Advc
Section
DET
1A
Structure of Modern English
1A
Noun Phrases and Predicate Phrases
S
S
NP PredP
N
VP
NP PredP
NGer
V
VP
V
(Diagram the phrases outside the parentheses.)
1. Money talks.
Writing Labs
Online Writery
<http://www.missouri.edu/~writery>
Purdue University Online Writing Lab
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu>
The University of Michigan OWL: Online Writing and Learning
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/ecb/OWL/owl.html
2. Everything hurts.
3. Accidents happen.
4. Politicians lie.
S
NP PredP
NP
N
PredP
VP
VP
V
5. Memories fade.
6. Elephants remember.
7. Walking relaxes.
K E Y
S - sentence
NP – noun phrase
N – noun
NGer – noun gerund
PredP – predicate phrase
VP – verb phrase
V - verb
8. Laughing hurts.
(The diagrams begin on page 39.)
Proper nouns are the names of specific persons, places, and
things. All other nouns are common nouns.
PROPER NOUNS
A gerund is a noun formed
from a verb, denoting an
action or state (the living is
easy). The gerund is formed
with –ing.
God (used as a name)
Book of Jeremiah
Uncle Pedro
Father (used as a name)
Lake Superior
the Capital Center
the South
University of Wisconsin
Geology 101
Environmental Protection
Agency
COMMON NOUNS
(a) god
(a) book
(my) uncle
(my) father
(a picturesque) lake
(a) center (for advanced studies)
(a) south wind
(a good) university
geology
(a federal) agency
1
Section
1B
1B
Personal Prounouns: Prop
NP
{ ProN }
p
(Diagram.)
1. They lumber.
2. It happens.
3. He listens.
Personal pronouns refer to
specific persons or things. The
following are used in the
subjective (nominative) case:
Singular: I, you, she/he/it
Plural: We, you, they
4. She fawns.
5. I think.
Singular
Plural
For a full chart of personal pronouns check
the Ax appendix, A1-b
1st
I
2nd You
3rd He/She/It
1st
2nd
3rd
We
You
They
Section
1C
1C
Structure of Modern English
3
Determiners: Det
NP
DET N
(Det) N
NP
{Pro }
Det
p
{ }
Art
Dem
Q
Poss
NP Poss
(Diagram.)
K E Y
1. Some things change.
2. The dog’s paw bled.
3. That kid’s parents smoke.
4. Your vote counts.
DET - determiner
Art – article (definite of indefinite)
Dem – demonstrative
Q – quantifier
Poss - possessive
NP/poss – possessive noun (dog’s
bone)
5. These days drag.
6. 618 soldiers died.
7. That spy’s car flies.
8. All thirty children passed.
9. My sister’s boyfriend’s hamster died.
10. The town’s many problems vanished.
11. These two colors match.
(Check your diagrams with the 1C diagram section in the back.)
A full list of
determiners appears
in the appendix.
Sometimes there can be two
determiners; then at least one
is a Q.
Section
1D
1D
Adjective Phrases: AdjP
NP
AdjP
Deg
(Det) (AdjP) N
N
NP 
{Pro
p
}
Adj
(Deg) Adj
(Diagram.)
AdjP
1. The hot liquids synthesized.
An adjective is a word used to
modify, or describe, a noun. An
adjective usually answers one of
these questions. Which one? What
kind of?
In English, it almost always goes
before the N.
2. His old car died.
3. This lavender dress sparkles.
4. The endangered condor subsists.
5. His heavy heart ached.
6. The restrained audience gasped.
7. Their exotic flowers wilted.
8. That very young girl won.
9. The more cunning animals survive.
10. Mom’s new china shattered.
(The section continues.)
A degree modifier precedes the
adjective to tell us the extent of
that quality (ex. very tall,
slightly crooked).
Section
1D
Structure of Modern English
Adjective Phrases: AdjP
(Continue diagramming.)
11. The young cubs fed.
12. Some restless refugees escaped.
13. A few broken pieces glistened.
1D
5
Section
1E
1E
Compound Nouns
NP
N
COMPOUND
(Diagram.)
1. My print cartridge leaks.
2. The entire speaker box shook.
3. Four more soccer teams qualified.
Nouns can be combined to form
compound nouns. These are very
common, and new combinations
are invented frequently. They
consist of a noun modified by a
noun in front of it: California
condor, lap dog, and fish
tank.
4. The bank manager retired.
5. Their water tank arrived.
6. My neighbor’s chicken coop collapsed.
7. Your grandmother’s blood pressure dropped.
8. A mysterious road sign appeared.
9. This rusty can opener works.
10. The old post office reopened.
Section
1F
1F
Structure of Modern English
Prepositional Phrases: PP
(Det) (AdjP) N (PP)
NP
N
NP 
PP
prep
NP
{ Pro
p
PP
}
prep NP
(Diagram.)
1. The fight against injustice continues.
A list of prepositions
appears in the
appendix.
2. Activists in a crowd shout.
3. A moment of clarity transpired.
4. The giraffes in the zoo escaped.
5. That group of young scouts returned.
K E Y
AdjP – adjective phrase
Adj – adjective
Deg – degree modifier
PP – prepositional phrase
prep – preposition
6. This flush of hearts wins.
7. The roof beams in the middle collapsed.
8. The available apartment above the pet shop reeked.
9. The acrylic landscape paintings by his Japanese friends arrived.
7
Section
1G
1G
Direct Objects and Reflexive Pronouns
PredP
PredP
VP
NP
V
N
VP (NP)
(Diagram.)
