Separating a sentence into its elements is called analysis.
Elements of sentences
From A New English Grammar for Schools, by Thomas Harvey:1. An element is one of the distinct parts of a sentence.
Elements are the constituent principles or parts of any thing.
2. The subject and predicate are called principal elements,
because no sentence could be formed without them.
3. The copula is not an element.
It is used merely to join a predicate to a subject, and to make an assertion.
4. Separating a sentence into its elements is called analysis.
Apples are ripe.
“Apples” is the subject; it is that about which something is affirmed;
“ripe” is the predicate; it is that which is affirmed of the subject;
“are” is the copula.
Birds fly.
“Birds” is the subject (why?);
“fly” is the predicate (why?).
Now analyze some sentences according to the above models: —1. Ink is black. 4. Birds sing. 7. Fishes swim. 10. Greg may be angry.
2. Gold is yellow. 5. Vessels sail. 8. Eli was tardy. 11. Snow falls.
3. Lead is a metal. 6. Trees are plants. 9. Mary was studious. 12. Houses stand.
5. Drawing a picture of that analysis is called diagramming.
In the following diagrams, the subject, the predicate, and the copula of each principal proposition are placed above a horizontal base line.
The subject is separated from the predicate or from the copula by a vertical line drawn across this base line.
The copula is separated from the predicate by a colon.
| Glass is transparent. | John looks cold. | Birds sing. |
| Glass │ is : transparent | John │ looks : cold | Birds │ sing |
Diagram in the same manner the sentences that you analyzed above.
Composition:
Choose a narrative subject. Outline it, and write the narrative.#
