Sentence Analysis with examples

A sentence is composed of words grouped into phrases and clauses. Analyzing (parsing) a sentence and its components helps you understand the function of each of its nouns, verbs, and modifiers in the sentence so you can write better sentences.

Analyzing a sentence involves breaking it down to understand its structure, grammar, meaning, and context. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Identify Parts of Speech: Determine the role of each word in the sentence. This includes identifying nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
2. Sentence Structure: Determine the sentence type (declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory) and its structure (simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex).
3. Subject and Predicate: Identify the subject (who or what the sentence is about) and the predicate (what the subject is doing or what is being said about it).
4. Modifiers: Identify words or phrases that modify other words in the sentence, such as adjectives and adverbs.
5. Clauses and Phrases: Identify any dependent and independent clauses in the sentence, as well as any phrases (noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases, etc.).
6. Syntax and Grammar: Check for grammatical correctness, including subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, parallel structure, and proper use of punctuation.
7. Semantic Analysis: Consider the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Determine the relationships between words and phrases, and how they contribute to the overall message or idea conveyed by the sentence.
8. Contextual Analysis: Consider the broader context in which the sentence appears, including the surrounding sentences, paragraphs, and the overall text. This can help clarify ambiguous meanings and infer implied information.
9. Purpose and Tone: Consider the purpose of the sentence (to inform, persuade, entertain, etc.) and the tone (formal, informal, neutral, etc.), as these factors can influence the interpretation of the sentence.

By following these steps, you can thoroughly analyze a sentence to understand its structure, meaning, and significance within its context.

Analyzing (Parsing) the Parts

Part of speech

1. Noun: A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. Examples: dog, city, book, happiness.
2. Pronoun: A word that is used to replace or refer to a noun. Examples: he, she, it, they, me, you.
3. Verb: A word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. Examples: run, eat, sleep, is, were.
4. Adjective: A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun by providing more information about its qualities or characteristics. Examples: tall, blue, delicious, happy.
5. Adverb: A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by providing information about time, place, manner, degree, or frequency. Examples: quickly, there, very, often.
6. Preposition: A word that typically precedes a noun or pronoun and expresses a relationship with another word in the sentence, usually indicating location, direction, time, or manner. Examples: in, on, at, under, before, after.
7. Conjunction: A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence. Examples: and, but, or, because, although.
8. Interjection: A word or phrase that expresses strong emotion or sudden outburst, often standing alone or followed by an exclamation mark. Examples: wow, ouch, hey, oh.
9. Articles: A word (either “a,” “an,” or “the”) that specifies the definiteness or indefiniteness of a noun. Example: a cat, an apple, the book
10. Determiners: Determiners are words that introduce and modify nouns, providing more information about the noun they accompany. Examples: the, a, an, this, that, these, those, my, your, his, her, its, our, their
11. Numerals: Numerals are words that express numbers and are used to quantify or enumerate nouns. Examples: one, two, three, first, second, tenth

Examples

1. Noun – Lucy lives in New York.
2. Pronoun – Did she find the book she was looking for?
3. Verb – I reached home.
4. Adverb – The tea is too hot.
5. Adjective – The movie was amazing.
6. Preposition – The candle was kept under the table.
7. Conjunction – I was at home all day, but I am feeling very tired.
8. Interjection – Oh! I forgot to turn off the stove.
9. Articles- Please pass me an apple.
10. Numeral- There are three books on the table.
11. Determiner- I’ll take this book instead of that one.

Some words in the English language can function as different parts of speech based on their usage in a sentence. This phenomenon is known as “word flexibility” or “word class flexibility.” Here are a few examples:

1. Example: Run
   • Noun: I went for a run.
   • Verb: I want to run in the marathon.
2. Example: Fast
   • Adjective: The car is very fast.
   • Adverb: He runs fast.
3. Example: Light
   • Noun: The room has good light.
   • Adjective: The feather is very light.
   • Verb: Can you light the candle?
4. Example: Play
   • Noun: The children are at play.
   • Verb: Let’s play a game.
5. Example: Bark
   • Noun: The tree has rough bark.
   • Verb: The dog will bark loudly.