1. Edison invented the light bulb.
2. Nature admits no lie. 1
3. I live a charmed life.
4. She hurt herself.
The direct object completes
the meaning of the verb by
naming a receiver of the
action.
The reflexive pronouns are used
to name a receiver of an action
identical with the doer of the
action: I hurt myself. I
bought some clothes for
myself. They are also used to
intensify a noun or pronoun:
They ate all the food
themselves.
5. The story wrote itself.
6. Oppression enrages wise men.
Singular
7. Loose lips sink ships.
Plural
8. They excused themselves.
9. Mark Rothko’s late paintings achieved a new luminosity.
10. The machine threatens all achievement.2
(The section continues.)
1
2
Thomas Carlyle
Rainer Maria Rilke
1st
I
2nd You
3rd He/She/It
1st
2nd
3rd
We
You
They
Section
1G
Structure of Modern English
1G
Direct Objects
(Continue diagraming.)
11. Their criticism evokes harsh responses.
12. We fed ourselves.
13. Her simple faith in the immediate future gave me hope.
14. He trained himself.
15. The Western phallocentric tradition poses a problem.
9
Section
1H
1H
Adverb Phrases
PredP
PredP
VP
AdvP
V
Adv
VP (NP) (AdvP)+
{ }
(Deg) Adv
PP
NP
AdvP
(Diagram.)
K E Y
1. The Festival of Chicano Literature began in
Los Angeles in 1973.
2. My parents put a live teddy bear in my crib.1
3. Obedient women rarely make history.
4. That comment really hits a cord.
5. This book completely overwhelmed me.
6. It touched me sharply in all its aspects.
AdvP – adverb phrase
Adv – adverb
1. Remember adverbs add
description to a verb: the
where, the when, the how,
the why, etc. of an action or
event
2. There can be multiple
Adverb Phrases in a PredP
3. Adverb Phrases are
movable!
7. It places the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric
arbitrariness of history.
8. This compelling work vividly demonstrates the presence of
suppressed histories.
9. Calmly, the explorers cut their way through the tall
grasses to the edge of the canyon.
1
Woody Allen
Section
R1
Structure of Modern English
R1
11
Section One Review
(Diagram.)
1.The firm fired several employees without a word of warning.
2. Year after year, this convention attracts scientists of international renown.
3. This year we made no profit from our bake sale.
4. This experiment shows the error of our theory.
5. Children test their parents’ boundaries quite frequently throughout
adolescence.
6. In this course, we study the structure of English sentences objectively.
7. The true significance of this historical event escaped notice at the time.
8. At recess, the children devised new games for themselves.
9. From the dugout, the boy ardently cheered for the rest of his team.
10.) The winners of this year’s contest receive an anthology of contemporary
poetry as punishment for their diligence.
Section
R1
R1
Phrase Structure Rules
1
S
(as of Test 1)
5
NP PredP
{
2
NP
(Det) (AdjP) N (PP)
Prop
Prox
AdjP
}
(deg) adj
6
PP
prep NP
3
PredP
4
Det
VP (NP) (AdvP)+
{ }
Prop (Subj NP)
I
You
He/She/It
We
You
They
Art
Dem
Q
Poss
NP Poss
Prop (Obj NP)
Me
You
Him/Her/It
Us
You
Them
7
AdvP
Possesive (Poss)
My
Your
His/Her/Its
Our
Your
Their
{ }
(Deg) Adv
PP
NP
Reflexive (Prox)
Myself
Yourself
Himself/Herself/Itself
Ourselves
Yourselves
Themselves
Section
2A
2A
Structure of Modern English
13
Intransitive, Transitive, & Linking Verbs: VPI, VPT, VPL
PredP
PredP
PredP
VPI
VPT
NP
VPL AdjP/NP
V
V
N
V
A listing of linking verbs
appears in the appendix.
Transitive verbs take
direct objects, intransitive
verbs take no objects,
and linking verbs take
words or word groups
that complete the
meaning of the subject by
either renaming it or
describing it. All these
verbs may or may not
take adverbial modifiers.
(Diagram, and label all the verbs from unit one.)
1. The heart is forever inexperienced.1
2. Policy sits above conscience.2
3. A good beginning makes a good ending.3
4. The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom.4
5. We are never hypocrites in our sleep. 5
6. The crisp air felt invigorating.
1, 10
7. The body never lies.6
8. Law is a bottomless pit.7
9. Ornette Coleman’s experimental jazz music sounds discordantly pleasant.
10. A young doctor means a new graveyard.8
11. Events expand with the character.9
12. The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.10
13. Almost always dreams appear obtusely connected
to conscious life.
14. Grammar is the grave of letters.
Henry David Thoreau
William Shakespeare
3
English proverb
4
William Blake
5
William Hazlitt
6
Martha Graham
7
John Arbuthnot
8
German Proverb
9
Emerson
11
Elbert Hubbard
2
{
PredP
11
}
VPT N (AdvP) +
VPI (AdvP) +
VPL{ NP } (AdvP) +
AdjP
Section
2B
2B
Present, Past, and Future Verb Tenses
A list of common irregular
verbs appears in the appendix,
along with more information
about verb tenses.
Base (Vθ) Past Tense (Vpast) Participle (Vpart)˚˚
give
gave
given
lie
lay
lain
laid
laid
lay
VP
Aux
Vθ
Writers and speakers frequently
confuse the various forms of lie
(meaning “to recline or rest on a
surface”) and lay (meaning “to
put or place something”). Lie is
an intransitive verb: The tax
forms lie on the table. The
verb lay is transitive: Mary lays
the tax forms on the table.
