1GA. Sentence Basics Grammar Activities
Dilara Avci and Jonathon Reinhardt
These activities are designed for the content in 1. Sentence Basics
⇒ 1.1.1 Subjects in a speech by Joe Biden
⇒ 1.1.2 Predicates in The Great Gatsby
⇒ 1.1.2 Clauses & sentences in a speech by Donald Trump
⇒ 1.3.1 Agreement in popular memes
⇒ 1.3.2 Phrases about chocolate cake
⇒ Return to 1.1 Sentences, Subjects, & Predicates
⇒ Return to 1.2. Clauses
⇒ Return to 1.3 Phrases & Agreement
⇒ Return to 1.4 Transitive & Intransitive Verbs
⇒ Return to 1.5 Linking Verbs
a. Find an example of a pop song or a poem that uses metaphors in its lyrics, for example, to describe life, love, happiness, sadness, etc. Song lyrics can be found by searching for a favorite singer, band, or song, and for poetry the Poetry Foundation collections offer a variety to choose from. What song or poem did you find? What metaphors are used in it? What lyrics illustrate them? Analyze the grammatical structure of a few lines and identify subjects, linking verbs, and predicates.
b. Write a paragraph of about 100 words telling a story, describing a dream you had, or recounting a trip you took or event you experienced. After writing it, identify:
- the number of sentences
- the number of clauses (do not include non-finite clauses)
- all the subjects
- all the verbs and, if you can, whether they are transitive, intransitive, or linking
⇒ Return to 1. Sentence Basics
Module authors: Jonathon Reinhardt and Dilara Avci
Last updated: 8 November 2023
This module is part of Modern English Grammar and the Power of Language, a open educational resource offered by the Clarify Initiative customized for English 406, a course at the University of Arizona. The Clarify Initiative is a privately funded project with the goal of raising critical language awareness and media literacy among students of language and throughout society.
