Sentence or Fragment?
Africa's great civilizations
fragment (missing a predicate)
Traded salt for gold
Subject (Merchants in Ghana traded salt for gold.)
The Portuguese wanted to grow more sugar.
The Portuguese
At first, African kingdoms were excited to build trade relationships with European explorers.
were excited to build trade relationships with European explorers
Action or linking verb?
At first, the Atlantic slave trade was profitable for both European and African societies.
linking: was
Mansa Musa was the richest person in history.
sentence
The four-story walls of Great Zimbabwe
predicate (The four-story walls of Great Zimbabwe are amazing.)
Growing sugar required a lot of hard work.
Growing sugar (This is the name of the activity.)
African kingdoms were eager to receive European goods.
were eager to receive European goods
Action or linking?
The slave trade reduced the male population in African societies by about 20%.
Action: reduced
Griots, or oral historians and story-tellers.
fragment (Missing a predicate: Griots, or oral historians and story-tellers, were used instead of books.)
Artwork from the Kingdom of Benin, the amazing stone churches in Ethiopia, the pyramids in Giza, and the castle at Gondar
predicate (Artwork from the Kingdom of Benin, the amazing stone churches in Ethiopia, the pyramids in Giza, and the castle at Gondar are evidence of great civilizations in Africa.)
A lack of workers was a problem for them.
A lack of workers
Europeans were interested in buying slaves.
were interested in buying slaves
Name the entire verb phrase:
By the end of the Atlantic slave trade, African kingdoms had been weakened socially and economically.
had been weakened
Because they didn't use a writing system.
fragment (Missing an independent clause: Because they didn't use a writing system, African societies were looked down on by Europeans.)
Called Africa the "dark continent" because they didn't believe any great knowledge or civilization existed there.
Subject (Many Europeans called Africa the "dark continent" because they didn't believe any great knowledge or civilization existed there.)
However, the slave market that already existed in Africa could solve the Portuguese's labor problem.
the slave market that already existed in Africa
Because prisoners of war could be sold as slaves, many African kingdoms declared war on their neighbors.
declared war on their neighbors
Name the helping verb and main verb:
European countries could conquer weakened African societies more easily.
helping verb: could
main verb: conquer
The helping verb "could" shows ability.
Believing that the way your culture does something is the best or only way is called ethnocentrism.
sentence
Expecting African cultures to have the same features as European ones, many Europeans thought that being different was the same as being unintelligent and uncivilized.
sentence
Nothing is missing!
Dependent clause: Expecting African cultures to have the same features as European ones
Independent clause subject: many Europeans
Independent clause predicate: thought that being different was the same as being unintelligent and uncivilized
The discovery of the New World increased the demand for slaves.
The discovery of the New World
The great majority of the slaves sold to Europeans had not been slaves before they were captured and sold.
had not been slaves before they were captured and sold
Name the helping verb and the main verb. (Bonus: What does the helping verb show?)
Without slavery and colonialism, perhaps Africa's situation would be different today.
helping verb: would
main verb: be
The helping verb "would" shows a possibility in a different situation.