Lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllfffffffffffff

The Action Verb The Transitive Verb The Intransitive Verb

The Clause
Recognize a clause when you see one.

Clauses come in four types: main [or independent], subordinate [or dependent], adjective [or relative], and noun. Every clause has at least a subject and a verb. Other characteristics will help you distinguish one type of clause from another.

Main Clauses
Every main clause will follow this pattern: subject + verb = complete thought. Here are some examples: Lazy students whine.

Students = subject; whine = verb. Cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter. Cola = subject; spilled, splashed = verbs. My dog loves pizza crusts. Dog = subject; loves = verb. The important point to remember is that every sentence must have at least one main clause. Otherwise, you have a fragment, a major error.

Subordinate Clauses
A subordinate clause will follow this pattern: subordinate conjunction + subject + verb = incomplete thought. Here are some examples: Whenever lazy students whine Whenever = subordinate conjunction; students = subject; whine = verb. As cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter As = subordinate conjunction; cola = subject; spilled, splashed = verbs. Because my dog loves pizza crusts

Because = subordinate conjunction; dog = subject; loves = verb. The important point to remember about subordinate clauses is that they can never stand alone as complete sentences. To complete the thought, you must attach each subordinate clause to a main clause. Generally, the punctuation looks like this: main clause + + subordinate clause. subordinate clause + , + main clause. Check out these revisions to the subordinate clauses above: Whenever lazy students whine, Mrs. Russell throws chalk erasers at their heads. Anthony ran for the paper towels as cola spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter. Because my dog loves pizza crusts, he never barks at the deliveryman.

Relative Clauses
A relative clause will begin with a relative pronoun [such as who, whom, whose, which, or that] or a relative adverb [when, where, or why]. The patterns look like these: relative pronoun or adverb + subject + verb = incomplete thought. relative pronoun as subject + verb = incomplete thought.

Here are some examples: Whom Mrs. Russell hit in the head with a chalk eraser Whom = relative pronoun; Mrs. Russell = subject; hit = verb. Where he chews and drools with great enthusiasm Where = relative adverb; he = subject; chews, drools = verbs. That had spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter That = relative pronoun; had spilled, splashed = verbs. Who loves pizza crusts Who = relative pronoun; loves = verb. Like subordinate clauses, relative clauses cannot stand alone as complete sentences. You must connect them to main clauses to finish the thought. Look at these revisions of the relative clauses above: The lazy students whom Mrs. Russell hit in the head with a chalk eraser soon learned to keep their complaints to themselves. My dog Floyd, who loves pizza crusts, eats them under the kitchen table, where he chews and drools with great enthusiasm. Anthony ran to get paper towels for the cola that had spilled over the glass and splashed onto the counter.

Punctuating relative clauses can be tricky. You have to decide if the relative clause is essential or nonessential and then use commas accordingly. Essential relative clauses do not require commas. A relative clause is essential when you need the information it provides. Look at this example: A dog that eats too much pizza will soon develop pepperoni breath. Dog is nonspecific. To know which dog we are talking about, we must have the information in the relative clause. Thus, the relative clause is essential and requires no commas. If, however, we revise dog and choose more specific words instead, the relative clause becomes nonessential and does require commas to separate it from the rest of the sentence. Read this revision: My dog Floyd, who eats too much pizza, has developed pepperoni breath.

Noun Clauses
Any clause that functions as a noun becomes a noun clause. Look at this example: You really do not want to know the ingredients in Aunt Nancy's stew. Ingredients = noun. If we replace the noun ingredients with a clause, we have a noun clause: You really do not want to know what Aunt Nancy adds to her stew.

What Aunt Nancy adds to her stew = noun clause.

The Direct Object

Recognize a direct object when you see one.

A direct object will follow a transitive verb [a type of action verb]. Direct objects can be nouns, pronouns, phrases, or clauses. If you can identify the subject and verb in a sentence, then finding the direct objectif one exists is easy. Just remember this simple formula: [a gerund phrase] = direct object. [a subordinate clause] = direct object. verbalsinfinitives, gerunds, and participles. a:
Don't mistake a direct object for a subject complement.

question is a subject complement.

http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/directobject.htm Ffffffffffffffffffffkkkkkkkkkkk

Realisations of the Subject

[1] [We] decided to have a party [2] [One of my contacts lenses] fell on the floor [3] [The first car to reach Brighton] is the winner

However, other constituents can also function as Subjects, and we will examine these in the following sections. Clauses functioning as Subject Clauses can also function as Subjects. When they perform this function, we refer to them generally as Subject clauses. The table below shows examples of the major types of Subject clauses:

CLAUSES functioning as SUBJECTS Finite

EXAMPLE

That-clause

[1] That his theory was flawed soon became obvious

[2] What I need is a long holiday Nominal Relative clause Nonfinite

To-infinitive clause

[3] To become an opera singer takes years of training

[4] Being the chairman is a huge responsibility

-ing clause Notice that some of these Subject clauses have Subjects of their own. In [1], the Subject clause that his theory was flawed, has its own Subject, his theory. Similarly, in [2], the Subject of what I need is I. Among nonfinite clauses, only to-infinitive clauses and -ing participle clauses can function as Subject. Bare infinitive clauses and -ed participle clauses cannot perform this function. In the examples above -- [3] and [4] -- the nonfinite Subject clauses do not have Subjects of their own, although they can do:
[3a] For Mary to become an opera singer would take years of training [4a] David being the chairman has meant more work for all of us

Prepositional Phrases functioning as Subject Less commonly, the Subject may be realised by a prepositional phrase:
After nine is a good time to ring

Prepositional phrases as Subject typically refer to time or to space.

