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KISS Grammar

A KISS Level 1 WorkbookA KISS Level 1 Workbook

Free, from the KISS Grammar Web Sitewww.KISSGrammar.org

© Ed Vavra

August 3, 2013

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Contents

Introduction—Welcome to KISS GrammarIntroduction—Welcome to KISS Grammar..........................................................................................................................................................66KISS Level 1. 1. Identifying Subjects & VerbsKISS Level 1. 1. Identifying Subjects & Verbs........................................................................................................................................99

1 - Is It a Sentence?............................................................................................................................9What Is a Sentence?........................................................................................................................9

1 - Is It a Sentence or a Phrase?................................................................................................112 - Recognizing Single-Word Verbs................................................................................................12

Single-Word Verbs.......................................................................................................................122 - From “Hansel and Grethel,” by Edric Vredenburg”............................................................13

3 - Finding the Complete Verb Phrase (Tenses)..............................................................................14Helping Verbs...............................................................................................................................14

3 - From “Hansel and Grethel,” by Edric Vredenburg............................................................154 - Finding the Complete Verb Phrase (Modal)...............................................................................16

Helping Verbs (Modal).................................................................................................................164. a. - From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales, by Edric Vredenburg......................................174. b. - Writing Sentences with Modal Helping Verbs..............................................................18

5 - Other Helping Verbs...................................................................................................................19Other Helping Verbs.....................................................................................................................19

5 - From At the Back of the North Wind, by George Macdonald..............................................206 - More Practice with Helping Verbs..............................................................................................21

6 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi........................................................217 - A Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise.....................................................................................................22

7 - The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, by Beatrix Potter...............................................................228 - A Passage for Analysis...............................................................................................................26

8 - “The Boy in the Barn”.........................................................................................................269 - Just for Fun..................................................................................................................................26

9 - Why the English language is so hard to learn (# 1).............................................................26KISS Level 1. 2 Adding Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, and PhrasesKISS Level 1. 2 Adding Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, and Phrases..............................2727

1. Identifying Nouns and Pronouns..................................................................................................27Identifying Nouns and Pronouns..................................................................................................27

1.a. From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet..............................................................................291.b From At the Back of the North Wind...................................................................................30

Exercises # 2 & 3 - Singular and Plural Nouns................................................................................31Nouns— Singular and Plural (Number).......................................................................................31

* 2 - Number - Creating Plurals...............................................................................................32* 3 - Number - Irregular Plurals...............................................................................................33

4 - Replacing Nouns with Pronouns.................................................................................................34Based on Introductory Lessons in English Grammar...............................................................34

5 - Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs...........................................................................................35Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs.............................................................................................35

5.a. - From At the Back of the North Wind by George Macdonald..........................................365.b. - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi....................................................37

6 - Identifying Phrases (Chunking and Modification)......................................................................38What is a “Phrase”?......................................................................................................................38

6.a. - From Sandman's Goodnight Stories................................................................................416. b. - From “Morning-glory”...................................................................................................42

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7 - Possessive Nouns and Pronouns Function as Adjectives............................................................43From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi..............................................................43

8 - Fill in the Blanks with Adjectives...............................................................................................44The Cat, the Monkey, and the Chestnuts – Aesop...................................................................44

9 - Adjectives (Synonyms)...............................................................................................................46Adapted from Voyages in English - Fifth Year........................................................................46

10 - Adjectives (Antonyms).............................................................................................................4610. Adapted from Voyages in English - Fifth Year..................................................................46

11 - The Logic of Adjectives and Adverbs......................................................................................47The Questions that Adjectives and Adverbs Answer...................................................................47

11.a. - Adapted from The Mother Tongue, Book II.................................................................4911.b. - Adapted from “Wonderwings” by Edith Howes..........................................................50

12 - A Passage for Analysis.............................................................................................................51“The Wolf and the Kid” from The ÆSOP for Children..........................................................51

KISS Level 1. 3. Adding Complements (PA, PN, IO, DO)KISS Level 1. 3. Adding Complements (PA, PN, IO, DO)..............................................................................................5353Identifying Complements.............................................................................................................53Identifying the Types of Complements........................................................................................54Examples of the Process for Identifying the Types of Complements..........................................56

1. - Identification - Mixed Complements.........................................................................................591. a. - Based on The Story of Miss Moppet, by Beatrix Potter..................................................591. b. - Based on The Story of Miss Moppet, by Beatrix Potter..................................................601. c. - The Crooked Sixpence....................................................................................................611. d. - Humpty Dumpty.............................................................................................................61

2. - A Focus on Predicate Adjectives...............................................................................................62Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan by Beatrix Potter..........................................62

3. - A Focus on Predicate Nouns......................................................................................................63From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi..............................................................63

4. - A Focus on Direct Objects.........................................................................................................64From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi..............................................................64

5. - A Focus on Indirect Objects.......................................................................................................65Based on Child-Story Readers: Wonder Stories 3....................................................................65

6. - A Focus on Zero Complements.................................................................................................66Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan, by Beatrix Potter.........................................66

7. - Verbs as Subjects or Complements............................................................................................67Verbs as Subjects or Complements..............................................................................................67

From At the Back of the North Wind, by George Macdonald...................................................688. - Predicate Adjective or Part of the Verb?...................................................................................69

Predicate Adjective or Part of the Verb Phrase?........................................................................69Based on The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, by Beatrix Potter.......................................................70

9. - Writing Sentences with Complements.......................................................................................7110. - A Passage for Analysis............................................................................................................72

From “Why Jimmy Skunk Wears Stripes” by Thornton W. Burgess.......................................7211. - Just for Fun...............................................................................................................................73

Tongue Twisters........................................................................................................................73KISS Level 1.4. - Coordinating Conjunctions and CompoundsKISS Level 1.4. - Coordinating Conjunctions and Compounds............................................................................7474

Coordinating Conjunctions and Compounding............................................................................741 - Mixed Compounds......................................................................................................................75

Based on The Tale of Tom Kitten, by Beatrix Potter................................................................752 - Compound Finite Verbs..............................................................................................................76

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From “The Story of the First Woodpecker” by Florence Holbrook.........................................763 - Compound Complements............................................................................................................77

Adapted from Voyages in English - Fifth Year.........................................................................774 - Writing Sentences with Compounds...........................................................................................775 - Sentence-Combining...................................................................................................................78

Combining Sentences by Compounding Verbs............................................................................78From “The White Fawn,” by Edric Vredenburg.......................................................................79

6 - Decombining Compounds...........................................................................................................80From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales by Edric Vredenburg................................................80

7 - A Passage for Analysis...............................................................................................................81The Robin..................................................................................................................................81

8 - Treasure Hunt / Creating an Exercise.........................................................................................81KISS Level 1. 5. Adding Simple Prepositional PhrasesKISS Level 1. 5. Adding Simple Prepositional Phrases........................................................................................................8282

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?...................................................................................................82Words That Can Function as Prepositions....................................................................................83

1 - Identifying Prepositional Phrases................................................................................................84Fill in the Blanks Adapted from Introductory Lessons in English Grammar..........................84

2 - The Functions of Prepositional Phrases......................................................................................85The Functions of Prepositional Phrases........................................................................................85How Prepositional Phrases Work in Sentences............................................................................86

2.a - Based on Introductory Lessons in English Grammar.......................................................872. b. - Based on Introductory Lessons in English Grammar....................................................88

3: Prepositions by Themselves Can Function as Adverbs...............................................................89Mama Skunk.............................................................................................................................89

4 - Prepositional Phrases as Indirect Objects...................................................................................90Based on Child-Story Readers: Wonder Stories 3....................................................................90

5 Compound Objects of Prepositions...............................................................................................91“He plays football on Saturdays”..............................................................................................91

6 - Separated Objects of Prepositions...............................................................................................92From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet by C. Collodi...............................................................92

7 - Writing Sentences with Compound Objects of Prepositions.....................................................938 - Rewriting Adjectives and Adverbs as Prepositional Phrases.....................................................94

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet (#1) by C. Collodi......................................................949 - Using Adjectives or Prepositional Phrases to Combine Sentences...........................................9510 - The Logic of Prepositional Phrases..........................................................................................96

What Prepositional Phrases Can Add to a Text............................................................................9610. a. - Adapted from Voyages in English................................................................................9710. b. - Adapted from Voyages in English................................................................................98

11 - Adding Prepositional Phrases of Time and Space...................................................................99Adapted from Voyages in English............................................................................................99

12 - Style—Left-, Right-, and Mid-Branching Prepositional Phrases...........................................100The Branching of Adverbial Prepositional Phrases....................................................................100

12. a. - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi..............................................10112. b. - My Porcelain Doll.......................................................................................................102

13 - Sentence Models for Writing with Style.................................................................................103Based on The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter...........................................................103

14 - Passages for Analysis..............................................................................................................10414. a. - “The Sea,” by Richard Henry Stoddard......................................................................10414. b. From “Mrs. Redwing’s Speckled Eggs”.......................................................................105

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15 - Write, Revise, Edit, and Analyze (Describing an Event)........................................................106KISS Level 1. 6. Case, Number, and TenseKISS Level 1. 6. Case, Number, and Tense............................................................................................................................................107107

1. The Antecedents of Pronouns.....................................................................................................107Antecedents of Pronouns...........................................................................................................107

From At the Back of the North Wind by George Macdonald.................................................1082. Recognizing Antecedents - Fill-in-the-Blanks...........................................................................109

From At the Back of the North Wind by George Macdonald.................................................1093 Pronouns as Subjects...................................................................................................................110

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi............................................................1104. Pronouns Person, Number, and Case.........................................................................................111

The “Person” in Personal Pronouns: Person, Number, and Case..............................................1114.a. - Adapted from “Wonderwings”......................................................................................1134.b. - “Grandfather Skeeter Hawk’s Story”............................................................................115

5. Pronouns: The Gender Question................................................................................................119Pronouns: The Gender Question.................................................................................................119

Pronouns: The Gender Question.............................................................................................1206. Writing Sentences with Personal Pronouns................................................................................121

6.a. - A Recipe Roster.............................................................................................................1216.b. Based on Introductory Lessons in English Grammar......................................................122

7. - Pronouns as Predicate Nouns...................................................................................................1237.a Adapted from Voyages in English.....................................................................................1237.b. - * Pronouns as Predicate Nouns (Choose)......................................................................1247. c. - * A Research Project.....................................................................................................125

8. Identifying Tenses......................................................................................................................126The Tense of Verbs: What Is It?.................................................................................................126

8.a. - Based on Introductory Lessons in English Grammar...................................................1278.b. - Changing Tenses—“The Clever Hen”...........................................................................128

9. Person, Number, Case, and Tense..............................................................................................129From At the Back of the North Wind, by George Macdonald................................................129

KISS Level 1. 7. Punctuation and CapitalizationKISS Level 1. 7. Punctuation and Capitalization........................................................................................................................130130Punctuating Sentences................................................................................................................130Commas......................................................................................................................................130Apostrophes................................................................................................................................131Quotation Marks.........................................................................................................................131

1 - The Importance of Punctuation.................................................................................................132Elizabeth, Eliza, Betsy, and Bess............................................................................................132

2 - Punctuating Sentences...............................................................................................................1333 - Capitalization............................................................................................................................134

Capital Letters.............................................................................................................................1344 - Commas in a Series...................................................................................................................1365 - Commas in Addresses and Dates..............................................................................................1376 - Apostrophes to Show Possession..............................................................................................138

Based on The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, by Beatrix Potter..............................................1387 - Apostrophes in Contractions.....................................................................................................139

Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan by Beatrix Potter........................................1398 - Quotation Marks.......................................................................................................................1409 - Replacing Lost Punctuation & Capitalization...........................................................................141

From “The Story of the First Woodpecker,” by Florence Holbrook......................................14110 - Creating an Exercise...............................................................................................................141

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KISS Level 1.8. - Vocabulary and LogicKISS Level 1.8. - Vocabulary and Logic....................................................................................................................................................1421421 - Abstract and Concrete Words...................................................................................................142

Abstract and Concrete Words.....................................................................................................142Adapted from Child-Story Readers: Wonder Stories.............................................................147

2 - Common and Proper Nouns......................................................................................................148Common and Proper Nouns........................................................................................................148

3 - Synonyms..................................................................................................................................1504 - Antonyms..................................................................................................................................1515 - Fill in the Blanks with Interesting Words.................................................................................1526 - The Logic of Words and Phrases..............................................................................................153

Word Families (Small and Big)..................................................................................................1547 - Suffixes.....................................................................................................................................156

7 A - Suffixes That Create Nouns: (State of Being, Condition, Quality)...............................1567 B - Suffixes That Denote People..........................................................................................1577 C - Suffixes That Create Nouns (Office, Place, Collection)...............................................1587 D - Suffixes That Create Nouns (Art, Science, Practice)....................................................1597 E - Suffixes That Create Adjectives (Quality)....................................................................1607 F - Suffixes That Create Adjectives (Power, Potential)......................................................1617 G - Suffixes That Create Adjectives (Relationship)...........................................................1627 H - Suffixes That Create Adjectives (Likeness).................................................................1637 I - Suffixes for Making Verbs..............................................................................................1647 J - Suffixes That Create Verbs from Nouns and Adjectives...............................................1657 K - Suffixes That Create Adverbs........................................................................................166

8 - Prefixes......................................................................................................................................167Some Common Prefixes (for Level 1.8).................................................................................167

9 - Roots.........................................................................................................................................168Identifying Roots.....................................................................................................................168

Introduction—Welcome to KISS GrammarIntroduction—Welcome to KISS GrammarIf you have worked with other approaches to grammar, you will probably see a difference in KISS.

The KISS Approach is designed to enable you to directly apply what you learn about grammar to

everything you read and also to your own writing. The exercises are almost all based on sentences from

real stories and poems, including the writing of students of your own age. The most important difference

with KISS grammar is that it should make sense to you. As you work your way into it, in other words,

you should quickly begin to see how much you already understand. And, because you will be able to

understand much about how sentences work, you should also begin to understand many of the “rules” for

writing and punctuation.

You are about to start KISS Level One—The Basic Concepts. By “basic,” KISS means those

grammatical constructions that are most important to a sentence (subjects, verbs, and complements), and

those constructions that most frequently appear in sentences (adjectives, adverbs, coordinating

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conjunctions, and prepositional phrases). If you work with KISS thoughtfully, you will find that by the

end of KISS Level One, you will probably be able to identify the grammatical construction of 90 % of the

words you read in any sentence. And you will be able to explain how these words affect the meaning of

that sentence. To do this, however, there are some things that you need to keep in mind:

1. There are some things that you are expected to always get right. The instructional material for the

second exercise in this book tells you that “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” and “has,” “had,”

and “have” (unless it follows “to”) are always verbs that you should underline twice. It is very

important that you remember this as soon as possible. Unlike most approaches to grammar, in

KISS you will always be underlining verbs twice. The words in the list are very common. The

sooner you remember them, the faster you will be able to do later homework assignments—and

do them correctly. There is not a lot of instructional material in KISS that you need to

memorize, but when you are told to do so, you will be doing yourself a favor.

2. Because you will be analyzing sentences from real texts, there are other things that you will be

expected to get wrong. Expect to make mistakes. Everyone made lots of mistakes as little

children. We all said things like “Daddy readed me a story” or “My brother cutted out the

pictures in the book.” We learn the general rules first, and only after we have learned them can

we begin to master the exceptions. Your teachers will know what you are expected to get right,

and what you are expected to get wrong. Following the suggestions you are being given, and

don’t worry about making mistakes.

3. Always work systematically. Most of the exercises are either a set of numbered sentences or a

short paragraph. In the early exercises, the directions are very simple—“Underline subjects

once, and verbs twice.” Work sentence-by-sentence. Find a verb (or verb phrase) in the first

sentence. Then find its subject by making a question with “Who or what” plus the verb. Then

look for another verb (or verb phrase) in that sentence. If you find one, find its subject. If there

are no more verbs in the sentence, you are finished with it. Do your best with a sentence, and go

on to the next. Do not jump all over the place in the exercise.

As you work through the book, things are added to the directions. For example,

prepositional phrases are added at KISS Level 1.5, but from that point on, finding prepositional

phrases is the first step:

1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase.

2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”

“IO,” or “DO”).

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As you get to these, continue to work sentence-by-sentence, and following the directions—in

sequence, with each sentence. In other words, 1.) find all the prepositional phrases in the first

sentence, and then 2.) underline the subjects, verbs, and complements in that sentence. Do your

best and then move on to the next sentence. You will find that this systematic approach will take

less time and result in more correct answers.

4. We humans have a tendency to worry about what we do not know or do not understand. Do not let

that frustrate you. From time to time, stop and look at how much you can already explain.

5. Have fun!

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KISS Level 1. 1. Identifying Subjects & VerbsKISS Level 1. 1. Identifying Subjects & Verbs

1 - Is It a Sentence?

Education is Everything (Detail) 1780

Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806)

What Is a Sentence?What Is a Sentence?

A sentence is a group of words that names something and then says something about what it

has named. Because the thing that is named is what the sentence is about, grammarians call it the

“subject.” The most important words that say something about the subject are called “verbs.” In

the following sentence, the subject is in green and is underlined once. The verb is in blue and is

underlined twice.

Birds fly.

Note that some sentences say something by asking a question about the subject.

Do birds fly?

In longer sentences, we speak of subject and verb phrases. In

The little words are the most difficult.

“words” is the subject, but because the words “The” and “little” go with “words,” we can call

“The little words” the subject phrase. Similarly, “the most difficult” go with “are,” so we can call

“are the most difficult” a verb phrase. A phrase, in other words, is a group of words that does not

contain both a subject and a verb that says something about the subject.

The following are examples of sentences:

April is the cruelest month.

Is April the cruelest month?

Bert likes baseball.

Does Bert like baseball?

Sarah was going to the museum.

Swimming can be good exercise.

Jane will have to work on Friday

The book was written by a child.

The following are examples of phrases, meaningful groups of words that do not contain a

subject/verb pattern:

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around the house

the bright, beautiful sun

going to the store

swimming in the pond.

were lonely and sad

on the table

There are thousands of verbs in English, and learning to recognize them is probably the

hardest part of understanding grammar. The next few exercises will help you. You will be

expected to make mistakes, but the next lessons will introduce you to some verbs that you will be

expected to always recognize correctly.

Note that many sentences will have more than one subject/verb pattern:

At supper, the food was passed around, and the glasses clashed together

till they rang again; while before the town-gate the mail-coach stopped

with twelve strange passengers.

Simply find a verb or verb phrase, find its subject, and then check for another verb and its subject

until there are no more verbs in the sentence. Then go to the next sentence.

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1 - Is It a Sentence or a Phrase?

Directions: Which of the following are sentences? Draw a line through each of the following that is NOT a sentence. In the sentences:

1. complete the punctuation with a period for a statement or a question mark for a question;2. underline the subject once, and the verb twice.

1. Fire burns

2. Full of apples

3. On the floor

4. Wasting his time

5. Is he well

6. Bitten by a dog

7. Eating a red apple

8. In the rain

9. The earth is round

10. May I go with you

11. On a square piece of velvet

12. Why did you fall

13. In the running water

14. The rose is red

15. Helping his mother

16. Sugar is sweet

17. Life is short

18. At my home by the sea

19. During the storm

20. When did you come

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Fillette au Grand Chapeau

1908 by

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

2 - Recognizing Single-Word Verbs

Single-Word VerbsSingle-Word Verbs

Many verbs express action that is performed by the subject. There are thousands of such verbs in English. The following are examples.

Ginger wrote a story. Bill argued with his friend. They went on a trip. Paula kept a diary.

Lance flew an airplane. Anthony rode in one. We built a snowman. My father paints houses.

Some common words do not express action, but they always function as verbs and therefore should always be underlined twice. The most common of these describe a “state of being.” Most of these verbs are forms of the verb “to be” — “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” and “were.” When used alone, these verbs state what the subject is, what kind of thing it is, or where it is:

Mysha was our cat. Their neighbor is nice. I am in the garden.

Other words that are always verbs and that express “state of being” are “seem,” “resemble,” and “become.”

The baby seems hungry. That store resembles a barn. The weather became nasty.

If you remember not just these words, but what the words mean, you should be able to recognize many other verbs. For example, “The weather turned nasty” means that the weather became nasty. Because “turned” means “became,” it functions as a verb and should be underlined twice.

The words “has” and “had” are always verbs, as is “have” (unless it follows the word “to” — you’ll learn more about that later).

Margaret has Ted’s book. The walls have pictures on them.

There are more words that function only as verbs. You’ll learn about many of them in later lessons. For now, you need to remember that:

“Am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” and “has,” “had,” and “have” (unless it follows “to”) are always verbs that you should underline twice.