The future tense uses the
auxiliary will with the base
form of the verb.
Fut
will
give
(Diagram.)
1. Mary laid the baby on my lap.
+
VP (Aux) V
2. That approach will misguide everyone.
3. On Fourth Street, the subway starts every
morning at five.
4. Daily, she weaves.
5. He loves her.
6. His heart lies on his sleeve.
Fut
Perf
Prog
Supp
Emph
Mod
Pass
“will” 
“have” part
“be”-ing
“do”V
“do” V
“I’” V
“be” Vpart
{}
Aux
7. I volunteered my time last summer.
8. Now I work with welfare mothers.
9. CIA officials met with him.
10. Deborah gave him the letter at breakfast.
11. We will rebuild this place with love.
12. The movement against ignorance will combat a variety of evils.
˚˚ The participle form is not
used in this section.
+ N.
Scott Momaday, In the
Presence of the Sun
Section
2C
2C
Structure of Modern English
Perfect Tenses: Present Perfect, Past Perfect ,and Future Perfect Tenses
VP
Aux
Vpart
perfpres
VP
Aux
Vpart
perfpast
VP
Aux Aux Vpart
Fut
perfθ
(Diagram.)
1. I have danced in Brazil.
K E Y
perfpres – has, have
perfpast – had
Vpart – past participle
Aux – auxiliary
Fut – will
2. Often, students have malingered on Fridays.
3. This proposed amendment has gained support.
4. She has forgiven him.
5. You have delighted me.
6. By sunset, across Lake Merritt, they will have started the
jazz festival.
7. Many people had lost faith in the President by election time.
8. The current violence has stymied the latest UN efforts.
9. At this rate we will have finished our beer by halftime!
More complex time
relations are indicated by
the perfect tenses. A verb
in one of the perfect tenses
(a form of have plus the
past participle) expresses
an action that was or will
be completed at the time of
another action.
10. This Confederation has enacted a policy of wage restraint.
11. Repeatedly, war has filled the streets with blood.
12. In time, you will have experienced some of life’s bitter disillusionments.
13. My work has been my escape.
14. During intermission, he had sensed a strange fear from the woman beside him.
15. By the time of the revolt, many organizations will have intervened.
16. You have drunk enough!
15
Section
2C
2C
Perfect Tenses:Present Perfect, Past Perfect ,and Future Perfect Tenses
(Continue diagramming.)
17. The hot coffee has fogged my glasses again!
18. They will have worshiped in secret for most of their lives.
19. These brilliant cicadas have formed underground for seventeen years as buried nymphs.
20. By the end of spring, our delphiniums will have blown away.
21. We have insisted on rights for children.
22. Now this flank of fajitas has tenderized overnight in my famous pineapple marinade.
23. I have prayed in Mecca.
24. You had time.
25. They have had plenty of time.
26. She has written a novel about evolution.
27. After the symposium, the majority had already left.
28. Defiantly, she has laid each color in a sequence of exaggerated light.
29. My sister’s parrot has eaten entire kumquats in one bite.
30. At the toll of the bell, we will have lain together too long.
Section
2D
Structure of Modern English
2D
17
Progressive Tenses:
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
PAST PROGRESSIVE
VP
Aux
VP
Vprog
progpres
We are receiving
FUTURE PROGRESSIVE
K E Y
Aux
Vprog
progpres – am, is, are
progpast – was, were
progpart – been
We were receiving
progθ – be
PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
Vprog – progressive inflection (-ing)
progpast
VP
VP
Aux Aux Vprog
Fut progθ
Aux Aux Vprog
We will be receiving
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
perfpres progpart
We have been receiving
FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
VP
VP
Aux Aux Vprog
perfpast progpart
We had been receiving
A full description of
progressive tenses
appears in the appendix.
Aux
Fut
Aux Aux Vprog
perfθ progpart
We will have been receiving
1. Life is moving too fast.
2. The young comedians were facing an obdurate crowd.
3. You will be landing in Rio De Janeiro in twenty minutes.
4. The chocolate has been melting in my car.
5. Before the wreck, we already had been waiting for an hour in traffic.
6. In July, I will have been living as an American for thirteen years.
7. I am writing about the origins of the Civil War .
8. The white flower was leaning near the window.
9. My wife will be presenting her new book of poetry at the Insomniac Café on Wednesday.
Section
2D
Progressive Tenses:
10. Lies have been preventing boredom for millennia.
11. The river had been cutting into the rock for ages.
12. The deficit will have been increasing dangerously by next year.
13. We are sacrificing a lot of our time.
14. My friends were planning a surprise for me.
15. These poems will be inspiring you.
16. We have been dancing all night.
17. The horsemen had been hunting for Mephistopheles.
18. Commercials have been manipulating our perceptions.
19. Education has been providing a healthy investment for human capital.
20. We are failing our low-income children.
21. She will have been waiting for us.
22. The richest countries are developing the deadliest weapons.
23. The poorest countries have been using them.
24. By now, Diana’s friends will be drinking with them at Jeff’s house.
25. Corporate interests have been manipulating the world’s water supply.
26. The earth will have been entering its final ice age by that time.
27. Hope will always be sustaining the movement for peace.
28. The candidates have not been discussing the 35 million underprivileged Americans.
29. Violence has had a long-standing place in many whites’ images of blacks.
30. Single women are representing half of the poor families in America.
2D
Section
2E
2E
Structure of Modern English
19
More Auxilaries
After helping verbs that are a form of do, use the base form of the verb. The
helping verb do, does, and did are used in three ways: (1) to express a
negative meaning with the adverb not or never, (2) to ask a question, and
(3) to emphasize a main verb used in a positive sense.
