WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
Name:
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Complete Sentences: Part 4
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Section 1
core (kôr) n. The innermost
BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2,
this exercise contains 40 questions. Some answers require
sentences that must be written
correctly to include grammar,
punctuation, and spelling. Every
missed answer equals a minus
2.5 points.
or most important part
of anything;
heart,
center,
essence.
The most likely suspect / had an air-tight alibi.
Subject Part
After this movie I
Predicate Part
/ am going to finish my math problems.
Subject Part
Predicate Part
Stories about budget cuts
Subject Part
This semester Lea
Subject Part
/ frighten everybody.
Predicate Part
/ could have worked harder.
Predicate Part
WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
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Practice: Find these sentences’ core words. In the blanks write the subject word and
the verb for each sentence. (Graders: these sentences are for practice and are not graded.)
1. The three miles of twisting trails will take you half-way through the park.
__________________________
_________________________________
subject word verb
2. One of my father’s business partners is going to work in Washington for the President.
__________________________
_________________________________
subject word verb
Finding subjects and verbs is easy when the subject and predicate parts
of a sentence are limited to a few words, but when either the subject
or the predicate in a sentence contains several words, as in the practice
sentences, finding subject words and verbs can be more difficult. In the
rest of this lesson, you will learn skills that will help you find subjects and
verbs in complete sentences. These skills are the foundation on which you can build
other important sentence skills.
WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
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Section 2
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Verbs of More Than One Word
The verb in a sentence can be more than a single word. In fact, it may be
one, two, three, or even four words. Here, for example, are several of the
many forms of the verb start.
start can start starts am starting started had started will have started have been starting must be started should have been started
will have been starting
would have been started
There Are Twenty-three Helping Verbs:
can, will, shall
should, would, could
may, might, must
These nine words always have a verb of more than one word.
Look for a main verb that follows them.
am, is, are, was, were
be, being, been
do, does, did
have, has, had
These fourteen words are sometimes helping verbs and sometimes main
verbs. They are also used in combination with other helping verbs.
Sentences with Verbs of More Than One Word:
The Governor is calling the Legislature into special session.
complete verb
Viewers have been demanding less violence on television.
complete verb
Mavericks fans must have been hoping for better luck in the college draft.
complete verb
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WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
Practice: Decide which words in this sentence make up its complete verb. In the first
blank write the helping verb—or helping verbs, if you think there is more than one—and
the main verb in the second blank.
(Graders: this section has 2 answers per question, total 10.)
1. New car buyers should have expected higher sticker prices.
____________________________ ___________________________
helping verbs main verb
2. Mary’s husband has gained a lot of weight over the summer.
____________________________ ___________________________
helping verbs main verb
3. The Mitchell’s could have watched the July 4th fireworks from their back porch.
____________________________ ___________________________
helping verbs main verb
4. This semester I will change my major to speech pathology.
____________________________ ___________________________
helping verbs main verb
5. Joey never should have dated Amy.
____________________________ ___________________________
helping verbs main verb
WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
Section 3
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Verbs Ending in –ed
Word endings are important signals to readers. If you have a habit of
dropping –s and –ed endings from verbs, check your work carefully to avoid
writing sentences like these:
Dick hate it when Amy played her rap music.
John has work a double shift this week.
Cindy stay awake to watch the late movie last night.
Verbs Ending in –ed
Simple Past Time
Most verbs show past tense by adding –d or –ed to the end of the word,
as in these example sentences:
After lab we waited for Mark to finish.
Last week I completed my enrollment forms.
Jimmy visited his mother in June.
Other Forms of Past Time
More complicated time-frames can be indicated by combining –ed ending
verbs with helping verbs, as in these example sentences:
Mary has talked about quitting her job since last May.
Tony had joked about winning the lottery before he bought the lucky`
ticket.
Ralph will have started home before we leave campus.
Henry is convinced that Linda lied to him when they talked on the
phone.
WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
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Directions: Some (but not all) of the following sentences contain verbs that need –d or
–ed endings. Rewrite all sentences that need correcting. If the sentence’s verbs do not
need to be changed, write “correct” in the blank space.
(Graders: this section has 10 answers.)
1. While he waited for Margot, Mike smoke once cigarette after another.
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2. The backup singer on Paula’s latest record has decide to sue her manager.
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3. Everybody watch the lighted candle flickering behind the dark window.
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4. I ate so much fried catfish yesterday that I skipped breakfast this morning.
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5. Although I expect them to leave Friday, the team will leave for Dallas today.
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6. Susan practiced for an hour and then decide to take a break before the concert.
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7. Gill rushed to cash his check before the bank close at three o’clock.
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8. We had hope to get a lower interest rate on our loan.
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9. Against my advice, Irwin has invested most of his money in shoe companies.
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10. Harry Truman is recognize as a great American president.
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WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
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Section 4
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Verbs ending in –ing
Add an –ing to the simple form of a verb to show an ongoing action. Helping
verbs are used to show whether the action is still in progress, was in
progress in the past, or will be in progress in the future:
Tyrone is playing basketball at the school yard.
Last week the grocery store was selling cokes for half price.
Jana will be working late tonight.
Fragment Warning!
