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2. CHAPTER 15: THE SIMPLE SENTENCE
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3. CHAPTER OUTLINE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In this chapter, you will be able to:
 identify subjects and verbs in both simple sentences
and in ones with complicated word order,
 recognize helping verbs, prepositional phrases, and
infinitives, and
 correct errors in faulty sentence construction.
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4. RECOGNIZING A SENTENCE
 A few basic definitions:
 A basic unit of language is a word.
 A group of related words can be a phrase.
 When the group of words contains a subject and a verb,
it is called a clause.
 When the word group has a subject and a verb and
makes sense by itself, it is called a sentence or an
independent clause.
 When the word group has a subject and a verb but does
not make sense by itself, it is called a dependent
clause.
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5. RECOGNIZING VERBS
 Verbs are words that express some kind of action or
being.
 Verbs about the five senses are part of the group
called being verbs.
 More on Verbs
 The verb in the sentence can be more than one word.
 Helping verbs can be in front of the main verb, the
action or being verb.
 Examples: is, am, are, was, were, do, must,
might, have, has, shall, will, can, could, may,
should, would.
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6. RECOGNIZING SUBJECTS
 Subjects and verbs are linked.
 The subject answers the question, “Who or what is
doing the action?”
 Three steps to recognizing the subject
1. Identify the verb.
2. Ask, “Who or what is doing the action?”
3. The answer is the subject.
 More About Recognizing Subjects and Verbs
• When you look for the subject of a sentence,
look for the core word or words.
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7. PREPOSITIONS AND PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
 Prepositions are small words that often signal a kind
of position or possession.
 Prepositional phrases describe people, places, or
things.
 INFO BOX: Some Common Prepositions
 A prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition
and its object.
 Grammar Rule
 Nothing in a prepositional phrase can ever be the
subject of the sentence.
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8. WORD ORDER
 When we speak, we use simple word order.
 First comes the subject; then comes the verb.
 Prepositional phrases can change word order.
 More on Word Order
 Word order changes when a sentence starts with
There is/are, There was/were, Here is/are, Here
was/were
 Word Order in Questions
 The main verb and the helping verb may not be next
to each other.
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9. WORD ORDER
 Words That Cannot Be Verbs
 Words that look like verbs in a sentence, but they are not
verbs.
 Adverbs, not, and contractions.
 Recognizing Main Verbs
 Pronoun test
 Verb Forms That Cannot Be Main Verbs
 An –ing verb, by itself, cannot be the main verb.
 Another verb form, an infinitive, cannot be a main verb.
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10. WORD ORDER
 INFO BOX: Some Common Infinitives
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11. VERBS ARE
A. The basic building block of an essay.
B. A basic unit of language.
C. Words that signal possession.
D. Words that express some kind of action or being.
Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

12. VERBS ARE
A. The basic building block of an essay.
B. A basic unit of language.
C. Words that signal possession.
D. Words that express some kind of action or being.
identify subjects and verbs in both simple sentences
and in ones with complicated word order
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13. WHICH WORD IS THE VERB
IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE?
The students drive to campus.
A. students
B. drive
C. campus
D. The students
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14. WHICH WORD IS THE VERB
IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE?
The students drive to campus.
A. students
B. drive
C. campus
D. The students
identify subjects and verbs in both simple sentences
and in ones with complicated word order
Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

15. OF THE FOLLOWING, WHICH IS A HELPING VERB?
A. walk
B. run
C. are
D. seems
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16. OF THE FOLLOWING, WHICH IS A HELPING VERB?
A. walk
B. run
C. are
D. seems
recognize helping verbs, prepositional phrases,
and infinitives
Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

17. OF THE FOLLOWING, WHICH IS AN INFINITIVE?
A. to repeat
B. up the wall
C. are
D. between the chair
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18. OF THE FOLLOWING, WHICH IS AN INFINITIVE?
A. to repeat
B. up the wall
C. are
D. between the chair
recognize helping verbs, prepositional phrases,
and infinitives
Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.