Page: Cluster C Syntax-the Sentence Patterns Of Language

Syntax-The Sentence Patterns of Language

Overview:

Syntax is the arrangement of words to form sentences. It is important to understand

syntax when you are learning a new language so that you know how to correctly
form sentences.

Syntax Terms:

A. Grammar is a process which governs the formation of phrases, clauses, and their
placement with words in a sentence.

1. Dependency Grammar: is a syntax system in which lexicon elements are linked

by dependence, e.g., an adjective is linked to a noun, an adverb is linked to a
verb, etc.
2. Functionalist Grammar: Is the innate organization of natural language by it's
function.

B. Syntax is the arrangement of words to create a well-formed sentence.

C. A sentence is a group of words containing a subject and a verb which forms

a complete thought. It is also called an independent clause because it can stand
alone for its complete meaning. A sentence can contain other clauses, phrases and
additional words to complete the thought.

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1. Subject: A noun, pronoun, phrase or clause about which the sentence is

purposed.
2. Verb: Word(s) which state the action or existence of the subject.
3. Complement: A noun, phrase or clause which complements the verb.

1. Object: A complement which is the direct or indirect recipient of the action.

2. Predicate Nominative or Predicate Adjective: A complement which renames or
describes the subject and follows a verb of existence (linking verb).

1. Adjective: A word, phrase or clause which describes a noun or noun phrase.

2. Adverb: A word, phrase or clause which describes a verb, adjective or other
adverb.

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D. A phrase is a small group of words standing together to create a conceptual unit.

E. A clause is a unit of grammatical organization consisting of a subject and a verb.

1. An independent clause is a complete sentence.

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2. A dependent clause is not a complete sentence and must be joined to an

independent clause with a conjunction to be complete.

Because we were late, we ran to class.

Dependent Clause..............Independent Clause

F. A sentence diagram is a pictorial representation of the grammatical structure of a

sentence. It is used as a model to show structure.

G. A Verb tense is the form of a verb which indicates time. A verb tense may
indicate past, present or future time, and whether an action is ongoing or has been
completed.

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H. Plurals are forms of nouns and verbs which indicate more than one in existence
or completing the action. examples: baby, babies......am, was, were

I. A modal is a verb which combines with another verb to indicate mood or tense.
The ten most common modals in English are can, could, may, might, must, ought,
shall, should, will, and would.

Resources

For Students:

Brain Pop includes lots of free resources but access to all the videos can be
purchased. There is a special section for ELLs. This site ranges from pre-k to grade
twelve videos, games, and interactive quizzes. http://www.brainpop.com/

Brain Pop especially for ELLS: http://www.brainpopesl.com/

Fun Brain includes games such as “Grammar Gorilla” and “The Plural Girls.” This
site is composed of both math and language arts activities; it is divided by topic
or grade levels kindergarten through eighth. http://www.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/
getskill.cgi?A4=1

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Purdue University’s OWL site is an academic learning tool for both educators
and students. Not only does this site include the intricacies of APA format, it
also serves as both of visual for how to format and lesson ideas for educators.
This site is geared more towards middle school to high school students. https://
owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/5/

For teachers:

• Daily English grammar lessons http://www.englishgrammar.org

• Worksheets to practice syntax http://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/

• Stories for Learning http://stories4learning.com/moodle/course/view.php?id=15

YouTube Videos

• School House Rock on nouns…”A Noun is a Person, Place or Thing”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfnXUWJz0sE

• School House Rock on verbs…”Verbs”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cftcj9IYa1U

• School House Rock on adjectives…”Unpack Your Adjectives”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkuuZEey_bs

• School House Rock on adverbs…”Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14fXm4FOMPM

Ways to Teach Syntax to ELLs

• Use concrete methods in teaching ELLs sentence structure. The following link is
an example of a concrete way to teach syntax to ELLs.

http://www.thekindergartensmorgasboard.com/2014/02/a-kindergarten-
smorgasboard-morning.html?m=1

• This site helps explain functional grammar to teachers and gives specific
methods of teaching it.

http://stories4learning.com/moodle/course/view.php?id=15

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• This is a useful PDF for teachers, which explains how to teach Functional
Grammar to ELLs.

http://www.lexised.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Step-by-Step-with-Functional-
Grammar.pdf

Sources for definitions:

http://www.wikipedia.org

http://dictionary.reference.com

Images:

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image1: http://arnoldzwicky.org/category/syntax/word-order/

image2: http://stories4learning.com/moodle/course/view.php?id=15

image3: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/554013191631114517/

image4: http://www.german-latin-english.com/basicdiagrams16-20.htm

image5: http://eslmonkey.blogspot.com/2012/06/more-verb-tenses.html

image6: http://www.clker.com/clipart-lego-blue-red-green-border.html

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