1.6: Grammar: Simple Sentences

This lesson is available as slides for classroom presentation.

Subjects and Verbs

Label the subject and verb in each sentence...

• San Diego has warm weather
• We live in San Diego County
• The weather today seems dry
• Grossmont College is in El Cajon
• Some students at this college are immigrants

Answers to the above exercise:

• San Diego (subject), has (verb)
• We (subject), live (verb)
• The weather (subject), seems (verb)
• Grossmont College (subject), is (verb)
• Some students at this college (students), are (verb)

Simple Sentence Patterns

A group of words with a subject and a verb is called a clause; a simple sentence has one clause

Simple sentences use four patterns:

• Subject + verb (noun phrase) or (prepositional phrase)
  • EX: San Diego has warm weather
  • EX: We live in San Diego County
• Subject + linking verb + adjective
  • EX: The weather today seems dry
• Subject + "be" + noun phrase
  • EX: Some students at this college are immigrants
• Subject + "be" + prepositional phrase
  • EX: Grossmont College is in El Cajon

Predicates

The part of the sentence or clause with the verb is called the "predicate"

• San Diego has warm weather

The subject is "San Diego" and the predicate is "has warm weather"

• We live in El Cajon

The subject is "we" and the predicate is "live in El Cajon"

Verbs

Verbs can show action or non-action

• Action verbs--jump, read, talk, ask
• Stative (non-action) verbs--understand, like, be, seem

Verbs change form to show time (past, present, and future), aspect, voice, and mood

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs are different from other verbs because they may be followed by an adjective. Other verbs may not. They are not the same as stative (non-action) verbs because most stative verbs cannot be followed by an adjective. For example...

• BAD EX: He owned nice
• BAD EX: She believed wonderful

The subject in a linking verb sentence may sometimes be "there" or "it"

• EX: It seems cold today
• EX: There are 26 students in this class

Practice What You Learned

The following sentences are about people and places. Identify the subject, verb or linking verb, noun phrase, adjective, and prepositional phrase in each sentence. You may find some adverbs as well...

• Grossmont College is a community college
• It is on Grossmont College Drive in El Cajon
• El Cajon is in East County
• Most Grossmont students travel to the college by car
• El Cajon has many attractive features
• There are libraries, parks, and schools
• Approximately 100,000 people live here
• The climate is Mediterranean
• The weather is usually warm and dry
• It seems hot today

Answers to the above exercise:

• The subject is "Grossmont College," the verb or linking verb is "is," the noun phrase is "a community college"
• The subject is "it," the verb or linking verb is "is," the prepositional phrase is "on Grossmont College Drive" and "in El Cajon
• The subject is "El Cajon," the verb or linking verb is "is," the prepositional phrase is "in East County"
• The subject is "most Grossmont students," the verb or linking verb is "travel," the prepositional phrase is "to the college by car"
• The subject is "El Cajon," the verb or linking verb is "has," the noun phrase is "many attractive features:
• The subject is "there," the verb or linking verb is "are," the noun phrase is "libraries, parks, and schools"
• The subject is "approximately 100,000 people," the verb or linking verb is "live," the noun phrase is "here"
• The subject is "the climate," the verb or linking verb is "is," the adjective is "Mediterranean"
• The subject is "the weather," the verb or linking verb is "is," the adjective is "warm and dry"
• The subject is "it," the verb or linking verb is "seems"

Watch This Video

Watch this video for another explanation of simple sentences...

Homework

Write five simple sentences about a place you know well. Label the parts of each sentence