· Web viewThus, we call this a dangling participle. To correct it, we must show who does the standing: Standing on the hilltop, we admired the red and gold sky. Watering the flowers,

Sentence Patterns 21-30

Phrase – A phrase is a group of related words without both a subject and predicate.  Phrases combine words into a larger unit that can function as a sentence element.

Types of Phrases: Noun PhraseAdjective PhrasePrepositional Phrase Verb PhraseAppositive PhraseInfinitive PhraseParticipial PhraseAbsolute Phrase

Sentence Pattern #21: Open with a present infinitive …The verbals - half-verb, half-something else - make sentences more active. The English language has three verbals: infinitives, participles, and gerunds. An infinitive includes one preposition (to) plus one present tense verb (ie, improve), resulting in to improve. It can be used as three different parts of speech:

Noun To improve one’s mind becomes a worthwhile goal. Adverb She struggled to improve her mind. Adjective He had a desire to improve his mind.

Infinitives form phrases in three ways:1. By combining with adverbs: he wanted to sit quietly by himself.2. By combining with prepositional phrases: To sing in the shower became a daily habit.3. By taking objects: He yearned to see his sweetheart.

Commas usually follow long infinitive phrases that open sentences unless they are being used as the SUBJECT of the sentence.

1. To reduce expenses, the newspaper had to trim its staff from twenty to twelve. 2. To make a long story short, Father carried his point.3. To show how far affairs had gone with Mr. Henry, I will give some words of his.4. To get into my car, I had to break the window.5. To arrive at an understanding, officials held many conferences.6. To sit quietly by himself became his desire.7. To speak French became Jan’s primary goal.8. To finish before Bob’s arrival meant that I had to start earlier.

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21. Open with a Present Infinitive. 22. Open with a Perfect Infinitive.23. Open with a Present Participle.24. Open with a Past Participle.25. Open with a Perfect Participle.26. Open with a Present Gerund.27. Open with a Perfect Gerund.28. Open with a Predicate Nominative.29. Open with a Predicate Adjective.30. Open with a Direct Object.

Sentence Pattern #22: Open with a perfect infinitive …The present infinitive to have + the third principal part of the verb (or its past participle) = the perfect infinitive (to have written). The perfect infinitive usually refers to a time previous to the time indicated by the verb of the main part of the sentence. A comma usually follows the perfect infinitive used as a sentence opener. Perfect infinitives form phrases in the same three ways as the present infinitive:

1. by combining with adverbs: To have talked more loudly, I would have needed a microphone. 2. by combining with prepositional phrases: To have been on time, I would have had to come by air.3. by taking objects: To have given an answer, I should have heard the question.

Examples:1. To have spoken at the convention, I would have needed an invitation.2. To have gone by train, I would have needed a reservation.3. To have thrown the ball, I would have needed a catcher.4. To have known about the book, I would have had to see the ad.5. To have eaten such a big dinner, I would have had to go without food for a day.6. To have sent the letter would have meant I needed the address.7. To have penned that note, I would have needed a purple pen.8. To have chosen that coat, I would have had to have spent a fortune.

Sentence Pattern #23: Open with a present participle …Participles, the second of the three verbals, serve as half verb, half adjective. The present participle = the ing form of the verb (sitting, twisting, eating). Like a verb, the participle often expresses an action. Like an adjective, it describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. A participle may form a participial phrase in three ways, similar to the infinitive:

1. by combining with an adverb: Writing hurriedly, I finished the lesson.2. by combining with a prepositional phrase: Writing in my diary, I spilled the ink.3. by taking an object: Writing the last page, I sighed with relief.

When a participial phrase opens a sentence, use a comma after it. The noun or pronoun immediately following the comma must serve as the word modified by the participle; otherwise, the participle dangles. Look at this example: Standing on the hilltop, the sky was red and golden. The wording of this example indicates that the sky does the standing. Thus, we call this a dangling participle. To correct it, we must show who does the standing: Standing on the hilltop, we admired the red and gold sky.

1. Watering the flowers, Martha stood in the garden.

2. Stepping up to the door, I saw my father dozing on the sofa.

3. Writing rapidly, I finished the essay.4. Washing her hands, she dropped the

soap. 5. Standing on the mountain top, we

viewed the entire valley. 6. Shrieking loudly, the train entered the

station.7. Raising his hand, Marc Antony

silenced the throng.8. Dying of stab wounds, Caesar

muttered, “Et tu, Brute?”

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Sentence Pattern #24: Open with a past participle …The past participle = the third principal part of the verb (satisfied, compared, overtaken, gone). Past participles do not take objects, as do present participles. When a past participle phrase opens a sentence, use a comma following it. Past participles form participial phrases in two ways:

1. By combining with adverbs: deeply grieved2. By combing with prepositional phrases: disturbed by the events

Examples:1. Torn badly and exhausted physically, he scrambled to the summit.2. Tired from having stayed up all night studying, the girl fell asleep during the test.3. Scarred with glacial grooves, the crag loomed ahead.4. Impressed by the ceremony and deeply moved by the speeches, we all left the hall in silence.5. Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered, I fell in love. 6. Moved from his home at an early age, he soon learned to fend for himself. 7. Worn out from running a marathon, the woman collapsed in the chair.

Sentence Pattern #25: Open with a perfect participle …The perfect participle = having + the third principal part of the verb (having deposited, having kissed, having begun, having come). When a perfect participle or perfect participial phrase opens a sentence, use a comma following it. Perfect participles form perfect participial phrases in three ways:

1. by combining with adverbs: having shrieked loudly2. by combining with prepositional phrases: having come from the abandoned quarry3. by taking objects: having kissed his forehead

Examples: 1. Having kissed his forehead, she returned with her buoyant step to the window.2. Having slipped the packstrap from his shoulders, he sat quietly.3. Having finished his essay, the student decided to go for a jog.4. Having barely begun to read, Stefan laid the newspaper down.5. Having come to the abandoned quarry, they stood looking down at the water.6. Having reconsidered his proposal, Elizabeth Bennett decided to marry Mr. Darcy.

