Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 621

18th International Conference of the Asia Association of Computer-Assisted

Language Learning (AsiaCALL–2-2021)

How to Draw Tree Digrams via Nine Sentence

Patterns
Thanh Thao Vo Thuy1* Anh Van Truong2
1 SaiGon University
2
Sai Gon University
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Current books on English syntax present tree drawing in detail; as a result, students feel confused in order to study it. Based
on traditional grammar and modern functional grammar, we have systematized all sentences into nine patterns for students to
master English syntax. Those who can acquire how to draw tree diagrams for these patterns can tree-diagramatize any
English sentence. To some extent, our supervised students can feel confident to study English syntax, in general, as well as
tree drawing, in particular.

Keywords: Syntax, sentence pattern, sentence element, tree drawing

I. INTRODUCTION Grammar books by authors A.J. Thompson and

A.V. Martinet, Michael Swan (2002) [6], etc., clearly
Drawing tree diagrams is one of the important present category words and simple, compound and
items in learning English syntax. This section is complex sentences with main and subordinate clauses.
required not only in the end-of-semester examination However, the grammar books do not systematize
but also in the entrance exam for graduate school at sentence patterns according to specific types of verbs
universities. Students find this part very difficult to and sentence components.
learn. Current syntax books present the tree
diagramming in a scattered manner, with a lot of details According to syntacticians, such as To Minh
that are difficult to remember and seem to lack a Thanh (2019) [7,8], Noel Burton-Roberts [4] (2013),
scientific system. etc., they always spend dozens of pages presenting
sentence tree diagrams in detail. That is, they value this
Following students' learning for over ten years, we heading in the syntax.
have systematized English sentences into 9 easy-to-
remember sentence patterns based on verb types and Michael Halliday (2004) [2] believes that
sentence components in communication. sentence components will have different roles in
different communication situations to serve
After students had mastered the 9 sentence communication needs. Mastering the communicative
patterns, they began to analyze the sentence components meaning of sentence components will understand their
in the 9 patterns; replacing the components fluently, role and then be able to analyze, recognize sentence
they began to be exposed to the default tree diagram patterns and draw tree diagrams correctly.
drawing for the sentence patterns. Finally, students can
draw a tree diagram for any sentence in English with Acquiring a second language is a major research
confidence. work on foreign language teaching published by
Stephen Krashen at the end of the last century.
According to Stephen Krashen, most foreign language
II. LITERATURE REVIEW classes today, as in the past, with little concern for the
The Oxford Dictionary 8th edition classifies a findings of modern research in applied linguistics and
number of sentence patterns, including specific sentence experimental field theories of second language
elements, and defaults to them on the first pages of the acquisition. Teachers have done damage to students
book. Often people use the dictionary, only interested in when they use outdated or untested ideas as the basis of
looking up the meaning, pronunciation and usage of their pedagogy. To date, there has been no empirical
words, but not reading these sentence patterns. research on teaching sentence patterns and drawing tree
However, the sentence patterns are too spread and not diagrams associated with second language acquisition
condensed to forms easy to remember patterns. theory as well as a teaching method consistent with this
theory.

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 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 621

So far, there are many books written on English Pattern 1: N(S) Be (V) Adj (C)
syntax, but none have relied on 9 systematized
sentence patterns to draw tree diagrams in a concise Ex: Food is good.
and easy-to-understand manner. Sometimes a prepositional phrase can replace an
adjective.
III. METHOD
A qualitative method is used to identify the Ex: The teacher was in a bad mood.
syntactic structures of the sentence patterns. Pattern 2: N(S) Be(V) Adv (C)
Linguistic theories are applied to analyzing and
composing the elements with semantic forms, Ex: The girl is here.
syntactic clauses and sentences. The game will be at three o’clock.
We conduct research by a quantitative Pattern 3: N1(S) Be(V) N1(C)
method: based on the finite deep structures of
sentence patterns to collect many surface structures Ex: My brother is a doctor.
of actual sentence patterns. During the data collection The two next patterns contain other linking verbs
process, we also tested the methods of teaching these than BE.
sentence patterns in the Writing skills development
class 1 of second-year students at the Faculty of Notes: N1, the subject and N1, the complement, are
Foreign Languages, Saigon University. During the the same thing (person).
actual teaching process, we have the opportunity to Pattern 4: N(S) Vl ADJ(C)
adjust the sentence patterns in a more concise way.
Ex: The acrobat seems young.
Based on the second language acquisition
theory, we have conducted the teaching procedures of The screw worked loose.
3 steps: Presentation-Practice-Production (Scrivener,
The defendant stood firm.
J., 1994) [5]. In sequence, we give the sentence
patterns for students to identify (know); they are Pattern 5: N1(S) Vl N1(C)
asked to analyze to understand the structures; they
discuss to come up with the formulas of the patterns Ex: He remains a doctor.
and finally give their own examples of the sentence She becomes a lecturer.
patterns (application). During the teaching process,
the teacher only gives each sample sentence pattern,
then guides, monitors and motivates the students to 2/ Sentence patterns with intransitive verbs
take the steps. Students work in groups and have a
competition between groups to find the sentence Pattern 6: N(S) Vi [intransitive]
pattern for each sentence and apply this knowledge to Ex: The sportsmen cried.
create other sentences. This is a creative application.
Our focus is on the dynamic practice of teaching and The sportsmen were crying in the stadium.
learning this subject.
IV. ENGLISH SENTENCE PATTERNS 3/ Sentence patterns with transitive verbs
A. System of sentence patterns
Pattern 7: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) [monotransitive]
In English syntax, verbs play the most Ex: The boy caught a ball.
important role. Based on the classification of verbs,
we can determine the sentence elements and sentence He loved a doctor.
patterns. According to their different communicative
Notes: N1 and N2 are two different things (people).
meanings, there are many verbs that can be classified
into different types of verbs based on the actual Pattern 8: N1(S) Vt N2 (IO) N3 (DO)
context. There are three main types of verbs: 1/ [ditransitive]
linking/intensive verbs, 2/ intransitive verbs and 3/
transitive verbs. Transitive verbs are divided into Ex: He gave her some flowers. (He gave them to her).
monotransitive, ditransitive and complex transitive. He gave some flowers to her.
Prepositions can accompany simple transitive verbs,
and prepositions can follow compound transitive She was given some flowers.
verbs. Some flowers were given to her.
1/ Sentence patterns with linking verbs: Notes: N1, N2 and N3 are three different things
The first three patterns consist of BE. (peoples).
Pattern 9a: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) N2(C) (a)

