“ I’ve never known a person who wasn’t interested in language.”

-Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct

Engaging Grammar: Practical Advice for Real Classrooms

Presented by Amy Benjamin

www.amybenjamin.com

Part Five:

On Your Feet!

Grammar on Your Feet:

The “Word Cards” may be used to establish the same concepts as the “Reading Rods.”

Other uses:

1. Act out the “reversibility” of adjectives: If two adjectives can exchange places, then you DO need a comma between them; if not, then you DON’T.

(AWESOME, FUZZY)

2. Act out the movability of adverbs (YESTERDAY, TODAY) and prepositional phrases (AT NIGHT, IN THE POND)

3.Act out the partnership between the subject and the verb.

4. Act out what happens when two clauses (subject-verb partnerships) combineto make a compound sentence. (THE HANDSOME PRINCE APPEARED,(AND, BUT, SO) THE PRINCESS RAN AWAY.

Grammar on Your Feet:

The “Word Cards” may be used to establish the same concepts as the “Reading Rods.”

Other uses:

7. Act out the concept that singular countable nouns (PANDA) requirea noun marker (THE). Non-countable nouns (MUD) and plurals (PENGUINS) donot require noun markers.

8. Use YESTERDAY and TODAY to locate the verb: the word that changes whenyou change the “time zone” is the verb.

9. Use SOMETHING to illustrate that a pronoun replaces the noun + its modifiers, not just the noun.

Use Post-It Notes for necessary additions and deletions (editing).

5. Act out the fact that modifiers, though important, do not form the core of the sentence (ask modifiers to sit down).

6. Act out the difference between an intransitive verb (verb that does not need a direct object: WADDLE) and a transitive verb (verb that needs or wants a direct object: WANT, LIKE).

Index of Word Cards for Grammar on your Feet

Independent Clauses (PINK): A handsome prince appeared The princess ran away

Verbs (YELLOW): waddle, fly (intransitive) like, want (transitive)

Nouns (GREEN): panda, monkey (countable) penguins, birds (countable, plural) mud (non-countable)

Adjectives (RED): awesome, fuzzy

Adverbs (ORANGE): yesterday, todayPrepositional phrases (ORANGE): in the pond, at night

Conjunctions: (BLUE), but, soConjunctive adverbs (PURPLE): moreover, furthermore; however; therefore

Noun marker: (RED) the

Punctuation: (WHITE) period, comma, semicolon

S (for plural nouns and singular third person verb form

a handsome prince appeared

This is an independent clause: It can stand alone as a complete sentence.

the princess ran away

This is an independent clause: It can stand alone as a complete sentence.

penguins

This is a count noun: It takes S to make it plural

waddle

This is an intransitive verb: It does not want a direct object.

,and

,but

,so

These are the most common coordinating conjunctions: Along with a comma, they can join two independent clauses to create a compound sentences. Most professional writers begin sentences with coordinating conjunctionsFOR EMPHASIS. Many teachers do not want you to begin sentences with coordinating conjunctions. Follow your teacher’s expectations.

the

This is the most common noun marker:When you see this word, expect a noun structure (single noun, noun phrase, or noun clause.

When S is added to a word, it could mean: Plural form of a noun Singular form of a verb, to match the third person singular subject With apostrophe, possessive form of a noun

s

in the pond

This is a prepositional phrase: It gives “where” information.

at night

This is a prepositional phrase: It gives “when” information.

awesome

This is an adjective: It answers the question WHAT KIND?

fuzzy

This is an adjective: It answers the question WHAT KIND?

today

This is an adverb: It answers one of these questions:WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW? TO WHAT EXTENT?HOW OFTEN?

This word will helpyou locate the verb.

yesterday

This is an adverb: It answers one of these questions:WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW? TO WHAT EXTENT?HOW OFTEN?

This word will helpyou locate the verb.

mud

This is a npn-count noun: It doesn’t like to add S to make it plural

panda

This is a count noun: It takes S to form the plural.

monkey

This is a count noun: It takes S to form the plural.

birds

This is a count noun: It takes S to form the plural.

want

This is a transitive verb: It wants a direct object.

like

This is a transitive verb: It wants a direct object.

fly

This is an in transitive verb: It does not direct object.

This is how you can tell where a nominal beings and ends. (By a nominal, we mean a noun, a noun phrase, or a noun clause.

Something

moreoverfurthermore

however

thereforeThese are conjunctive adverbs: They can easily begin sentences. With commas around them, they can move within their own clauses. They CANNOT join two independent clauses UNLESS you also have a semicolon (not a comma).