Diagraming

Sentences

Page 571 ff. The Writer’s Choice

 Just what is diagraming
sentences?
Every sentence is made up of
a subject and a predicate, right?
Well, when you diagram a
sentence, the first thing you do is
draw a picture with one main
line that represents the sentence.
 Now, split it in
two. One half is
for the subject and
one half is for the
predicate.
Subject goes here. Verb goes here.

Did you notice that the

line is vertical—not
slanted!
 Here are
examples
of simple
sentences:
 She sang.
She sang

She is the subject.

Sang is the action verb.
 He taught.
He taught

He is the subject.
Taught is the action verb.
 Yikes!
What if my sentence
has extra words! What
would I do then?
 It's quite simple. If your
extra word is describing the
subject (most likely it is an
adjective, or an article like
the, a, or an), then you
attach it on to the subject
with a diagonal line under
the noun it modifies.
Here is an
example.
The teacher taught.
teacher taught

Did you notice that the

line is diagonal—not
vertical!
Notice!
this
Notice!
not
this
Notice!
or
this
 If your word describes
the predicate (most likely
an adverb), then it is
attached to the predicate
with a diagonal line under
the verb it modifies.
Here is an
example.
 The teacher taught
patiently.
teacher taught

Did you notice that

the line is diagonal—
not vertical!
Notice!
this
Notice!
not
this
Notice!
or
this
When diagraming
sentences, all
words sit on the
lines—not under
the lines.
She sang.
She sang

Correct
She sang.
She sang

Incorrect
The teacher taught.
teacher taught

Correct
The teacher taught.
teacher taught

Incorrect
 What happens if I
have more than one
subject?
 Compound subjects
are given equal
treatment. (One must
be fair, you know!). So
compound subjects are
treated like this:
 Mrs. Holt and Mr.
McCall teach.
Mrs. Holt
teach
Mr. McCall and
Did you notice that the line separating
the verb from the subjects did not
intersect the two diagonal lines!
 If the sentence has a
compound subject, the
vertical line separating
the subjects and the verb
never intersects the
diagonal lines which join
the sentence line.
 this

and
Did you notice that the line
separating the verb from the
subjects did not intersect the
two diagonal lines!
 not this

and
Did you notice that the line
separating the verb from the
subjects should not intersect
the two diagonal lines!
What happens if
I have more than
one predicate?
 Compound predicates
also are given equal
treatment. (It's that being
fair thing again!)
Compound predicates are
treated like this:
Mrs. Holt and Mr. McCall
demonstrated and taught.
Mrs. Holt demonstrated
and

and
Mr. McCall taught
Did you notice that the line separating
the verbs from the subjects did not
intersect the four diagonal lines!
Here are some simple
sentences for you to
diagram.
 Write each sentence as it
appears on the screen. Leave
enough space between
sentence in order to diagram
them on the same sheet of
paper. This will be displayed
only once!
1. School
started.
2. Mrs.
Holt
taught.
 3. We
listened
intently.
 4. Mrs.
Cassity
watched.
 5. She
smiled.
6. Tom and
Diane
played.
 7. She
sings and
dances.
 8. The
dedicated class
practiced.
 9. The
bell rang.
10. The girls
and the boys
jumped and
cheered.
Diagraming
Sentences

Page 571 ff. The Writer’s Choice

 How do I
diagram
direct objects?
 A direct object is used
after an action verb and
never after a state-of-
being verb. A direct
object answers the
question what or who.
 When diagraming,
a vertical line is
drawn to the base
line separating the
direct object and the
verb.
 Mrs. Wilson teaches
math.
Mrs. Wilson teaches math
Did you notice that the line which
indicates that the sentence has a
direct object was drawn to the base
line and not through it!?
 Mrs. Holt teaches
English.
Mrs. Holt teaches English
Did you notice that the line which
indicates that the sentence has a
direct object was drawn to the base
line and not through it!?
Let’s see if we
can add a few
adjectives.
 Mean, old Mrs. Holt
teaches bad English.
Mrs. Holt teaches English

Did you notice that the lines on which the

modifiers sit do not intersect any other lines?
 Mrs. Holt teaches
bad English.
Mrs. Holt teaches English

Correct!
 Mrs. Holt teaches
bad English.
Mrs. Holt teaches English

Incorrect!
The little boy won a huge
trophy.
boy won trophy
 Compound
subjects can have
adjectives as well.
Here are some
examples:
The little tan cat and the big
brown dog chased the rabbit.

cat
and chased rabbit
dog
 Here are some not so
simple sentences for you
to diagram.
 Let’s see if
we can add a
few adverbs.
Athletes train hard.
Athletes train
Very good athletes
train hard.
Athletes train
 Very good athletes
train extremely hard.
Athletes train
 1. The
orange bus
stopped.
2. Two large
dogs chased
a tiny kitten.
3. Our History
teacher gave
an extremely
hard test.
4. The white
cow gives
chocolate
milk.
5. Sherri and
I read the
same boring
book.
 6. Tom read
every chapter
carefully.
7. I read a
book and a
magazine
article.
 8. The
dedicated class
practiced
verbs.
9. The bell rang
slowly and
stopped
suddenly.
 10. The whole
class and the
teacher laughed
and giggled.
Diagraming
Sentences

Page 571 ff. The Writer’s Choice

How do I
diagram
indirect
objects?
 Good coaches give
players good advice.
coaches give advice
players
The word, to, is understood
in this sentence.
John sent Sally a nice
necklace.
John sent necklace
Sally
The word, to, is understood
in this sentence.
 How do I
diagram a
predicate
nominative?
 Swimmers are
athletes.
Swimmers are athletes
How do I
diagram a
predicate
adjective?
Children are sweet.

Children are sweet