Subject-Predicate & Conjunction Notes

Tuesday, September 6th

What makes a sentence legal?

• Good writers ask themselves, “Are these sentences legal?” To understand whether your sentences are legal (correct), you must understand subjects and predicates.

• Even the tiniest sentence must at least have both a subject and predicate.

• Subject-predicate “duo” • You must have a subject and predicate to

form a legal sentence.

Subject Predicate

Answers the question “Who or what did…?”

Answers question “What did the subject

do?”

Actor Action

Noun Verb

Jack Jack Jumping

Basic Sentence Elements:

Definitions:

Phrase A group of words that lacks the subject-predicate duo

Example: Jack, a big guy (lacks predicate)

Clause A group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate.

Example: Jack, a big guy, jumped.

Dependent Clause A group of words that contain at least one subject and predicate and can’t stand alone

Example: Because Jack, a big guy, jumped.

Independent Clause

A group of words that contain at least one subject and predicate and can stand alone

Example: Jack, a big guy, jumped.

Glue Words (or conjoiners)

Connecting elements or words that join parts of a sentence

Sample SentenceSentence: Jack finished the exam at noon.

To find the subject, ask yourself “who or what did…?”

Jack

To find the predicate, ask yourself “what the subject is doing, being, or having done to it?”

finished the exam at noon

Jack finished the exam at noon.

Directions: Find the subject and predicate in these simple sentences. CIRCLE the subject and underline the predicate.

1. Susan worked in the jungle. 2. John ate three hamburgers, six

pizzas, and a hot dog.3. I am a rocket scientist. 4. Snow and ice fell from the sky. 5. She was tired and sore.

Glue words include…

Coordinating Conjunctions

•Such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

•Remember FANBOYS

•If you put one of these words in front of a clause (“But Jack jumped”), the clause becomes dependent. If you put one of these words between two clauses, you must use a comma before it. You then have a compound sentence.

Directions: Circle the FANBOY in each sentence and place a comma before the circled FANBOY.

1. Jim had a real problem and he knew he would have to face it.

2. He was afraid to wait or he might not act at all.

3. Sam decided to call his sister so she would hear a warning from her brother first.

4. Jim called his sister three times yet she did not answer the phone.