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2 - From “Hansel and Grethel,”

by Edric Vredenburg”in My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales

Illustrated by Jennie Harbour

Directions: Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice.

1. Grethel shared her bread with Hansel.

2. We are ready.

3. Hansel peeped back at the house.

4. The mother led the children deep into the wood.

5. We have only half a loaf of bread.

6. It is the only means of escape for us.

7. In the back room were two nice little beds.

8. It was quite dark.

9. Nevertheless he comforted Grethel.

10. That is not a cat.

11. Hansel and Grethel were very happy.

12. I am Grethel's brother.

13. Then she gave them each a piece of bread.

14. These are better than pebbles.

15. The slice of bread was still smaller than the former piece.

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Illustrationby Kate Greenaway

3 - Finding the Complete Verb Phrase (Tenses)

Helping VerbsHelping Verbs

Some verbs “help” other verbs express differences in time or emphasis. The results are “verb phrases”:

Bobby is playing.

Bobby will be playing.

Bobby was playing.

Bobby had been playing.

Bobby will be playing.

Bobby will have been playing.

Bobby does play.

Bobby did play.

Bobby has played.

Bobby was going to play.

These helpers are usually forms of the verbs: be: is, are, was, were, am, be, being, beenhave: have, has, haddo: do, does, did, done

Note that “will,” “going to,” and “used to” are also used as parts of a verb phrase:

Sam will play tomorrow. They were going to play baseball. Toni also used to play baseball.When you underline verbs, be sure to underline all the helping verbs

in the verb phrase.

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3 - From “Hansel and Grethel,”

by Edric Vredenburgin My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales



1. Why did you sleep so long in the wood?

2. You had better make the coffins for us.

3. The crumbs of bread will show us the way home.

4. Thousands of birds had been flying about in the woods and fields.

5. But Hansel used to stretch out a bone.

6. But Hansel still kept dropping crumbs.

7. We are going to walk into the forest to chop wood.

8. What will become of us?

9. They had never been that deep in the woods before.

10. “That will be too much weight for the Duck, she shall take us over one at a

time.”

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Illustration by Blanche Fisher Wright

4 - Finding the Complete Verb Phrase (Modal)

Helping Verbs (Modal)Helping Verbs (Modal)

As you try to identify verb phrases, remember that the following words often function as “helping”

verbs and are thus part of the verb phrase.

Can and Could They can see the parade from here.

But Samantha could see it from there.

Dare Do they dare go to the cemetery?

May and Must Charlie Brown may have seen the Great Pumpkin.

Charlie, you must not kick that football.

Might You might see Venus on a clear night.

Need They need only ask for help.

Ought Bobby ought to practice more if he wants to be a better player.

Shall and Should Cinderella shall not go to the ball.

You should read more fairy tales.

Will and Would Cinderella, you will go to the ball.

A fairy Godmother would be a big help.

Note that “had better” means the same as “should”:

They should weed the garden.

They had better weed the garden.

Thus “better” is considered part of the verb phrase.

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4. a. - From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales,

by Edric Vredenburg



1. How can I accept him? [“Goldenhair”]

2. Her grandmother could not do enough for her. “Little Red Riding Hood”]

3. I shall not ever dare to show my face to my friends. [“Snow-White and Rose-Red”]

4. You may fall and break the bottle. [“Little Red Riding Hood”]

5. I must act cleverly. [“Little Red Riding Hood”]

6. The old woman might eat Grethel as well as Hansel. [“Hansel and Grethel”]

7. You will not need to use this at all. [“Bluebeard”]

8. She ought not to open that one particular door. [“Bluebeard”]

9. I shall miss the poor children.[“Hansel and Grethel”]

10. The children should not be cold. [“Hansel and Grethel”]

11. Then we will quickly find the way. [“Hansel and Grethel”]

12. Who would have thought that? [“The White Fawn”]

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Edouard Manet's

The Railway1872-73

4. b. - Writing Sentences

with Modal Helping Verbs

Directions: Write sentences using each of the following words as helping verbs. In each sentence, underline the subjects once and the verbs twice.

1. can

2. could

3. dare

4. may

5. must

6. might

7. need

8. ought

9. shall

10. should

11. will

12. would

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Illustration by Blanche Fisher Wright

5 - Other Helping Verbs

Other Helping VerbsOther Helping Verbs

Some helping verbs show the beginning, continuation, or ending of an action. For example: begin He will begin to swim in the morning.

They began playing the game (C).

start Bobby is starting to draw a picture (C). Sandi started reading a story (C).

continue The rabbit continued to run away. Blackie Crow will continue to fly high in the sky.

keep (on) Bobtail kept on eating nuts (C). Bobby will keep climbing into the trees.

stop Mrs. Duck stopped swimming in the pond. They will stop playing soon.

Other helping verbs show an attitude toward an action. For example: like Sammy Squirrel likes eating nuts (C).

Would you like to go to the park?

love The ducks love to swim. Bobtail does not love flying.

hate Children hate to go to bed early. Bobtail hates flying.

want Blackie Crow will want to fly to the party.

try Bobby will try to fly too.

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5 - From At the Back of the North Wind,

by George Macdonald Simplified by Elizabeth Lewis; Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk

Directions: Underline every finite verb twice, and its subject(s) once.

1. The wind was beginning to blow.

2. I will try to find a better one.

3. I don’t want to get in.

4. He started to rush up after her.

5. His eyelids kept tumbling down over his eyes.

6. He began to feel almost warm once more!

7. I want to go to sleep!

8. It kept worrying her.

9. She began weaving her hair together.

10. I should not like to live here.

21

6 - More Practice with Helping Verbs

6 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet,

by C. Collodi

Directions: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once.

1. The furniture could not have been simpler—a rickety chair, a poor bed, and a

broken-down table.

2. Opinions ought to be respected.

3. Then you must choose an art, or a trade, according to your own wishes.

4. No one dared to breathe.

5. Do you happen to know Pinocchio?

6. Geppetto appeared to recognize his son.

7. And besides the bread you shall have a nice dish of cauliflower.

8. A low voice seemed to come from the other world.

9. He must have gone to have his breakfast.

10. You had better suck some liquorice lozenges to cure that cold in your throat.

22

7 - A Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise

7 - The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher,by Beatrix Potter

Directions: The verbs in the following text have been replaced by blanks. Fill in the blanks with

verbs that make sense. Try to use interesting, descriptive verbs—instead of “went,” try “trotted,”

“bounced,” “skipped,” etc.

ONCE upon a time there __________ a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher; he

__________ in a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond.

THE water __________ all slippy-sloppy in the larder and in the back passage.

But Mr. Jeremy __________ getting his feet wet; nobody ever __________

him, and he never __________ a cold!

HE __________ quite __________ when he __________ out and __________

large drops of rain, splashing in the pond—

“I __________ __________ some worms and __________ fishing and

__________ a dish of minnows for my dinner,” __________ Mr. Jeremy Fisher.

“If I __________ more than five fish, I __________ __________ my friends Mr.

Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise and Sir Isaac Newton. The Alderman, however,

__________ salad.”

MR. JEREMY __________ on a macintosh, and a pair of shiny goloshes; he

__________ his rod and basket, and __________ off with enormous hops to the

place where he __________ his boat.

THE boat __________ round and green, and very like the other lily-leaves. It

__________ __________ to a water-plant in the middle of the pond.

23

MR. JEREMY __________ a reed pole, and __________ the boat out into

open water. “I __________ a good place for minnows,” __________ Mr. Jeremy

Fisher.

MR. JEREMY __________ his pole into the mud and __________ his boat to

it.

Then he __________ himself cross-legged and __________ his fishing tackle.

He __________ the dearest little red float. His rod __________ a tough stalk of

grass, his line __________ a fine long white horse-hair, and he __________ a little

wriggling worm at the end.

THE rain __________ down his back, and for nearly an hour he __________ at

the float.

“This __________ __________ tiresome, I __________ I __________

__________ some lunch,” __________ Mr. Jeremy Fisher.

HE __________ back again amongst the water-plants, and __________ some

lunch out of his basket.

“I __________ __________ a butterfly sandwich, and __________ till the

shower __________ over,” __________ Mr. Jeremy Fisher.

A GREAT big water-beetle __________ up underneath the lily leaf and

__________ the toe of one of his goloshes.

Mr. Jeremy __________ his legs up shorter, out of reach, and __________ on

eating his sandwich.

ONCE or twice something __________ about with a rustle and a splash

amongst the rushes at the side of the pond.

“I __________ that __________ not a rat,” __________ Mr. Jeremy Fisher; “I

__________ I had better __________ away from here.”

24

MR. JEREMY __________ the boat out again a little way, and __________ in

the bait. There __________ a bite almost directly; the float __________ a

tremendous bobbit!

“A minnow! a minnow! I __________ him by the nose!” __________ Mr.

Jeremy Fisher, jerking up his rod.

BUT what a horrible surprise! Instead of a smooth fat minnow, Mr. Jeremy

__________ little Jack Sharp the stickleback, covered with spines!

THE stickleback __________ about the boat, pricking and snapping until he

__________ quite out of breath. Then he __________ back into the water.

AND a shoal of other little fishes __________ their heads out, and __________

at Mr. Jeremy Fisher.

AND while Mr. Jeremy __________ disconsolately on the edge of his boat—

sucking his sore fingers and peering down into the water—a MUCH worse thing

__________; a really FRIGHTFUL thing it __________ __________ __________,

if Mr. Jeremy __________ not __________ __________ a macintosh!

A GREAT big enormous trout __________ up—ker-pflop-p-p-p! with a splash

—and it __________ Mr. Jeremy with a snap, “Ow! Ow! Ow!”—and then it

__________ and __________ down to the bottom of the pond!

BUT the trout __________ so __________ with the taste of the macintosh, that

in less than half a minute it __________ him out again; and the only thing it

__________ was Mr. Jeremy’s goloshes.

MR. JEREMY __________ up to the surface of the water, like a cork and the

bubbles out of a soda water bottle; and he __________ with all his might to the

edge of the pond.

HE __________ out on the first bank he __________ to, and he __________

home across the meadow with his macintosh all in tatters.

25

“WHAT a mercy that __________ not a pike!” __________ Mr. Jeremy

Fisher. “I __________ __________ my rod and basket; but it __________ not

much matter, for I __________ sure I __________ never __________ __________

to go fishing again!”

HE __________ some sticking plaster on his fingers, and his friends both

__________ to dinner. He __________ not __________ them fish, but he

__________ something else in his larder.

SIR ISAAC NEWTON __________ his black and gold waistcoat,

AND Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise __________ a salad with him in a string

bag.

AND instead of a nice dish of minnows—they __________ a roasted

grasshopper with lady-bird sauce; which frogs __________ a beautiful treat; but I

__________ it __________ __________ __________ nasty!

26

8 - A Passage for Analysis

8 - “The Boy in the Barn”

Directions: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once.

A little boy went into a barn,

And lay down on some hay.

An owl came out, and flew about,

And the little boy ran away.

This illustration and poem are from The Real Mother Goose. Illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1916.

9 - Just for Fun

9 - Why the English language is so hard to learn (# 1)

Directions: Underline verbs twice, and their subjects once.

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.

2. We must polish the Polish furniture.

3. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

4. I did not object to the object.

5. They were too close to the door to close it.

27

KISS Level 1. 2 Adding Nouns, Pronouns,KISS Level 1. 2 Adding Nouns, Pronouns,

Adjectives, Adverbs, and PhrasesAdjectives, Adverbs, and Phrases

1. Identifying Nouns and Pronouns

Vincent van Gogh's(1853-1890)

Self-Portraitwith Bandaged Ear

1889

Identifying Nouns and PronounsIdentifying Nouns and Pronouns

NounsWords that name people, places, or things are nouns:

dad, sister, friend, Mr. Jones,

park, school, New York,

tree, apple, car, air, idea, health

Note that many nouns name things that you can see, but others name things such as “air,” “idea,”

or “health” that cannot be seen.

PronounsPronouns are words that act like nouns but do not name specific people, places, or things.

They are often used to take the place of nouns:

Karla and George went to the store.

They went to the store.

Pronouns can stand in for a noun anywhere in a sentence.

(continues)

28

The following words can be pronouns. You need not remember the top row (“Subjects,”

etc.). It is there to suggest how the different pronouns function in sentences.

Subjects Objects Possessive IntensiveI

we you he she it

they who

me us

(you) him her (it)

them whom

mine ours yours

his hers its

theirs

myself ourselves

yourself (yourselves) himself herself itself

themselves

Other words that can be pronouns are:

which, what, this, that some, someone, something, somebody

any, anyone, anything, anybody

Some of these words, like “his,” her,” “this,” “that,” “some,” and “any” can be pronouns, but

sometimes they function as adjectives:

Where is his book? His is in the car.

This tastes good (PA). This ice cream tastes good (PA).

Similarly, some words can be nouns or verbs. The real test is how a word functions in a

sentence. “Fish,” for example, can be a noun or a verb:

Noun:The fish were swimming in the pond.

They were watching the fish (DO).

Verb: Billy and Jane fish in the pond.

29

Identifying Nouns and Pronouns

1.a. From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet by C. Collodi

Directions:1. Underline verbs twice, subjects once.2. Then put a circle around each noun and a rectangle around each pronoun.

1. “That is true, that is true!” said Pinocchio. “I will never do it again.”

2. Just then he thought he saw something in the dust-heap.

3. “What has brought you to me, neighbor Geppetto?”

4. “Who are you?”

5. While this was going on someone knocked at the door.

6. “She has fallen seriously ill, and she has not even enough to buy herself a

mouthful of bread.”

7. “Are you coming with us or are you going to remain behind?”

8. Without any shame he said to the little boy to whom he was talking: “Would you

lend me a dime until tomorrow?”

9. “We must escape through the mouth of the Dog-Fish, throw ourselves into the

sea and swim away.”

10. Pinocchio, who up to that moment had lain immovable, like a real piece of

wood, was seized with a fit of convulsive trembling that shook the whole bed.

30

Identifying Nouns and Pronouns

1.b From At the Back of the North Wind

by George Macdonald Simplified by Elizabeth Lewis; Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk

Directions: 1. Underline verbs twice, subjects once. 2. Then put a circle around each noun and a rectangle around each pronoun.

Diamond soon found the woven nest and crept into it. The next moment he was

rising in the air. North Wind grew towering up to the place of the clouds. Her hair

went streaming out from her till it spread like a mist over the stars. She flung

herself abroad in space. Diamond made a little place through the woven meshes of

her hair and peeped through that, for he did not dare look over the top of his nest.

31

Exercises # 2 & 3 - Singular and Plural Nouns

Nouns— Singular and Plural (Number)Nouns— Singular and Plural (Number)

Number is that form or use of a word by which it denotes one or more than

one. The singular number of a noun is the form or use of it that denotes one. The

plural number of a noun is the form or use of it that denotes more than one.

Five rules for forming plurals.

Rule 1. Most nouns add s to the singular to form the plural.

books, rats, lions, cars

Rule 2. When the singular ends in a hissing letter or letters, such as s, z, sh, ch

(sounded as in the word church), and x, the plural is formed by adding es to the

singular.

hisses, kisses, sashes, latches

Rule 3. When the singular ends in y preceded by a vowel, the plural is formed by

adding s to the singular.

bays, keys, volleys, toys, guys

Rule 4. When the singular ends in y preceded by a consonant, the y is changed into

i and es is added to form the plural.

Spy—spies, sky—skies, belfry—belfries

Rule 5. Most nouns ending in f or fe form their plurals by adding s to the singular;

some by dropping the f or fe and adding ves.

fifes, skiffs, cliffs, strifes, half—halves, shelf—shelves

Adapted from Introductory Lessons in English Grammar for Use in Intermediate Grades, by Wm. H. Maxwell

32

The Oath of the Horatii 1784

by David, Jacques Louis (1748-1825)

* 2 - Number

- Creating Plurals

Directions: Write the plural of each of the following nouns, and give the number of the rule for making it.

sailor

horse

donkey

star

watch

pony

lady

chief

wife

monkey

apple

knife

valley

lash

church

shelf

mass

tiger

fox

story

circus

rose

tree

camp

witness

turkey

life

calf

half

cow

river

lake

wolf

kiss

glove

dove

muff

rush

grass

glass

window

lamp

piece

thief

strife

eye

fly

sigh

bench

leaf

loaf

dwarf

beef

sheaf

brush

boss

index

suffix

prefix

coach

33

* 3 - Number

- Irregular Plurals

The Railway(1872-73)

byEdouard Manet

(1832-1883)

Many nouns form their plurals irregularly. There is no better way to learn these

forms than to study them one by one. A few are given below. Study them so that you

will be able to give the plural when you hear the singular, or the reverse.

Singular Plural Singular Plural

ox

mouse

goose

man

woman

child

tooth

oxen

mice

geese

men

women

children

teeth

foot

penny

cow

brother

die

cherub

seraph

feet

pennies or pence

cows or kine

bothers or brethren

dies or dice

cherubs or cherubim

seraphs or seraphim

Select five of the words in the list above and write two sentences for each. In one

sentence, use the noun in the singular. In the second sentence, use it in the plural.

34

4 - Replacing Nouns with Pronouns

Based on

Introductory Lessons in English Grammar

By Wm. H. Maxwell, M.A.

Chrysanthemums (Vase fleuri) 1896-1898

by Paul Cezanne

Directions:1. Improve the following sentences by using pronouns instead of certain other words. 2. Underline subjects once and their verbs twice.

1. Frank learned Frank’s lessons before Frank went to school.

2. The kitten ate the kitten’s breakfast.

3. Robert and George took Robert’s and George’s skates and went to the lake.

4. The girls ate the girls’ lunch under a large tree.

5. Jennie and Bertie are happy because Jennie and Bertie are good.

6. The little dog ate the little dog’s meat and drank the little dog’s milk.

7. The children were frightened at the elephant because the elephant was so large.

8. My brother was cutting wood, and my brother cut my brother’s foot.

9. Mary said that Mary had finished Mary’s work, but Mary was mistaken.

10. John’s father told John that John must learn John’s lesson before John went to

school.

11. Walter said, “Give Walter Walter’s dinner.”

35

5 - Identifying Adjectives and Adverbs

Identifying Identifying AdjectivesAdjectives and and AdverbsAdverbs

Adjectives and adverbs describe (modify the meaning of) other words in a sentence.

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. Therefore:

A word (or construction) that describes a noun or pronoun functions as (and therefore is) an adjective.

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Therefore:

A word (or construction) that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb functions as (and therefore is) an adverb.

“A,” “an,” and “the” always function as adjectives. “A” and “an” indicate that the

word modified refers to anything named by the noun or to something that is not

specifically known to the person spoken to. For example, “A man never cries,” means

that any man never cries. In “A man was walking down the road,” the speaker or writer

implies that the person hearing or reading does not know the identity of the man. On the

other hand, “The man was walking down the road,” means that the people hearing or

reading already know which man is being talked or written about.

36

In order to tell if a word is an adjective or an adverb, you should first look at the

word in the context of a sentence. Thus, in the sentence:

The little swan proudly blew his trumpet.

“The” and “little” are adjectives because they describe the noun “swan.” “Proudly”

describes how he “blew.” Since “blew” is a verb, “proudly” is an adverb. Similarly, “his”

describes the noun “trumpet,” so “his” is an adjective.

37

5.a. - From At the Back of the North Wind by George Macdonald

Simplified by Elizabeth Lewis; Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk

Directions: 1. Underline every subject once and every verb twice. 2. Put a box around every adjective and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies.3. Make an oval around every adverb and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies.

1. A gentle air breathed softly in his face.

2. She had on a most beautiful ring with a rich red stone in it.

3. Oh yes, the big yellow moon came down closer and closer to the grass in front

of me.

4. The North Wind swooped down and tucked Diamond snugly in amongst some

flags.

5. He saw a squirrel appear suddenly and as suddenly vanish among the top-most

branches.

6. She was settling quietly down on a grassy hill side in the midst of a wild, furzy

common.

7. Diamond taught Nanny how to read and as she was a very clever little girl, she

picked it up very fast.

8. I have seen Nanny a great many times since you have, and that is she.

9. She melted slowly away till all that was left was a pale face with two great lucid

eyes in it.

10. Now the wind was blowing furiously, but old Diamond finally got to Miss

Coleman’s house.

38

5.b. - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet,

by C. CollodiDirections: 1. Underline every subject once and every verb twice. 2. Put a box around every adjective and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies.3. Make an oval around every adverb and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies.