LOOK FOR:
Aux
Fut
Perf
Prog
Supp
Emph
Mod
Pass
“will”
“have”
“be”
“do”
“do”
“be”
(Diagram.)
1. Did you hear that noise?
2. That drunk sailor did not remember his old songs.
3. I do have the ring.
4. She does leave her trash everywhere.
5. Do you know that bar in Chinatown?
(The section continues.)
NECESSITATES . . .
ø
part
-ing
ø
ø
ø
V
(with neg /in questions )
part
K E Y
Supp – ‘do’ (in negations &
questions)
Emph – ‘do’ (only for emphasis)
neg - negative
Mod – modals
(will)
would
shall
should
can
could
may
might
must
Section
2E
2E
More Verbal Auxiliaries
(Continue diagramming.)
6. Have you been there before?
7. Have you looked beyond the surfaces?
8. Did you hear about the development of human embryonic stem cells from a cloned
human blastocyst?
9. Toxins in our air can pollute a mother’s breast milk.
10. The World Bank should stop plans for industrial timber production in the world’s
rainforests.
11. Do you understand the potential dangers to the Southwest from aging stores of chemical
weapons?
12. A hydrogen economy may begin in twenty-five years.
13. It may be our innate instincts.
14. With some intensification, the purple light could grow brighter in pulses.
15. Our hard labor may not be suffiecient for Wolf Larsen.
16. The shuttle may have difficulties in its orbital approach.
17. He might grouse about the mess again.
18. Can you do the right thing?
19. On the other side of the bridge, the snow should be melting.
20. The cold rains did seem the end of this early spring.
21. Many citizens will not vote.
22. She may ask her after dinner.
Section
2F
Structure of Modern English
2F
21
Imperative Sentences: Vimp, Suppimp, Emphimp
In imperative sentences, which give advice or commands, the subject is an understood
you. [You] Hitch your wagon to a star. [You] Don’t litter.
S
S
(NP)
PredP
(NP)
S
PredP
VP L AdjP / NP
Vimp
Be kind/a pal.
(Diagram.)
1. Dance with your friends!
2. Do not litter!
3. Use the force!
4. Do not yell!
5. In a straight line, walk forward!
6. Do not forget about your recyclables.
7. Go to class!
8. Do not disrespect me!
9. Join the Peace Corps!
10. Rock the vote!
11. Don’t set your wit against a child. Jonathan Swift
(NP)
PredP
VPI
Aux neg
VP I
Vθ
Suppim
Dop not worry.
Aux
Vθ
Emphimp
Do smile!
Section
2G
2G
Passive Voice: passpres, passpast, passθ
Active-voice sentences can be transformed into the passive voice, with the subject
receiving the action instead. Active Voice: The little snake studies the ways of
the big serpent. Passive Voice: The ways of the big serpent are studied
by the little snake. The “by”-phrase is usually admitted in the passive voice. The
passive voice is appropriate if you wish to emphasize the receiver of the action or to
minimize the importance of the actor: Many native Hawaiians are forced to leave
their beautiful beaches to make room for hotels and condominiums.
PRESENT
PAST
VP
VP
Aux Vpart
Aux
passpres
We are given
FUTURE
Vpart
passpast
VP
VP
Aux Aux Vpart
Aux Aux Vpart
Fut passθ
We were given We will be given
PAST PERFECT
FUTURE PERFECT
perfpast passpart
We had been given
perfpres passpast
We have been given
PROGRESSIVE PRESENT
VP
VP
Aux Aux Vpart
PRESENT PERFECT
Aux
Fut
Aux Aux
VP
Vpart
perfθ passpart
We will have been given
Aux Aux Vpart
passpres progprog
We are being given
PROGRESSIVE PAST
VP
(Diagram.)
1. In the sales department, some sacrifices are needed.
2. I am being obscured by snowflakes.
Aux Aux Vpart
passpast progprog
We were being given
3. The environmentalist group on campus is harassed often for their furious enthusiasm.
4. In Arizona, a band of bank robbers were captured with incriminatory evidence.
(The section continues.)
Section
2G
Structure of Modern English
2G
23
Passive Voice: passpres, passpast, passθ
(Continue diagramming.)
5. During the Cold War, the security of some countries was threatened by their own leaders.
6. The hotel suite with the ocean view was booked for two weeks.
7. This French mahogany table was shipped from a dealer in Boston.
8. The agency will be granted enough money for a dramatic increase in staff.
9. Some knowledge has been ingrained in our DNA.
10. Dawn has been outdone in Mazatlan only by the majestic sunsets.
11. Children are given mixed messages all the time.
12. The solution has been distilled properly.
13. A paean has been performed often during times of trouble.
14. Soon, college life will have been reduced to a boring memory.
15. We have been beguiled again
16. After elections, the enthusiasm of voters will have been lost.
17. Innocent lives are being sacrificed.
18. On that network, the news was being made for the audiences’ entertainment.
19. Justice is not being served by our current system.
20. Their sense of obligation to the entire community was being reduced by some of their
outdated ideals.
