lesson 15: coordinating conjunctions … · ... coordinating conjunctions (compound verb &...

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LESSON 15: COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (COMPOUND VERB &

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES) Relevant Review

• Coordinating Conjunctions = for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

• Verb phrases consist of one main verb and one or more helping verbs.

• Prepositions are always in prepositional phrases.

• Prepositional phrases start with a preposition and end with a noun or a pronoun. They act as single parts of speech (adjectives or adverbs).

Lesson

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to diagram compound verb phrases and prepositional phrases. You can already diagram compound subjects, verbs, direct objects, adjectives, and adverbs! Wow!

Diagramming Compound Verb Phrases

Remember that verb phrases consist of one main verb and one or more helping verbs.

There are two possible scenarios when you’re dealing with verb phrases and coordinating conjunctions.

Possibility # 1: The two phrases don’t share any helping verbs.

Diagram these the same way you diagram regular compound verbs.

He can run well and will win the race.

can run = verb phrase will run = verb phrase

Notice that the two main verbs in the verb phrases are different types of verbs. Run is intransitive complete, and win is transitive active. Race is its direct object.

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Possibility # 2: The two phrases share one or more helping verbs.

Both sit and wait are using the helping verb will.

He will sit and wait.

will = helping verb sit, wait = compound main verbs

Diagramming Compound Prepositional Phrases

To diagram compound prepositional phrases, connect the phrases with a dotted line and place the conjunction on the line.

It’s just like diagramming compound adjectives and adverbs.

I ran across the field and over the hill.


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Lesson 15 Sentence Diagramming Exercises

1. Mia and Chad swam across the stream and into the ocean.

Key

Mia and Chad swam across the stream and into the ocean.

sentence - statement

Mia, Chad compound subjects (nouns)

and coordinating conjunction

swam verb (intransitive complete)

across the stream, into the ocean compound prepositional phrases (adverb) (modifying swam)


across preposition

stream object of the preposition (noun)

the adjective

into preposition

ocean object of the preposition (noun)

the adjective


2. Can the baby crawl or walk across the room*?

* Notice that the prepositional phrase is modifying both crawl and walk. (Can the baby crawl across the room? Can the baby walk across the room?) We need to put it on a place in the diagram that shows it’s modifying both words. Do you see that both the helping verb can and the prepositional phrase across the room are applying to both of the main verbs?

If something modifies just one main verb, it goes on a line directly under that verb. We’ll see an example of that in # 4.

Key

Can the baby crawl or walk across the room?

sentence – question

The baby can crawl or walk across the room.

sentence – statement

baby subject (noun)

Can crawl, walk verb phrase- compound main verbs

Can helping verb

crawl, walk compound main verbs (intransitive complete)

or coordinating conjunction

across the room prepositional phrase (adverb) (modifying Can crawl, walk)

across preposition

room object of the preposition (noun)

the adjective


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3. The siblings fought during the short yet stressful flight.

Key

The siblings fought during the short yet stressful flight.


siblings subject (noun)

The adjective

fought verb (intransitive complete)

during the short yet stressful flight prepositional phrase (adverb) (modifying fought)

during preposition

flight object of the preposition (noun)

the adjective

short, stressful compound adjectives

yet coordinating conjunction


4. Mrs. Greengold’s students will perform well and earn excellent grades.

In this diagram, we have the adverb well modifying only one of the main verbs, perform. The students performed well, they did not earn well.

If well modified both perform and earn, we would put it under the helping verb will as we did with the prepositional phrase in #2. Since it only modifies perform, it goes directly under it.

Be sure to THINK about each word and its function in the sentence as you diagram. J

Key

Mrs. Greengold’s students will perform well and earn excellent grades.


students subject (noun)

Mrs. Greengold’s adjective

will perform, earn verb phrase- compound main verb

will helping verb

perform main verb (intransitive complete)

well adverb modifying perform

earn main verb (transitive active)

grades direct object (noun)

excellent adjective



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5. George enjoyed the long and exciting book but disliked the movie.

Key

George enjoyed the long and exciting book but disliked the movie.

sentence – statement

George subject (noun)

enjoyed, disliked compound verb

enjoyed verb (transitive active)

book direct object (noun)

the adjective

long, exciting compound adjectives


disliked verb (transitive active)

movie direct object (noun)

the adjective

but coordinating conjunction

lesson 15: coordinating conjunctions … · ... coordinating conjunctions (compound verb &...

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