Some Unusual Subjects

Before leaving this topic, we will point out some grammatical Subjects which may at first glance be difficult to recognise as such. For example, can you work out the Subject of the following sentence?
There is a fly in my soup

As we've seen, the most reliable test for identifying the Subject is Subject-verb inversion, so let's try it here:
Declarative: There is a fly in my soup Interrogative: Is there a fly in my soup?

The inversion test shows that the subject is there. You will recall that this is an example of existential there, and the sentence in which it is the Subject is an existential sentence. Now try the same test on the following:
It is raining

The inversion test shows that the Subject is it:

Declarative: It is raining Interrogative: Is it raining?

These two examples illustrate how limited the notional definition of the Subject really is. In no sense can we say that there and it are performing an "action" in their respective sentences, and yet they are grammatically functioning as Subjects. On this page, we've seen that the function of Subject can be realised by several different forms. Conversely, the various forms (NP, clause, PP, etc) can perform several other functions, and we will look at these in the following pages.

Review
The inversion test can usually be used to identify the Subject. In this test, the Subject of a sentence inverts with the verb (main or auxiliary) when we form an interrogative. In 1, the Subject is the NP your new neighbours. The inversion test reveals this:
Declarative: Your new neighbours are very noisy Interrogative: Are your new neighbours very noisy?

In 2, the Subject is again the first constituent of the sentence -- it is the nonfinite -ing participle clause drinking beer.
Declarative: Drinking beer is not permitted Interrogative: Is drinking beer not permitted?

In 3, we've made things a little more difficult. The Subject is the professor, even though this NP is not the first constituent in the sentence:
Declarative: Without thinking, the professor stepped off the pavement Interrogative: Without thinking, did the professor step off the pavement?

The NP we is the Subject of sentence 4. It follows the to-infinitive clause to ensure confidentiality:
Declarative: To ensure confidentiality, we will conceal your name and address Interrogative: To ensure confidentiality, will we conceal your name and address?

Finally, in 5, the Subject is there:

Declarative: There was a storm last night Interrogative: Was there a storm last night?

Inside the Predicate

Now we will look inside the Predicate, and assign functions to its constituents. Recall that the Predicate is everything apart from the Subject. So in David plays the piano, the Predicate is plays the piano. This Predicate consists of a verb phrase, and we can divide this into two further elements:
[plays] [the piano]

In formal terms, we refer to the verb as the PREDICATOR, because its function is to predicate or state something about the subject.

Notice that Predicator is a functional term, while verb is a formal term:

FORM
Verb

FUNCTION
Predicator

However, since the Predicator is always realised by a verb, we will continue to use the more familiar term verb, even when we are discussing functions.

The Direct Object

In the sentence David plays the piano, the NP the piano is the constituent which undergoes the "action" of being played (by David, the Subject). We refer to this constituent as the DIRECT OBJECT. Here are some more examples of Direct Objects:
We bought a new computer I used to ride a motorbike The police interviewed all the witnesses

We can usually identify the Direct Object by asking who or what was affected by the Subject. For example:
We bought a new computer Q. What did we buy? A. A new computer ( = the Direct Object)

The Direct Object generally comes after the verb, just as the Subject generally comes before it. So in a declarative sentence, the usual pattern is: Subject -- Verb -- Direct Object The following table shows more examples of this pattern:

Subject The tourists She

Verb visited sent

Direct Object the old cathedral a postcard

The detectives examined the scene of the crime

Realisations of the Direct Object

The Direct Object is most often realised by an NP, as in the examples above. However, this function can also be realised by a clause. The following table shows examples of clauses functioning as Direct Objects:

CLAUSES functioning as DIRECT

EXAMPLES

OBJECTS Finite That-clause Nominal relative clause

[1] He thought that he had a perfect alibi [2] The officer described what he saw through the keyhole

Nonfinite To-infinitive clause Bare infinitive clause [5] Paul loves playing football -ing clause [6] I'm having my house painted -ed clause

[3] The dog wants to play in the garden [4] She made the lecturer laugh

Subjects and Objects, Active and Passive

A useful way to compare Subjects and Direct Objects is to observe how they behave in active and passive sentences. Consider the following active sentence:
Active: Fire destroyed the palace

Here we have a Subject fire and a Direct Object the palace.

Now let's convert this into a passive sentence:

Passive: The palace was destroyed by fire

The change from active to passive has the following results: 1. The active Direct Object the palace becomes the passive Subject

2. The active Subject fire becomes part of the PP by fire (the byagent phrase).
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/function/xfunc5.htm