1. A lively little old man immediately walked into the shop.

2. The poor Cricket had scarcely breath to cry “Cri-cri-cri!”

3. I will immediately buy for my papa a beautiful new cloth coat.

4. The lame Fox began to laugh rudely and scornfully.

5. The poor old man must have sighed yesterday.

6. Disobedient boys never come to any good in the world.

7. In the meantime a tempestuous northerly wind began to blow and roar angrily.

8. The wind beat the poor puppet from side to side and made him swing violently.

9. Pinocchio awkwardly climbed the trunk of a very high pine tree and seated himself

in the topmost branches.

10. In the gloom two evil-looking dark figures were completely enveloped in charcoal

sacks.

39

6 - Identifying Phrases (Chunking and Modification)

What is a “Phrase”?What is a “Phrase”?

Study:At a

Reading Desk 1877 by

Fredrick LordLeighton (1830-1896)

A “phrase” is a group of words that work together as one. Adjectives, for example, modifying nouns

and by doing so form noun phrases:

the old fir tree

Similarly, adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and by doing so they form phrases:

Verb phrases: came quickly

Adjectival phrases: very beautiful

Adverbial phrases: too slowly

Phrases grow as more words are added to them or as they connect to other words. Phrases are named by

the most important word in them. Thus

very beautiful house

is called a noun phrase because the “very” modifies “beautiful,” and “beautiful” modifies the noun

“house.”

Two Ways of Looking at Sentences—Modification and ChunkingWhen we talk about “modification,” we are looking at the way a word modifies, or affects the

meaning of the word it modifies. There is, however, another important way of looking at sentences.

Almost every word in every sentence connects to another word (or construction) in its sentence until all

these words end up connected to a main subject and verb in the sentence. Linguists (people who study

how language works) call this connecting “chunking.” You will be learning more about this later, but for

now we are simply interested in adjectival and adverbial phrases. Consider the following sentence:

The little boy runs very quickly.

The adjectives “The” and “little” modify (and thus chunk to) the noun “boy.” In other words, they form a

noun phrase that functions as the subject of the sentence. Similarly, the adverb “very” modifies (chunks

to) the adverb “quickly,” and “quickly” modifies (chunks to) the verb “runs.” They thus form a verb

phrase that functions as the verb in the sentence.

40

About these Exercises on PhrasesThe following exercises ask you to focus on noun and verb phrases. You really do not want

to work with simple sentences such as “The little boy runs very quickly.” You can do better than

that. Therefore, the sentences in the exercises are more complicated. The directions for all these

exercises are:

1. Underline every subject once and every verb twice.

2. Label every noun (N), every pronoun (PRN), adjective (J), and adverb (A).

3. Draw a box around every noun phrase and an oval around every verb phrase.

4. If parts of a phrase are separated by other words, draw a line to connect from box

to box or from oval to oval to connect the parts of the phrase.

The exercises include some words that function in ways that you have not studied yet. In the

exercises, these words are in bold. For these exercises, you should simply ignore those words.

For example,

In return Simon gave them a place to sleep on the floor of the attic.

In this sentence, “In,” “to sleep on,” and “of” are in bold, so you should ignore them. Having

completed KISS Level 1.1, you should be able to identify “Simon gave” as a subject and verb.

Next you have to label every noun, pronoun, adjective, and adverb. You will need to do

some thinking, but remember that you are expected to make some mistakes. “Return,” for

example, could be a verb, but here it does not have a subject, so it probably functions as a noun.

You should easily recognize “them” as a pronoun. Similarly, “a” and “the” are always adjectives.

After you follow direction number two, your paper should look something like:

In return (N) Simon (N) gave them (PRN) a (J) place (N) to sleep on the (J) floor

(N) of the (J) attic (N).

The nouns “return” “Simon” are not modified, so they are simple nouns, but “place,” “floor,”

and “attic” are modified, so you should have boxes around three noun phrases: “a place,” “the

floor,” and “the attic.”

(Continues)

41

Split phrases Sometimes, modifiers are separated from the words they modify. For example:

Maybe she will give me a new red coat.

In this sentence, “Maybe” modifies (chunks to) “will give.” In cases like this, draw an oval

(because “maybe” is an adverb) around “Maybe” and around “will give.” Connect the two ovals

with a curved line.

Dr. Vavra, the developer of KISS Grammar, truly believes that you are smart and can find

the noun and verb phrases in even more complicated sentences. The following examples include

constructions that you will be learning about later, not only in KISS Level 1, but also in KISS

Level 3.

More than one subject or verb -- “and” You may have already seen subjects that have more than one verb and verbs that have more

than one subject. Technically, these are called “compounds.” They are the focus of KISS Level

1.4, and they are usually joined by “and.” For now, simply remember to look for all the subjects

that go with a verb and for all the verbs that go with a subject. (Note that the “and” in the

following sentence is in bold. You are not expected to explain it, but you should be able to

identify both of the subjects of “hurried.”

The Fairies and the Goblins hurried to the kitchen in the hollow.

Multiple subject/verb patterns As in the following example, many sentences have more than one subject/verb pattern. A

subject/verb pattern and all the phrases that chunk to it is called a “clause.” You will be studying

clauses in KISS Level 3. For now, simply remember to look for all the subject/verb patterns in a

sentence.

“You speak truly, brother,” said another tree.

Note that the example includes the word “brother.” You have not yet studied the function of

“brother,” but you should be able to identify it as a noun.

Remember—being smart does not mean that you will not make mistakes. Smart people

make lots of mistakes—and they learn from them. Ideally, your teacher will go over these

exercises with you to help you understand your mistakes.

42

Identifying Phrases

6.a. - From Sandman's Goodnight Stories

by Abbie Phillips Walker; Illustrated by Rhoda C. Chase

Directions:1. Underline every subject once and every verb twice. 2. Label every noun (N), pronoun (PRN), adjective (J), and adverb (A). 3. Draw a box around every noun phrase and an oval around every verb phrase. 4. If parts of a phrase are separated by other words, draw a line to connect from box to box or from oval

to oval to connect the parts of the phrase.

1. Dicky Duck was a very wise young fellow.

2. Mr. Fox could see that he was a nice plump duck.

3. Now it longed to climb, but it was too small.

4. The little violets never would dare show their timid little heads.

5. The poor, lonely, sad little Morning-glory promised to do anything.

6. I should hate to show my miserable little self to such a big, fine-looking creature

as you are.

7. The summer came again, and up came the little Glory, but it was a sad little

flower.

8. As they talked all the spring flowers awoke and the insects began lazily to

stretch their wings.

9. The Little Fairy flew to the willow tree beside the river and tripped lightly

along a slender bough.

10. Then the cold days came and the poor little Glory grew faded and had to crawl

under the dead leaves for protection.

43

Identifying Phrases

6. b. - From “Morning-glory”From Sandman's Goodnight Stories

by Abbie Phillips Walker; Illustrated by Rhoda C. ChaseDirections:1. Underline every subject once and every verb twice. 2. Label every noun (N), every pronoun (PRN), adjective (J), and adverb (A). 3. Draw a box around every noun phrase and an oval around every verb phrase. 4. If parts of a phrase are separated by other words, draw a line to connect from box to box or from oval

to oval to connect the parts of the phrase.

Once upon a time a very little Morning-glory grew on the end of a high vine.

One day the wind was blowing, and a brisk breeze passed by the little Morning-

glory. The Morning-glory wished that it, too, could go along and see more of the

world. The big mother vine knew what was in the heart of her little Glory. She

whispered soft words of love to it and told the little flower that it must never

follow the breeze. The breeze was a wanderer and might take the little Morning-

glory far from its home. There it would be very unhappy and perhaps die out in

the cold world. But the silly little Morning-glory still wanted to leave the big vine.

The next time the breeze came along the little Morning-glory pushed up its head

and the breeze took it off the big vine and bore it along with it far, far away.

44

7 - Possessive Nouns and Pronouns Function as Adjectives

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet,

by C. Collodi

Possessive nouns function as adjectives:

That is Anthony’s house. It is his house. This is the dog’s house. It is its house.

Directions: 1. Underline every subject once and every verb twice. 2. Circle every adjective and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies. 3. Put a box around every adverb and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies.

1. They clapped their hands and applauded him.

2. He saw his yellow wig in the puppet’s hand.

3. In fact the cat had lost her paw with all its claws.

4. Pinocchio’s legs were stiff and he could not move.

5. He carried a large whip made of snakes and foxes’ tails.

6. It’s Pinocchio’s gold pieces.

7. A big fish was going quietly on its own business with its head out of the water.

8. She combed her whiskers with her forepaws.

9. Pinocchio ran at once and climbed like a squirrel up the showman’s beard.

10. The poor boy’s thoughts were continually fixed on the Field of Miracles.

45

8 - Fill in the Blanks with Adjectives

The Cat, the Monkey, and the Chestnuts

– Aesop

Directions: Fill in the blanks with interesting adjectives. Your teacher may have you compare answers and then discuss what the adjectives add to the story.

It was a _______1_______ ______2________ night. Outside, the wind blew

hard. The _______3_______ snow of the season covered up the grass and leaves

with a _______4_______ _______5_______ blanket. Inside, a ________6______

________7______ fire sent its ________8______ and ________9______ flames

up the chimney and made the room ________10_____ and ________11_____ and

_______12______.

Some _______13______ _______14______ chestnuts were roasting in the

______15_______ ashes on the hearth. A ______16_______ ______17_______

monkey and a ______18_______ ______19_______ cat sat in front of the fire

warming themselves.

After a while the heat of the fire made the chestnuts pop _______20______.

Then the monkey said, “The chestnuts are roasted and ______21_______ to eat.

_____22_________ pussy, your _______23______, ______24_______ paws were

made to pull chestnuts out of the fire. See whether you can reach them.”

The ______25_______ cat was greatly pleased by what the ______26_______

monkey said. He grinned and stretched out his ______27_______,

_______28______ paw and pulled a chestnut out of the _____29________ ashes.

His paw was badly burned.

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“Meow! Meow!” the cat cried in pain, as he jumped up and down and blew on

his paw.

“_______30______ pussy, ______31_______ pussy, let me blow on your

paw,” said the monkey. He caught hold of the ______32_______ paw and blew on

it time and time again.

Then the ______33_______, ______34_______ monkey said in a

______35_______, ______36_______ voice, “Now, ______37_______ pussy, pull

the ______38_______ chestnuts out of the fire. Be quick, and the fire will not burn

you. Pull the chestnuts out of the ashes. Then we’ll have supper.”

The ______39_______ cat had not learned his lesson; He was more pleased

than ever with the _____40________ flattery. So he stretched out his paw and

pulled chestnut after chestnut out of the fire.

As the cat reached for the _______41______ one, he said, “Now,

_______42______ monkey, supper is ______43_______. We’ll eat.” Then the cat

blew the ashes off his paw and turned around to get some of the chestnuts which he

had pulled out of the fire, but the ______44_______, _______45______ monkey

had eaten every one.

From The Pathway to Reading: Fourth Reader, by Bessie Blackstone Coleman, Willis L. Uhl, and James Fleming Hosic. N.Y.: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1926, p. 111-113.

47

9 - Adjectives (Synonyms)

Adapted from Voyages in English - Fifth Year

by Rev. Paul E. Campbell and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle

The Model 1919 by

Guy Rose (American 1867-

1925)

Words that have the same general meaning are called synonyms.

Directions: 1. Write a synonym for each of the following adjectives. 2. Use your synonym in a short sentence.

Example: big -- large They saw a large rabbit in their garden.

calm dark brave beautiful careful

sad loud true happy old

10 - Adjectives (Antonyms) 10. Adapted from

Voyages in English - Fifth Year


Mistover Point Lobos

by Guy Rose

(American 1867-1925)

Words of opposite meaning are called antonyms.

Directions: 1. Write an antonym for each of the following adjectives. 2. Use your antonyms in a short sentence.

Example: smooth -- rough: The glass is smooth, but the grass is rough.

clean hot good happy sweet

old high careful short black

48

11 - The Logic of Adjectives and Adverbs

The Questions that AdjectivesThe Questions that Adjectivesand Adverbs Answerand Adverbs Answer

Adjectives and adverbs are called “modifiers” because they modify (change) the meaning of the

words they chunk to. Adjectives and adverbs add many kinds of information to sentences. Here we will

focus on the most common questions that they answer.

Adjectives

Adjectives help identify what nouns or pronouns mean. They do so by describing or limiting the

words they modify. They usually answer the questions: What kind of? Which? Whose? How many?

Adverbs

Adverbs of Time answer question When? Some examples are: now, then, soon, early, formerly, and

today.

Adverbs of Space answer questions such as Where? or In what direction? Examples are: here,

there, far, near, aloft, forward, backward, north, and northward.

Adverbs of Manner usually answer the questions How? Examples are happily, carefully, easily,

quickly, fast, and hard as in “They work hard.”

Adverbs of Degree usually and questions like How much? or How often? Some examples are so,

very, much, little, exceedingly, hardly, regularly, often, barely, rarely, and not (the negative adverb).

Note that some words can be seen as answering more than one of the listed questions. For example, in a

sentence such as “He never missed a catch,” “never” can be described as an adverb of time (When?) and

as an adverb of degree (How often?)

(Continues)

49

In the exercises that follow, words in the sentences will be numbered. On separate paper, write the

number of the word, whether the word functions as an adjective or adverb, the word it modifies, its

logical category, and the question that it answers. Note that for this perspective, the logical category of all

adjectives is “identity.” For example:

1. Yesterday [1], the young [2] prince took his new bride to his father’s [3] palace.

2. The hunters very [4] quickly [5] turned northward [6] to follow the bear.

1. Adverb to “took” Time When?

2. Adjective to “prince” Identity Which? What kind of?

3. Adjective to “palace” Identity Whose?

4. Adverb to “quickly” Degree How much?

5. Adverb to “turned” Manner How?

6. Adverb to “turned” Space In what direction?

Note that “young” (#2) could mean “which” if there are two or more princes. Otherwise “young” simply

describes the prince and thus answers the question “What kind of?”

50

11.a. - Adapted from

The Mother Tongue, Book II by George Kittredge and Sarah Arnold Boston, Ginn & Company, 1903, 38ff.

Madame RoulinRocking the Cradle

1888 by

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

Directions: On separate paper, write the number of the word, whether the word functions as an adjective or adverb, the word it modifies, its logical category, and the question that it answers. Note that for this perspective, the logical category of all adjectives is “identity.”

1. The bright [1] sun is unusually [2] warm today [3].

2. The farmer’s [4] old [5] ax is very [6] sharp.

3. Three [7] salty sailors sadly [8] followed him down to the deserted [9] beach.

4. Down [10] George rapidly [11] sank in the foamy [12] waves.

5. The children saw the lost [13] dog here [14] yesterday [15].

6. You cannot easily [16] swim to that [17] rock in windy weather.

7. La Fleur carefully [18] pulled a very [19] dirty old letter out of his [20] pocket.

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11.b. - Adapted from “Wonderwings”

by Edith Howes

Illustrated by Alicea Polson

Directions: On separate paper, write the number of the word, whether the word functions as an adjective or adverb, the word it modifies, its logical category, and the question that it answers. Note that for this perspective, the logical category of all adjectives is “identity.”

1. Why is everybody getting up so [1] early [2]?

2. The [3] older [4] fairies were dressing themselves neatly [5] and brushing their [6] long

fine [7] hair.

3. Presently [8] she was awakened by the sound of the sweetest [9] singing she had ever

[10] heard.

4. I hope I am not too [11] late [12].

5. Then [13] she ran out [14] into the garden.

6. The older fairies stood all [15] in a group.

7. Poppypink crept nearer [16] to the beautiful fairy.

8. Wonderwings tenderly [17] took the little fairy’s [18] hand.

9. Below [19], a crippled child sat among rags in a dark corner of a dreary [20] room.

52


“The Wolf and the Kid” from The ÆSOP for Children

with Pictures by Milo Winter

This is a complete version of the original text. It includes many constructions that you have not studied yet. Remember that you are expected to make mistakes. The paragraphs are numbered so that your teacher may tell you to do just specific paragraphs.

Directions: 1. Underline every subject once and every verb twice. 2. Circle every adjective and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies. 3. Put a box around every adverb and draw an arrow from it to the word it modifies.

1. There was once a little Kid whose growing horns made him think he was a

grown-up Billy Goat and able to take care of himself. So one evening when the flock

started home from the pasture and his mother called, the Kid paid no heed and kept

right on nibbling the tender grass. A little later when he lifted his head, the flock was

gone.

2. He was all alone. The sun was sinking. Long shadows came creeping over the

ground. A chilly little wind came creeping with them making scary noises in the grass.

The Kid shivered as he thought of the terrible Wolf. Then he started wildly over the

field, bleating for his mother. But not half-way, near a clump of trees, there was the

Wolf!

3. The Kid knew there was little hope for him.

4. “Please, Mr. Wolf,” he said trembling, “I know you are going to eat me. But

first please pipe me a tune, for I want to dance and be merry as long as I can.”

53

5. The Wolf liked the idea of a little music before eating, so he struck up a merry

tune and the Kid leaped and frisked gaily.

6. Meanwhile, the flock was moving slowly homeward. In the still evening air the

Wolf’s piping carried far. The Shepherd Dogs pricked up their ears. They recognized

the song the Wolf sings before a feast, and in a moment they were racing back to the

pasture. The Wolf’s song ended suddenly, and as he ran, with the Dogs at his heels, he

called himself a fool for turning piper to please a Kid, when he should have stuck to

his butcher’s trade.

7. Do not let anything turn you from your purpose.

54

KISS Level 1. 3. Adding Complements (PA, PN, IO, DO)KISS Level 1. 3. Adding Complements (PA, PN, IO, DO)

Identifying ComplementsIdentifying Complements

The S / V / C Pattern(Subject / Verb / Complement)

Once you are fairly comfortable with finding subjects and verbs, you should

start to look at the full S/V/C pattern. The “C” stands for “complement.” To find

the subject of a verb, ask a question with “Who” or “What” before the verb. For

example, in the sentence

Arthur likes sandwiches.

we can ask “Who or what likes?” The word in the sentence that answers that

question is “Arthur,” so “Arthur” is the subject of “likes.”

To find the complement of a verb, simply create a question with “whom” or

“what” after the verb. “Arthur likes what?” The answer to that question in this

sentence is “sandwiches,” so “sandwiches” is the complement of “likes.”

Note that the question has to be based on the verb plus “whom” or “what.”

Words that answer the questions “When?” “Why?” “How?” etc. do not reveal

complements, they reveal adverbs.

Special Note: In KISS Level Two, you are expected to be able to identify

single words that function as complements, but some complements consist of

several words and may confuse you. You will not be expected to identify these

complements. Simply concentrate on the complements that you can identify.

55

Identifying the Types of ComplementsIdentifying the Types of ComplementsThere are four different possible types of complements. Use the following sequence to identify the

types of complements.

Possibility # 1: Subject / VerbIf nothing answers the question “Verb + whom or what?”, the pattern is S/V.

[STOP: You have your answer.]

Possibility # 2: Subject / Verb / Predicate Adjective If the word that answers the question “what?” after the verb is an adjective,

the pattern is S/V/PA. [STOP: You have your answer.]

Possibility # 3: Subject / Verb / Predicate NounIf the word that answers the question is a noun (or pronoun) that renames the

subjectand the verb implies an equality or identity between subject and complement,

the pattern is S/V/PN. For example:Ed remained a child. (“Remained” here means “was” and “continues to be.”)

Bill became a teacher. (He “was” not, but now he “is.”) A sentence such as “Sleeping children resemble angels.” means

that when they are sleeping, children equal angels, at least in appearance.“Angels” is therefore a predicate noun.

[STOP: You have your answer.]Note that the criteria of implied equality between subject and complement eliminates “herself” from

consideration as a predicate noun in a sentence such as “She washes herself.” “Washes” does not imply equality.

Possibility #4: Subject / Verb / (Indirect Object) Direct Object [If it’s not 1, 2, or 3, it has to be #4]

If a word or construction answers the question “whom or what?” after a verb and is not a predicate noun or predicate adjective,

it has to be an indirect or direct object. An indirect object indicates the person “for” or “to” whom something is done.

Examples of Direct Objects: Sally bought ice cream (S/V/DO) The cat washed itself (S/V/DO)

Examples of Indirect Objects:They sent him (IO) a letter (DO).

The sun gave the church’s windows (IO) a warm glow (DO).

57

Examples of the Process forExamples of the Process forIdentifying the Types of ComplementsIdentifying the Types of Complements

These examples are based on modified sentences from Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates, by Mary Mapes Dodge. The illustration is by Edna Cooke.

The directions will be: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).

Example # 1: A Dutch wagon with its funny little crooked pole is a perfect mystery of mysteries.

Step # 1. Find and underline the subject and verb: A Dutch wagon with its funny little crooked pole is a perfect mystery of mysteries.

Step # 2. Find the complement by making a question with the subject, verb, and “whom” or “what.”