21. Thousands of local citizens are being reached with grassroots activity.
22. The diet market has been turned into a nightmare.
Section
2H
2H
Particles (prt) and Phrasal Verbs
VPT
V
VPI
prt
V
K E Y
prt - particle
phrasal – phrasal verb
phrasal
1. Will you drop off the movies?
2. Look up the word!
3. Nydia called the wedding off.
4. This morning I woke up at dawn.
Many verbs consist of a verb followed by a
preposition look-alike known as a particle.
Such as: down, on, off, up, in, and out.
6. Get down!
Transitive two-word verbs can be separated
7. Do not leave your sister out from the game. . by the direct object unless their meaning is
corrupted by the separation. Intransitive two8. They should cheer her up.*
word verbs are phrasal verbs: The plane
took off at noon [not took at noon off].
5. I ran over a kid’s bike.
9. Chip some money in for gas.
10. Our receipts do not add up.
11. Draw up some diagrams.
* When the direct object is a pronoun, the pronoun must separate the verb and particle.
Section
R2
Structure of Modern English
R2
25
Section Two Review
(Diagram.)
1. Three years into a major drought, dwindling water supplies are becoming a serious concern
in many urban areas.
2. My new friends have inspired these short stories.
3. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security by these crooks!
4. Did you see this article about your mother in the paper?
5. You could consistently bring extra flyers to the meetings.
6. Can a judge remain objective under these circumstances?
Section
R2
R2
Section Two Review
LOOK FOR:
Aux
Fut
Perf
Prog
Supp
Emph
Mod
Pass
“will”
“have”
“be”
“do”
“do”
“be”
NECESSITATES . . .
ø
part
-ing
ø (with neg /in questions )
ø
ø
Vpart
To Lay
Active
Present
Past
The hen lies on her couch.
The hen lay on her couch.
Future
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
The hen will lie on her couch.
The hen has lain on her couch.
The hen had lain on her couch.
Future Perfect
Progressive Present
Progressive Past
Progressive Future
Progressive Present Perfect
Progressive Past Perfect
Progressive Future Perfect
The hen will have lain on her couch.
The hen is lying on her couch.
The hen was lying on her couch.
The hen will be lying on her couch.
The hen has been lying on her couch.
The hen had been lying on her couch.
The hen will have been lying on her
couch.
Section
3A
3A
Structure of Modern English
27
Coordinating Conjunction: Cjc
(Diagram.)
1. Federico and Sergio drilled through the coarse ground.
2. Go and wake up your luck. Persian proverb
The coordinating conjunctions
(and, but, or, nor, for, so,
yet) connect grammatically
equal elements.
3. Many schools are lacking resources, yet we are cutting back on education funding.
4. The morning shines and I am wide awake.
5. We do not believe in rheumatism and true love until after the first attack. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach
6. Restlessness and discontent are the necessities of progress. Edison
7. The human mind always makes progress, but it is a progress in spirals. Madame de Stael
8. The storm ruined our work, so we’ll need more concrete and dirt.
9. They reviewed each permutation yet remained confused.
10. History is often kind to leaders, for they often write it.
11. Rules and models destroy genius and art. William Hazlitt
12. You can choose your friends, but you only have one mother. Max Shulman
13. The highest, most varied and lasting pleasures are pleasures of the mind. Arthur Schopenhauer
14. Repetition rules everywhere, and nothing is found only once in the world. Goethe
S S Cjc NP
NP NP Cjc NP
PredP PredP Cjc NP
VP VP Cjc VP
AdvPAdvP Cjc AdvP
AdjP AdjP Cjc AdjP
Section
3B
3B
Conjunctive Adverb: Advc
Functioning as a single adverb or an adverb phrase, conjunctive adverbs serve to join
two independent clauses. A complete list of them appears in the appendix.
(Diagram.)
1. Leave him; besides, you deserve better.
2. Clean my room; next, clean yours.
3. He denounced the new stadium; then he discouraged investing in low-income jobs.
4. Many brokers gain wealth from judicious work; Jeff, however, finds other means.
5. Youth violence has dropped; even so, kids are killed everyday by guns.
6. My mother blamed my hormones; however, she never understood brain development.
7. The stamped date on foods encourages waste; after all, the date only reflects the peak quality.
8. Her paintings of construction sites were vivid; moreover, they raised issues of poverty.
9. The group appeased the aggressors; as a result, the aggression eased temporarily.
10. We discussed the environment; specifically, we informed them of military pollution.
11. Certainly, they will sear through the tanks; the bullets are encased in uranium.
12. Her legal career has been brilliant; at the same time, she has been loving to all.
13. In the book, the boy became the hero; nevertheless, his family was left behind.
14. Her characters discovered their roots; furthermore, they developed a deep sense of self.
15. People’s compassion created this new legislation; indeed, in time, all our children will have equal
opportunities.
S (Advc) NP PredP
Section
3C
3C
Structure of Modern English
29
Subortinating Conjunction: Cjs
Joined with a subordinating conjunction, subordinate clauses create a temporal, locational,
or logical connection to an independent clause. They cannot stand alone.
(Diagram.)
Subordinating Conjunctions
1. Even though you abhor soy milk, try this ice cream.
2. Where the school cares, the students care. Jerome Bruner
3. Come over so that you can see my new work.
4. I avoid supermarkets because I prefer the charm of our local
food markets.
5. I will choose since it is my birthday.
6. If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it. Toni Morrison
7. We should see a play unless you have plans.
8. If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. Katherine Hepburn
9. After the storm regained its strength, we lit candles and read
poetry.
10. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12
11. Enjoy your wine while I play you a song.
12. On Easter, before we went to mass, the family had menudo.
AdvP
(Deg) Adv
PP
ProP
Prox
ContP
{ }
After
Although
As
As if
As long as
As soon as
Because
Before
Even Though
If
In case
Once
Provided (that)
Since
So (that)
Though
Unless
Until
When
Where
Where as
Wherever
While
Section
3D
3D
Content Phrase: ContP, Cjcp
Using the decoder “that,” content phrases usually relate what people are thinking,
saying, or feeling, so they often involve words dealing with cognition.
(Diagram.)
1. That many people do not vote worries me.
2. It is true that in 1929 Joan Riviére characterized womanliness as a masquerade.
3. Rakmanujan’s poetry reveals that folklore can offer a vision of postmodernity.
4. That binary opposition forms instability encapsulates Derrida’s idea of deconstruction.
5. That discourse represents the limits of philosophy illustrates the ideas of Wittgenstein.
6. Similarly, Derrida argues that nothing exists outside language or the text.
7. It was only after many viewings that the book designer’s joke dawned on me.
8. That one’s art can invoke thought and action in another person is incredible.
9. Many Europeans thought Surrealist poems were too erratic and nonsensical.
ContP Cjcp S
NP
{
Rel-P
PP
Non-RelP
ContP
{ }
(Det)(AdjP)N
Prop
Prox
ContP
}
Section
R3
R3
Structure of Modern English
31
Section Three Review
(Diagram.)
1. The myth that some dialects are inferior is alive and well in many school districts.
2. If you enjoyed your meal, tell your friends; If you were disappointed, tell us!
3. Computers may excel at many tasks, but when it comes to language, humans are unbeatable.
4. Pinker’s argument that language is an instinct fills an entire book.
5. The museum owns several paintings by Murillo, Mondrian and Modigliani but does not display
them currently.
S S Cjc NP
NP NP Cjc NP
PredP PredP Cjc NP
VP VP Cjc VP
AdvPAdvP Cjc AdvP
AdjP AdjP Cjc AdjP
S (Advc) NP PredP
ContP Cjcp S
ContP Cjcp S
Rel-P
PP
Non-RelP
ContP
{ }
NP
{
}
{ }
AdvP
(Det)(AdjP)N
Prop
Prox
ContP
(Deg) Adv
PP
ProP
Prox
ContP
Section
4A
4A
Relative Phrase: Rel P, ProR
Referring back to a noun or pronoun of a noun phrase, the relative pronoun (who,
whom, whose, which, or that) introduces a relative phrase that adds information
to the noun phrase it modifies. For example: The man who robbed us was never
found.
K E Y
Rel P – Relative Phrase
ProR – relative pronoun
(Diagram.)
1. Dignity is a matter which concerns only humankind. Livy
2. Hope is the only good thing that disillusion respects. Marquis de Vauvenargues
3. People who trust us educate us. George Eliot
4. The order which hangs over human existence is mysterious.
5. Shakespeare whose biographical details are sparse remains mysterious and controversial.
6. Confused diction and trite images belong to poets whose hands smell strongly of
infelicity.
7. Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. Plato
8. Students who study hard test well.
9. Humans are a peripatetic species, whose genetics appear fairly homogneous.
Section
4B
Structure of Modern English
4B
33
Non- Relative Phrase: Non- RelP
By adding an informative but unnecessary description, the non-relative or non-restrictive
phrase uses a relative pronoun to refer back to the noun or pronoun of the noun phrase
it modifies. For example: Jack, who always wore a hat, was never found
(Diagram.)
1. In 1764, J. Winckelmann wrote History of the Art of Antiquity, which
supplemented his meager salary from Cardinal Albani.
2. Education empowers our children, who are the future.
3. Postmodernism, which deals with ontology, suggests that language changes
our judgment of reality.
4. Legal drugs, which are advertised in many commercials, are highly profitable.
5. Richard, who speaks Spanish, volunteers with a local ESL program.
6. My roommate, who goes out every night, complains to me about his grades.
7. Post-war poets, many of whom were Surrealists, challenged traditions.
8. Siblings from different households exhibit similar tastes and vices, which
biologists commonly note.
9. The amendment was passed by a small majority, which amounted to a
margin of a few hundred people.
Section
4C
4C
Gerund Phrase: Ger P, VGer
Gerund phrases are built around gerunds (verb forms ending in –ing), and they are
always part of a noun phrase. (Kleptomaniacs can’t help helping themselves. /
Justifying a fault doubles it.) Remember from 1A that a gerund is a noun formed from
a verb, denoting an action or state (The living is easy).
K E Y
(Diagram.)
Ger P – Gerund Phrase
VGer – Gerund phrase verb
Ger - Gerund
NP
{
{
(Det)(AdjP)N
Prop
Prox
ContP
GerP
1. Justifying a fault doubles it.
PP
ContP
RelP
NonRelP
GerP S
2. Kleptomaniacs can’t help helping themselves.
3. Reading great books from the past resurrects great minds.
4. The students gathered signatures for increasing local health benefits.
5. Examining the effect of cultural assimilation on tradition pervades Achebe’s works.
6. By substituting an essentially different dramatic imagination, O’Neill destroyed former
conventions.
7. Constructing sentences for diagramming became the bane of my consciousness.
8. Stevens dismissed promoting a literary reputation, so that he could concern himself with
perfecting his work.
9. Experiencing performance art involves focusing attention on the art instead of
the art object.