In each example, the same word takes on different roles in the sentence, demonstrating its flexibility in functioning as various parts of speech. The context of the sentence helps determine the intended meaning and the grammatical function of the word. This flexibility contributes to the richness and versatility of the English language.

String words together into phrases

A phrase is a group of words that capabilities as a single unit within a sentence. Unlike a whole sentence, a phrase may not have a subject and a predicate (verb) working together to deliver a whole notion. Phrases are often used to carry a selected concept or facts, and they may be classified based on their shape and reason.

In English grammar, there are seven main types of phrases. They are,

1. Noun Phrase: A group of words centered around a noun, which can include determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives), adjectives, and other modifiers.
   • Example: The old wooden table.
2. Verb Phrase: A group of words centered around a verb, which may include auxiliary verbs (helping verbs) and other elements.
   • Example: She has been studying all night.
3. Adjective Phrase: A group of words centered around an adjective, providing additional information about a noun.
   • Example: Extremely talented musicians.
4. Adverb Phrase: A group of words centered around an adverb, providing additional information about a verb, adjective, or other adverb.
   • Example: Very slowly, the car approached the intersection.
5. Prepositional Phrase: A group of words consisting of a preposition, its object, and any modifiers. It often functions as an adjective or adverb in a sentence.
   • Example: The cat on the roof is stuck.
6. Gerund Phrase: A group of words centered around a gerund (an -ing form of a verb), functioning as a noun.
   • Example: Swimming in the pool is my favorite activity.
7. Infinitive Phrase: A group of words centered around an infinitive (the base form of a verb preceded by “to”), often functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
   • Example: To learn a new language is challenging.
8. Appositive phrase: An appositive phrase, therefore, refers to a noun phrase placed adjacent to the noun it modifies. In other words, an appositive phrase can be said to complement the noun in the sentence.
   • Example: Salvia, my sister, lives in Paignton.
9. Participle Phrase: A participle phrase is a group of words or a phrase that includes a participle.
   • Example: Having seen most of South India, Varsha planned to visit some places in the North in the next year.

Look for phrases that form subjects and predicates

Every sentence should have a subject (the doer of the action) and a predicate (the action or state of being). This is the basic structure of a sentence.

• Subjects – A noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that does the action mentioned in the sentence. It mostly occurs at the beginning of the sentence. To find the subject of a sentence you can ask questions about “Who and What“. Example: She is a doctor.” (Who is a doctor? She.) and Are they coming to the party?” (Who is coming? They.)
• Predicates – The remaining part of the sentence. It begins with the verb.

Here are a few examples.

Example 1: Daisy teaches English.

• Daisy (Subject)
• Teaches English (Predicate)

Example 2: Anitha called me yesterday.

• Anitha (Subject)
• Called me yesterday (Predicate)

Example 3: The girl wearing the yellow dress is my new neighbor.

• The girl wearing the yellow dress (Subject)
• Is my new neighbor (Predicate)

Understanding the division of sentences into subjects and predicates is fundamental to analyzing sentence structure and constructing well-formed sentences.

To find the subject of a sentence you can ask questions

Here are some questions you can ask:

1. Who or What + Verb?: Ask “Who or what is performing the action or being described?” The answer to this question is likely the subject of the sentence.
   • Example: “The cat chased the mouse.” (Who chased? The cat.)
2. Who or What + Verb + Subject Complement?: If the sentence has a subject complement (e.g., a noun, pronoun, or adjective that renames or describes the subject), you can ask “Who or what + verb + what?”
   • Example: “She is a doctor.” (Who is a doctor? She.)
3. What + Verb?: For passive voice sentences, where the subject receives the action rather than performing it, you can ask “What + verb?”
   • Example: “The book was read by John.” (What was read? The book.)
4. Who or What + Auxiliary Verb?: In questions or sentences with auxiliary verbs (e.g., is, are, was, were), the subject typically comes after the auxiliary verb.
   • Example: “Are they coming to the party?” (Who is coming? They.)

