December 19, 2013

Diagramming with adjectives and adverbs

It is essential that you learn the questions associated with determining the role of a

modifying word within a sentence .

First, remember that the job of a modifier is to describe:An adjective describes nouns and pronouns

It must have been a simple, beautiful fall wedding.

It must have been

a

simple

beautiful fall

wedding

An adjective will answer one of these 4 questions... Which one? (has the goofiest hair)

What kind? (of mega-ego do these guys have)

How many? (idiots can fill a hot tub)

How much? (Can we take of these fools?)Diagramming adj. and adv.

December 19, 2013

An adverb is a modifier, too...An adverb describes verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs

It certainly must have been a simply beautiful, fall wedding.

It

certainlymust have been

a

simply

beautifulfall

wedding

Now, here are the questions you MUST learn to determine if the modifying word is an ADVERB.

Think of a detective trying to solve a crime when you recall these 4 ADVERB questions...

WHERE? (...did the crime occur )WHEN? (...did the crime happen)WHY? (...such a senseless crime)HOW? (...is it that we have been on T.V. for 20 years! )

Diagramming adj. and adv.

December 19, 2013

The following exercise is taken from Rex Barks: Diagramming Sentences Made Easy by Phyllis Davenport

Page 17 Exercise 2-5: Diagram these sentences. Be careful to look for helping verbs and be sure that each modifier is attached to the word it modifies.

1. Harry has been listening carefully.2. Harry has not been listening carefully. (Clue: "not" answers how Harry listens.)

3. Lucy's blue sweater was thrown downstairs.4. Might that old lady have been sleeping there?5. Suddenly the booming thunder echoed hollowly.6. The big bad wolf huffed importantly.7. What child might be crying now?8. How they must have been laughing! 9. Away flew the silly geese. (Careful! What is the verb? Who or what is doing the action?)

10. May my sister play here?

Diagramming adj. and adv.

December 19, 2013

1. Harry has been listeningcarefully (how?)

2. Harry has been listening carefully

not (how?) (how?)

3. sweater was thrown

Lucy's (whose?)blue (what kind?)

downstairs (where?)

4. lady might have been sleeping that (w

hich one?)

sweet (w

hat kind?)

old (which one?)

there (where?)

5. thunder echoed

the

booming (w

hat kind?)suddenly (how

?)hollow

ly (how?)

6. wolf huffed

the big (w

hich one?)bad (w

hich one?)

importantly (how

?)

7. child might be crying

what ***

now (when?)

8. they must have been laughinghow***

Diagramming adj. and adv.

when

December 19, 2013

9. geese flew

the

silly (which one?)

away (where?)

10. sister may play

my (whose?)

here (where?)

11. who* has been whistling

(*who is an indefinite pronoun in this sentence)

12. everyone* was sniffling softly (how?)

(*everyone is an indefinite pronoun)

13. sun was streaming

a brilliant (what kind?)

everywhere (where?)

14. cookie was being baked

a very (how?)

big (which one?)

15. fireworks were explodingwildly (how?)

somewhere (where?)

16. sparrow sings

the

sweetly (how?)Diagramming adj. and adv.

December 19, 2013

17. cat came

an

extremely (how

?)

skinny (w

hat kind?)

old (which one?)

out (where?)

finally (when?)

cat came

an

extremely (how

?)

skinny (w

hat kind?)

old (which one?)

out (where?)

finally (when?)

OR

18. he talked afterward (when?)

politely (how?)

19. dawn was breaking

now (when?)

20. plants have been growing

those (which ones?)

rather (how?)

yellow (what kind?)

slowly (how?)

December 19, 2013