The Printable KISS Grammar Workbooks The KISS Workbooks Anthology
(Code and Color Key)

A Passage for Analysis
From The Queen of the Pirate Isle, by Bret Harte
Illustrated by Kate Greenaway
Analysis Key

     The actual, prosaic house [Adj. to "house" {in which} the Pirates apparently

lived], was a mile [#1] {from a mining settlement} {on a beautiful ridge} {of pine

woods} sloping [#2] gently {towards a valley} {on the one side}, and {on the other}

falling [#2] abruptly {into a dark deep olive gulf} {of pine trees, rocks, and patches}

{of red soil}. | [ [#3] Beautiful (PA) as the slope was, looking [#4] over {to the

distant snow peaks} [Adj. to "peaks" which seemed to be {in another world}

{than theirs} [#5] ]], the children found a greater attraction (DO) {in the

fascinating depths} {of a mysterious gulf, or "cañon,"} [ [#6] as it was called (P) ], 

[Adj. to "cañon" whose very name filled their ears (DO) {with a weird music}]. |

Notes
1. "Mile" is a Noun Used as an Adverb that denotes how far the house was from the mining settlement. For Nouns Used as Adverbs, see KISS Level 2.3.
2. Expect students to be confused by "sloping." It is a verbal (gerundive) that modifies "ridge." The same goes of "falling."
3. This is an infrequent clause construction in which the complement appears before the subordinating conjunction.
4. "Looking" presents an interesting question. It is a verbal (gerundive), but does it modify "slope," (as my analysis of the clause suggests) or does it modify "children"? 
5. Alternatively, "than theirs" can be explained as an ellipsed subordinate clause -- "than theirs *was*." In either case, it modifies "other."
6. You probably will not find an explanation of this type of subordinate clause in most grammar textbooks, but in KISS it is best explained as an interjection. See KISS Level 3.2.3 - Interjection? Or Direct Object?