Confusion about –ing verbs occasionally leads to sentence
fragments. Correct an –ing fragment by placing a helping verb
before the –ing word or by changing the –ing word to another
verb form. Watch for –ing fragments like these:
The horse bucked violently. Tim’s knees jerking wildly in
counter motions.
The horse bucked violently. Tim’s knees were jerking
wildly in counter motions.
Cornel bought a Chevy Camaro. The reason being that he
wanted an American made car.
Cornel bought a Chevy Camaro. The reason was that he
wanted an American made car.
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WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
Directions: Correct the –ing fragment in each pair of sentences by adding a helping verb
or changing the –ing verbs to another verb form, as illustrated by the second example
in the Fragment Warning. A list of helping verbs can be found at the beginning of this
section. (Graders: this section has 5 answers.)
Example:
Henry pacing impatiently outside the hospital’s delivery room. He looked frantic.
Henry was pacing impatiently outside the hospital’s delivery room.
He looked frantic.
1. We looked for him everywhere. Randy shooting baskets in the gym.
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2. The dogs barking in the neighbor’s yard. Finally, Jay called the police.
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3. The coach canceled practice. His thinking being that the team needed a rest.
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4. We leaving the meeting angry. Neither of us expected to return.
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5. Everybody started to leave. They being convinced the game was over.
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WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
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Section 5
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Finding Subjects
The subject portion of a sentence may include one or more prepositional
phrases. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a
noun or pronoun. Typically, prepositional phrases tell when or where. For
example:
before dark through the tunnel beneath the shade tree at half-time
on the top shelf
for the first time
Common Prepositions
about above across after against among around at before behind below beneath beside between by despite down during except for from in inside into like near of off on over
through
to
toward
under
with
within
without
Practice: In each practice sentence, complete the prepositional phrase by adding words
to the blank. The preposition is provided. You add a noun to mark the end of the phrase
and any other necessary words. (Graders: this section has 5 answers -- No. 1 is free.)
1. The line for Garth Brooks’s concert tickets stretched around the corner.
2. From _____________________________ we could see what was happening.
3. A fight between _______________________________ usually ends in a kiss.
4. One of ____________________________________ is missing from the shelf.
5. Below ____________________________________ we made our camp.
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WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
Cross out the prepositional phrases in a sentence’s subject portion and the remaining
noun should be the subject word.
(Graders: this section has 5 answers.)
The empty house on the corner attracts all the neighborhood kids.
The empty house / attracts all the neighborhood kids.
Directions: Divide the sentences into their subject and predicate parts and eliminate all
prepositional phrases (listed page 9), as in the example sentence above.
1. My brothers in New York work for IBM.
_______________________ / __________________________________
2. On their next vacation the Cooper family plans to hike the Napali rain forests.
_______________________ / __________________________________
3. In the wet night air the car’s engine popped and snapped as it cooled.
_______________________ / __________________________________
4. Many of the old houses in Waxahachie have been beautifully restored.
_______________________ / __________________________________
5. The clothes in the washer on the back porch are ready for the dryer.
_______________________ / __________________________________
WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
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Section 6
Making Subject and Verbs Agree
“Agreement” between a subject and verb means that both words are
singular or both plural. A singular subject (one person, place, or thing) needs
a singular verb. A plural subject (more than one person, place, or thing)
needs a plural verb.
The following sentence contains an agreement error:
The cost of personal long distance telephone calls are billed to the employee.
Rewrite the sentence so that the subject and verb agree.
_______________________________________________________________
If you have trouble deciding which word in a sentence is its subject, mark
through all the prepositional phrases in the sentence’s subject part.
The noun (or person, place, or thing) left will be the subject. Make sure the
subject and verb agree. They both must be singular or both plural. The
object of a preposition, remember, can never be the subject of a sentence.
This grammar tool has been applied to the three sentences below. The
prepositional phrases have been crossed out to help isolate the subject
word. In two of the sentences, a correction has had to be made in the verb
to make it agree in number with the subject word. Study these sentences so
that you can use this tool in the next exercise.
The statue of the white buffalo / watches proudly over the square.
owns
Each of us / own a boat.
has
The number of students in lab / have increased.
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WYSIWYG/Complete Sentences (Part Four)
Directions: In this exercise, practice the grammar tool you have learned in Section 6.
(1) Divide the sentence into its subject and predicate parts. (2) Identify the prepositional
phrases in the sentence’s subject portion. (3) Identify the subject word and make sure
the subject word agrees with the verb. Both must be singular or both plural.
Rewrite these sentences, changing any verb that does not agree with its subject, making
it either singular or plural as the subject word requires. You should use the sentences on
the previous page as examples. If the sentence is correct as written, write CORRECT in
the space provided. (Graders: this section has 5 answers.)
Remember the strategy:
(1) Divide, (2) Mark through, (3) Underline, and (4) Check agreement.
1. Only one of the team’s new draft choices have substantial experience on defense.
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2. Each of my history teachers have assigned a test before spring break.
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3. Without exception everybody in town wants to keep the homecoming parade.
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4. The dust-covered uniforms in my aunt’s garage belongs to her oldest son.
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5. The electrical appliances in the apartment are provided by the owners.
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