The wagon is whom or what?

In this sentence, the answer to that question is “mystery.” Thus “mystery” is the complement.

Step # 3. Find the type of the complement “mystery.”a.) Is it a predicate adjective? “Mystery” is not an adjective, so it does not describe “wagon.”

Therefore it is not a predicate adjective.

b.) Is it a predicate noun? “Is” can mean “equals,” and the sentence means that the wagon equals a

mystery. Therefore “mystery” functions as a predicate noun.

We have found the type of the complement, so we are finished with this sentence.

A Dutch wagon with its funny little crooked pole is a perfect mystery (PN) of mysteries.

Example # 2: On a bright December morning long ago, two thinly clad children were kneeling upon the bank of a frozen canal in Holland.

Step # 1. Find and underline the subject and verb: On a bright December morning long ago, two thinly clad children were kneeling upon the bank of a

frozen canal in Holland.

Step # 2: Find the complement by making a question with the subject, verb, and “whom” or “what.”

The children were kneeling whom or what?

Nothing in this sentence answers that question. Indeed, the question does not make any sense. Many

linguists—people who study language—would say that we have a “zero” complement. In KISS, we do

not need to worry about that. We have here a simple subject/verb pattern.

58

Example # 3: The pure morning air was very delightful.

Step # 1. Find and underline the subject and verb: The pure morning air was very delightful.


The pure morning air was whom or what?

The answer to this question is “delightful,” so “delightful” is the complement of “air was.”

Step # 3. Find the type of the complement. a.) Is it a predicate adjective? “Delightful” is an adjective, and in this sentence it describes the

subject “morning.” Therefore “delightful” is a predicate adjective.

We have found all the subjects, verbs, and complements in this sentence, so we are finished with it:

The pure morning air was very delightful (PA).

Example # 4: The expression on her face gave our boys little promise of a kind reception.

Step # 1. Find and underline the subject and verb: The expression on her face gave our boys little promise of a kind reception.


The expression gave whom or what?

In this sentence, two words answer this question—“boys” and “promise.” Thus there are two

complements. Since there are two of them, take them one at a time.

Step # 3. What type of complement is “boys”? a.) Is it a predicate adjective? “Boys” is not an adjective, so it does not describe the subject

“expression.” Therefore it cannot be a predicate adjective.

b.) Is it a predicate noun? “Boys” and “expression” name different things, and “gave” in no way

means “equals,” so “boys” cannot be a predicate noun.

c.) Is it an indirect object? The sentence means that the expression gave little promise to the boys.

Thus “boys” in an indirect object to “gave.”

(Continues on the next page)

59

What type of complement is “promise”? a.) Is it a predicate adjective? “Promise” is not an adjective, so it cannot describe the

subject “expression.” Therefore is cannot be a predicate adjective.

b.) Is it a predicate noun? “Promise” does not in any way equal the subject “expression,”

and “gave” does not mean “equals,” so “promise” can not be a predicate noun.

c.) Is it an indirect object? The sentence does not mean that anything was given to or for

the promise, so “promise” cannot be an indirect object.

d.) The only option left is direct object, so “promise” has to be a direct object of “gave.”

Nothing else in the sentence answers the “whom” or “what” question, so we have finished finding

the complements and their types:

The expression on her face gave our boys (IO) little promise (DO) of a kind reception.

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1. - Identification - Mixed Complements

1. a. - Based on The Story of Miss Moppet,by Beatrix Potter

Directions: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”


1. Miss Moppet ties up her head in a duster, and sits before the fire.

2. The Mouse comes a little nearer.

3. Miss Moppet jumps upon the Mouse!

4. Miss Moppet is jumping just too late.

5. But she forgot about that hole in the duster.

6. He has wriggled out and run away.

7. Miss Moppet is looking very ill.

8. The Mouse is dancing a jig on the top of the cupboard!

9. The Mouse is peeping out behind the cupboard.

10. Miss Moppet looks at him through a hole in the duster.

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1. b. - Based on The Story of Miss Moppet,

by Beatrix Potter



1. She has heard a mouse!

2. It is a very hard cupboard!

3. He is not afraid of a kitten.

4. The Mouse has teased Miss Moppet.

5. She misses the Mouse.

6. She hits her own head.

7. Miss Moppet holds her poor head in her paws.

8. She tosses the duster about like a ball.

9. That is not at all nice of Miss Moppet.

10. The Mouse watches Miss Moppet from the top of the cupboard.

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1. c. - The Crooked Sixpence

Directions: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).

There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence beside a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

1. d. - Humpty Dumpty


Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men

Cannot put Humpty Dumpty together again.

These illustrations and poems are from The Real Mother Goose,illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1916.

63

2. - A Focus on Predicate Adjectives

Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan

by Beatrix Potter



1. I am glad.

2. She was sure.

3. It would be wiser.

4. It is most admirable.

5. But it is very strange.

6. I am dreadfully afraid.

7. It is impossible, my dear Duchess.

8. The dinner-plates were white and blue.

9. It is most undesirable.

10. How good that pie smells!

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3. - A Focus on Predicate Nouns

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet, by C. Collodi

Directions: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or

“DO”).

1. What is your father’s name?

2. He is a beggar.

3. I have become a gentleman.

4. I have indeed been a bad son.

5. That is an exceedingly easy calculation.

6. I am the ghost of the Talking-Cricket.

7. By tomorrow my papa will be a gentleman.

8. What is the matter now?

9. What a good Fairy you are!

10. You shall be my little brother and I will be your good little sister.

65

4. - A Focus on Direct Objects

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet,

by C. CollodiDirections: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or

“DO”).

1. I saw him yesterday at the door of his house.

2. On the whole, however, he had not a bad heart.

3. And the puppet made a gesture with his hands.

4. The magnificent Poodle had a chocolate-colored waistcoat with diamond buttons

and two large pockets.

5. Pinocchio heard a slight rustle of leaves behind him.

6. And what trade does he follow?

7. Then you have hidden your money under your tongue!

8. The Fairy therefore dissolved a certain white powder in half a tumbler of water.

9. The cat could only eat thirty-five fish with tomato sauce and four portions of

tripe with Parmesan cheese.

10. One assassin seized the puppet by the end of his nose, and the other took him

by the chin.

66

5. - A Focus on Indirect Objects

Based on Child-Story Readers: Wonder Stories 3

by Frank N. Freeman, Grace E. Storm, Eleanor M. Johnson, & W. C. French. Illustrated by Vera Stone Norman. New York:

Lyons and Carnahan, 1927-29-36.


1. The king gave the big man rich gifts.

2. Hok Lee paid the doctor a lot of money.

3. Hok Lee told the dwarfs all his troubles.

4. They brought him fine new clothes.

5. The White Cat gave the Prince an acorn.

6. He showed them his acorn.

7. They will cook me my food.

8. The people in the country gave the ogre and Jagar many presents.

9. She brought me to this place and gave me a troop of cats.

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6. - A Focus on Zero Complements

Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan,

by Beatrix Potter


1. The top oven bakes too quickly.

2. Shall I run for the doctor?

3. I will call directly after breakfast.

4. A curious thing had happened to Duchess.

5. Ribby stared with amazement.

6. Ribby arrived with the doctor.

7. The patty-pan was under the pump.

8. The pie-dish was emptying rapidly!

9. She peeped into the bottom oven.

10. Ribby had to run.

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7. - Verbs as Subjects or Complements

VerbsVerbs

as Subjects or Complementsas Subjects or Complements

Leonardo da Vinci

1452-1519

The Mona Lisa

Verbs can function as subjects or complements. Technically, these verbs are

called “verbals” to distinguish them from the verbs that you underline twice (which

are called “finite”). You will learn more about verbals in later KISS levels, but for

now consider the following:

Verbs can function as subjects or complements:

Swimming is good exercise (PN).

To win is wonderful (PN).

Many children hate to go (DO) to bed early.

The family stopped swimming (DO) in the pond.

Happiness is being (PN) with your family.

Verbs that function as subjects or complements may themselves have

complements:

Sandi started reading (DO) a story (DO).

Playing baseball (DO) is fun (PA).

They began playing (DO) the game (DO).

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Verbs as Subjects or Complements

From At the Back of the North Wind, by George Macdonald

Simplified by Elizabeth Lewis

Directions: Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” “IO,”

“DO”).

1. Wandering up and down wasted a lot of time.

2. Diamond’s first thought was to run away from the misery of it.

3. To drive all sorts of horses amused Diamond.

4. Watching the ships at Sandwich interested Diamond.

5. Not give them a share is not being really kind to them.

6. To use many rough and bad words in front of the boy embarrassed the men.

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8. - Predicate Adjective or Part of the Verb?

Predicate Adjective Predicate Adjective or or

Part of the Verb Phrase?Part of the Verb Phrase?

Master Hare1788 by

Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792

In a previous exercise, you saw verbs that can function as subjects or complements.

Sometimes these verbs can be explained either as part of the verb phrase or as a predicate

adjective that describes the subject. Generally speaking, if the focus is on the action of these

verbs, the verb is best explained as part of the verb phrase. If the verb functions primarily to

describe the condition of the subject, it can be seen as a predicate adjective.

Consider the following sentences:

1. The door was closed by John.

2. The door was closed (PA) when they arrived.

3. The door was closed.

Because the first sentence tells us who performed the action of closing the door, the sentence

focuses on the action. Thus it is best to see “was closed” as the verb phrase. In the second

sentence, however, the important point is not the act of closing the door, but rather the condition

of the door when they arrived. Thus in the second sentence we can see “was” as the verb to be

underlined and “closed” as a verb that functions as a predicate adjective.

The only way to determine the focus of the third sentence is to see it in context, and even

then it might not be clear. In such cases it is best to explain the verb in question as part of the

verb phrase. Thus, in the third sentence, “was closed” should be underlined as the verb.

Note that this is a fine point that is not even discussed in many grammar textbooks. In those

books, the verbs that here function as predicate adjectives are usually considered as part of the

verb phrase. When in doubt, therefore, include the verb in the verb phrase.

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Based on The Tale of Samuel Whiskers,

by Beatrix Potter

Be sure that you underline the entire verb phrase.Directions: Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,”


1. The cupboard door was not locked.

2. He was tied up in very tight knots.

3. Yes, it is infested with rats.

4. He was quite exhausted.

5. We shall be obliged to leave this pudding.

6. The fire had only just been lighted.

7. Tom Kitten was left alone under the floor of the attic.

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9. - Writing Sentences

with Complements

MICHELANGELO'sJoel

1508-12, Fresco Cappella Sistina,

Vatican

Directions: 1. Use each of the following words in a sentence. After each, write the type of the complement of the verb

(zero, predicate adjective, predicate noun, indirect or direct object).2. Underline every subject once and every verb twice.

eats

smiles

sets

will be

killed

studied

threw

drew

sit

hates

scream

heard

life

became

writes

is

reads

left

fell

built

arrived

crossed

brought

laughed

were

crows

chirp

hammers

plants

spent

cough

taught

seems

found

washed

Select one of the sentences and use it to begin a story.

73

10. - A Passage for Analysis

From “Why Jimmy Skunk Wears Stripes”

by Thornton W. Burgess


Indeed, it was hinted in the wood and on the Green Meadows that not all of

Jimmy Skunk’s doings would bear the light of day. It was openly said that he was

altogether too fond of prowling about at night, but no one could prove that he was

responsible for mischief done in the night, for no one saw him. You see his coat

was so black that in the darkness of the night it was not visible at all.

74

11. - Just for Fun

Tongue Twisters


1. Which witch wished which wicked wish?

2. The blue bluebird blinks.

3. Sam’s shop stocks short spotted socks.

4. Cheerful Charles chose cherry chocolates for Cheri.

5. A noisy noise annoys an oyster.

6. Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.

7. Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.

8. Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?

9. The crow flew over the river with a lump of raw liver.

10. Gertie’s great-grandma grew aghast at Gertie’s grammar.

75

KISS Level 1.4. - Coordinating Conjunctions and CompoundsKISS Level 1.4. - Coordinating Conjunctions and Compounds

Coordinating Conjunctions and CompoundingCoordinating Conjunctions and Compounding

“Compound” refers to two or more words or phrases that serve the

same function within a sentence. Usually, compounds are joined

together by coordinating conjunctions—“and,” “or,” or “but.”

Adjectives can be compounded:

They love their tan and white kitten.

And so can adverbs:

Geoffrey quickly and quietly cleaned his room.

Similarly, subjects, verbs, and complements can all be compounded:

“Mary and Bill ate dinner (DO) and then

played tennis (DO) and basketball (DO).”

Note that “either ... or...” and “neither ... nor....” are variations of “or,” and thus also

function as coordinating conjunctions:

Neither Bill nor Tom likes either swimming (DO) or fishing (DO).

Simply remember that any type of grammatical construction may be

compounded.

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1 - Mixed Compounds

Based on The Tale of Tom Kitten,

by Beatrix Potter


1. They had very small eyes and looked surprised.

2. Moppet and Tom descended after her.

3. They stopped and stood in a row and stared up at the kittens.

4. They turned their pinafores back to front and went up with a skip and a jump.

5. Mr. Drake Puddle-duck advanced in a slow sideways manner and picked up the

various articles.

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2 - Compound Finite Verbs

From “The Story of the First Woodpecker”by Florence Holbrook

from The Book of Nature Myths


1.) In the days of long ago the Great Spirit came down from the sky and talked with

men.

2.) The woman made a very little cake and put it on the fire.

3.) With a loud cry she rose from the earth and flew away to the forest.

4.) So she put it away and made a small one.

5.) And to this day all woodpeckers live in the forest and hunt for their food in the

bark of trees.

6.) You shall go out into the forest and hunt for your food in the bark of trees.

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3 - Compound Complements

Adapted from Voyages in English - Fifth Yearby Rev. Paul E. Campbell

and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle

Self-Portrait 1886-87

by Vincent van

Gogh (1853-1890)


1. We sell fruit and vegetables.

2. The callers were Elizabeth and Gertrude.

3. Do you prefer football or baseball?

4. The players and fans were restless and noisy.

5. William saw Charles and James.

6. My cousins are Dorothy and Marie.

7. They serve tea or coffee.

8. The student is clever but careless.

9. The girls made dresses and coats.

10. Is that he or she?

4 - Writing Sentences with Compounds

Write a sentence that has three or more verbs for one subject. Write another sentence that has four or

more complements for one verb.

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5 - Sentence-Combining

Birdsongby

SophieAnderson(1823-1903)

Combining Sentences byCombining Sentences by Compounding VerbsCompounding Verbs

When two sentences in a row have the same meaningful subject, they can

usually be combined by deleting the subject of the second sentence and

attaching its verb to the verb in the first sentence with a coordinating

conjunction ("and," "or," or "but."):

Bill often went to the hobby shop. He bought most of his trains there.

Bill often went to the hobby shop and bought most of his trains there.

You may even find three or more sentences that share the same subject such

that you can combine several sentences into one:

Sarah wanted to go to the game. But she caught a cold. She had to stay

home.

Sarah wanted to go to the game, but caught a cold, and had to stay home.

When you combine sentences in this way, do not forget to adjust the punctuation and capitalization to fit the revised sentence.

80

From “The White Fawn,” by Edric Vredenburgin My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales


Directions: Combine the sentences in each set to create one sentence with compound subjects, verbs, or complements.

Example: The little Fawn drew near. She looked at the Prince quietly.The little Fawn drew near and looked at the Prince quietly.

1. Desirée's father was delighted. And Desirée's mother was delighted.

2. Then the Prince covered the Fawn with roses. And he fed her with the choicest

leaves.

3. Prince Guerrier was a brave young man. And he was noble.

4. The Princess was so good. And she was beautiful.

5. Prince Guerrier could not eat. Nor could he sleep.

6. Giroflée loved Princess Desirée passionately. And she loved her faithfully.

7. A thunderstorm had destroyed her carriage. It also scattered her other attendants.

8. The sceptre she carried in her hands. And she carried the orb in them too.

9. The false Princess was taken to be shut up in a castle. And the Lady in Waiting was

taken to be shut up in a castle.

10. The Fairy of the Fountain called up a great thunderstorm. She scattered them in

every direction.

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6 - Decombining Compounds

From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales by Edric VredenburgIllustrated by Jennie Harbour

Directions: Rewrite each of the following sentences as two or more separate sentences by decombining the compounds.

Example: But she jumped up into the pigeon-house and shut the door. But she jumped up into the pigeon-house. And she shut the door.

1. Desirée and her Lady in Waiting were shut up in the castle.

2. Then she called Snow-White and Rose-Red.

3. So he invited his relations, friends, and neighbours.

4. Her children purchased cotton, needles, ribbon and tape.

5. Giroflée then went on, and entered the old woman’s house.

6. The princess was so beautiful, and well-behaved, and amiable, and wise.

7. He went softly and knocked at the chamber door.

8. He was happy and comfortable.

9. Hansel and Grethel gathered together quite a little mount of twigs.

10. The wild beasts will soon come and tear them to pieces.

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The Robin


The north wind doth blow,

And we shall have snow,

And what will poor robin do then,

Poor thing?

He’ll sit in a barn,

And keep himself warm,

And hide his head under his wing,

Poor thing!


8 - Treasure Hunt / Creating an Exercise

Treasure Hunt: In a story or book that you are reading, find a sentence that has three or more verbs

for one subject. Find a sentence that has three or more complements for one verb.

Creating an Exercise: In a story or book that you are reading, find one sentence that has compound

subjects, two sentences that have compound verbs, and two sentences that have compound verbs. Use

them to make a mixed exercise (like exercise # 1). Make an analysis key for the exercise. (You can use

the sentences that you found in the treasure hunt.)

83

KISS Level 1. 5. Adding Simple Prepositional PhrasesKISS Level 1. 5. Adding Simple Prepositional Phrases

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?What Is a Prepositional Phrase?

Prepositional phrases are simply prepositions plus the

noun or pronoun that answers the question “What?” after

them:

“to the house”

“under the desk”

“from the street”

Thus, to identify prepositional phrases you need to recognize

prepositions and then make a question with “What?” after

them – “Under what?” – “Under the desk.”

If a verb answers the question “To what,”

it is probably not a prepositional phrase.

84

Words That Can Function as PrepositionsWords That Can Function as Prepositions Note: Some prepositions consist of more than one word.

about above across according toafter against along among around as aside from as for as to at because of before behind beneath besidebetween beyond but * by despite down down to due to during except for from

in inside instead of into like near of off on onto opposite out out of outside over per regardless ofsince such asthanthrough to toward under until up upon via with within without

Note that all the words

in brown could be used

to tell a squirrel's relationship

in space to trees:

The squirrel is ____ the trees.

Other prepositions express relationships in time:

They left after dinner.

They arrived before dinner.

We talked during dinner.

We haven't eaten since dinner.

We waited until dinner.

* when it means “except”

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1 - Identifying Prepositional Phrases

Fill in the BlanksAdapted from



Directions: Use prepositions from the following list to fill the blanks. Then place parentheses around each prepositional phrase, underline verbs twice, subjects once, and label complements.

without

with

from

into

under

toward

of

opposite

aboard

across

near

before

past

above

among

around

beneath

on

below

concerning

during

except

over

until

behind

along

beside

against

beyond

between

down

through

at

for

to

up

1. Fishes live __________ the water.

2. The house stood __________ a hill.

3. A boy __________ a drum stood __________ me.

4. Wolves prowl about __________ night.

5. The baby was sitting __________ two chairs.

6. The boy was running __________ the trees.

7. The camel is called the ship __________ the desert.

8. The clouds __________ the hills were beautiful.

9. We walked __________ the beach __________ the evening.

10. A fine painting hung __________ the wall __________ the piano.

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2 - The Functions of Prepositional Phrases

The Functions of Prepositional PhrasesThe Functions of Prepositional Phrases

Most prepositional phrases function as adjectives, as adverbs, or both. Just as with regular adjectives and adverbs, to determine the function of a prepositional phrase you need to first find what it describes.

The squirrel {in the tree} was eating nuts.The phrase “in the tree” describes the squirrel, and

since “squirrel” is a noun, the prepositional phrase functions as an adjective. Compare this to:

The squirrel was eating nuts {in the tree}.In this sentence, the phrase “in the tree” explains

where the squirrel was eating. It therefore describes “was eating” and thus functions as an adverb.

Sometimes a prepositional phrase can function as both an adjective and an adverb at the same time.

The squirrel wants nuts {for supper).Some people will see “for supper” as explaining which nuts the squirrel wants. Thus they will explain the “for supper” as an adjective to “nuts.” Other people will view the phrase as answering the question “Wants why? They will consider it to be an adverb to “wants.” Either explanation is acceptable.

Some prepositional phrases function as indirect objects:

The squirrel offered a nut (to the owl).In this sentence, “to the owl” functions just like the indirect object would in “The squirrel offered the owl a nut.”