}
}
Section
4D
4D
Structure of Modern English
35
Infinitive Phrase: Inf P, IM
An infinitive phrase builds a sentence using an implied noun phrase, and a predicate
phrase whose VP consists of the to (IM) plus the base form of the verb (Vθ): To side
with the truth is noble./ To pass, she studied./ They were able to cope with
this problem.
(Diagram.)
1. To side with the truth is noble.
2. If you want to be happy, be. Tolstoy
3. Melanie expected him to surrender.
4. Stan began to snuffle with excitement.
5. We make up horrors to cope with the real ones. Stephen King
6. We do not have the right to abandon the poor.
7. A police state finds it cannot command the grain to grow. JFK
8. By capturing the unexpected, Antonioni’s films use the camera’s gaze to question
reality.
NP
{
{
(Det)(AdjP)N
Prop
Prox
ContP
GerP
InfP
{(ContP) }
AdjP(Deg)Adj (InfP)
Rel-P
PP
Non-RelP
ContP
InfP
InfP S
}
}
AdvP
{ }
(Deg)Adv
PP
NP
Cjs S
InfP
Section
4E
4E
Participle Phrase: Part P, part
Always adding description to either a noun or pronoun, the participle phrase functions
in noun or adverb phrase by building a sentence with a predicate phrase that includes a
present or past participle: That man smoking the pipe tips well. / Frightened by
the bear, they could not sleep.
1. Those young scholars heading to New York are going to research early modern art.
2. Taking a break, Professor Carter roams the Met.
3. The European collection featuring Buonisnesgna entices her to the second floor.
4. Struck with adoration, she admired a fifteenth-century Venetian painting of a monk.
5. Holding a white lily, St. Dominic resembles Mr. Giuliani.
6. The professor, inspecting the face, remarks that “Dominic’s nose is longer and more
angular.”
7. Stoically ennobled, the monk wears a tuft of hair above his forehead.
8. The facial detail captured with light and dark colors depicts a heavy-lidded gaze.
9. Enthralled, Carter reread the painter’s biography.
10. Ordained as the patron saint of astronomy, St. Dominic allows Crivelli to explore the
time’s burgeoning interest in individuality.
NP
{
{
(Det)(AdjP)N
Prop
Prox
ContP
GerP
InfP
PartP
…
Non-RelP
ContP
InfP
PartP
}
(Deg)Adv
PP
NP
Cjs
S
AbsP
InfP
PartP
} { }
AdvP
Section
4F
Structure of Modern English
4F
37
Absolute Phrase: Abs P
Functioning as an adverb phrase, an absolute phrase modifies a whole phrase or
sentence, not only one word. Its predicate phrase consists of a present or past participle.
(Diagram.)
1. The brisket cooking slowly, a hickory smoke filled the air.
2. Belinda’s heart racing, Laertes glances her way as he collapses onstage.
3. The edit being nearly completed, Bosquez called her publisher.
4. The sun setting, Trouffaut filmed crowds leaving a park.
5. O’Keefe’s art appears mystical, detached wings decorating desert landscapes.
6. His diabolic language being examined, Iago coerces with linguistic duplicity and
dramatic irony.
7. The colors intensified by natural light, this simple landscape manifests a solitary
freshness and grandeur.
8. The camera turning toward the window, nature appears again as a psychological
complexity.
9. A lioness lifted and turned her head, her senses scanning for further signs of
danger.
10. Acapulco waters lapping behind us, we are sitting here on the lip of land
and water.
Section
R4
R4
Section Four Review
(Diagram.)
1. We study literature to understand our shared humanity.
2. One writer tells us that humor is emotional chaos remembered in times of tranquility.
3. Why can I not think of a sentence that contains every structure we have examined?
4. “It is time to start living the life we have imagined.” (Henry James)
