BOARD NOTES

STEPS OF OPERATIONS

1.       Identify the type of sentence

a.       Declarative .

                                                               i.      Ends with a period

                                                             ii.      Makes a statement

                                                            iii.      90% of most sentences

                                                           iv.      Example:  “The cat slept on the porch”

                                                             v.      Subject, then predicate

b.      Interrogative ?

                                                               i.      Ends with a question mark?

                                                             ii.      Asks a question.

                                                            iii.      Examples:  “How are you today?”   “Do you know?”

                                                           iv.      Predicate, then subject,  or split

c.       Exclamatory !

                                                               i.      Ends with an exclamation point!

                                                             ii.      Shouts something exciting, scary, or important

                                                            iii.      “MSU is in the final four!”

                                                           iv.      Subject and predicate are normal, or removed entirely “Yay!”

d.      Imperative.

                                                               i.      Ends with a period

                                                             ii.      Makes a command

                                                            iii.      Is missing the subject, the implied/invisible “You”

                                                           iv.      Example:  “Go to your room.”

                                                             v.      Missing subject, then predicate

2.       Attempt to “chunk” of the sentence into clauses, or units of thought

3.       Look for the subject and the predicates to help identify the clauses

4.       Look for clues:

a.       Either a Subordinating Conjunction (that, because, etc…) from your “cheat code” list

                                                               i.      If there is a subordinate conjunction it is in front of the subordinate clause

                                                             ii.      A subordinate clause all by itself is a fragment

                                                            iii.      A subordinate clause with a main clause is a complex sentence

b.      Or a Coordinating Conjunction (F.A.N.B.O.Y.S.)

                                                               i.      If there is a coordinating conjunction it is usually after a comma and in between two independent clauses forming a compound sentence

c.       Or a semi-colon (;)

                                                               i.      If there is semi-colon it is usually between two independent clauses forming a compound sentence