87

How Prepositional Phrases Work in SentencesHow Prepositional Phrases Work in Sentences

Every word in a sentence has a job to do. That job is called its “function.” The function of subjects is to name what the sentence is about. Verbs say something about the subject(s). Some verbs raise the question “whom or what?” The nouns or adjectives that answer that question function as complements.

This subject / verb / optional complement pattern (S/V/C) is the most important part of any sentence. Remember that conjunctions (“and,” “or,” and “but”) can join two or more subjects, verbs, or complements within one sentence.

Almost every word in every English sentence describes (modifies) the words in an S/V/C pattern. You have already learned how adjectives and adverbs modify, and thus grammatically connect to, subjects, verbs, and complements.

Almost all prepositional phrases function as adjectives or adverbs:

Mr. Green Frog lives {in a pond}.

Just like an adverb would, “in a pond” describes where he lives. Similarly, in the sentence

The squirrels {in the tree} were having fun (DO).

the prepositional phrase “in the tree” identifies which squirrels the sentence is about and thus functions as an adjective.

Sometimes more than one prepositional phrase will modify the same word:

Mr. Green Frog will be {in the pond} {for a few hours}.

In this sentence, “in the pond” tells where he will be, and “for a few hours” tells how long he will be there.

But a prepositional phrase can also modify a word in another prepositional phrase:

The squirrels scampered off {among the branches} {of the oak tree} .

In this sentence, “of the oak tree” modifies “branches” and thus functions as an adjective. The “among the branches” phrase modifies “scampered.” In other words, the “of the oak tree” phrase connects to the verb because it is connected to “branches.”

88

Functions of Prepositional Phrases

2.a - Based on Introductory Lessons in English Grammar

For Use in Intermediate Grades By Wm. H. Maxwell, M.A. (L1.5 # 9)

Directions: 1. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” and “DO”). 2. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase and draw an arrow from each preposition to the

word its phrase modifies.

1. The little girl in the blue hat smiled at her brother.

2. The earth is round like a ball.

3. Time flies very swiftly in the summer.

4. George Washington was the father of his country.

5. The royal family rode to church in a beautiful carriage.

6. A beautiful vase fell with a crash to the floor.

7. The flag of the United States waved proudly aloft.

8. Very early in the morning begin the songs of the birds.

9. After breakfast the traveler from Arizona started on his journey.

10. Behind the clouds the sun is still shining.

89

Functions of Prepositional Phrases

2. b. - Based on Introductory Lessons in English Grammar

For Use in Intermediate Grades By Wm. H. Maxwell, M.A. L1.5 # 19

Directions: 1. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” and “DO”). 2. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase and draw an arrow from each preposition to the

word its phrase modifies.

1. Our cabin in the forest has a chimney of stone.

2. During the storm, the force of the torrent uprooted the trees along the river’s bank.

3. The shadow on the dial marks quite correctly the hour of the day.

4. The sun sent through my window his morning rays of light and heat.

5. On the bright May mornings, groups of merry children were seen in the park.

6. The judge rode slowly down the lane.

7. She filled for him her small tin cup.

8. The students of the college often rowed on the lake.

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3: Prepositions by Themselves Can Function as Adverbs

When their objects are understood, prepositions often function as adverbs. In the sentence, “Come

in.” it is understood that the speaker is inside something—a room, a house, a den—so the object of “in” is

left out. In such cases, you can usually consider the preposition by itself to be an adverb.

Image is adapted from one by Robert Day for

Fun Fare: A Treasury of Reader’s Digest Wit

and Humor, N.Y. Simon and Schuster,

1949, 237.

Mama Skunk

Directions:

1. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.

2. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” IO,” “DO”).

3. Draw an arrow from each preposition (without an object) to the word it modifies.

Mama Skunk was worried because she could never keep track of her two children.

They were named In and Out, and whenever In was in, Out was out; and if Out was in,

In was out. One day she called Out in to her and told him to go out and bring In in. So

Out went out and in no time at all he brought In in.

“Wonderful!” said Mama Skunk. “How, in all that great forest, could you find him

in so short a time?”

“It was easy,” said Out. “In stinct.”

--This Week Magazine

91

4 - Prepositional Phrases as Indirect Objects

Based on Child-Story Readers: Wonder Stories 3

by Frank N. Freeman, Grace E. Storm, Eleanor M. Johnson, & W. C. French.

Illustrated by Vera Stone Norman. New York: Lyons and Carnahan, 1927-29-36.

In a sentence such as “He gave the flower to June,” some grammarians consider “to June” to be an adverbial phrase that modifies “gave.” Others consider “to June” to be a prepositional phrase that functions as an indirect object of “gave.” Either explanation is acceptable.

Part One:Directions: 1. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (PA, PN, IO, or DO). 2. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from the preposition to the word

that the phrase modifies, and above the phrase write “Adj.” for “adjective” or “Adv” for “adverb.”3. Write “IO” above phrases that can be explained either as an indirect object and/or as an adverb. 1. The crane sends greetings to Akka, the wild goose, and her flock.

2. He gave a bag of money to the big man.

3. Often Tom caught flies and gave them to the trout.

4. A few days later a king from a far country marched upon the city and sent a

message to its king.

5. Jagar paid no attention to him.

6. The beautiful princess sent away all the people, and then told the story of her life

to the Prince.

Part Two:

On separate paper, rewrite each of the sentences, but replace the prepositional phrases with normal indirect objects.

92

5 Compound Objects of Prepositions

“He plays football on Saturdays”

In looking for prepositional phrases, make sure that you pay attention to the meaning of the

sentence. Some students don’t, and when they see a sentence such as “He played with Bob and Bill,”

they simply mark “with Bob” as the prepositional phrase. They totally ignore Bill.

Directions: 1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase. 2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).

1. He plays football on Saturdays, but on Wednesdays and Thursdays, he goes to the

library.

2. Sam won’t get that done until Thursday or Friday.

3. Sarah plays with Jane and Sallie, not just with Suzie.

4. Kelly bought a nice present for her mother and father.

5. They like living among their friends and relatives, and not among strangers.

6. Joe works hard at home and school.

7. The kite flew above the roofs and trees.

8. The settlers traveled across rivers and mountains.

9. They received a letter from their grandmother and grandfather.

10. Everyone had a turn at bat except Kate and Carl.

93

6 - Separated Objects of Prepositions

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppetby C. Collodi

Sometimes compound objects of prepositions are separated from each other by other

constructions. In analyzing these, you can consider the preposition as ellipsed and write it in

within asterisks:

They were playing ball (with Jim) who was home on vacation from college and (*with*

Bill) who was about to leave to play with the Mets.

Note that even if you cannot grammatically explain the constructions that separate the

objects of the preposition, you should be able to find them if you pay attention to what the

sentence means.

Directions: 1. List the objects of the preposition “with” in the sentence.2. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase.3. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or

“DO”).

Picture to yourself a little man with a small round face like an orange, a little

mouth that was always laughing, and a soft, caressing voice like a cat when she is

trying to insinuate herself into the good graces of the mistress of the house.

94

7 - Writing Sentences

with Compound Objects of Prepositions

Option 1Option 1Write five sentences, each of which contains a prepositional phrase with

compound objects. Use a different preposition for each phrase.

Option 2Option 2Write six sentences. In each sentence, use a prepositional phrase that has

compound objects. In the first three sentences, those phrases should function

as adjectives. In the last three, as adverbs. Use a different preposition for each

phrase.

95

8 - Rewriting Adjectives and Adverbs

as Prepositional Phrases

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet (#1) by C. Collodi

Note how adjectives may be changed into adjectival prepositional phrases.Adjectives Adjectival Phrases

He uttered wise words. He uttered words of wisdom.The red-haired boy was chosen. The boy with the red hair was chosen.We import Canadian products. We import products from Canada.The knife has a wooden handle. The knife has a handle of wood.The Jeffersons’ house is on the corner. The house of the Jeffersons is on the corner.

And note how adverbs may be changed into adverbial phrases.Adverbs Adverbial Phrases

The dog growled angrily. The dog growled with anger.The soldiers fought fearlessly. The soldiers fought without fear.He walked northward. He walked toward the north.They live here. They live in this place.

Directions: Change the adjectives and adverbs in bold into prepositional phrases.

1. The lightning flashes made it as light as day.

2. You need to earn a piece of bread honestly!

3. In every square, canvas theaters had been erected.

4. Pinocchio jumped at once on the Pigeon’s back.

5. The Fox began to laugh scornfully.

6. A big cricket was crawling slowly up the wall.

7. “My boy, that is a carpenter’s work.”

8. The torrential rain came down.

9. Poor Pinocchio was apparently more dead than alive.

10. The soldier planted himself courageously with his legs apart in the middle of the road.

96

An illustration by Kay Nielsen forHansel and Gretel and Other Stories From the Brothers

Grimm (1925)

9 - Using Adjectives

or Prepositional Phrases

to Combine Sentences

Directions: Combine the two sentences into one in two ways. First, make the important word in one sentence an adjective in the other sentence. Second, make it an adjectival prepositional phrase.

Example: It was July. One afternoon we decided to play tag. One July afternoon we decided to play tag.

One afternoon in July we decided to play tag.

1. Sam had spent all his money for the book. It was a story book.

2. The old cat is asleep on the mat. The mat is by the door.

3. It is evening. Shadows steal across the sky.

4. He caught hold of the clothes. The clothes were Mr. Brown’s.

5. A woman was standing at a table. She was of middle age.

6. In two of our trees there are boxes. They are for squirrels.

97

10 - The Logic of Prepositional Phrases

What Prepositional Phrases Can Add to a TextWhat Prepositional Phrases Can Add to a Text

The words in prepositional phrases can answer a number of different questions about the words they

modify.

What kind of? Which? What? Whose?

Many prepositional phrases help to describe or identify the word that they modify:

The seeds of apples are small. [What kinds of seeds are small?]The boy in the blue coat won the race. [Which boy won the race?]One of the fish got away. [One what got away?]She is a friend of my sister. [Whose friend is she?]

Where?

Some prepositional phrases indicate where things are or where they happen.

The tree in the back yard was hit by lightning.She took a nap on the couch in the living room.

"On the couch" explains where she took a nap. Some phrases can answer more than one question. "In the back yard" tells both which tree and where it is. "In the living room" explains both which couch, and where it is.

When? How long?

They left after dinner.At seven o'clock, he was sleeping.They played soccer for four hours.

Why?

Because of the rain, they went inside.Sam made a sandwich for lunch.

How?

The Johnsons went to Hawaii by boat.He cut the string with a knife.She became a good swimmer by practicing.He walks to school with his sister.It was sent by an angel.

Under What Conditions?

The twins walked home in the rain.

98

The Logic of Prepositional Phrases

10. a. - Adapted from Voyages in English

by Rev. Paul E. Campbelland Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle

Madame Cezanne in Blue c. 1886

by Paul Cezanne

Directions: 1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from the beginning of each phrase

to the word it modifies. 2. Above each phrase write the question that the phrase answers in relation to the word it modifies. (What

kind of? Which? What? Whose? Where? When? How Long? Why? How? Under What Condition?) 3. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” “IO,” “DO”).

1. The kitten with white fur fell into the muddy stream.

2. That book about animals is lying on the table.

3. The boys in snowsuits coasted down the steep hill.

4. The boy drank a glass of milk in a big hurry.

5. The ship from Egypt arrived in the morning.

6. A fish with big fins plunged beneath the waves.

7. The squirrel scampered down the tree in the park.

8. A large picture by Raphael hangs on the wall.

9. The men near the river heard the hum of the motor.

10. The man from Virginia was injured in a car accident.

99

The Logic of Prepositional Phrases

10. b. - Adapted from Voyages in English


Shark Fishing 1885 by

Winslow Homer

(1836-1910)

Directions: 1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from the beginning of each phrase

to the word it modifies. 2. Above each phrase write the question that the phrase answers in relation to the word it modifies. (What

kind of? Which? What? Whose? Where? When? How Long? Why? How? Under What Condition?) 3. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” “IO,” “DO”).

1. The explorers of the West often traveled by canoe.

2. The children from Germany stayed here for three months.

3. A light from a lamp gleamed through the window.

4. The grass in the back yard sparkles with dew.

5. The apple trees on the golf course blossom in the spring.

6. The early settlers from Europe lived in crude homes.

7. In Europe, the Gundersons met a number of gypsies.

8. We passed a field of snow-white daisies during our walk.

9. The Pilgrims from England landed at Plymouth.

10. The wind from the north echoed through the forest.

100

11 - Adding Prepositional Phrases of Time and Space

Adapted from Voyages in English


Stonehenge 1836 by

John Constable (1776-1837)

Directions: Rewrite each of the following sentences by adding at least two prepositional phrases. One phrase should indicate time (when something happened), and the other should indicate place (where something happened).

1. The bird flew.

2. Leaves fluttered.

3. Margaret sings.

4. A mouse ran.

5. The rabbit hopped.

6. Dolores knocked lightly.

7. We sailed.

8. We picked flowers.

9. Thomas entered the room.

10. The child was frightened.

101

The Poet (Half Past

Three) 1911

Marc Chagall (1887-1985)

Russian

12 - Style—Left-, Right-, and Mid-Branching Prepositional Phrases

The BranchingThe Branchingof Adverbial Prepositional Phrasesof Adverbial Prepositional Phrases

Adjectival phrases normally follow the noun that they modify, but adverbial modifiers can often be moved in a sentence to create variety in sentence structure, or even to emphasize something. When the phrase comes before the subject and verb, it is called “left-branching.” If it is between the subject and verb, it is called “mid-branching,” and if it is after the subject and verb, it is called “right-branching.”

Consider, for example, the following versions of the same sentence. In each version, a prepositional phrase is in bold. In the brackets after each version, letters indicate the branching of that phrase.

Pinocchio jumped up in a rage at these last words. [R - 10] At these last words, Pinocchio jumped up in a rage. [L - 8] Pinocchio, at these last words, jumped up in a rage. [M - 5]

The numbers after the letters are a subjective rating of the “normality” of the position of the phrase. A ten indicates branching that would be normal. In other words, in a sentence like this one, it is where most writers would probably put the phrase.

Most adverbial prepositional phrases branch to the right—after the subject and verb. Thus, in most cases, right-branching would get a rating of ten. In some cases, however, especially when the phrase states where or when something happened, the phrase frequently branches to the left—before the subject and verb. In these cases, you could give both the left and right-branching versions a ten:

In the morning, Robert slept late. [L - 10] Robert slept late in the morning. [R - 10] Robert, in the morning, slept late. [M - 5]

Mid-branching is the least used, in part because it separates the subject from the verb.In context, several other things affect where a prepositional phrase is placed. Your teacher may ask

you simply to indicate whether the phrases in the following exercises are left-, right-, or mid-branching, or she may ask you to give a subjective rating and then give a reason for that rating, a reason that you and your classmates can discuss. Remember that there is usually no right or wrong rating. The numbers are subjective and simply give you and your classmates a means of focusing on the degree of the differences.

The most important things for you to remember about these exercises are that 1.) phrases can

be moved to add variety to your sentence structure, and 2.) breaking norms draws attention and

thus creates emphasis. In our two examples, the mid-branching version draws a little more

attention to the content of the prepositional phrases.

102

Left-, Right-, and Mid-Branching Prepositional Phrases

12. a. - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet,

by C. Collodi

Directions:

A. After each of the sentences below, indicate the branching of the phrase that is in bold (L.M, R]. Then

rewrite the sentence twice so that it branches in each of the other two ways. Your teacher may also

ask you to rate them on a scale of ten (as in the instructional material) and briefly explain any effects

in emphasis caused by the branching.

B. Write three versions of a sentence of your own by placing a prepositional phrase as left-branching,

mid-branching, and then right-branching.

C. In something that you are reading, find a left-, a mid-, and a right-branching prepositional phrase.

1. He returned home like a wet chicken.

2. At first he made a wry face.

3. Pinocchio, with all his might, began to ring the bell.

103

A Study in Left-, Right-, and Mid-Branching

12. b. - My Porcelain Doll—by a third-grade student

Directions:

The following was written by a third-grade student. In the set of samples from which it was taken, it

received the best evaluation. But note that almost all of the sentences begin with the subject. To explore

adding variety to the writing, on a sheet of paper, write each of the numbered sentences three times. First,

write it as it is in the text. Then rewrite the sentence to make the adverbial prepositional phrase (in bold)

branch in a different way. The third time, make it branch in still a different way.

Label each version (L, M, or R). Your teacher may also ask you to rate each version on a scale of ten

(as in the instructional material) and to briefly explain any effects in emphasis caused by the branching.

When it was my birthday and I was turning eight, I got a porcelain doll from

my Grandma. (1) I hope I get to keep it for my whole life. (2) That is how special it

is to me. (3) It is a ballet dancer. Her hair is braided. She has roses in her

headband. (4) Her skirt is pink. She has a rose on her white blouse. (5) Her ballet

shoes are pink. She has blue eyes. Her hair is blondish brown. Her lips are rosy

pink. Her skin is whitish peachish. She has a beautiful pink bow on the edge of

her sleeves. (6) She makes beautiful music when you wind her up. She is the most

beautiful thing I've ever had.

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13 - Sentence Models for Writing with Style

Based on The Tale of Peter Rabbit,

by Beatrix PotterDirections 1. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from each preposition

to the word that its phrase modifies. 2. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” “IO,”

“DO”).

Peter Rabbit ran straight through the fields, into Mr. McGregor’s garden to some

lettuces and some French beans, then to some radishes, then, for some parsley, and

next round the end of a cucumber frame. In a fright, he then rushed all over the

garden, past a white cat, towards the toolshed, underneath the bushes behind it, up on

a wheelbarrow, down to a straight walk behind some black-currant bushes, underneath

the gate, into the wood outside the garden, and back to his home in a sand-bank,

underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.

The passage consists of two simple sentences. The first includes seven prepositional phrases. The

second has fifteen. Write two similar sentences on a topic of your choice. Try to make each sentence

follow the structure of these sentences, but use as many phrases (that make sense) as you can, but don’t

worry if you cannot use as many as are in these sentences.

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14 - Passages for Analysis

14. a. - “The Sea,” by Richard Henry Stoddard

[1825-1903]Directions: 1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase. 2. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).

Through the night, through the night,

In the saddest unrest,

Wrapped in white, all in white,

With her babe on her breast,

Walks the mother so pale,

Staring out on the gale,

Through the night!

Through the night, through the night,

Where the sea lifts the wreck,

Land in sight, close in sight,

On the surf-flooded deck,

Stands the father so brave,

Driving on to his grave

Through the night!

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14. b. From “Mrs. Redwing’s Speckled Eggs”

Old Mother West Wind, by Thornton W. Burgess

Directions:1. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from each preposition to the word

that its phrase modifies. 2. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” “IO,” “DO”).

And if they teased Johnny Chuck they were good to him, too. When they

saw Farmer Brown coming across the Green Meadows with a gun one of them

would dance over to Johnny Chuck and whisper to him that Farmer Brown was

coming, and then Johnny Chuck would hide away, deep down in his snug little

house under ground, and Farmer Brown would wonder and wonder why it was that

he never, never could get near enough to shoot Johnny Chuck. But he never, never

could.

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15 - Write, Revise, Edit, and Analyze

(Describing an Event)

a.) Writing:

In approximately 75 words, write a story (narrative) that describes something you did once during

the last week. Choose something that lasted no longer than a few hours—an interesting ballgame, lunch

with a friend, an afternoon in the library, fishing on Saturday afternoon, a trip to the mall.

b.) Revising:

After you have written it, revise it by trying to add adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases

(especially adverbial phrases of time and place, and descriptive adjectival phrases).

c.) Editing:

Edit what you have written for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

d.) Analyzing:

1. Underline the verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements ("PA," "PN," "IO," or "DO").

2. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from the preposition to the word

that the phrase modifies.

Suggestions for Teachers

At a minimum, students could read each others’ final papers. If you have more time, you might have them work in small groups for the revising, in different small groups for the editing, and in still different small groups for the analyzing.

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KISS Level 1. 6. Case, Number, and TenseKISS Level 1. 6. Case, Number, and Tense1. The Antecedents of Pronouns

Thomas Hart Benton's

(1889-1975),New York,

Early Twenties 1920

Antecedents Antecedents

of Pronounsof Pronouns

The antecedent of a pronoun is the name of the person or thing the pronoun refers to.

Antecedent means “going before,” and the word is used because the name of the person

or thing denoted by a pronoun generally occurs in the sentence before the pronoun. In

Bill found a fortune when he went to California.

the antecedent of the pronoun “he” is “Bill.”

