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The 1986 Study

Record Number: W4N08

Level Five: Add Eight Additional Constructions

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      Words that remained  to be explained (and some for which a better explanation can now be provided) are in 18-point bold black, with their functions indicated after them. The font size of words aleady analyzed has been decreased. 

     My saddest day [I ever had] is [when My dog got hit {by a car.}

/ It happened [when I was playing ball.] / It was{at night} [when 

Fracles got hit.] / Fracles broke lose, and ran down to go {to the 

apple trees.} / And he got hit [when he was crossing the road.]

And [whoevery hit Fracles] did not stop. / And then a man saw 

him laying  Note #  {by the road.} / He saw my ("me") 

playing ball and yelled up {to my}and said [is this your dog.]

And I ran {down the driveway} / and I said Yes. / And I told dad. /

And I was crying. /

     I feel good today. / But my arms don't feel too well. / You see I

fell {out of the tree} last night (NuA to "fell"). / My foot sliped  /

and I fell. / It didn't feel very good. / But  I didn't cry. / But [when I 

had the car wrick] I didn't cry ether. /

     I feel good today. / But my eye hurts. / I can't see very well. /

I was {at the brandi's} / and my eye was getting pinked. / And {in 

the morning} [when I woke up] it got stuck. / I had to pull it open. /

     My best friend is Stephany. / I don't [k]now why / but I just

like to play {with her.} / Will (Interjection) see I liked [her - EV]

every {sinse third grade.} / I just think [she is fun to play with.]

[Like Note #2 I said before!] /

     The goodest day [I every had] was [when I came {to Xxxxxxxx 

Xxxxxxx}] / I like this school very much. / It is a good school. / I

like my teacher the best Note #3 / she is very nice and pretty and

slim very pretty (Appositive to the first "pretty") and 

SLIM (Appositive to the first "slim")! /
 

Notes

1. At this level, students may prefer to see "him laying" (and later "me playing") as a noun absolute functioning as the direct object of "saw."

2. This clause functions as an interjection, i.e., as a statement about the text itself. [Prescriptivists who claim that "like" should not be used as a subordinate conjunction have lost the battle. Attempting to enforce that outdated rule simply makes the study of grammar a negative experience for students.]

3. The "the" preceding it makes "best" function as a noun, and, as a noun, it here functions as an adverb (of degree) to "like."
 
 

Progress:
Total Words = 271 Words %
L1: In Prep Phrases  35  13
L1A: + Adj. & Averbs 43 29
L2: + S / V / C 152 85
L3: + Clauses 22 93
L4: + Verbals 12 97
L5: + Eight Additional 7 100

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