PHRASE ANATOMY
Identify the prepositional phrase: “The owl perched on the fence.”
on the fence
Is the prepositional phrase adjectival or adverbial? “The eagle glided over the lake.”
Adverbial; it modifies glided.
Identify the direct object: “The cheetah chased the gazelle.”
gazelle
Identify the linking verb and predicate adjective: “The octopus is intelligent.”
Linking verb: is; predicate adjective: intelligent
Identify the compound subject: “Koalas and wombats are marsupials.”
koalas and wombats
Identify the complete subject: “The playful sea otter floated near the dock.”
The playful sea otter
Question: Identify the appositive: “Milo, a green sea turtle, lives at the aquarium.”
a green sea turtle
In “A fox slipped into the narrow opening,” identify the preposition and its object.
Preposition: into; object: opening
Is the prepositional phrase adjectival or adverbial? “The turtle in the pond is ancient.”
Adjectival; it modifies turtle.
Identify the indirect and direct objects: “The guide gave the visitors a map.”
Indirect object: visitors; direct object: map
Identify the predicate noun: “A squid is a mollusk.”
mollusk
Identify the compound predicate: “The kangaroo leaped and landed safely.”
leaped and landed
Identify the complete predicate: “A flock of noisy parrots landed beside the fountain.”
landed beside the fountain
What noun does the appositive identify? “The biologist, Dr. Lena Ortiz, studies tortoises.”
biologist
How many prepositional phrases are in “The hummingbird hovered quietly and flew backward”?
None
What word does the phrase modify, and is it adjectival or adverbial? “During the morning, the researchers packed their gear.”
It modifies packed and is adverbial.
Identify the indirect object and both direct objects: “The mother bird brought her chicks worms and insects.”
Indirect object: chicks; direct objects: worms and insects
Classify the bold ideas: “The ocean became calm. The sheltered bay became a refuge for seals.”
calm: predicate adjective; refuge: predicate noun
Identify the compound subject and compound predicate: “The foxes and coyotes searched and hunted at night.”
Compound subject: foxes and coyotes; compound predicate: searched and hunted
Identify the simple subject and simple predicate: “The feathers of the snowy owl look soft.”
Simple subject: feathers; simple predicate: look
Add the necessary commas: “Ava Lopez our team captain organized the trip.”
Ava Lopez, our team captain, organized the trip.
Identify both prepositional phrases and their objects: “The scientist with the camera waited by the pond.”
with the camera, object: camera; by the pond, object: pond
Classify both prepositional phrases: “The birds with red wings rested during the day.”
with red wings: adjectival; during the day: adverbial
Does this sentence contain an indirect object? Explain: “The ranger carried supplies to the researchers.”
No. Supplies is the direct object; researchers is the object of the preposition to.
Which sentence contains a predicate adjective, and what is it?
A. The enormous squid moved slowly.
B. The squid became enormous.
Sentence B; enormous
Combine these sentences using a compound predicate: “The otter splashed in the river. The otter searched for food.”
The otter splashed in the river and searched for food.
Identify the understood subject and simple predicate: “Observe the tracks beside the river.”
Understood subject: you; simple predicate: observe
Question: Combine the sentences by turning the first sentence into an appositive: “Kai is a rescued sea turtle. Kai lives at the coastal aquarium.”
Kai, a rescued sea turtle, lives at the coastal aquarium.
Identify all three prepositional phrases and their objects: “During the storm, the birds in the tall trees stayed near their nests.”
during the storm, storm; in the tall trees, trees; near their nests, nests
Classify all three phrases and identify what each modifies: “The nest on the branch of the oak tree swayed in the wind.”
on the branch modifies nest, adjectival; of the oak tree modifies branch, adjectival; in the wind modifies swayed, adverbial
Identify both direct object-object complement pairs: “The team named the rescued turtle Shelly and painted its shell blue.”
turtle-Shelly; shell-blue
Identify both linking verbs and classify each subject complement: “The hatchlings were fragile, but their hard shells became armor.”
were-fragile, predicate adjective; became-armor, predicate noun
Correct the illogical compound structure: “The owls and wolves hooted and howled all night.”
The owls hooted all night. The wolves howled all night.
Identify the complete subject, simple subject, complete predicate, and simple predicate: “The tiny frogs in the rainforest leap great distances at night.”
Complete subject: The tiny frogs in the rainforest; simple subject: frogs; complete predicate: leap great distances at night; simple predicate: leap
Add commas if necessary and classify each appositive:
A. My cousin Elena cares for reptiles.
B. Elena my cousin cares for reptiles.
A. No commas; Elena is restrictive.
B. Elena, my cousin, cares for reptiles; my cousin is nonrestrictive.