2. Today’s Class
Why do we need to study writing?
What are the five basic sentence rules?
What are the subject, the verb, and the
object?
3
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/artificial-intelligence-brain-think-4389372/ shared under CC0
3. 4
1, January 31st Sentence Structure
2, February 7th Clauses and Simple Sentences
3, February 14th Clauses and Compound Sentences
4, February 21st Writing Practice and Teacher Feedback
5, February 28th Complex Sentences
6, March 7th Writing Practice and Teacher Feedback
7, March 14th Punctuation with Transitional Words and Phrases
8, March 21st Writing Practice and Teacher Feedback
4. 5
The content of this lesson was developed using the article
5 big ideas for better small talk.
Many thanks to Cyrlin Loza for writing this article!
5. 6
What is she feeling? How do you know?
Why is it harder to communicate through writing than speaking?
https://blog.udemy.com/body-language-facts/
6. 7
1. Why do we need to study writing, and not just speaking?
2. What is the simplest definition of a sentence?
A. A group of words. (Tina name is my)
B. A group of words that is a complete idea. (My name is Tina)
C. A group of words that is an incomplete idea. (My name Tina)
D. A word (name)
3. What are the five basic rules for sentences? For example:
A. What do you need at the beginning of a sentence?
B. What do you need at the end of a sentence?
C. What does S + V + O mean?
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Speakers
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/writer-writing-funny
7. 8
1. Why do we need to study writing, and not just speaking?
2. What is the simplest definition of a sentence?
A. A group of words. (Tina name is my)
B. A group of words that is a complete idea. (My name is Tina)
C. A group of words that is an incomplete idea. (My name Tina)
D. A word (name)
3. What are the five basic rules for sentences? For example:
A. What do you need at the beginning of a sentence?
B. What do you need at the end of a sentence?
C. What does S + V + O mean?
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Speakers
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/writer-writing-funny
8. 9
1. Why do we need to study writing, and not just speaking?
We can use English in a more relaxed way when speaking, but when we write we
need to use the basic rules so that our meaning is clear.
A sentence is a group of words that express a complete idea.
2. What is the simplest definition of a sentence?
A group of words that is a complete idea. (My name is Tina)
3. What are the five basic rules for sentences? For example:
A. What do you need at the beginning of a sentence?
B. What do you need at the end of a sentence?
C. What does S + V + O mean?
10. 11
5. No more information is needed to understand the idea.
Next week, we will discuss rule five more!
Hobbies and pastimes (they) are good topics for small talk.
1._________ 2. _________
4. _________
3. _________
‘Subject + Verb + Object’
or
‘Subject + Verb’
11. 12
5. No more information is needed to understand the idea.
Next week, we will discuss rule five more!
Hobbies and pastimes (they) are good topics for small talk.
1. Begins with a capital letter. 2. Gives the subject once.
4. Ends with punctuation.
3. Has a verb.
‘Subject + Verb + Object’
or
‘Subject + Verb’
12. 13
If there is a mistake in these sentences, then correct it.
1. Small talk is important in Canadian culture.
2. How are you
3. The weather it is a really common topic for small talk.
4. don’t complain harder when Canadians complain about winter.
5. People you information about finding work without being asked.
A. Begins with a capital letter.
B. Gives the subject once.
C. Has a verb.
D. End with punctuation.
E. No more information is needed to understand the idea.
13. 14
If there is a mistake in these sentences, then correct it.
1. Small talk is important in Canadian culture.
2. How are you
3. The weather it is a really common topic for small talk.
4. don’t complain harder when Canadians complain about winter.
5. People you information about finding work without being asked.
answers
1. Small talk is important in Canadian culture.
2. How are you?
How does the meaning change if we use an exclamation point (!)?
3. The weather it is a really common topic for small talk.
4. Don’t complain harder when Canadians complain about winter.
5. People (will) give you information about finding work or offer help without being
asked.
15. 16
Write a sentence for each of these nouns
1. the weather
2. small talk
3. complain
examples
1. The weather has been very good this spring.
2. I’m ok at making small talk.
3. Don’t complain harder than a Canadian about Canada.
17. 18
Sentences may or may not have an object, but they always have a subject, and a
verb or verb phrase.
A subject does the action, a verb is the action, and the object receives the action.
1. I discussed the weather with my coworkers.
2. Mohammed borrowed my English book.
3. I arrived (on time).
4. Mohammed laughed (at my joke).
In sentences one and two there is an object, but in sentences three and four there
is no object.
This is why a sentence always has a verb, but may not have an object:
‘Subject + Verb + Object’ or ‘Subject + Verb’.
18. 19
Is this sentences correct?
A. Yes
B. No
1. We discussed the weather at lunch.
2. I borrowed a warm hat because it was -40 degrees.
3. I love.
https://media.tenor.com/c0yqsa5nRvwAAAAM/peach-cat-and-goma-cat-thinking.gif
19. 20
How do you know if a verb needs an object?
a) Do you ask ‘What did the subject do?’?
5. I discussed.
The question you think when you read this sentence is ‘What did the subject discuss?’. If
you ask this question, then you need an object.
6. I arrived.
You don’t think of a “what” question after you read this sentence. You do think a “where”
question. This verb doesn’t need an object.
b) Check the dictionary: both Merriam-Webster and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary
English Online are good!
A transitive verb needs an object; an intransitive verb doesn’t need an object.
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Common transitive verbs are: have, give, bring.
A. I have a cat. (What did the subject have? A cat.)
B. I gave my sister a cat. (What did the subject give? A cat.)
C. I brought my cat home. (What did the subject bring? A cat.)
Common intransitive verbs are: arrive, laugh, sit.
D. I arrived in Winnipeg. (What did the subject arrive? This is incorrect.)
E. I laughed (at your joke). (What did the subject laugh? This is incorrect.)
F. I sat on the bed. (What did the subject sit? This is incorrect.)
22. 23
Add an objects to these sentences.
1. During small talk at work today I discussed ___ and ___.
2. To practice my reading skills I borrowed ___ from ___.
examples
1. During small talk at work today I discussed the weather and my new bike. (What
did I discuss? The weather and my new bike.).
2. To practice my reading skills I borrowed a horror story from my sister, Tamara.
(What did I borrow? A horror story.).
24. send your homework to your teacher on Skype today
title: 2 – Aug 4 – Lin
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Write one sentence for each word: discussed; borrowed; arrived; laughed. Follow the five
sentence rules. Show me the object in each sentence.
example
1. She discussed going to the WAG with her classmate, Jimmy.
object: going to the WAG
2. Can we borrow your rake to clean up the leaves?
object: your rake
tired, hot
Body language
When we speak we communicate meaning with our facial expressions, our body language, and the tone of our voice. In writing, we have none of these ways to communicate meaning. This is means we need to communicate very clearly when we write.
1 correct
2 D (?)
3 B (weather, it)
4 A
5 C ((will) give)
1 and 2 – yes
3 – no (needs an object)
transitive: discussed, borrow, love
Fantastic work on your sentences!
“Discuss” and “borrow” need objects (are transitive verbs). “Laugh” and “arrive” don’t need objects (are intransitive verbs). You wrote great sentences with these two types of verbs – those that need objects (transitive) and those that don’t need objects (intransitive).