By asking these questions, you can pinpoint the subject of a sentence, which is crucial for understanding the sentence’s structure and meaning.

To find the predicate of a sentence you ask questions

Here are some questions you can ask:

1. What is the action or state described by the verb?: This question targets the main action or state conveyed by the verb.
   • Example: “She reads books.” (What does she do? Reads books.)
2. What happens or is being said about the subject?: This question helps to identify what the subject is doing or what is being said about it.
   • Example: “The cat chased the mouse.” (What did the cat do? Chased the mouse.)
3. What additional information is provided about the action or state?: This question helps to identify any modifiers or complements that provide more detail about the action or state.
   • Example: “She is a doctor.” (What is she? A doctor.)
4. What is the verb’s relationship to other parts of the sentence?: This question helps to understand how the verb connects with other elements in the sentence.
   • Example: “He is running quickly.” (How is he running? Quickly.)
5. What words or phrases provide more information about the verb?: This question helps to identify adverbs or adverbial phrases that modify the verb.
   • Example: “They spoke softly.” (How did they speak? Softly.)

By asking these questions, you can pinpoint the predicate of a sentence, which encompasses the main verb and any additional elements that provide information about the action or state described in the sentence.

To find the object of a sentence you ask questions

To identify the object of a sentence, you can ask questions that focus on the action of the verb and what or whom it affects. Here are some questions you can ask:

1. Verb + What?: Ask “What receives the action of the verb?” This question helps identify a direct object.
   • Example: “She reads books.” (She reads what? Books.)
2. Verb + Whom?: Ask “Whom does the action of the verb affect?” This question helps identify a direct object when the object is a person or people.
   • Example: “He helps his friend.” (He helps whom? His friend.)
3. Verb + What/Whom + Preposition?: If the verb requires a preposition to connect with its object, ask “What or whom does the verb act upon, and with what preposition?”
   • Example: “She listens to music.” (She listens to what? Music.)
4. Verb + What/Whom + Verb?: For sentences with compound verbs or verb phrases, ask “What or whom is the action directed towards in the second verb?”
   • Example: “She made him laugh.” (She made whom laugh? Him.)
5. Who/What + Verb + Whom/What?: In questions or sentences with transitive verbs, you can directly ask who or what is the recipient of the action.
   • Example: “Who did she invite?” (She invited whom?).

By asking these questions, you can identify the object of a sentence, which is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb or that is affected by the action.

Combine subjects and predicates into clauses

Combining subjects and predicates into clauses involves grouping the subject (noun or pronoun) with its corresponding predicate (verb or verb phrase). Here are some examples of clauses formed by combining subjects and predicates:

1. Simple Clause:
   • Subject: She
   • Predicate: reads books.
   • Clause: She reads books.
2. Compound Predicate:
   • Subject: The cat
   • Predicates: chased and caught the mouse.
   • Clause: The cat chased and caught the mouse.
3. Compound Subject:
   • Subjects: Tom and Jerry
   • Predicate: are friends.
   • Clause: Tom and Jerry are friends.
4. Complex Predicate with Adverbial Phrase:
   • Subject: They
   • Predicate: were playing soccer in the park.
   • Clause: They were playing soccer in the park.
5. Complex Subject with Compound Predicate:
   • Subjects: Mary, John, and Peter
   • Predicates: went to the store and bought groceries.
   • Clause: Mary, John, and Peter went to the store and bought groceries.

These clauses demonstrate various combinations of subjects and predicates, including simple clauses with one subject and one predicate, compound predicates with multiple actions, compound subjects with multiple entities, and complex clauses with additional adverbial phrases or compound predicates.