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Ex: The basketball team chose Charlotte captain.

Pattern 9b: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) Pro (C) (b)
Ex: I thought the caller you.
Pattern 9c: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) Adj(C) (c)
Ex: He considered her brilliant.
Pattern 9d: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) Prep Phrase(C) (d)
Ex: We considered her in the way.
Pattern 9e: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) Adv(C) (e)
Ex: We supposed him upstairs.
Pattern 9f: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) Past Part. (C) (f)
Ex: I believe him seated.
Pattern 9g: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) Pre. Part. (C) (g)
Ex: She saw him crying.
Pattern 9h: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) Inf. Phrase (C) (h)
Pattern 3:
Ex: We want Chico to play for our club.
Pattern 9i: N1(S) Vt N2 (DO) bare infinitive phr
(C) (i)
Ex: We heard him sing a song.

B. Typical tree diagrams of the sentence patterns

1/ Sentence patterns with linking verbs:
Pattern 1:

Pattern 4:

Pattern 2:

Pattern 5:

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Pattern 9a:

2/ Sentence patterns with intransitive verbs:

Pattern 6:

Pattern 9b:

3/ Sentence patterns with intransitive verbs:

Pattern 7:

Pattern 9c:

Pattern 9d:
Pattern 8:

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Pattern 9e:

Pattern 9f:

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Pattern 9g: 5. RECOMMENDATIONS

Above are 9 sentence patterns corresponding
to 9 typical tree diagram patterns. However, each of
the 9 sentence patterns can be expanded according to
the word > phrase > clause model. These 9 sentence
patterns are simple sentences. Compound sentences
will consist of at least 2 simple sentences, and
complex and compound sentences will consist of at
least 2 simple sentences. In these cases, simple
sentences turn into clauses: coordinate clauses, main
clauses, and subordinate clauses. Therefore, students
must understand how to expand the composition of
sentences and the principle of putting simple
sentences together to form the compound, complex
and compound sentences.
Syntax diagramming has different ways,
according to different authors. However, by
mastering the 9 sentence patterns and mastering the
Pattern 9h: above 9 typical sentence diagrams, students will find
it easy to move on to other ways of diagramming the
syntax.
6. CONCLUSION
Learning any subject and mastering it is not
easy, especially learning syntax and drawing tree
diagrams. Although many students are afraid to draw
a tree diagram to represent English syntax, through
the systematization of English sentences into 9
specific and concise patterns, most students feel self-
confident when starting to draw any sentence given
by an examiner. Through the presentation of this
system, students can easily approach and absorb these
patterns through the 3 Ps (Presentation - Practice -
Production) method. This also inspires students to be
interested in doing scientific research on tree
diagrams (students of the Faculty of Foreign
Languages have carried out scientific research on tree
diagrams and won a national prize).

Pattern 9i: REFERENCES

[1] Dik S. C., Ngữ pháp chức năng, Nxb Đại học Quốc gia Tp
HCM, 2005.
[2] Halliday M. A. K., “An Introduction to Functional
Grammar”, Oxford University Press, 2004.
[3] Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2010.
[4] Roberts N. B., Analysing Sentences, Routledge, 2013.
[5] Scrivener, J., “PPP and after. The Teacher Trainer, 8(1)”, pp.
15-16, 1994.
[6] Thompson A.J. and Martinet A.V., “A Practical English
Grammar”, Oxford University Press, 2002.
[7] Tô Minh Thanh, “English Syntax”, Phần I. Nxb Đại học
Quốc gia Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, 2019.
[8] Tô Minh Thanh, “English Syntax”, Phần II. Nxb Đại học
Quốc gia Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, 2019.

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