Page 136 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade7_Flipbook

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Lesson: Parts of Sentences Overview Learning Target
• Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences.
Words, Phrases, and Clauses
To understand English grammar, you need to understand basic sentence structure. Understanding sentence structure will help you become a better reader and writer. In English, sentences are made of words, phrases, and clauses.
Words are individual units of meaning. They function as parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, or modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) in sentences.
noun: cat adjective: black verb: leaps adverb: gracefully
Words make up phrases and clauses. Phrases are word groups that do NOT have both a subject and a verb and that function as parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, or modifiers (adjectives and adverbs).
noun phrase: a cat
adjective phrase: with black fur verb phrase: is leaping
adverb phrase: with grace
Words and phrases are the building blocks of clauses. Clauses are word groups that contain both a subject and a verb. They can also contain other words and phrases. Clauses are the building blocks of sentences. A simple sentence, for instance, is made up of one independent clause.
independent clause: The black cat is leaping gracefully. dependent clause: when the black cat is leaping gracefully
Dependent clauses can also act as parts of speech.
noun clause: The jumping cat is what you see.
adjective clause: The jumping cat that you see is graceful. adverb clause: When the cat is jumping, it is graceful.
Grammar Activities • Unit 1 3
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