastes, etc.). To the right of the slash, write the predicate nominative or adjective.

In the above sentence, Vegetables are disgusting , vegetables is the subject, are is a linking verb, and disgusting is t he predicate adjective. Note that pronouns following linking verbs should be in the nominative case: This is she or It is I and not This is her or It is me.

5

Place adjectives, adverbs, articles, and possessives on diagonal lines below the words they modify.

In the above sentence, The green vegetables are always disgusting , vegetables is the subject, are is the linking verb, disgusting is t he predicate adjective, green is an adjective modifying vegetables , the is an article, and always is an adverb modifying disgusting .

2 f6

1 02 2016 14 3


6


Begin prepositions like you would adjectives: Draw a diagonal line down. The object of the preposition goes on a horizontal line coming off the preposition line. In the above sentence, The kids threw the vegetables in the trash , kids is the subject, threw is the verb, vegetables is the direct object, in is a preposition, trash is the object of the preposition, and all three thes are articles.

7

Determine how any conjunctions are being used. If the sentence is a compound sentence made up of two independent clauses, the coordinating conjunction will connect via a bent, broken line. In the above sentence, The green vegetables are always disgusting, and I hate them, there are two independent clauses. Vegetables is the subject of the first clause, are is a linking verb, disgusting is the predicate adjective, the is an article, green is an adjective, and always is an adverb. I is the subject of the second clause, hate is the verb, and them is the direct object (it is a pronoun whose antecedent is vegetables). The two clauses are linked by the coordinating conjunction and. If the sentence is a simple sentence and the conjunction is joining words within it, you will split the line and join it by a broken line, or you will join two existing lines with a broken line.

In the first of the above sentences, I like fruits and vegetables, I is the subject, like is the verb, fruits and vegetables are the two direct objects, and and is t he conjuction joining the direct objects. In the second of the above sentences, Green and yellow vegetables are disgusting , vegetables is the subject, are is the linking verb, disgusting is the predicate adjective, always is an adverb modifying disgusting , green and yellow are adjectives modifying vegetables, and and is the conjunction joining the adjectives.

8

Draw appositives in parentheses next to the words they modify. Appositives are words that redefine or rename other words. Adjectives and articles that apply to the

appositive are drawn beneath the appositive word. In the above sentence, An unabashed herbivore, I like fruits and vegetables, I is the subject, like is the verb, fruits and vegetables are direct objects, and joins the direct objects, herbivore is in apposition to I , an is an article, and unabashed is an adjective modifying herbivore.

9

Place infinitive phrases on their own line, called a pedestal, beginning with a diagonal. Infinitives are the basic forms of verbs, often beginning with the word to, as

in to see or to walk or to eat . In the above sentence, I like to eat vegetables, I is the subject, like is the verb, to eat vegetables is an infinitive phrase made up of the verb to eat and the object vegetables .

10

Draw a staircase for gerunds. Gerunds are verbs ending in -ing that act as nouns, but often take direct objects. They are usually draw on a pedestal. In the above sentence, Eating vegetables is good for you , eating vegetables is a gerund phrase made up of the gerund eating and the object vegetables, is is a linking verb, good is the predicate adjective, for is a preposition, and you is the object of the preposition. Gerunds can also function as objects of prepositions. When functioning as the

3 f6

1 02 2016 14 3



object of a preposition, gerunds do not need a pedestal. In the above sentence, You can achieve a healthier lifestyle by eating vegetables , You is the subject, can achieve is a verb phrase, lifestyle is the direct object, by is a preposition, eating vegetables is a gerund phrase made up of the gerund eating and the object vegetables, healthier is an adjective modifying lifestyle, and a is an article. See Tips below for more information on verb phrases.

11

Draw noun phrases on pedestals. That , and other expletives like which, can introduce a noun phrase. In the above sentence, I wish that she ate more vegetables, I is the subject; wish is the verb; that she ate more vegetables is a noun clause introduced by the expletive that and made up of the subject she, the verb ate, the direct object vegetables , and the adjective more. Noun phrases do not always need an expletive. Sometimes it is simply understood, as in the sentence I wish she ate more vegetables. When the expletive is understood, draw an X in parentheses where the word would go.

Questions and Answers

Don’t see your question? Ask it here: Submit

4 f6

1 02 2016 14 3



Tips Words of direct address are written on their own lines above the subject. For example, in the sentence Chaequan, what would you like for dinner tonight?, Chaequan is a word of direct address, placed above the subject you. Would like is the verb, tonight is an adverb, dinner is the object of the preposition for , and what is the direct object. Beginning sentence diagramming can be confusing. Start with short, easy sentences, and build up from there. One of the best ways to learn to diagram sentences is to look at sentences that have already been diagrammed. There are many great resources on the web with hundreds of sentence diagrams, many of which have thorough explanations. Split contractions when necessary. If the word is they're, which stands for they are, the noun is they and the verb is are. If they is the subject, put it to the left of the vertical line, and place ’re to the right of the vertical line. Verb phrases are main verbs, like lift , cook , or drive, that have been paired with auxiliary, or helping, verbs, like will , can, or may , which create a sense of time and mood in English sentences. In the following examples, the main verbs are bold and the auxiliary verbs are italic . The two combined make the verb phrase. Note that adverbs are not part of the verb phrase even if they occur between the auxiliary and main verbs. She will lift the box. They can cook dinner for us tomorrow. You may not have dessert. ( No t is not part of the verb phrase) Sam would have liked this movie. (Depending on the intent, auxiliary verbs can be strung together.)

Sources and Citations http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com - Shared with permission. http://www.german-latin-english.com http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ - Used with permission of Capital Community College. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentence_diagram

Article Info

Categories: Featured Articles | English Grammar | Teacher Resources | Homeschooling | Writing In other languages:

Featured Article

Español: diagramar enunciados, Français: schématiser une phrase, Português: Diagramar Orações, Русский: рисовать диаграммы предложений, Deutsch: Sätze grafisch darstellen, Italiano: Rappresentare delle Frasi in Diagrammi, Nederlands: Zinnen ontleden met een diagram, Bahasa Indonesia: Membuat Diagram Kalimat

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 334,548 times.

f6

1 02 2016 14 3


6 f6


1 02 2016 14 3

How to Diagram Sentences - WikiHow

Recommend Documents