Hint: Use your dictionary. Look up a word and see what parts of speech it can be.
1. Find the subject (which is a noun or pronoun) and the verb of the utterance.
 If there is only 1 of each, this is a simple sentence. The happy boy walked to his
grandmother's house.
 If there is more than one, this is either a compound or complex sentence.
Compound sentence: The boy walked down the sidewalk and the girl ran by the
house. (This sentence has 2 independent clauses.)
 Complex sentence: The boy walked down the sidewalk as the girl ran by the
house. (This sentence has an independent clause followed by a dependent clause.)
2. The noun phrase is everything up to the verb; the verb phrase is the verb & the rest of
the utterance.
NP
| VP
NP | VP
Compund sentence: The boy | walked down the sidewalk and the girl | ran by the
house. (This sentence has 2 independent clauses so it has 2 noun phrases & 2 verb
phrases.)
NP | VP
NP | VP
Complex sentence: The boy | walked down the sidewalk as the girl | ran by the house.
(This sentence has an independent clause followed by a dependent clause so it has 2
noun phrases & 2 verb phrases.)
3. Are there modifiers before or after the noun/subject in the noun phrase part of the
utterance?
NP | VP
The old dog | slept in the bright sunlight. (note: Bright is an adjective but since it is
not in the noun phrase, you ignore it for this analysis. When you analyze the verb
phrase, then you can comment on it.)
Hint: To check if something is an adjective, see if it makes sense in the following
sentence: He was very ___.
4. Describe the verb structure.
Is it an action verb? The boy ran. If so, mark the verb column.
Is it an auxiliary (i.e., helping) verb? The boy is running. If so, mark the auxiliary
verb for is and the verb column for running.
Is it a copula (i.e., linking) verb? The boy is happy. If so, mark the "to be" verb
column?
Is there a negative within the verb structure? The boy is not happy. I can't come. If
so, mark the negative column.
5. Is the verb phrase elaborated by additional information?
NP | VP
The old dog | slept in the bright sunlight. (This is a prepositional phrase).
The new car | was shiny. (Shiny is a predicate adjective or a complement. A
complement generally follows a linking verb.)
The young woman | was the new boss. (Boss is the noun complement. A
complement generally follows a linking verb.)
The clerk at the store | gave her change. (Change is the direct object and her is the
indirect object. To check if you have a direct object and indirect object, try rewording
the sentence as "The clerk gave the change to her." If it makes sense, you do have a
direct & indirect object.)
6. What type of sentence structure do you have?
Declarative
Imperative
Negative
Interrogative
Hint: If you have an imperative sentence, the subject is implied.
NP (implied you) | VP
| Please get me that paper.
Hints: Interrogatives
Interrogatives should be analyzed as a declarative sentence for noun phrase and verb
phrase analysis.
Wh words are pronouns if they stand alone or are adjectives if they precede a noun.
What are you doing? ("What" is a pronoun.)
NP | VP
You | are doing what?
What clothes do you plan to take? ("What" is the adjective modifying "clothes"
NP
| VP
You | plan to take what clothes?
Are you going to call her?
NP | VP
You | are going to call her.