Sentence Pattern #26: Open with a present gerund …Gerunds, the third of the three verbals in the language, serve as half verb, half noun. The present gerund = the ing form of the verb (drumming, twisting, shimmering). It looks identical to the participle, but remember that the participle functions as an adjective whereas the gerund operates as a noun. Like a verb, the present gerund often expresses an action. Like a noun, it may serve as:

1. subject of a sentence: Driving a tractor appealed to him. 2. predicate noun: My specialty is fencing. 3. object of preposition: For silencing her screaming we thanked him.

A present gerund may form a gerund phrase in three ways, similar to the infinitive and the participle:

1. by combining with an adverb: Driving dangerously becomes a bad habit.2. by combining with a prepositional phrase: Writing in my diary has become a daily ritual.3. by taking an object: Writing the last chapter gave me a feeling of success.

Examples:1. Opening the heavy gate took longer than he thought.2. Changing his accent resulted in a personality change.3. Writing contemporary essays posed no problems for him.4. Talking incessantly annoys the class.5. Driving recklessly could put you in the hospital.6. Asking me the questions won’t necessarily get you the answers.7. Communicating with his parents became an arduous task.

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Sentence Pattern #27: Open with a perfect gerund …The perfect gerund = having + the third principal part of the verb (having deposited, having kissed, having begun, having come.). Again, it looks identical to the perfect participle; but whereas the perfect participle functions as an adjective, the perfect gerund operates as a noun. Perfect gerunds form perfect gerund phrases in the same three ways as perfect participles do:

1. by combining with adverbs: having shrieked loudly 2. by combining with prepositional phrases: having come to the abandoned quarry3. by taking objects: having kissed his forehead

In its most frequent usage, the perfect gerund will appear as the object of a preposition. Gerund phrases will end with a comma. The noun or pronoun immediately following the comma must serve as the person, place, or thing doing the action of the gerund; otherwise, the perfect gerund dangles.

1. After having written the essay, I analyzed it carefully for errors.2. By having gone through one ordeal, I felt better about coping with future problems.3. On having attained the promotion, I began a search for other goals.4. Before having reached the summit, I should have rested more often.5. Upon having reached twenty-one, he received his inheritance.6. Without having had any previous experience, he could not find a job.7. For having competed against strong odds, he won the metal.8. Besides having shrieked loudly, I might have lighted a flare.9. In having arrived promptly, I created a favorable impression.10. Since having studied diligently, I have become a better student.

Sentence Pattern #28: Open with a predicate nominative (noun) …A predicate noun = a noun in the predicate which typically follows a linking verb. In contrast to an object, a predicate noun relates to the subject rather than to the verb, because a linking verb expresses a condition rather than direct action. The common linking verbs for the predicate noun include all forms of the verb to, be (is, am, are, were, be, been, being) and seem and become. The use of the verb to be with the predicate noun serves important purposes in expressing some ideas, as the following examples illustrate.

1. A large man he was, strong and muscular.2. British all four of his grandparents were. 3. A fabulous vacation it was when we went to Hawaii.4. My best friend she has been for many years.5. A stranger I become, once I leave my native land.6. An imposter he seemed.7. A man he became, once he discarded his childish ways.8. A pleasant-looking fellow the ambassador seems.9. The one surviving colonial power we are.10. An exhilarating hour it had been.

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Sentence Pattern #29: Open with a predicate adjective …Predicate adjectives - adjectives that follow linking verbs - refer back to the subject. The linking verbs that may take predicate adjectives include all forms of the verb to be (is, am, was, were, be, been, being); seem, appear, become, grow, prove, and verbs describing sensations like taste, feel, smell, look, sound.

1. Soft her skin was, like that of a baby.2. Cold the ice felt against his temples. 3. Delicious the pear tasted.4. Sweet the music sounded.5. Angry Dad appeared when he heard the news.6. Tall the grass grows in Wyoming.7. False the story proved when I checked it out.8. Lovely the rose smelled.9. Happy the boy becomes when his father gets home.10. Discordant the tones of the piano sound.

Sentence Pattern #30: Open with a direct object …A transitive verb carries action from the doer of the action to the receiver. The doer of the action we call the subject; the receiver of the action we label the direct object. The usual pattern of the English sentence follows the order of S-V-DO. By placing the direct object as the sentence opener, the writer gives much more emphasis to the receiver of the action. It might help to think of these as “Yoda” sentences.

1. Strands of colored weeds she had made into a blanket.2. Real estate Jeff Sherwood sells.3. A better job I never had.4. A Jaguar Uncle Terry owns, but he rarely drives it.5. Mary and John the director cast in the roles.6. Civilized ways of doing things you must learn if you wish to assume a role in society.7. Soup, a salad, cheese, and the house wine he ordered in the restaurant. 8. The Queen’s arrival he did not notice until she tapped him on the shoulder.

QUICK PRACTICE:

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1. Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice.

2. A planet Master Obi-Wan has lost.3. Good Relations with the Wookies I

have.4. Luminous beings are we, not this

crude matter.5. Your apprentice Skywalker will be.6. Twisted by the darkside young

Skywalker has become.7. The last of the Jedi will you be.8. My home this is.9. My own counsel will I keep on who is

to be trained!10. Into exile I must go; failed I have.11. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to

hate, hate leads to suffering.12. When nine hundred years old you

reach, look as good, you will not.