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The 1986 Study

Record Number: W4N10

Level 2: 
Add Subjects, Finite Verbs, & Complements

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      Because browsers cannot handle double underlining, subjects are in bold green; finite verbs, in bold blue. Complements are in bold dark red, with their labels after them.  The font size of words aleady analyzed has been decreased. Words which remain to be analyzed are still in black.

     There are five people (PN) {in my family} my mom, my dad 

and my two brothers their names are Ray (PN) and Paul

(PN)I live {at 328 Sandy Dr.} First I think Note #1 I will start

{with my dad.} My dad works {at Optimal Arts.} He travels

pretty much. He goes all {over the place} asking {for money} {for 

his company.}My dad's name is Bill (PN). I will talk {about my

mom.} Well she is pretty tall (PA) and she is also pretty (PA)

Everyday she stays home and watches my brother (DO)

{except when he goes {to preschool.}} My mom's name is

Sarah (PN). I will talk {about my big brother.}He likes to play 

golf a lot. His best Note #2 is an eighty-two (PN) {on eighteen

holes} {from the men's tee's.}And that is good (PA) {from the 

men's tee's.} My brother is 13 (PA) His name is Ray (PN)

Now my little brother Paul. He can be a really pain (PN)

sometimes. Like when I am talking {on the phone}and sitting

{on the sofa} he starts jumping {on the sofa} and I start

bouncing up and down. But I like him (DO) a lot. He is three

years old (PA). His name is Paul (PN).

     I will talk {about myself.}  Well I like playing golf Note #4

also. My best score {on eighteen holes} is an eighty-six (PN)

{from the ladie's tee's.} That is really good (PA) {for me.} My best

{from the men's tee's}{on nine holes} is a forty-six (PN) {on the

hardest nine.} I am nine years old (PA)

     I will talk {about Dierdorf Pupper Walter.} Well he is

four legged creature (PN) He is a dog (PN). He has brown and

black fur (DO). I like him (DO) a lot.  He is eleven years old

(PA). Yesterday was his birthday (PN)

     My house is mosty made {of bricks} and the other part

is made {out of something else} I don't know Note #1 what (PN)

it is though. I live {at 423 Sandy Drive.} My house is pretty big

(PA). We have a big back yard (DO). I have the biggest

bedroom (DO) {in the house} {out of five rooms.}Our basement

is big (PA). We have a pinball machine (DO) and a big 

ping-pong table (DO). Most {of the time} I stay downstairs

Because it is cool (PA) {down there.} After I come in when it

is hot (PA) outside I go down {in the basement.}Then I get cold

(PA Note #5) so I go upstairs. My brother's room is the second

biggest (PA Note #6) {in the house.}My parent's room is {down the

hall} when you walk in. My little brothers room is {in the hall}also.

So is the bathroom. We have a living room (DO) and a family

room (DO) and a kitchen (DO). Well that is all (PN) {about 

my house.}
 

Notes

1. Don't expect students to be able to identify clauses as complements. That will come in Level Three.

2. Some students  may feel uncomfortable with "best" as the subject, in which case they can consider "best" as an adjective to an ellipsed "score."

3. At this level, I would accept "starts jumping" and "start bouncing" as the finite verbs. In Level Four, students will learn that "jumping" and "bouncing" can more precisely be considered as gerunds functioning as direct objects.

4. Students will recognize "playing golf" as the direct object of "like," but they will not yet know that it is a gerund ("playing") with its own direct object ("golf"). That comes in Level Four.

5. This illustrates one of the problems of traditional grammar textbooks which distinguish transitive, intransitive, and linking verbs, and which usually expect students to memorize a list of linking verbs. How often is "get" on the list of linking verbs? In practice, the only way to determine if a verb is transitive, intransitive, or linking is to look for its complement. If it has no complement, then the verb is intransitive. If it has a complement and the complement is a predicate noun or a predicate adjective, then the verb is a linking verb. If the complement is a direct object, then the verb is transitive. It seems to me, however, that this is useless information. What is important is the existence and nature of the complement.

6. Students who are uncomfortable considering "biggest" as a predicate adjective may consider it as a normal adjective to an ellipsed "room," which would then serve as a predicate noun.
 

Progress:
Total Words = 438 Words %
L1: In Prep Phrases 114  27
L1A: + Adj. & Averbs 94 47
L2: + S / V / C 189 91

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