Tips For Diagramming Sentences

When diagramming sentences, the easiest way to start is to identify the parts of speech and the parts of the sentence.

· Identify your subject (What is the sentence about?)

· Identify your verb (What is the subject of the sentence doing?)

· List any articles, adjectives or adverbs (i.e. words or phrases that modify a subject, object or verb)

· List any prepositional or modifying phrases (Phrases that modify, or provide additional information, about something in the sentence)

Once you have identified the different parts of the sentence and thought about how they fit together, it is easy to begin your diagram

· Your subject and verb go on your base line, with a straight line between them.

· Adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases and modifying phrases go below your base line, on slanted lines below the thing they are modifying.

· Dependent clauses have their own base line, and the sentences are connected with dotted lines and the conjunction.

Diagramming sentences can be difficult at first, especially with complex sentences. However, it can help provide you with a deep understanding of grammar rules and parts of speech. The best way to get better at diagramming sentences is to practice.

NB: For every sentence you diagram, the first four steps will be the same:

1. Draw a straight horizontal line.

_________________________________________________________

2. Draw a vertical line that bisects the horizontal one.

__________________________ן_________________________________

ן

3. Put the subject on the left side of the vertical line.

___________Subject_________ן_________________________________

ן

4. Put the verb on right side of the vertical line.

___________Subject_________ן_______Verb_______________________

ן

What happens next depend on particular part of the sentence and the relation these part have to the other parts of the sentence. For instance, modifiers such as adjectives, adverbs or articles, go under the horizontal line directly under the term they modify.

___________Subject________________ן_______Verb_______________________

\article/ adjective ן \adverb

glacier is melting

The

slowly

The direct object (if there is one) goes to the right of the verb separated by a vertical line that does NOT bisect the horizontal one.

Predicate nouns or predicate adjectives also go to the right of the verb but these are separated by a slanted line.