Analyzing a Sentence

Analyzing the type of sentence involves identifying its structure and purpose. There are four main types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. Here’s how to analyze each type:

1. Declarative Sentence:
   • Structure: A declarative sentence makes a statement or expresses an idea. It typically ends with a period.
   • Purpose: It provides information or conveys a fact.
   • Example: “The sun is shining.”
2. Interrogative Sentence:
   • Structure: An interrogative sentence asks a question. It typically ends with a question mark.
   • Purpose: It seeks information or confirmation.
   • Example: “Is it raining outside?”
3. Imperative Sentence:
   • Structure: An imperative sentence gives a command, makes a request, or offers advice. It may or may not include a subject (the subject is usually implied, such as “you”).
   • Purpose: It directs or instructs someone to do something.
   • Example: “Please close the door.”
4. Exclamatory Sentence:
   • Structure: An exclamatory sentence expresses strong emotion or feeling. It typically ends with an exclamation mark.
   • Purpose: It conveys excitement, surprise, anger, or other strong emotions.
   • Example: “What a beautiful day!”

To analyze the type of sentence:

• First, determine the function of the sentence: Is it making a statement, asking a question, giving a command, or expressing strong emotion?
• Next, observe the punctuation: Does the sentence end with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark?
• Finally, consider the structure and context to confirm the type of sentence.

By following these steps, you can accurately analyze the type of sentence and understand its intended meaning and function within a text.

Look for the subject of the sentence

With the help, the subject is a noun phrase (or a pronoun) that tells what the subject is about. The subject also determines the form the verb in the predicate takes.

When analyzing a sentence type with the help of the subject, you’ll primarily focus on how the subject interacts with the rest of the sentence to convey meaning. Here’s how to do it:

1. Declarative Sentence with Subject:
   • Look for a subject that performs an action or is described in the sentence.
   • The subject is usually stated first
   • Example: “The dog barks loudly.” (Subject: The dog)
     • This is a declarative sentence because it makes a statement (the dog barks) about the subject (the dog).
2. Interrogative Sentence with Subject:
   • Identify the subject and observe if the sentence asks a question about it.
   • The subject can sometimes begin the sentence (‘’It’s raining in Sangai?’’, ‘’Who broke this?’’), but it can also follow the predicate (‘’Is this your bus?’’) or fall between parts of it (‘’May I have this dance?’’). Often, you can rewrite the question into a statement (‘’This is your bus.’’); in those cases, the subject of the statement is also the subject of the question.
   • Example: “Is the cat sleeping?” (Subject: The cat)
     • This is an interrogative sentence because it asks a question (Is the cat sleeping?) about the subject (the cat).
3. Imperative Sentence with Subject:
   • Look for a subject and a verb that gives a command or makes a request.
   • The subject is usually not stated. (‘’Bring that over here.’’) It is understood to be whoever the command is given to, or more simply, “you.”
   • Example: “Please pass the salt.” (Subject: You – implied)
     • This is an imperative sentence because it gives a command (Please pass the salt) with an implied subject (you).
4. Exclamatory Sentence with Subject:
   • Find a subject and observe if the sentence expresses strong emotion or feeling.
   • The subject is usually stated first
   • Example: “What a beautiful sunset!” (Subject: What)
     • This is an exclamatory sentence because it expresses strong emotion (What a beautiful sunset!) about the subject (the sunset).

In each example, the subject plays a crucial role in determining the type of sentence by either performing an action, being described, or being the focus of a question, command, or exclamation. By analyzing the relationship between the subject and the rest of the sentence, you can accurately determine the sentence type. A sentence can have more than one subject. Multiple subjects are called compound subjects; the individual subjects are usually connected with the conjunction ‘’and’’.