Some pronouns do not have antecedents. For example, to what word does the

pronoun “it” refer in a sentence like “It is raining”? In some cases, the antecedent is not

in the text. For example, what would be the antecedent of “I” in “I saw him at the store”?

Sometimes you will find an “antecedent” that comes after the pronoun. Consider the

following sentence from Oscar Wilde’s “The Happy Prince”:

“Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?” asked a sensible mother of her little boy who was crying for the moon.

In the story, the “you” cannot be identified until one gets to the word “boy.”

Later, you will be learning of other constructions in which the "antecedent" comes

after the pronoun. One example is

It is easy to catch a fish here.

In cases like this, the word “it” simply fills the subject slot in the sentence. We get to the

real subject later: “To catch fish here is easy.”

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Recognizing Antecedents

From At the Back of the North Wind by George Macdonald


Directions: 1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase. 2. Underline verbs twice, subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” “DO.”) 3. Then put a circle around each pronoun or possessive adjective that has an antecedent and draw

an arrow from the circle to the antecedent.

1. For a fortnight, Diamond went on driving his cab and helping his family. Some people

began to know him and to look for him to drive them where they wanted to go. One old

gentleman who lived near the stables hired him to carry him into the city every morning

at a certain hour.

2. As Diamond wandered about, he came to stand by the little door which opened upon

the lawn of the house next door. That made him remember how the wind had driven him

to this same spot on the night of his dream.

3. It was a long time since Diamond had seen North Wind or even thought much about

her. Now, as his father drove along, he was thinking not about her but about the crossing

sweeper. He was wondering what made him fee l as if he knew her quite well when he

could not remember anything of her. But a picture arose in his mind of a little girl

running before the wind, and dragging her broom after her. From that, he recalled the

whole adventure of the night when he had gone out with North Wind and made her put

him down in a London street.

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2. Recognizing Antecedents - Fill-in-the-Blanks

From At the Back of the North Wind by George Macdonald


Directions: Fill in the blanks with pronouns or possessive adjectives. If the pronoun or possessive adjective has an antecedent, draw an arrow to it from the pronoun or adjective.

1. Diamond ran after the little girl and caught hold of _______ frock but _______

tore in _______ hand. Then _______ ran fast enough to get in front of _______

and turning around, caught _______ in _______ arms. Just then, _______ thought

_______ got a glimpse of North Wind turning the corner in front of _______.

_______ must go with _______ of course, and sure enough, when _______ turned

the corner after _______, _______ found _______ quite quiet _______.

2. At last, Diamond gave a great sigh and said, “_______ am so tired!” _______

did not hear the gentle echo _______ answered from far away over _______ head.

For at that moment, _______ came against the lowest of a few steps _______

stretched across the church, and fell down and hurt _______ arm. _______ cried a

little at first, and then crawled up the steps on _______ hands and knees. At the

top, _______ came to a little bit of carpet on _______ _______ lay down.

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3 Pronouns as Subjects

From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet,by C. Collodi

Directions: 1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).

1. His nose, which was already long, became longer by at least three inches.

2. When Pinocchio came into the little puppet theater, an incident occurred that almost

produced a revolution.

3. It is only fathers who are capable of such sacrifices!

4. Geppetto lived in a small ground-floor room that was only lighted from the staircase.

5. “Now keep your promise and drink these few drops of water, which will restore you to

health.”

6. Geppetto, who from all this jumbled account had only understood one thing, which

was that the puppet was dying of hunger, drew from his pocket three pears.

7. Pinocchio, who was in a fever of curiosity, lost all control of himself.

8. The Fairy allowed the puppet to cry for a good half-hour over his nose, which could no

longer pass through the door of the room.

9. At the end of the room there was a fireplace with a lighted fire; but the fire was

painted, and by the fire was a painted saucepan that was boiling cheerfully and

sending out a cloud of smoke that looked exactly like real smoke.

10. Geppetto, who was poor and who had not so much as a penny in his pocket, then

made him a little dress of flowered paper, a pair of shoes from the bark of a tree, and

a cap of the crumb of bread.

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4. Pronouns Person, Number, and Case

The “Person” in Personal Pronouns: The “Person” in Personal Pronouns:

Person, Number, and CasePerson, Number, and Case

A noun or pronoun is of the first person when it denotes the speaker, as I, me, we, us, etc.: I was sick. Mary saw us.

A noun or pronoun is of the second person when it denotes the person or thing spoken to, as thou, thee, you, etc.

Thou are the man. Did you go?

A noun or pronoun is of the third person when it denotes the person or thing spoken about, as he, him, she, it, they, etc.

Birds are happiest when they are free. When the sun rose, he darted his fierce beams

on the flowers, and they withered.

Pronouns and Number

Most pronouns, like nouns, have separate forms to show whether they denote one person or thing, or more than one. In other words, pronouns have number.

Thus, in the following sentences, it is shown by the form of the pronouns that only one person is denoted by each pronoun:

I run. He saw her. She taught him. Thou seest me.

Again, the following pronouns by their form denote the plural number: We helped you. They escaped us. By their fruits ye shall know them.

The pronouns you, your, yours are used in both numbers. The hat you said was your hat was not yours.

In this sentence, it is easy to see that the pronouns denote the singular. But in the following sentence they denote the plural number.

You shall all go directly to your homes.

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Pronouns and Case

The pronouns in the table are in “nominative case.” They are pronouns that function as subjects or predicate nouns.

Person Singular Pluralfirst I we

second you youthird he, she, it they

“Objective case” pronouns function as objects (indirect or direct) or as objects of prepositions.

Person Singular Pluralfirst me, myself us, ourselves

second you, yourself you, yourselves

third him, her, it himself, herself, itself

them themselves

Pronouns in “possessive case” can function as subjects, predicate nouns, or objects.

Person Singular Pluralfirst mine ours

second yours yoursthird his, hers, its theirs

That book is yours. Mine is in my room. They forgot about theirs.

The pronoun “who” can be either singular or plural. It has an objective case form –

“whom,” and a possessive case form “whose.”

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Person, Number, and Case

4.a. - Adapted from “Wonderwings”

by Edith Howes, illustrated by Alicea Polson

Directions: In the sentences below, twenty pronouns are numbered and in bold. In the table on the next page, write the person, number, case, and antecedent (if there is one) of each numbered pronoun. If there is no antecedent, write “U” for “unknown.” (Remember that possessive pronouns, like possessive nouns, can function as adjectives.)

1. “Come then,” said Wonderwings. She (1) took the little fairy’s hand and up they (2) rose into

the clear air.

2. “Oh dear! I (3) am so sleepy,” said Poppypink, and she (4) yawned again.

3. She sprang from bed and dressed so hurriedly that I am afraid her (5) hair did not receive its

(6) due amount of brushing.

4. “My (7) wings are small and colourless. Tell me (8) how I may grow wings like yours (9).”

5. “Such wings as mine (10) are only to be won in sadder lands than these (11),” she said.

6. She looked around, and found herself (12) alone.

7. She gathered armfuls of the golden sunbeams, and flying with them (13) through the glass as

only a fairy can fly, herself unseen, she heaped them over the twisted hands and pale thin

face of the child, and left her (14) playing with them (15) and smiling happily.

8. Lower she flew to help the little ones who (16) cried about the gutters.

9. “I have a daughter as well as a son; why should she (17) not have a kingdom too? I will see to

it (18) at once.”

10. The Queen-mother looked down into the water of the pool. As she gazed, ripples came upon

its (19) surface. They broke away into shining cascades of diamonds and pearls, and

between them (20) appeared the face and shoulders of the old woman of the road.

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Name: ______________________________________________

Ex. 4a. Adapted from “Wonderwings”

Person Number Case Antecedent

1. She

2. they

3. I

4. she

5. her

6. its

7. My

8. me

9. yours

10. mine

11. these

12. herself

13. them

14. her

15. them

16. who

17. she

18. it

19. its

20. them

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Person, Number, and Case

4.b. - “Grandfather Skeeter Hawk’s Story”From FRIENDLY FAIRIES

Written & Illustrated by JOHNNY GRUELLE1919

Directions: In the story below, twenty pronouns are numbered and in bold. In the table that is on the page after the story, write the person, number, and case of each numbered pronoun.

It was a beautiful day in the late summer. Tommy Grasshopper, Johnny Cricket and Willy

Ladybug were playing on a high bank of the river, and watching the little fish jumping after tiny

flies and bugs that fell upon the surface of the stream.

“Let’s go up higher so that we can see them (1) better,” Willy Ladybug said.

“Yes, let’s climb up on the tall reeds so that we (2) can look right down in the water,”

Johnny Cricket said. “But we must be very careful and not fall, for the fish would soon swallow

us (3), and that would not be very much fun!” he laughed.

So Tommy Grasshopper and Johnny Cricket caught hold of Willy Ladybug’s four little

hands and helped him to climb up the tall reeds, for Willy was not as old as the other Bug Boys,

and might fall in the water if they (4) did not help him.

From the tall reeds the three Bug Boys could look down in the water and see the pretty little

sun fish and the long slim pickerel darting around and turning their shiny sides so that the sun

would reflect its rays on them, just as if they were looking glasses.

The Bug Boys watched the fish until they grew tired,

and they were just starting down the tall reed when a great

big dragon fly flew upon the top of the reed and called to

them.

Of course all the Bug Boys knew old Gran’pa

Skeeterhawk—for it (5) was he (6)—so the three returned to the reed and sat down again to pass

the time of day with Gran’pa.

Presently Willy Ladybug saw a strange fish in the water.

“What kind of a fish is that, Gran’pa Skeeterhawk?” he asked.

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“That’s a catfish!” Gran’pa replied. “Queer looking fish, the catfish are; they do most of

their feeding at night since Omasko, the elk, flattened their heads.”

“Dear me! Are their heads flat?” Johnny Cricket asked.

“Flat as a pancake!” Gran’pa Skeeterhawk replied, and then told them (7) this story:

“I”ve heard my Gran’pa tell that once the catfish had heads that were shaped like sunfish,”

Gran’pa Skeeterhawk said, “and they thought that they were not only the most beautiful fish but

the fiercest fighters in the world, although they would always swim away as fast as they could

whenever anything came near them. You (8) see, they really were not even a teeney, weeney bit

brave.

“But when the catfish got by themselves (9) and they thought there was no one else to

overhear them, they would make up fairy tales of wonderful adventures they had gone through,

and fierce monsters they had destroyed. One would say ‘I wish I (10) were large enough to drag

home the enormous giant eel I killed today. He was sixteen feet long, and weighed five hundred

pounds.’ Another would say, ‘Pooh, that is nothing! Why, you ought to see an Indian who (11)

tried to catch me (12) in a net! Why, I not only pulled him in the water and dragged him all over

the bottom, but I made him (13) promise he would never disturb any of the catfish tribe after

this!’

“Just then a little bird flew over the water and his shadow so startled the boastful catfish,

they buried themselves in the mud at the bottom of the stream.

“After a while,” Grand’pa Skeeterhawk continued, “They got up courage to peek out of the

mud, and as they saw nothing to frighten them, they (14) formed in a circle and told more tales

of their fighting qualities.

“One old catfish who had been the leader because he could tell the biggest tales and hide

under the mud quicker than any of the others finally said: ‘We are the best fish in the water, as

you (15) all know, so I think it will be a good plan to fight everything that comes near the water

from the land!’

“‘Shall we fight the big hawk who wades in the water and catches some of us (16)?’ asked a

little kitten fish.

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“‘Kitten fish should be seen and not heard!’ the old chief catfish answered quickly. I do not

believe we should harm the hawk. He is not large enough. I was thinking of the large beast who

comes wading along the shores and eats the grasses that grow beneath the surface. You know he

has to raise his head every once-in-a-while in order to breathe, so if we (17) should all hang on to

him we could pull him under the water.’

“So the catfish, although they were so frightened that their fins grew stiff, decided that they

(18) would follow their chief, for they expected he would be the first to hide under the mud when

the big beast came.

“Finally old Omasko, the elk, came down to the river to feed, and the old chief catfish swam

out and pulled on Omasko’s whiskers, and all the other catfish cried: ‘See how brave and fearless

the mighty catfish are!’ and they all swam out and pulled Omasko’s whiskers, too. This made

Omasko very angry, for he never harmed any fish in his life.

“He began jumping and pawing with his heavy hoofs, and smashed all the catfish down in

the mud and when they finally came out again,

which was not until two or three days later, their

heads were as flat as they are now!

“That is why all catfish have flat heads,”

Grandfather Skeeterhawk finished.

“It served them (19) right for being so boastful!” Johnny Cricket said.

“It served them right for trying to harm someone who (20) never harmed them!” Gran’pa

Skeeterhawk replied, as he darted up in the air and flew over the tall cat-tails.

119

Name: ______________________________________________

Ex. 4.b. From “Grandfather Skeeter Hawk’[s Story”

Person Number Case

1. them

2. we

3. us

4. they

5. it

6. he

7. them

8. You

9. themselves

10. I

11. who

12. me

13. him

14. they

15. you

16. us

17. we

18. they

19. them

20. who

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5. Pronouns: The Gender Question

Diego and I 1949

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

Mexican

Pronouns: The Gender QuestionPronouns: The Gender Question

Many people see a problem in the following sentence.

A person should take care of his pets.

The pronoun “his” is masculine—it refers only to men. But women also have pets, and the noun

“person” includes both men and women. English, however, does not have a singular, third-

person pronoun that includes both men and women. To solve this problem, writers choose from

at least five options.

1. If possible, make the antecedent plural:

People should take care of their pets.

Most people agree that this is a good solution, but it does not always work

because antecedents cannot always be made plural—“No one has been given her

present yet.”

2. If possible, drop the pronoun:

“No one has been given a present yet.”

3. Use the plural form of the pronoun:

A person should take care of their pets.

Although many people use this option, others don’t like it because the plural

“their” does not agree in number with the singular “person.”

4. Include both the masculine and feminine pronouns:

a.) A person should take care of his or her pets.

b.) A person should take care of his/her pets.

There are two objections to these two options. First, many people find them both

long and awkward. Second, they raise the question of which gender is mentioned

first. (Perhaps men could always put “her” first, and women could put “his” first,

but there is no agreement about this.)

121

5. Vary your use of the masculine and feminine pronouns. Sometimes use the masculine and

sometimes the feminine. This option applies not only to sentences, but also to larger texts.

Sometimes use a masculine example; sometimes, a feminine one. This will still not please

everyone, but at least you will be trying.

Note that in some cases the masculine or feminine may be totally appropriate. A conductor

talking to a male choir can appropriately say, “Will everyone please take his seat.”

Heads of Angels

1787 Sir Joshua Reynolds

English 1723-1792

Pronouns: The Gender Question

Directions: In the following, assume that you are writing or speaking to both men and women. Rewrite each of the following sentences to fix the problem with “his” or “her.”

1. Nobody cleaned his desk neatly enough.

2. Who believes his story is really good?

3. Someone dropped his paper on the sidewalk.

4. Will anyone show me his map?

5. Can anybody let me use his ruler?

6. Everybody can make up her own rules.

7. Neither Sally nor Bob understands his job.

8. Every student will read his own story to the class.

9. A person should mind his manners.

10. Neither Bill nor Sarah finished his homework.

122

6. Writing Sentences with Personal Pronouns

6.a. - A Recipe Roster

The Dancing Class (1873-1875)

by Edgar Degas

(1834-1917) Musée d'Orsay

Paris

Directions: Write sentences containing the words in the following list. Label the person, number, and case of each pronoun.

1. him, he, his, referring to an animal.

2. their, them, I, referring to persons.

3. it, she, her, referring to a doll.

4. they, them, referring to plants.

5. she, her, he, his, their, referring to children.

6. he, his, them, referring to boys.

7. we, us, our, referring to persons.

8. she, her, referring to the moon.

9. my, mine, I, referring to a person.

10. us, them, we, theirs, referring to girls.

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Personal Pronouns [Recipe Roster]

6.b. Based on

Introductory Lessons in English GrammarBy Wm. H. Maxwell, M.A.

Madame Vigee LeBrun

self portraitwith daughter Julie (age 6)

- 1786 The Louvre, Paris

Directions: Write sentences containing:

by Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Lebrun

(1755-1842)

1. Two or more pronouns in the first person singular.

2. Two or more pronouns in third person plural.

3. Two or more pronouns in first person plural.

4. Two or more pronouns in third person singular.

5. Two pronouns in first person singular and two in third person plural.

6. Two or more pronouns in second person plural.

7. One or more pronouns in first person plural and two or more in second person

plural.

8. Three or more pronouns in second person plural.

9. Two or more pronouns in second person plural and one or more pronouns in first

person singular.

10. Three or more pronouns in first person singular.

124

7. - Pronouns as Predicate Nouns7.a Adapted from Voyages in English


Portrait of a Young Girl (in

Milanese Dress) 1505 by

Albrecht Durer 1471-1528

Formal and Informal Speech

When I get home from work, I do not open the door and say “It’s I.” Like most people, I say, “It’s me.” “It’s me” is informal, colloquial language. But in formal writing, I use “It’s I.” We adjust our language to our audience and purpose. In formal speaking and writing, a predicate noun is equal to the subject—in person, number, and case. Thus, in formal language, pronouns used as predicate nouns should usually be the same as those used as subjects.

Part 1. 1. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 2. Underline every subject once and every finite verb twice, and label complements. 3. Put a vertical line after each main clause. 4. Explain why the pronouns are not in objective case.

1. Those children are they. 2. It was he. 3. The speaker was she. 4. It is I. 5. The best pupil is he.

Part 2. Write a predicate pronoun in place of each predicate noun.

1. It is Josephine. 2. Was it Gerald? 3. The captain is David. 4. These are the boys. 5. The singers are Sarah and Joseph.

Part 3. Write the following sentences, filling in each blank with a predicate pronoun.

1. The best players were Andrew and ____________. 2. It that ____________? 3. The hunters are ____________. 4. Yes, it was ____________. 5. It was Bernard and ____________.

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7.b. - * Pronouns as Predicate Nouns (Choose)

American Gothic 1930

byGrant Wood (1891-1942)

Adapted from

The New College Grammarby Mason Long.

New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1935

Directions: 1. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 2. Underline every subject once and every finite verb twice, and label complements. 3. Select the correct pronoun for formal writing.

1. It is (we or us).

2. Wasn’t it (they or them)?

3. Between you and (me or I), this plan will not work.

4. Is it (I or me) that you addressed, or ( he or him) ?

5. It must be you or (they or them) that I saw.

6. They took us to be (them or they) .

7. Was it (we or us) you desired to see, or (she or her)?

8. They may not permit you and (we or us) to vote.

9. Are you as old as (he or him)?

10. She likes this story as well as ( I or me).

11. She likes the flower better than (I or me).

12. Would you not like to be (she or her)?

126

7. c. - * A Research Project

Give each student in the class five copies of Exercise 10 without the instructions for identifying the

constructions. Have each student ask five different people to circle the pronoun that they would use. (You

might want to include space at the end for “Comments.”) Then have the class count how many people

gave each answer for each question. The class can then discuss the results in terms of “formal” vs.

“popular” grammar.

To make the results more interesting you can include at the top of each sheet a request for

information about age (10-20, 21-30, etc). sex (“m” or “f”), educational level (high school grad, years of

college,) and or degree (B.S., M.A., Ph.D.). It would be particularly interesting to see how people with

degrees in English respond.

127

8. Identifying Tenses

The Tense of Verbs: What Is It?The Tense of Verbs: What Is It?

PastPast PresentPresent FutureFuture

“Tense” is very easy to understand. It means the forms of verbs that refer to time.

Verbs in “past tense” show what happened in the past:

Sheila read a book.

Sheila was reading a book.

Sheila has been reading a book.

Sheila had been reading a book.

Verbs in “present tense” show was usually happens, or what is happening now:

Bob reads books.

Bob is reading a book.

Verbs in “future tense” show what will happen in the future:

They will read a book.

They will be reading a book.

They will have been reading a book.

This is what teachers (and other people) mean when they talk about grammatical “tense.”

128

8.a. - Based on



Little Dipper by

S. Deaville

Directions: After each sentence, write the tense of the verb (“past,” “present,” or “future”).

1. I write at school. _______________

2. He was walking in the park. _______________

3. Will you be going to the store? _______________

4. I am sorry about that. _______________

5. Had he been sick? _______________

6. I am going away. _______________

7. The bird flew above the house. _______________

8. The wind is whistling through the trees. _______________

9. Will you go to the ballgame? _______________

10. We shall be late for the movie. _______________

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8.b. - Changing Tenses—“The Clever Hen”

Directions: 1. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase.2. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements.3. This poem is written in the past tense. Rewrite it in the present tense, and then in future tense.

