Sentence Patterns (1)

Sentence Patterns (1)

Learning to See the Top Words

Read the lesson on the left before tackling the exercises. For each item, click on one of the boxes. Feedback will appear in a pop-up window, and your cumulative score will appear here.

Patterns 1 and 2

Sentence Pattern 1:

The simplest sentence pattern is a subject plus an intransitive verb (one which may express action but not any action that is transferred to or received by anyone or anything):

     Skunks stink.

Other intransitive verbs are jump, yawn, depart.

This pattern can be amplified by adding modifiers to the subject and the verb:

     Some Appalachian skunks never stink badly unless run over.

The feature of this pattern that sets it apart from the others is that after the verb we find no "completer"; that is, no nouns to receive the verb's action and no words at all to describe the subject.

Let us summarize Pattern 1 this way: S + Vi, where "Vi" stands for "intransitive verb."

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Sentence Pattern 2:

The verb in the second sentence pattern involves no action. Rather, it links the subject to a subjective complement: a word or phrase which describes or renames the subject but comes after the verb.

Verbs of this type, called linking verbs, fall into three categories:
     a. Verbs of equation:
          be
          seem
          appear
          prove (in the sense of "turn out")
          remain
          continue

     Telephones are necessary.
     Telephones are necessities.
     Telephones seem necessary.

     b. Verbs of conversion:
          become
          grow
          turn
          work
          get
          wear

     Mrs. Smith's patience wore thin.
     The knot worked loose.
     We became/grew/got impatient.

     c. Verbs of the five senses:
          look (in the sense of "seem")
          sound (in the sense of "seem to the ear")
          smell (in the sense of "seem to the nose" rather than "sniff")
          taste (in the sense of "seem to the tongue")
          feel (in the sense of "seem to the touch")

     Your stew tastes good.
     Marcia looks mature.

Let us summarize Pattern 2 this way: S + Vlk + S.C., where "Vlk" stands for "linking verb" and "S.C." stands for "subjective complement."

Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

The new colonel proved unworthy of the general's trust.
1. The new colonel
2. proved
3. unworthy
4. of
5. the general's
6. trust
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

Before the first snow of the season, the trees had become bleak.
1. Before
2. the
3. first
4. snow
5. of
6. the
7. season
8. the
9. trees
10. had
11. become
12. bleak
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

By the end of her journey, Justiniana had grown weary of travel.
1. By the end
2. of her journey
3. Justiniana
4. had become
5. weary of travel
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

The Venetian lady seemed almost glad of her notoriety.
1. The Venetian lady
2. seemed
3. almost
4. glad
5. of
6. her
7. notoreity
Click on the two subjective complements.

Because of his determination and skill, Billy emerged grinning and triumphant from the skirmish.
1. determination and skill
2. grinning and triumphant
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

During the tempestuous voyage, Captain Vere remained preternaturally calm.
1. During the tempestuous voyage
2. Captain Vere
3. remained
4. preternaturally
5. calm
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

Some of you may feel a little safer after the restoration of power.
1. some of you
2. may feel
3. a
4. little
5. safer
6. after
7. the restoration
8. of power
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

The theater is almost due for a new coat of paint.
1. The theater
2. is
3. almost
4. due
5. for
6. a
7. new
8. coat
9. of
10. paint
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

Her cousin's ascent to the throne of England at first seemed advantageous.
1. her cousin's
2. ascent
3. to the throne
4. of England
5. at first
6. seemed
7. advantageous
All of the previous complements were adjectives. Now there will be some nouns.

Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

Mark Twain's favorite historical personage was Joan of Arc.
1. Mark Twain's
2. favorite
3. historical
4. personnage
5. was
6. Joan of Arc
Click on the phrase containing the subjective complement in the following sentence:

An antique car has become a regular feature of the homecoming parade.
1. An antique car
2. has become
3. a regular feature
4. of the homecoming parade
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

Ken's goodnight kiss on Barbie's doorstep was a big disappointment.
1. Ken's goodnight kiss
2. on Barbie's doorstep
3. was
4. a
5. big
6. disappointment
Click on the phrase containing the subjective complement in the following sentence:

Our new stage manager will be Gary Cross.
1. Our new
2. stage manager
3. will be
4. Gary Cross
Click on the subjective complement in the following sentence:

Ever after his first taste of honey, Pooh remained a honey addict.
1. Ever
2. after
3. his
4. first
5. taste
6. of
7. honey
8. Pooh
9. remained
10. a
11. honey
12. addict
Click on the two subjective complements. (If your browser provides a pop-up window, part of your score will be the number of correct checkmarks plus the number of correct blanks. There are seven in all. Revise until you get "7 of 7.")

According to the authorities, our parade was actually a disturbance of the peace or a public nuisance.
1. According to the authorities
2. our parade
3. was actually
4. a disturbance
5. of the peace
6. or
7. a public nuisance
From now on, problems will have as subjective complements either nouns or adjectives.

