WheretheRedFernGrowsLesson1-UnderstandingSentencesHowcanyoutellacompletesentencefromanincompletesentence?Usuallyyoutelljustbylistening.IncompleteSentence(Fragment)Everyday.(What?Whodoeswhateveryday?Idon’tgetit.Thisisnotcomplete.)IncompleteSentence(Fragment)Everyday,rainorshine.(Idon’tcareabouttheweather!Tellmewhoisdoingwhat.)CompleteSentenceBillyhunts.(Thisisaverysimplesentence,butithasasubject[Billy]andaverb[hunts].Weknowwhathappenedandwhodidit.)CompleteSentenceBillyhuntseveryday.(Hereisthesamesentencewithalittlemoreinformation.There’snoconfusionhere.)CompleteSentenceBillyhuntseveryday,rainorshine.(Hereisthesamesentencewithevenmoreinformation,andit’sstillveryclear.)Acompletesentencemusthaveasubjectandapredicate.Thesubjecttellswhoorwhatdoestheaction,andthepredicatecontainstheverbandtellswhattheactionis.Averbisawordthatexpressesoneoftwothings:Action:jump,scream,fly,runStateofbeing:appear,seem,feelAsubjectcanbeanyofthefollowingthings:Thepersonwhodoestheactioninthesentence.Grandpasellsgoodsinhisgeneralstore.Theplacethatdoestheactioninthesentence.ThegeneralstoreswarmswithpeoplebeforetheFourthofJulycelebration.Thethingthatdoestheactioninthesentence.Flourandsugararemixedtogethertomakecookies.Thepersondescribedinthesentence.Grandpaishappywhenhemakesagoodsell.Theplacebeingdescribedinthesentence.ThegeneralstoreiscrowdedonSaturday.Thethingbeingdescribedinthesentence.Cookiesarebestwhentheflourandsugararefresh.Subjectsmaycomeindifferentforms:Onenounasthesubject–Billywantshounddogs.Twonounsasasubject–LittleAnnandOldDanaretwodogs.Onepronounasthesubject–Heprayseachnightfordogs.Twopronounsasthesubject–Heandshearebothstillawakebecauseofthecoonhounds.Aphrase–Stayingawakeallnightisnofun.Aclause–Whatmakesmemadisallthenoise!Clausewhenhegetsthemoney(Thishasasubject[he]andaverb[gets],butyou’releftdangling,aren’tyou?It’snotacompletesentence.Thisiscalledadependentclause.Itdependsonsomethingelsetomakeacompletesentence.CompleteSentenceBillywillbuycoonhoundswhenhegetsthemoney.(Nowweknowwhat’sgoingon!)Determineifthefollowingarecompletesentencesordependentclauses.1.WhenIleftmyofficethatbeautifulspringday.2.IwaswalkingalongwhistlingwhenIheardthedogfight.3.Abouttwenty-fivefeetfrommetheycaughthimanddownhewent.4.Downonmyknees.5.Withonefinalwhimper.6.Wherethealleyemptiedintothestreet,hestoppedandlookedback.7.AsIwatchhimdisappearinthetwilightshadows.8.Whateveritwasthathadinterruptedhislife,hewastryingtostraightenitout.9.AsIturnedtoentermyyard.10.AsIcaressedthesmoothsurfaces,myminddriftedbackthroughtheyears,backtomyboyhooddays.Phrasethesoundofthehounds(Wejustsawthataclausehasasubjectandaverb.There’snoverbhere;thisiscalledaphrase.Itcouldbethestartofagreatsentence,butitneedssomehelp.Itneedssomeaction.)CompleteSentenceThesoundofthehoundsechoedinBilly’smindevenafterthenightquieted.(Nowthere’ssomeaction!Itmakesaveryclear,completesentence.)Tellwhichpartofthesentence(subjectorpredicate)ismissinginthesentencefragmentsbelow:1.Awholebucketfuloftears.2.Mydog-wanting.3.BawlingandyellingforMama.4.Hadatalkwithhim.Let’sbuildafewsentences.PhraseyoungBillyDependentClausebythetimehuntingseasonwasoverCompleteSentenceBythetimehuntingseasonwasover,youngBillywasanervouswreck.PhraseourcatSamieDependentClausewithoneloudsquallCompleteSentenceWithoneloudsquall,ourcatSamiescootedunderthebarn.PhrasetheglowofthefireDependentClauseasIsatthereinsilenceCompleteSentenceAsIsatthereinsilence,theglowofthefiregrewlarger.PhrasesparkledlikeawhitestarintheheavensDependentClauseasIstruckamatchCompleteSentenceAsIstruckamatch,thesmallercupsparkledlikeawhitestarintheheavens.VideoonSentenceFragmentsPractice–CompleteSentenceorSentenceFragment?1.Ifoundsomeslicklittletrailsoutinthegardendownundersometallhollyhocks.2.OnceIdecidedtomakefriendswithhim.3.Thinkingtheyweregametrails.4.MamahadanothertalkwithPapa.GotoyourStudentPacketandcompleteLesson1PracticeforEnglish.