I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen,

She washed me the dishes and kept the house clean;

She went to the mill to fetch me some flour,

She brought it home in less than an hour;

She baked me my bread, she brewed me my ale,

She sat by the fire and told many a fine tale.


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9. Person, Number, Case, and Tense

From At the Back of the North Wind, by George Macdonald


Directions: 1. Over each pronoun and possessive adjective, write its person, number, and case. Draw an arrow to the

antecedent of each. 2. Over each verb, write its tense (Present, Past, Future).

1. The tulips were closed for the night but the wind was waving them slightly.

2. “Will you take your head out of the bed-clothes?” said the voice a little angrily.

3. You see, the north wind will blow right in my face.

4. Diamond heard a low, soft murmuring as if the lovely figures were talking to

themselves about him.

5. “Yes, yes!” cried Diamond, as he stretched out his arms toward her. “Yes, I will

go with you, dear North Wind. I am not a bit afraid. I will go! But,” he added,

“how shall I get my clothes? They are in mother’s room and the door is

locked.”

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KISS Level 1. 7. Punctuation and CapitalizationKISS Level 1. 7. Punctuation and Capitalization

Punctuating SentencesPunctuating Sentences

Sentences should begin with a capital letter and

end with a period, question mark, or exclamation

point:

Molly wanted to go home.Did Molly want to go home?Molly, go home!

CommasCommas are used:

1.) to separate items in a series:

Tom, Bill, and Jerry went to the park.Tom played football, ate a sandwich, and then went to a movie.Bill found an old, dirty, uncomfortable jacket.

2.) to set off constructions, such as prepositional phrases, direct address, interjections, or nouns used as adverbs, that add extra information to a sentence:

Long ago, on a hill in Greece, Philemon and Baucis lived.David, where have you been?Gee, I didn't think it was important.Monday, they went to see the doctor.

3.) to separate the parts of a date and the parts of an address:

I will meet you Thursday, May 13, 15 at Cousin John's house, 814 Maple Street, Akron, Ohio.

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ApostrophesApostrophes

An apostrophe is used:

1. to show possession (that something in some way belongs to someone or

something).

Anthony's house; Sharon's idea; the town's streets; the church's windows

2. in contractions to show that letters have been left out.

We’ll be there. = We will be there.

I’m going. = I am going.

It’s here! = It is here!

’Til = Until

Quotation MarksQuotation Marks

Use quotation marks around

1. the exact words that people said: Molly said, “I want to stay here.”Note that a comma is used after words such as “said,” and before the quotation, and that

the closing quotation mark goes after the final punctuation mark.

2. a word that refers to the word itself and not to what it means: “Five” has four

letters in it.

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1 - The Importance of Punctuation

Elizabeth, Eliza, Betsy, and Bess

An Exercise in Capitalization and Punctuation

Directions: 1. Please fix the capitalization and punctuation.2. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 3. Underline every verb twice, its subject(s) once, and label any complements (“PA,” “PN,”


elizabeth eliza betsy and bess

all went together to seek a birds nest

they found a birds nest with five eggs in it

they all took one and left four in it

This illustration and poem are from Mother Goose Gems (McLoughlin Bros., 1904).

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2 - Punctuating Sentences

Directions: 1. Use a period, question mark, or exclamation point to punctuate the following sentences. 2. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 3. Underline every subject once, every verb twice, and label complements.

1. Does your son attend school regularly

2. Always study your lessons carefully

3. There is no finer sport than skating

4. May John be excused from the room

5. Do not be discouraged by failure

6. Are you always obedient to your teacher

7. Fairy stories are very pleasant reading

8. Come along to the woods for nuts

9. Did he fall into the river

10. Do not go with John

11. Spring is the most pleasant season

12. Will you not go with us tomorrow

13. The teacher sent a letter to your father

14. There are many lions found in Africa

15. Do not be afraid of the wind and storm

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3 - Capitalization

Capital LettersCapital Letters

The Painter to the Moon

1917 by

Marc Chagall (1887-1985)

1. A capital letter is used for the first word in a sentence. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

2. Every proper noun begins with a capital letter. A proper noun is a noun that names a particular person, a particular place, or a particular thing. The following are proper nouns:

The name of a person -- Patrick Coleman, Anne White The name of a city or a town -- Buffalo, Centralia The name of a state or a country -- Texas, China The name of a street or an avenue -- Market Street, Chester Avenue The name of a holiday -- Christmas, Thanksgiving The name of a school -- Upton School, John Monroe Middle School The name of a religious denomination -- Catholic, Quaker, Protestant The name of a political party -- Democratic, Republican The name of a day of the week -- Sunday, Friday The name of a month of the year -- January, October

3. An abbreviation begins with a capital letter when a capital would be used if the word were written in full.

Dr. John Warren Dawes moved to Ohio. The last item on Mother's shopping list is "1 qt. strawberries."

4. An initial is always written with a capital letter. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

5. The principal words in titles of books, plays, poems, pictures, and compositions are written with capital letters.

"America for Me" was written by Henry Van Dyke.

6. The first word in a direct quotation is always written with a capital letter. A direct quotation is the use of the exact words of a speaker. Even if the quotation begins in the middle of the sentence, the first word of the quotation is written with a capital letter.

Robert said, "Catch me if you can."

Adapted from Voyages in English - Fifth Year, byRev. Paul E. Campbell and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1943.

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The Dance Examination

c. 1880 by

Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

CapitalizationAdapted from Voyages in English


Directions: 1. Fix the following sentences, replacing small letters with capital letters where needed. 2. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 3. Underline every verb twice, its subject(s) once, and label any complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or

“DO”).

1. my cousin herbert lives in providence, rhode island.

2. i have just read mrs. piggle-wiggle by betty macdonald.

3. mr. thomas j. mcdonnell visited washington, d. c.

4. gen. u. s. grant was born april 27, 1822.

5. on tuesday, i went to independence hall.

6. the three largest cities of the united states are new york, chicago, and

philadelphia.

7. samuel f. b. morse was born in charlestown, massachusetts.

8. anne said, "i have never seen the lincoln memorial."

9. mother, this is my friend, joan walsh.

10. capt. lawrence fought in the war of 1812.

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4 - Commas in a Series

KISS Grammar:

From Growth in English: Seventh Year

Directions:1. Replace the missing commas. 2. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 3. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” “IO,” “DO”).

Remember: A comma is used to separate words in a series.Remember: A comma is used to separate words in a series.

1. Spinach lettuce and cabbage are leafy vegetables.

2. Trunks bags and boxes were piled in the hallway.

3. Longfellow Whittier and Lowell were American poets.

4. Beside the house stood a blind man a little girl and a dog.

5. Heat darkness and silence made the night insufferable.

6. The man was tired weak and sick.

7. The princess was beloved by men women and children.

8. China exports rice tea and silk.

9. The cargo consists of iron ore coal and lumber.

10. The Panama Canal saves time money and distance.

Write five sentences which illustrate the use of the comma to separate words in a series.

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5 - Commas in Addresses and Dates

The Persistence of Memory

1931 by

Salvador Dali

KISS Grammar

From

Growth in English: Seventh Year

Directions:1. Replace the missing commas. 2. Put parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. 3. Underline subjects once, finite verbs twice, and label complements (“PN,” “PA,” “IO,” “DO”).

A comma is used to separate parts of an address or of a date.A comma is used to separate parts of an address or of a date.

1. In April 1917 we entered the World War.

2. The itinerary includes San Francisco California.

3. They live at 1415 Park Avenue Washington D. C.

4. He left our school on May 27 1934.

5. Savannah Georgia is a great market for naval stores.

6. We left the United States on Sunday June 17 1933 and returned on Thursday

October 25 1934.

7. What happened on April 17 1775?

8. November 11 1918 was the first Armistice Day.

9. If I was born on November 17 1919 how old was I on November 17 1934?

10. It was on Thanksgiving Day Thursday November 29 1934.

Write five sentences which illustrate the use of the comma to separate parts of an address or of a date.

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6 - Apostrophes to Show Possession

Based on The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck,by Beatrix Potter

Directions: Rewrite each of the following sets of two sentences as one sentence by using an apostrophe to indicate possession.

1. This is a summer residence. It belongs to a gentleman.

2. She answered a question. The question was asked by Kep.

3. He went to look for two fox-hound puppies. They belonged to the butcher.

4. Jemima heard the barking. It was made by the dogs.

5. The eggs were always found and carried off. The eggs belonged to Jemima Puddle-Duck.

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7 - Apostrophes in Contractions

Based on The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Panby Beatrix Potter

An apostrophe is used to indicate that letters have been left out. This usually happens when two words are combined into one. The resulting word is called a “contraction.” For example, “it’s” is a contraction of “it is.”

Directions: Analyze each of the following sentences, and then rewrite them replacing the

apostrophes with the full forms of the words.

1. Ribby isn’t there.

2. I can’t find it anywhere.

3. It’s a party.

4. I’ve brought you some flowers.

5. Oh, I didn’t put one in, my dear Duchess.

6. There isn’t a patty-pan.

7. It’s a pie of the most delicate and tender mouse with bacon.

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Young Woman Reading

1876 by

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

8 - Quotation MarksAdapted from

Voyages in English - Fifth Year by Rev. Paul E. Campbell

and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickleDirections: In the following sentences, identify the words that were said by placing them in quotation

marks “ ”.

1. Don’t give up the ship, said Captain Lawrence.

2. We have a new flag for our school, said Mary Alice.

3. Wait for us, called James, and we shall go with you.

4. Mother whispered, The baby is asleep.

5. Yes, replied the general.

6. Gold, said the teacher, was discovered in California in 1848.

7. Try it again, coaxed the boy.

8. Your books, remarked the girl, are in the briefcase.

9. Benjamin Franklin said, A word to the wise is sufficient.

10. Please deliver this package today, requested the customer.

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9 - Replacing Lost Punctuation & Capitalization

From “The Story of the First Woodpecker,”by Florence Holbrook

In The Book of Nature Myths

Directions: The punctuation and capitalization in the following text was lost. Please fix it (right on this page).

when that cake was baked it was larger than the first one it is so large that i

will keep it for a feast she thought so she said to her guest i will not give you this

cake but if you will wait i will make you another one i will wait said the great spirit

again

10 - Creating an Exercise

Select a short passage from a book. Remove all the capitalization and

punctuation to make a punctuation exercise for your classmates. Do at least one of

your classmates’ exercises.

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KISS Level 1.8. - Vocabulary and LogicKISS Level 1.8. - Vocabulary and Logic

1 - Abstract and Concrete WordsAbstract and Concrete WordsAbstract and Concrete Words

We need to begin with a question—Why is it important for you to learn the difference between

abstract and concrete words? To answer that question, we need to go to a more basic one—what is the

purpose of talking or writing? I think that you will agree that the primary purpose of either is to get what

is in your head (what you are trying to say) into the head or heads of readers or listeners.

Abstract words do not do this very effectively. If, at the dinner table, you want more mashed

potatoes, but you ask for more “food,” you may end up getting broccoli sprouts. “Food” is an abstract

word; “mashed potatoes” is much more concrete.

“Food” and “mashed potatoes” is a simple example of the distinction, and we should note at the

beginning that all the most important words in our lives are probably abstract—“love,” “virtue,”

“patriotism,” “money,” “good,” “evil,” and “religion” are just a few of the important abstract words. In

other words, we cannot simplify life by abandoning all abstract words and using only the concrete. Good

communication actually involves an up and down movement from abstraction down to concrete words,

and then back up to an abstraction, followed by downward explanation using concrete examples.

Learning how to do this effectively is not always easy because those people on the right in the image

above don’t usually see the world in the same way that you do. If you ask for a “short” stick, one of them

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might bring you a six-inch one, whereas another may give you a stick that is six feet long. If you want

them to meet you in the “evening,” two of them might show up at 4 p.m., and three might not appear

before midnight. But if you used a concrete word, and told them to meet you at 8, they would probably all

arrive close to that time, and those who were early or late would know that they were so.

This brings us to the basic distinction between abstract and concrete words. Abstract words are

words that people will interpret differently. When you use concrete words, what ends up in their

heads will be much closer to what you wanted them to understand. (Note, by the way, that we are

looking at phrases as well as words—“mashed potatoes” is a phrase.)

Two Major Perspectives on Abstract WordsSome abstract words can easily be broken down into smaller groups; others cannot.

Abstract Words That Can Easily Be Broken into Smaller Groups

Thing

Animal

Mammal

Cat

House Cat

Mysha

Consider the list on the left. “Thing” is the most abstract word

we have—it can refer to anything and everything. But “animal” is

more concrete—it excludes rocks and plants. “Mammal” is even

more concrete. Ducks are animals, but they are not mammals. If we

move down to “cat,” dogs and horses are now excluded, and

“House Cat” excludes lions and tigers. At the bottom of the list,

“Mysha” is the name of one specific cat. A word that refers to one,

and only one thing, is as concrete (specific) as we can get.

Note that “abstract” and “concrete” are not two boxes into

which words can be separated. As the list on the left shows, words

can be more, or less, “concrete.” In other words, the “abstract” /

“concrete” distinction is a continuum. To name a “continuum,” by

the way, we use fairly abstract words—“hot” or “cold”; “soft” or

“hard,” “short” or “tall.”

In writing, it is important to use concrete words so that your

readers will know what you really mean. When your teachers tell

you to use more examples and details, one of the things that they

mean is that you should use more concrete words.

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Abstract Words That often Can Not Be Broken into Smaller Groups

What is “beauty?” What is “happiness”? Unlike the words discussed above, “beauty” and

“happiness” cannot be broken into smaller and smaller groups of words. But clearly “beauty”

and “happiness” are abstract words. (Think of the many “Happiness is . . . .” statements that

people make, almost all of which are different.) The extent to which you may want to clarify

your meaning of these words depends on your purpose.

When people show someone a picture of their new baby, a typical response is, “She’s

beautiful.” Occasionally, the statement will be clarified to a small extent—“Her eyes are so

bright.” Often, the statement is not clarified at all. In this context, “She’s beautiful” is simply a

polite response. (Hopefully, no one would ever respond with “She’s ugly.”) There are, however,

many cases in which people would (or should or could) clarify what they mean by “beautiful.”

“That picture is beautiful,” for example, is essentially meaningless unless whoever says it goes

on to add details about the subject, the composition, the coloring, etc. of the picture.

Clarifying words in this way is not easy. It requires some thought. But these words are often

very important. What do you mean by words such as “responsibility,” “honor,” “loyalty,”

“liberal,” “conservative,” “virtue,” or “patriotic”?

Using Abstract and Concrete WordsUnderstanding these two perspectives on abstract and concrete words can help you in

writing and thinking in several ways. For words that fall into a continuum, always try to pick the

most concrete word that fits your meaning. As suggested above, that will help your audience

understand you more easily. Also, if you can choose your topic for a paper, always go for

something as concrete as you can. It is much easier for me, for example, to write about our cat

Mysha than it is to write about cats in general:

I can’t remember when or where we got our cat Mysha, but he added joy to

our lives. We named him “Mysha” because in Russian “Mysha” means “armpit.”

When he was small, he would climb into the chair I was in, and snuggle himself

into my armpit. When he grew older, he was allowed to put his front paws, but

only his front paws, on the kitchen table. At breakfast, I would shove a piece of

bacon in his direction and he would stretch out, swat the bacon onto the floor, and

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jump down to get it. Like most cats, he loved to play with things. Once, he got

hold of the toilet paper in the bathroom, pulled on it, made a left turn out the

bathroom door, went ten feet down the hallway, turned right, scrambled across the

living room, made another right, and ended at the door to the apartment. He did

this without breaking the toilet paper.

I could easily triple the size of what I just wrote, but the point is that it is much easier to write

about something specific (concrete) than it is to write about general topics like “cats.”

Words that fall into a continuum also make it easy to develop examples. Note how the

following moves from the relatively abstract “birds” to specific species of birds, and then to

specific species of animals.

Birdseed invites more than just birds. It does, of course, invite birds. Our

birdfeeder attracted a lot of sparrows and chickadees that sat on the edges of it to

eat. But many birds simply came for the seeds that fall to ground. The usual

robins came, but so did a pair of doves (always together). A pair of cardinals

came, sometimes individually, but sometimes together. When they came together,

it seemed as if the male would pick up a beakfull of seeds and then feed them to

his mate. My wife’s favorite visitor was a oriole that she named Cal. (She’s a Cal

Ripkin fan.)

The squirrels, however, kept destroying the feeders. One way or another they

would get to them, hang on them, and tear them apart. We almost gave up feeding

them, but we loved the birds, and we also loved “Alvin,” a tiny little chipmunk

who was always alone. My wife saved his life once. Like the squirrels, he would

get into the magnolia tree in which we hung the birdfeeder. He jumped off once

and fell into a tub of water in which I had been collecting rain water from a

downspout. He had no way out. We don’t know how long he was in it, but

fortunately, my wife saw him and managed to get him out alive. The tub has been

moved far from the tree, and we now simply sprinkle seeds on the ground.

The way in which Alvin stands up on his little legs and stares down the birds

and even the much bigger squirrels is cute, so we continue to put out seeds for

him and the birds. We tolerate the squirrels, but the seeds do attract less welcome

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visitors—possums, raccoons, and even an occasional fox. The real pains are the

skunks, but they only come at night. We’ve lowered the rations so that most of the

seeds are eaten before nightfall.

I have heard people complain that students who write “more” get better grades. What these

people do not understand is that good writing gets its “more” from the use of numerous concrete

words. Concrete words give examples that make what is written both clearer and more

interesting.

As for abstract words that do not easily fall into smaller groups, it is important that you

recognize them to improve your thinking, reading, and writing skills. When Tom says that Bill is

“brave” or “patriotic,” what does Tom mean? If you yourself say that Bill is “brave” or

“patriotic,” what would you mean? As noted above, sometimes you will not need examples, but

other times you probably should include some. As a good writer, that is your job.

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Adapted from

Child-Story Readers: Wonder Stories

New York: Lyons and Carnahan, 1927. p. 241-2

TheGuitar Player

by Pablo Ruiz y

Picasso(1881-1973)

Directions: Cross out the word in each row that does not fit with the others. Then, in the last column, give an abstract word or phrase that would include all the words that remain in that row.

Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Abstract1. evening morning picnic afternoon 2. hundred nineteen bushes thousand 3. bacon bread cookies basket 4. pan dipper dish needle 5. bluebird sunfish robin owl 6. vest pants block cap 7. May June Niels April 8. Chicago New Orleans France Miami 9. silk cotton water wool 10. pine fir oak speed 11. birds stones animals plants 12. silver gold house steel 13. autumn summer winter journey 14. checkers swimming dominoes chess 15. hills mountains moon valleys

2. Number your paper from one to fifteen. For each of the abstract words above, list as many more concrete words as you can think of.

3. Remember that the abstract/concrete distinction is not two boxes into which words can be put. Words can be more or less abstract or concrete. Select one of the concrete words on your list (or in the exercise above) and list five words that are more concrete examples of that word. For example, “bread” is more abstract than “rye,” “pumpernickel,” “Italian,” “white,” and “wheat” breads.

4. To explain some abstract words, it is better to give and explain examples of it. Pick one word from the following list and write a paragraph that explains what it means to you. Use as many concrete examples as you can. Your teacher may have everyone read their paragraphs in class to see the different ways in which the word is defined.

game, bug, holiday, punishment

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2 - Common and Proper Nouns

Common and Proper NounsCommon and Proper Nouns

A common noun is a noun that is used as the name of a class of things.

cat, forest, hill, fishhook

A proper noun is a name that belongs only to some particular person, place, or

thing.

Henry, Boston, Monday, April

Begin every proper noun with a capital letter.

Note that common nouns tend to be abstract. Proper nouns are very concrete

because they name one specific person, place, or thing.

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Common and Proper Nouns

Note: A word for which you can give more than one example is more abstract than the examples are.

Directions: In the following sentences, tell which are common, and which are proper nouns.

1. The Mississippi rises in the State of Minnesota and empties into the Gulf of

Mexico.

2. Alexander Hamilton was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr.

3. Murat was a marshal of France, and was said to be the best leader of cavalry in

Europe.

4. David Copperfield is one of the best works of fiction written by Charles

Dickens.

5. There was a little girl, who had a little curl,

That hung down in the middle of her forehead.

6. Then outspake brave Horatius, the captain of the gate:

“To every man upon this earth death cometh soon or late.”

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3 - Synonyms

Adapted from Child-Story Readers:

Wonder StoriesNew York: Lyons and Carnahan, 1927. p. 113-4

La BaronneDe Krundener

Et Son Fils by

AngelicaKauffmann (1741-1807)

A synonym is a word that means the same,or almost the same, as another word.