Click on the subjective complement(s):

Before the end of a week, Sara had become fluent in the new dialect but still unable to tie her shoes.
1. before
2. the
3. end
4. of
5. a
6. week
7. Sara
8. had
9. become
10. fluent
11. in
12. the
13. new
14. dialect
15. but
16. still
17. unable
18. to tie
19. her shoes
One of the skills that you should be developing as you go through these exercises is the ability to recognize the "top word" of a phrase. The top word is the word in the phrase that controls the other words or the word that the other words modify. Of is the top word in "of travel," but weary is the top word in the larger phrase "weary of travel." Of controls travel, which is its object, but the phrase "of travel" modifies weary.

In these next problems, you will be expected to use your growing sense of how the phrases are constructed, and not simply your grasp of the meanings of the words, to answer intelligently. Thus, the instructions will no longer ask for a phrase or a word, and they will no longer indicate whether there is only one subjective complement. There may be more, and you are to locate the top word (or words) each time you search for a subjective complement. Thus, if "weary" were one option and "of travel" were another, you should choose "weary."

Click on the subjective complement(s):

Nearly the entire population of the region will remain independent of governmental aid.
1. Nearly the entire population
2. of the region
3. will
4. remain
5. independent
6. of governmental aid
Click on the subjective complement(s):
A high school diploma is no longer a passport to employment.
1. A high school
2. diploma
3. is
4. no
5. longer
6. a passport
7. to
8. employment
Click on the subjective complement(s):

A visit from his mother without tears and drama was a rarity or a thing unknown.
1. a visit
2. from
3. his
4. mother
5. without
6. tears
7. and
8. drama
9. was
10. a
11. rarity
12. or
13. a
14. thing
15. unknown
Click on the subjective complement(s):

Casanova's pride in having escaped from prison remained charmingly undisguised.
1. Casanova's
2. pride
3. in
4. having
5. escaped
6. from prison
7. remained
8. charmingly
9. undisguised
Click on the subjective complement(s):

For even the most experienced actress the challenge of learning a role in three days would appear daunting.
1. for even the most experienced actress
2. the challenge of learning a role in three days
3. would appear
4. daunting
Now, wasn't that last problem simple! And why? Because the prepositional phrases that modified top words were included with them in the choices. Main sentence elements may sometimes be prepositional phrases but are never inside prepositional phrases, so simply ignore them when they come first in the sentence or after some more important word. The only important words in that sentence's structure are "The challenge would appear daunting." Now you can try this trick of ignoring prepositional phrases for yourself.

Click on the subjective complement(s):

With its sleek curves, the huge old car in the K-Mart parking lot looked splendidly conspicuous among the square vans and boring "sensible" cars.
1. sleek
2. huge
3. old
4. splendidly
5. conspicuous
6. square
7. boring
8. "sensible"
It was pointed out that main sentence elements may sometimes be prepositional phrases but are never inside prepositional phrases. The following sentence contains two preppositional phrases. One modifies a more important word, but the other is a subjective complement. Click on the preposition in that phrase. The preposition is the top word in that important phrase.

Bella remained in the center of the dance floor.
1. Bella
2. remained
3. in
4. the center
5. of
6. the dance floor
However, suppose that we insert a word for the "in" phrase to modify. That will demote it from its rank as a top word to that of a modifier. Click on the subjective complement below:

Bella remained alone in the center of the dance floor.
1. Bella
2. remained
3. alone
4. in
5. the center
6. of
7. the dance floor
Click on the subjective complement(s):

The disappearance of the body proved incapable of solution, utterly beyond the inspector's powers.
1. The disappearance
2. of the body
3. proved
4. incapable
5. of solution
6. utterly
7. beyond
8. the inspector's
9. powers
Click on the subjective complement(s):

Because of its size and ease of use, the flash memory chip became the answer to a great many computer problems.
1. size
2. ease
3. use
4. flash
5. memory
6. chip
7. answer
8. many
9. problems
Click on the subjective complement(s):

Most actors will in time grow addicted to applause but afflicted with stagefright.
1. most
2. actors
3. will
4. in
5. time
6. grow
7. addicted
8. to
9. applause
10. but
11. afflicted
12. with
13. stagefright
Click on the subjective complement(s):

Resentment is a harmful and uncomfortable emotion.
1. Resentment
2. is
3. a
4. harmful
5. and
6. uncomfortable
7. emotion
You have just learned an important use to which this labor of parsing sentences can be put: to strengthen sentences. If the subject, verb, and subjective complement of a Type-2 sentence (S + Vlk + S.C.) carry the most important ideas, the sentence will be sturdy, terse, and clear.

Rewrite the following sentence, omitting unnecessary words and moving important ideas into the subjective complement position:

Resentment is a harmful and uncomfortable emotion.

To learn more about strengthening sentences by applying what you know, Click here after checking your response. When finished with the new lesson, close the window to return to this spot.