Sentence Diagramming

Understanding simple sentence structure (noun-verb)

Sentences convey a complete thought by answering two questions: Who (or what) did it? and What did they (he, she, or it) do?

In English, we put nouns and verbs together to make sentences.

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The following sentence has a noun/verb pattern.

The cat sat. (noun/action verb)

N/V noun/verb

cat sat

The

What is the noun?

What is the verb? Slide 2

Nouns have several functions (jobs). Nouns serve as the subjects of sentences.• The subject is one of two main parts of English sentences.• The subject names the person, place, or thing that the sentence is about.

The predicate is the second of the two main parts of English sentences.

•The predicate contains the main verb of the sentence.

•The predicate usually comes after the subject.

A simple sentence has one subject and one predicate.

•The subject answers: “Who (or what) did it?

•The predicate answers: What did they (he, she, or it) do? Slide 3

EXAMPLE: SIMPLE SENTENCE

The man ran.

Who did it? The man.

What did he do? ran

The following diagram shows how to build this sentence with a subject and predicate.

man ran

The

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In the following slides you will see a picture of an animated object. You are to make up an sentence with a noun and verb, then diagram it.

Have Fun!!

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In your journal write down the following sentences, then diagram them.

1. The dogs ran.

2. The fish swim.

3. A duck quacks.

4. A salamander’s slither.

5. The hyena yelps.

6. Giraffes can run.

7. A dinosaur rumbles.

8. The badger burrows.

9. A cat climbs.

10.The snakes slide.

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CLOSURE

By sentence diagramming

1. we will review the components of a sentence2. we will identify the two components of a basic sentence

and build sentences3. we will review that nouns name people, places and

things and that verbs describe actions4. we will learn that nouns can be subjects of sentences5. and we will learn that that predicate of a sentence

contains the verb.

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