Directions: 1. Number the lines of a piece of paper from 1 to 20. 2. In each line find the synonym of the first word in that line. Write this word on your paper by the right

number. 1. glad happy smooth tight2. distant sunny deep far3. short brief high orange4. little flat small fast5. middle soft round center6. sad heavy unhappy misty7. tall high sweet white8. bright shining friendly lost9. fall light tear drop10. leap sleep jump walk11. join go unite write12. powerful strong long square13. usually never again generally14. thief burglar mayor brother15. big kind large old16. pretty beautiful snow ugly17. hard tiny straw difficult18. clothes dress shadow rainbow19. catch meet capture blow20. bad little rusty evil

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American Gothic

1930 by

Grant Wood ( 1891-1942)

4 - Antonyms

Adapted from Voyages in English - Fifth Year


Antonyms are words that mean the opposite or almost the opposite of another word.

Directions: 1. Number the lines of a piece of paper from 1 to 20. 2. In each line find the antonym of the first word in that line. Write this word on your paper by

the right number.

1. win run lose bend2. come go wave sleep3. true thin heavy false4. begin give end please5. short flat thick tall6. smooth rough silent rude7. lose seek scare find8. bright noisy dull careful9. early late morning time

10. strong weak usual young11. wide long high narrow12. rich poor normal timid13. happy strong sad easy14. hot smelly cold cool15. right funny fresh wrong16. wet dry crooked damp17. slow fresh sleepy fast18. left right wrong corner19. true simple false clean20. war battle hope peace

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5 - Fill in the Blanks with Interesting WordsAdapted from

Voyages in English - Fifth Year by Rev. Paul E. Campbell

and Sister Mary Donatus MacNickle

The Mute Woman

1508? by

Raphael(1483-1520)

Directions: 1. Fill in the blanks with interesting verbs, nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. 2. Place parentheses around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from each preposition to the word

that the phrase modifies. 3. Underline subjects once, verbs twice, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).

1. The _____adj._____ dog _____verb_____ the _____adj._____ _____noun_____.

2. I _____verb_____ _____adv._____ out of bed.

3. The _____adj._____ _____adj._____ _____noun_____ _____adv._____

_____verb_____ the _____adj._____ cheese.

4. The _____adj._____ girl _____verb_____ _____adv._____ around the

_____adj._____ _____noun_____.

5. Joe’s _____adj._____ _____adj._____ dog _____verb_____ _____adv._____ into

the _____adj._____ room.

6. _____adv._____, we _____verb_____ at the _____adj._____ _____adj._____

mountains.

7. The _____adj._____ pony _____verb_____ _____adv._____ along the

_____adj._____ road.

8. The _____adj._____ traveller _____adv._____ _____verb_____ on his

_____adj._____ trip.

9. The _____adj._____ teacher _____verb_____ the pupils to enter the classroom.

10. John _____verb_____ _____adv._____ from the _____adj._____ train and

_____verb_____ into his _____adj._____ arms.

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6 - The Logic of Words and Phrases

Where Does Each Belong?

Directions: Arrange neatly on a large sheet of paper any two of the following headings: Who, When, Where, What, How. Underneath each of the two headings which you have chosen write all the groups of words given below which properly belong under that heading. Write your name near the bottom of your paper.

1an Indian squaw that first winter too late in the season a piece of raccoon outside of the wigwam suddenly in Connecticut

2along the street when snowflakes fall a single doughnut noisily all his friends Rose Fyleman a terrible pirate

3some wicked pirates anxiously above the undergrowth some famous people on a Virginia plantation a little Polish princess patiently

4sassafras teaa real Christmasthese Indian neighborsat Thanksgiving Timeterriblyin front of the fireplacea smart red feather

5in the cold twilightsthe little boy's uncleafter the snowfallfrom the northtwo tiny nuthatchesin a minuteblindly

6the gossipy porpoisesAnthony Overhigh in the aira red-headed manimmediatelyacross the rose-plotafter many trials

From The Pathway to Reading: Fourth Reader, by Bessie Blackstone Coleman,Willis L. Uhl, and James Fleming Hosic. N.Y.: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1926, p. 213.

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Word Families (Small and Big)Word Families (Small and Big)

Just like people, words are born, live, and die. (They just live a lot longer.) Over the centuries, in other words, our ancestors developed new words, changed them in different ways to express different things, and then, for one reason or another, stopped using some words. Our interest here is in how words have changed. Understanding that can help you improve your vocabulary -- and your writing.

Some words are very simple -- man, friend, draw. Other words, however, are formed from these simple words: man -- manly, manfully; friend -- friendly, friendship, unfriendly; draw -- drawing, withdraw. The parts that form such words are called roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

The Root of a word is usually a simple English word without a prefix or a suffix, such as move, see, hold, press. Prefixes and suffixes can be added to these words to make new words -- pressure, impression, suppress. Some roots are not English words. For example, from the Latin, we have the roots vert and duce from which English gets words like convert and introduce.

A Prefix is a significant syllable or word placed before the root. In mistake, undertake; mis and under are prefixes.

A Suffix is a significant letter or syllable placed after the root. In amused, amusement, amusing; d, ment, and ing are suffixes.

All words formed from the same root are said to belong to the same family of words; thus, betake, mistake, retake, partake. overtake, undertake, etc., belong to a family of words. The following words belong to another family: Divert, convert, avert, pervert, controvert, invert, subvert, revert, perversion, diversity, introverted, uncontroverted, etc.

Like all families, word-families can be viewed as “small” or “big.” With people, a “small” family consists of parents and their children. A “big” family extends to aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and beyond to include everyone related by blood. A “small” word family consists of one basic word and variations that change how it can be used (noun, adjective, verb, adverb). Within these variations of part of speech, other variations can change the meaning from naming an act (“describing”) to the result of the act (“description”) or to the doer of the act (“describer”) or to the quality of the act (“descriptiveness”).

156

The “Small” Word-Family of “Describe”

V- describe Parents describe their children in glowing terms.

N- describing Describing a person is not easy.

description My descriptions are not always clear.

describer As a describer, I probably leave much to be desired.

descriptiveness The writer’s descriptiveness tempts the imagination.

Adj.- describing He wrote a book describing his experience.

described The accident described in the paper occurred here.

descriptive She wrote a very descriptive essay.

describable But then, the scene she chose was very describable.

Adv.- descriptively Still, she writes very descriptively.

“Big” word families are usually created by prefixes that fundamentally change the meaning. For example, the “big” family of the root motion includes words such as emotion, promotion, commotion, and demotion.

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7 - Suffixes

The Prisoner 1907 by

Evelyn DeMorgan

(British, 1850-1919)

7 A - Suffixes That Create Nouns:

(State of Being, Condition, Quality)

Based on Lessons in English: Higher Course

Pupil's Edition. New York: William H. Sadlier, 1893

Suffixes that denote the state of being, or the condition, the quality, are:

-ness Happiness, the state of being happy.-ity, -ty, -ety Scarcity, frailty, the state of being scarce, frail.-th Health, the state of being healthy.-tude Promptitude, the state of being prompt.-ice Justice, the state of being just.-ce Silence, the state of being silent.-cy, -acy Accuracy, the state of being accurate.-y Honesty, the state of being honest.-mony Acrimony, the state of being acrid or sour.-hood Childhood, the state of a child.-ship Friendship, the state of a friend.-dom Kingdom, the state of a king.-ry, -y Beggary, the state of a beggar.

Form nouns by means of the above suffixes.

true truth loyal loyaltyfree _______________ hard _______________deep _______________ obstinate _______________green _______________ strong _______________anxious _______________ apt _______________vain _______________ merry _______________special _______________ boy _______________quiet _______________ modest _______________gay _______________ young _______________false _______________ warm _______________noisy _______________ wise _______________brave _______________ equal _______________solid _______________ coward _______________benefit _______________ delicate _______________ample _______________ prudent _______________

158

Self Portrait 1940 by

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

Mexican

7 B - Suffixes That Denote People



Suffixes that indicate the author of an action, the person who is devoted to a profession or skilled in it, are:

-er, -yer Reader, Sawyer, one who reads, saws.-eer, -ier Auctioneer, one who sells by auction.-ar, -ard Beggar, Dotard, one who begs, dotes.-or Creator, one who creates.-ant, -ent President, Student, one who presides. studies.-an, -ian Musician, one skilled in music.-ster Spinster, one who spins.-ist Artist, one skilled in an art.-ive Fugitive, one who flees.-ary Missionary, one sent on a mission.-ate Delegate, one who is sent.-ee Trustee, one to whom something is entrusted.

Directions: 1. Give the name of the person.

law lawyer combat combatantrefer _______________ mutiny _______________school _______________ adverse _______________refuge _______________ compete _______________dull _______________ assail _______________conspire _______________ adhere _______________violin _______________ preside _______________library _______________ natural _______________journal _______________ assist _______________oppose _______________ capture _______________trick _______________ chariot _______________

2. Replace the italicized words with nouns that refer to people. a. Religious missions in pagan lands have often to encounter obstacles raised by the greed of

European traffic. b. Without the telescope, astronomy would know nothing of innumerable worlds that lie beyond the

range of the human eye. c. The structure, classification, growth, and use of plants is the study of botany. d. Skillful arts can transform the coarsest materials into objects of luxury.

159

Vampire 1893 by

Edvard Munch

7 C - Suffixes That Create Nouns

(Office, Place, Collection)



Suffixes that denote office, jurisdiction, or character, are:

-ate Patriarchate, the jurisdiction of a patriarch.-dom Kingdom, the dominions of a king,-ship Professorship, the office of a professor.-hood Priesthood, the office of a priest.-cy, -acy, -y Presidency, the office of a president.

Suffixes which denote place or a collection of objects are:

-ary Library, a collection of books, a place to keep books.-ery Fishery, a place for fishing,-ory Armory, a place to keep arms.-ry, -y Vestry, a place to keep vestments.-ing Clothing, a collection of clothes.-age Plumage, a collection of feathers.

Directions: Give the nouns formed with the above suffixes.

clerk clerkship grain granary

widow _______________ peasant _______________

knight _______________ monarch _______________

protector _______________ consul _______________

hermit _______________ dispense _______________

observe _______________ deposit _______________

baron _______________ infirm _______________

bound _______________ mile _______________

160

Circe by

Dosso Dossi(1479-1542)

7 D - Suffixes That Create Nouns

(Art, Science, Practice)



Suffixes which denote art, science, practice, are: -ery, -ry, -y Cookery, the art or practice of a cook.-ism Criticism, the art or practice of a critic.-ics, -ic Mechanics, the science of motion.-ing Surveying, the art of measuring lands.-ure Sculpture, the art of carving.

The suffix -ism indicates a doctrine, a particular manner of acting, of being, or an idiom peculiar to a language; as, Calvinism, the doctrine of Calvin; parallelism, the state of being parallel; Latinism, an idiom peculiar to the Latin language.

Form nouns by means of the above suffixes. chemist chemistry garden gardening

poet _______________ despot _______________

architect _______________ paint _______________

photograph _______________ witch _______________

emboss _______________ letter _______________

engrave _______________ patriot _______________

cone _______________ carve _______________

Catholic _______________ pagan _______________

surgeon _______________ barbarian _______________

III. Change the noun in italics to one that denotes the art, science, or practice:

1. The practices of the heathen are either superstitious or cruel. 2. The chemist requires an extensive knowledge of physics and geometry. 3. A new country like Canada affords a vast field for the engineer. 4. Since the discovery of Galvani the science of electricity has advanced with rapid strides. 5. The skeptics of the reign of Louis XV. were followed by the terrorists of the French

Revolution. 6. The anatomist examines the structure of the human body.

161

Alone 1896 by

Toulouse- Lautrec

(1864-1901)

7 E - Suffixes That Create Adjectives

(Quality)



Suffixes that express the quality of a thing, of what it is made, or what it contains, are:

-ine Saline, having the qualities of a salt-ous, -eous, -ious, -uous Glorious, having the quality of glory

-en Wooden, made of wood-ed Bigoted, having the qualities of a bigot-ory Declamatory, containing declamation-ive Defective, containing defects-id Candid, having the quality of candor-ate Compassionate, having the quality of compassion

Directions: Form adjectives with the above suffixes.

fervor fervid male masculine

brass _______________ promise _______________

splendor _______________ malice _______________

wool _______________ age _______________

alkali _______________ plenty _______________

beauty _______________ lead _______________

divinity _______________ abuse _______________

conceit _______________ talent _______________

crystal _______________ fame _______________

pomp _______________ ambition _______________

162

Majas on aBalcony

by Francisco de Goya

(1746-1828)

7 F - Suffixes That Create Adjectives

(Power, Potential)



Suffixes that express the power to do, causing, or producing, are:-ive Productive, having the power to produce-ant, -ent Pleasant, producing pleasure-ory Compulsory, having the power to compel-ing Amusing, producing amusement-fic Terrific, Causing terror-iferous Floriferous, producing flowers-ite Definite, having bounds

Suffixes that express that may be, are:-able Tamable, that may be tamed-ible Resistible, that may be resisted-ile Docile, easily taught

Directions: Form adjectives by means of the above suffixes.buoy buoyant create creativeimitate _______________ abhor _______________metal _______________ pend _______________progress _______________ divert _______________change _______________ odor _______________dolor _______________ tense _______________peace _______________ corrode _______________divide _______________ soothe _______________luxury _______________ utter _______________satisfy _______________ oppose _______________serve _______________ species _______________heal _______________ sense _______________decide _______________ prevail _______________detest _______________ assist _______________repel _______________ admit _______________solve _______________ forgive _______________access _______________ cone _______________depend _______________ eat _______________

163

Near Perugiain Spring

1879by

George Inness (1825-1894)

7 G - Suffixes That Create Adjectives

(Relationship)



Suffixes which denote relation to a thing, are:-aI, -ial Provincial, relating to a province-ar Polar, relating to the poles-ary Planetary, relating to a planet-an, -ian Collegian, relating to a college-ile Infantile, pertaining to an infant-ic, -ical Romantic, pertaining to romance

Suffixes which denote abounding in, full of, are: -ful Fruitful, abounding with fruit-ose, -ous Verbose, abounding in words-some Troublesome, full of trouble-y, -ey Hilly, abounding in hills

The suffix that expresses without, destitute of, is -less; as, Hopeless, without hope.

Directions: Form adjectives by means of the suffixes. circle circular patriot patrioticyouth _______________ botany _______________spirit _______________ peril _______________nature _______________ mourn _______________honor _______________ essence _______________giant _______________ home _______________globe _______________ feast _______________single _______________ autumn _______________joke _______________ toil _______________quarrel _______________ insect _______________life _______________ flower _______________truth _______________ suburbs _______________science _______________ frolic _______________cloud _______________ emblem _______________peace _______________ clergy _______________muscle _______________ pore _______________friend _______________ herb _______________humor _______________ play _______________

164

Rosie the Riveter

(cover SaturdayEvening Post May 29 1943)

by Norman Rockwell

(1894-1978)

7 H - Suffixes That Create Adjectives

(Likeness)



Suffixes that express likeness, similarity, are: -ish, -ly Childish, like a child; fatherly, like a father

The suffix -ly added to words expressing periods of time, signifies every; as, daily, every day; monthly, every month,. hourly, every hour.

Suffixes which, joined to a proper name, form proper adjectives, are: -ch, -ish, -ic France, French; Spain, Spanish; Plato, Platonic-ian, -n, -ean Newton, Newtonian; Russia, Russian; Pyrenees, Pyrenean-ese, -ine,-ote, -ite China, Chinese; Alp, Alpine; Morea, Moreote

Suffixes which, joined to an adjective, express diminution, are:-ish, -some Red, reddish: glad, gladsome.

Form adjectives by means of the above suffixes.mother motherly Genoa GenoeseCicero _______________ clown _______________Ireland _______________ Socrates _______________coward _______________ Greece _______________prince _______________ Ptolemy _______________heathen _______________ Levant _______________Asia _______________ Wales _______________Heaven _______________ Corfu _______________white _______________ Portugal _______________brother _______________ purple _______________Goth _______________ drone _______________Africa _______________ Flanders _______________whole _______________ blithe _______________matron _______________ Scotland _______________thief _______________ yellow _______________

165

7 I - Suffixes for Making Verbs



Woman Reading in a Café

1879 by

Edouard Manet (1832-1883)

The following suffixes usually turn adjectives or nouns into verbs.-en Darken, to make dark-ate Domesticate, to render domestic-fy, -ify Simplify, to render simple-ish Publish, to make public-ite Unite, to make one-e Breathe, to make or draw breath-se Cleanse, to make clean-le Crumble, to reduce to crumbs-ise, -ize Solemnize, to keep or render solemn

Form a verb from the noun or the adjective. life live clear clarifyemphasis _______________ vacant _______________weak _______________ disbelief _______________deceptive _______________ successful _______________cloth _______________ shelf _______________strength _______________ interesting _______________captive _______________ equal _______________obedient _______________ different _______________rough _______________ analysis _______________origin _______________ fertile _______________

Deflating Inflated Balloons

Forms of the verb “to be” make wordy sentences—inflated balloons. Directions: Change the predicate adjective or predicate noun into a verb and rewrite the sentence using

that verb instead of the S/V/PA (or PN) pattern. Example: He is not the owner of any books. = He does not own any books.

1. This story is interesting to me.

2. He is very deceptive.

3. Students should be obedient to their teachers.

4. You have been successful in your attempt.

5. My impression is different from yours.

166

7 J - Suffixes That Create Verbs

from Nouns and Adjectives



The Laundress c. 1860-61

by Honoré

Daumier (1808-1879)

Verbs can be formed from nouns, or adjectives. 1. Without change; as, smoke, to smoke; warm, to warm. 2. By giving a flat sound to some letters, without altering the spelling of the

word; as, mouth, mouth; close, close. 3. By changing a sharp consonant to a corresponding flat one; as, grass, to

graze; half, to halve. 4. By changing the position of the accent; as, ob'ject, to object'; fre'quent, to

frequent'. 5. By adding a suffix; as, sign, signify; sweet, sweeten. 6. In a few instances, by adding a prefix; as, dim, bedim; power, overpower.

Find the verb corresponding to the given word.

brass braze rebel rebel'

grief _______________ excuse _______________

advice _______________ prophecy _______________

proof _______________ belief _______________

convert _______________ attribute _______________

perfume _______________ rise _______________

conflict _______________ glass _______________

relief _______________ smooth _______________

grease _______________ device _______________

strife _______________ price _______________

reproof _______________ thief _______________

project _______________ practice _______________

167

The Sisters 1885by

Mary Cassatt(1844-1926)

7 K - Suffixes That Create Adverbs



Many adverbs end in the suffix -ly. (But not every word that ends in -ly is an

adverb. Think of friendly.)

The suffixes -ward, -ern, -erly, denote direction; as, north, northward, northern,

northerly. Note that -ern creates adjectives, and “-ward” creates words that can

function as either adjectives or adverbs: They sailed northward. They sailed into a

northward wind.

Give an adverb related to each of the following:

wind windward bright brightly

neat______________

_humble

______________

_

fierce______________

_swift

______________

_

side______________

_

awkwar

d

______________

_

fearles

s

______________

_playful

______________

_

easy______________

_west

______________

_

back______________

_gloomy

______________

_

hopefu ______________ cross ______________

168

l _ _

169

8 - Prefixes

Woman in BlueReading a Letter

c.1662-1664by

Jan Vermeer (1632-1675)

Some Common Prefixes(for Level 1.8)



The following are common prefixes:

Re- signifies back, again; as, reenter, to enter again

Sub, suc, suf,

sup, sus-signify under, after; as suffix, to fix after

Super- sur- signify over, above, beyond; as, surmount, to mount above

Trans- tra- signify across, otherwise; as, transpose, to place otherwise

Directions: Use the prefixes above to make other words from the following words and roots. Indicate the part of speech of the words that you make.

port transport (N or V) -vert reversion (N)

edit _______________ structure _______________

-fer _______________ lease _______________

position _______________ action _______________

charge _______________ -tain _______________

fix _______________ -late _______________

-vive _______________ -mit _______________

name _______________ division _______________

vision _______________ plant _______________

-cess _______________ -vise _______________

170

9 - Roots

Reading 1911 by

John Singer Sargent

(1856-1925)

Word Families:

Identifying RootsBased on

Lessons in English: Higher Course Pupil's Edition. New York: William H. Sadlier, 1893

Root: Write the root of the word. Reform

European

Kingdom

Pressure

Entomb

Bravery

Overload

Uncrown

Hillock

Disbelief

Form

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

Armament

Songster

Inaction

Adverb

Teacher

Nonsense

Forenoon

Lambkin

Slavery

Withdraw

Arm

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

Beggar

Redo

Beautiful

Childhood

Prefix

Duckling

Spaniard

Misdeed

Reclaim

Westward

Beg

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

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