5. Imagine reading Pinker’s book for pleasure!
6. Children who feel that they get no respect often fail to respect others.
7. Why can we not have highways unspoiled by plastic bags caught on fences?
8. All factors being equal, we can expect the same results we have seen in previous experiments.
Section
Structure of Modern English
R4
R4
Section Four Review
S(Advc) NP PredP (NonRelP)
NP
{
{
Aux
{
RelPS
ContPS
Non-RelPS
InfPS
GerPS
PartPS
AbsPS
{ }
(Det)(AdjP)N
Prop
Prox
ContP
GerP
InfP
PartP
S (Advc) (neg) V (prt)
PP prep NP
InfP
AdjP (Deg) Adj
ContP
ContP Cjcp S
PredP
PP
RelP
Non-RelP
ContP
InfP
PartP
VPL
{(NP)
}
(AdjP)
Fut
Perf
Prog
Supp
Emph
Mod
Pass
{
AdvP
}
VPT NP (ADVP)+
VPI (ADVP)+
}
(AdvP)+
{
}
}
(Deg)Adv
PP
NP
Cjs
S
AbsP
InfP
PartP
{ }
Det
Art
Dem
Q
Poss
NP Poss
{}
VP(Aux)+ (neg) V (prt)
39
Appendix
Ax
A-1f
Prepositions
aboard
about
above
according to
across
after
against
along
alongside (of)
alongwith
amid [or amidst]
among [or amongst]
apart from
around [or round]
as
as against
as between
as compared with
as for
aside from
aslant
astern of
as to
at
athwart
barring
because of
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
betwixt
beyond
by
by dint of
by means of
by reason of
by virtue of
by way of
concerning
considering
despite
down
during
ere
except
for
for the sake of
from
in
in accordance with
in addition to
in the case of
(=in the event of)
in the case of
in front of
in lieu of
in opposition to
In place of
In regard to
Inside (of)
In spite of
Instead of
into
like
of
off
on
on the account of
on behalf of
on top of
onto
opposite (to)
out of
outside (of)
over
owing to
past
pending
regarding
regardless of
short of
since
through
throughout
to
toward(s)
under
underneath
until [or till]
unto
up
upon
via
with
within
without
Appendix
Ax
A-2b
Structure of Modern English
41
Common Irregular Verbs
Base Form (VØ) Past Tense (VPast) Past Participle (Vpart)Base Form (VØ)
keep
arise
arose
arisen
know
awake
awoke, awaked
awaked, awoke
lay (put)
be
was, were
been
lead
beat
beat
beaten, beat
lend
become
became
become
let
begin
began
begun
lie (recline)
bend
bent
bent
lose
bite
bit
bitten, bit
make
blow
blew
blown
prove
break
broke
broken
read
bring
brought
brought
ride
build
built
built
ring
burst
burst
burst
rise (get up)
buy
bought
bought
run
catch
caught
caught
say
choose
chose
chosen
see
cling
clung
clung
send
come
came
come
set (place)
cost
cost
cost
shake
deal
dealt
dealt
shoot
dig
dug
dug
shrink
dive
dived, dove
dived
sing
do
did
done
sink
drag
dragged
dragged
sit (be seated)
draw
drew
drawn
slay
dream
dreamed, dreamt
dreamed, dreamt
sleep
drink
drank
drunk
speak
drive
drove
driven
spin
eat
ate
eaten
spring
fall
fell
fallen
stand
fight
fought
fought
steal
find
found
found
sting
fly
flew
flown
strike
forget
forgot
forgotten, forgot
swear
freeze
froze
frozen
swim
get
got
gotten, got
swing
give
gave
given
take
go
went
gone
teach
grow
grew
grown
throw
hang (suspend) hung
hung
wake
hang (execute) hanged
hanged
wear
have
had
had
wring
hear
heard
heard
write
hide
hid
hidden
hurt
hurt
hurt
Past Tense
kept (VPast)
knew
laid
led
lent
let
lay
lost
made
proved
read
rode
rang
rose
ran
said
saw
sent
set
shook
shot
shrank
sang
sank
sat
slew
slept
spoke
spun
sprang
stood
stole
stung
struck
swore
swam
swung
took
taught
threw
woke, waked
wore
wrung
wrote
Past Participle
kept (VPart)
known
laid
led
lent
let
lain
lost
made
proved, proven
read
ridden
rung
risen
run
said
seen
sent
set
shaken
shot
shrunk, shrunken
sung
sunk
sat
slain
slept
spoken
spun
sprung
stood
stolen
stung
struck, stricken
sworn
swum
swung
taken
taught
thrown
waked, woken
worn
wrung
written
Appendix
Ax
A-2b
Common Irregular Verbs
Base Form (VØ) Past Tense (VPast) Past Participle (Vpart)Base Form (VØ)
bear
bore
borne
bereave
bereft,bereaved
bereft,bereaved
misunderstand
beseech
besought,beseeched besought,beseeched
mow
beset
beset
beset
offset
bet
bet, betted
bet, betted
put
bid
bade,bid
bade,bid,bidden
quit
bind
bound
bound
rend
bleed
bled
bled
rid
breed
bred
bred
saw
broadcast
broadcast
broadcast
seek
cast
cast
cast
sell
creep
crept
crept
sew
cut
cut
cutd
shear
deepfreeze
deepfroze/-freezed deepfrozen/-freezed
shed
feed
fed
fed
shine
feel
felt
felt
show
find
found
found
shut
flee
fled
fled
slide
fling
flung
flung
sling
forbid
forbade, forbad
forbade,forbad
slit
forcast
forecast
forcast
smell
forgive
forgave
forgiven
sow
forgo
forwent
forgone
speed
forsake
forsook
forsaken
spell
grind
ground
ground
spend
hamstring
hamstrung
hamstrung
spill
heave
heaved,hove
heaved,hove
spin
hit
hit
hit
spit
hold
held
held
split
kneel
knelt, kneeled
knelt, kneeled
spoil
knit
knitted, knit
knitted,knit
spread
lean
leant,leaned
leant, leaned
stick
leap
leapt, leaped
leapt, leaped
stink
learn
learnt, learned
learnt, learned
stride
leave
left
left
strive
light
lit, lighted
lit, lighted
sweep
lose
lost
lost
swell
mean
meant
meant
meet
met
met
miscast
miscast
miscast
mislead
misled
misled
misspell
misspelt, misspelled misspelt, misspelled
mistake
mistaken
mistook
Past Tense
(VPast)
misunderstood
mowed
offset
put
quit, quitted
rent
rid,ridded
sawed
sought
sold
sewed
sheared
shed
shone, shined
showed
shut
slid
slung
slit
smelt,smelled
sowed
sped,speeded
spelt,spelled
spent
spilt,spilled
spun,span
spat,spit
split
spoilt,spoiled
spread
stuck
stank
strode
strove,strived
swept
swelled
Past Participle
(VPart)
misunderstood
mown, mowed
offset
put
quit,quitted
rent
rid,ridded
sawn,sawed
sought
sold
sewn, sewed
shorn, sheared
shed
shoned, shined
shown
shut
slid
slung
slit
smelt,smelled
sown,sowed
sped,speeded
spelt,spelled
spent
spilt,spilled
spun
spat,spit
split
spoilt, spoiled
spread
stuck
stunk
stridden, strid
striven,strived
swept
swollen/
swelled