Knowing how to diagram a sentence isn't really necessary to figuring out what part of the sentence each word is, but it can be handy for keeping track of things. If it helps you, by all means use it. I use an inline notation, abbreviations, circles and arrows, above and below the words to mark my sentences.
A sentence has two main parts with lots of modifiers, a subject (who does the action of the sentence) and a predicate (which is the action being done by the subject). You can have simple subjects (ex. Bob) or not-so-simple subjects (ex. The neighbor boy with the little red wagon). In a sentence diagram everything to the left of the vertical bar is the complete subject, and everything else (everything to the right of the vertical bar) is the complete predicate. All sentences have a subject and a predicate. Even a single word command sentence (ex. "Come!") has an implied subject (i.e. "You").
The parts of a sentence are:
- Subject - does the action of the sentence
- Complete Subject - the entire subject, including all modifiers and prepositional phrases
- Bob loves candy.
- The clown at the party is funny.
- Predicate/Verb/Verb Phrase - is the action or state of being (of the subject)
- Complete Predicate - everything except the complete subject
- Bob loves Sally.
- Juanita has been feeling sad.
- Prepositional Phrase - a preposition and all of its objects and modifiers
- will function as either an adjective phrase or an adverbial phrase
- The dog runs along the winding road.
- Direct Object - the person or thing being acted upon directly by the action of the verb
- never occurs in a prepositional phrase
- Samantha tastes the drink.
- Indirect Object - being indirectly acted upon by the subject, i.e. to or for whom/what the action is being done
- never occurs in a prepositional phrase
- I give Sally a thousand dollars.
- Linking Verb - a verb that describes the state of being of the subject
- Tom is sad.
- The boys sit quiet.
- Predicate Nominative - a noun/pronoun that describes the subject through a linking verb
- Spot is a dog.
- Predicate Adjective - an adjective that describes the subject through a linking verb
- Julie is happy.
- Complements - predicate nominatives, predicate adjectives, direct objects, or indirect objects
Let's try a couple of examples:
Bill and I went quickly to the new store.
- Subject: Bill and I
- Bill (proper noun) and (conjunction) I (pronoun)
- Predicate: went quickly to the new store.
- went (verb) quickly (adverb) to (preposition) the (article, really just a special type of adjective) new (adjective) store (noun)
- Prepositional phrase: to the new store
Sally was sad and we mocked the poor girl. (Compound sentence: each clause could function alone as a complete sentence)
- Subject: Sally (proper noun)
- Predicate: was (linking verb) sad (predicate adjective)
- Conjunction: and
- Second Subject: we (pronoun)
- Second Predicate: mocked (transitive verb) the (adjective) poor (adjective) girl (noun)
- Direct Object: the poor girl
- Subject: Roger (proper noun)
- Predicate: gives (verb) the (adjective) boy (noun) money (noun) for (preposition) school (noun)
- Prepositional phrase: for school
- Direct Object: money for school (i.e. the thing that is given)
- Indirect Object: the boy (i.e. to whom the money is given)
That's it for the English review and sets us up for Cases and Declensions, which for most of us are the first concepts of Latin that we need. They're not specifically Latin things, but we don't really use them in English, so they may seem like they are part of the language. They're not, but this is where we start to get into the fun stuff.
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