Look for the Predicate and object of the sentence

When analyzing sentence types with the help of the subject, object, and predicate, you’re essentially examining how these elements interact to convey different types of sentences. Let’s break it down:

1. Declarative Sentence:
   • Identify the subject (who or what the sentence is about), the predicate (what the subject is doing or being), and any object (who or what receives the action of the verb).
   • Example: “She (subject) is reading (predicate) a book (object).”
     • This is a declarative sentence because it makes a statement (She is reading a book) about the subject (She).
2. Interrogative Sentence:
   • Look for the subject, predicate, and any object if applicable. Note how the sentence forms a question.
   • Example: “Did they (subject) eat (predicate) lunch (object)?”
     • This is an interrogative sentence because it asks a question (Did they eat lunch?) about the subject (they).
3. Imperative Sentence:
   • Identify the subject (which is often implied or understood as “you”), the predicate, and any object. Note the sentence’s imperative tone, which gives a command or makes a request.
   • Example: “Pass (predicate) the salt (object), please (adverbial phrase).”
     • This is an imperative sentence because it gives a command (Pass the salt) with an implied subject (you).
4. Exclamatory Sentence:
   • Find the subject, predicate, and any object. Observe how the sentence expresses strong emotion or excitement.
   • Example: “What (subject) a delicious (predicate) meal (object) this is!”
     • This is an exclamatory sentence because it expresses strong emotion (What a delicious meal this is!) about the subject (the meal).

By examining how the subject, object, and predicate work together in a sentence, you can determine its type based on whether it makes a statement, asks a question, gives a command, or expresses strong emotion.

Method of sentence analyzing

Analyzing a sentence involves breaking it down into its constituent parts to understand its structure, meaning, and function within a text. Here’s a methodical approach to sentence analysis:

1. Read the Sentence: Begin by reading the sentence carefully to understand its overall message and context.
2. Identify the Subject:
   • Determine who or what the sentence is about.
   • Look for the noun or pronoun that performs the action or is being described.
   • Example: “The cat chased the mouse.” (Subject: The cat)
3. Identify the Predicate:
   • Identify the verb or verb phrase that expresses what the subject is doing or being.
   • Look for any additional elements such as objects, complements, or modifiers that provide more information about the action or state.
   • Example: “The cat chased the mouse.” (Predicate: chased the mouse)
4. Determine the Sentence Type:
   • Determine if the sentence is declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory.
   • Consider the punctuation and the overall structure of the sentence.
   • Example: “Did the cat catch the mouse?” (Interrogative)
5. Analyze Sentence Structure:
   • Determine if the sentence is simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.
   • Identify any clauses (independent or dependent) and phrases (noun, verb, prepositional, etc.).
   • Example: “The cat chased the mouse, but it couldn’t catch it.” (Compound)
6. Identify Parts of Speech:
   • Identify the role of each word in the sentence (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.).
   • Consider how each part of speech contributes to the meaning and structure of the sentence.
   • Example: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” (Noun: fox, dog; Verb: jumps; Adjectives: quick, brown, lazy)
7. Check Grammar and Syntax:
   • Ensure that the sentence follows the rules of grammar and syntax.
   • Check for subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, parallelism, and proper use of punctuation.
   • Example: “He run fast.” (Incorrect; should be “He runs fast.”)
8. Consider Semantic Meaning:
   • Consider the meaning of the sentence as a whole and how each word contributes to its overall message.
   • Pay attention to connotations, implications, and any figurative language used.
   • Example: “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” (Figurative language)
9. Evaluate Context:
   • Consider the surrounding sentences, paragraphs, or the larger text to interpret the sentence correctly.
   • Look for clues that provide additional context or clarify ambiguous meanings.
   • Example: “After working hard all day, she finally finished the project.” (Context: She worked hard before completing the project)

By following these steps, you can systematically analyze a sentence to understand its structure, meaning, and significance within its context.

Notation Key

• Underline prepositional and infinitive phrases
• Circle verbs
• Box subjects
• Put braces { } around independent clauses
• Put brackets [ ] around dependent clauses

---

See this also

• गोदान उपन्यास | भाग 21 – मुंशी प्रेमचंद
• गोदान उपन्यास | भाग 20 – मुंशी प्रेमचंद
• गोदान उपन्यास | भाग 19 – मुंशी प्रेमचंद
• गोदान उपन्यास | भाग 18 – मुंशी प्रेमचंद
• गोदान उपन्यास | भाग 17 – मुंशी प्रेमचंद