Sentences: A Refresher Exercise on Complete and Incomplete Sentences

In earlier post, we had gone over the properties of incomplete and complete sentences.  Go over the post again if you are still unsure of what makes a sentence complete or incomplete. After that, attempt the following exercise in which the incomplete sentences are identified in purple font colour for you.

Exercise

"Hmmm... I wonder where she went." James had been at the bus-stop for over an hour now. Earlier in the evening, he had received an urgent call from Jennie asking him to meet her at the bus-stop near the Whammy, a five-star hotel located in the middle of the town. Glancing at the circular face of his watch which was studded with gold nodules to signify each hour. "This is absurd! Asks me to come, and she's not here!" he fumed under his breath. Losing his patience and lifting his briefcase that lay beside him. "Well, enough of this game! I'm going home." He walked briskly toward the parking lot where he had parked his car. Just then, a bright red car with a sun-roof and gold door handles. He heard someone getting out of the car. He sensed heavy footfalls moving in his direction. Soon, the footsteps stopped and he felt a pat on his shoulder. Turning around and looking into a pair of blood-shot eyes. He gaped in disbelief.

Now, ask yourself why these are sentence fragments before taking a look at the following revisions in which additions are made so as to complete the sentences.

"Hmmm... I wonder where she went." James had been at the bus-stop for over an hour now. Earlier in the evening, he had received an urgent call from Jennie asking him to meet her at the bus-stop near the Whammy, a five-star hotel located in the middle of the town. Glancing at the circular face of his watch which was studded with gold nodules to signify each hour, he let out an exasperated sigh. (Addition of the main thought or action since the act of glancing is merely an elaboration since `glancing' indicates that some other act was performed.)  "This is absurd! She asks me to come, (Addition of the subject, or doer, of the act of `asking' to show who is doing the `asking'.) and she's not here!" he fumed under his breath. Losing his patience and lifting his briefcase that lay beside him, he got off the metal seat he had occupied for the past hour. (Again, the main thought or action, which was missing, is added. The `ing' in the `losing' and `lifting' and the absence of a subject are hints that this part of the sentence is merely an elaboration.) "Well, I have had enough of this game! (There is no subject or verb in this sentence and so the subject `I' and the verb, `have had' are added.) I'm going home." He walked briskly toward the parking lot where he had parked his car. 
Just then, a bright red car with a sun-roof and gold door handles whizzed past him. (There is the subject but there is neither a verb nor an object; hence, the verb `whizzed' and object `him' are added to complete the sentence.) He heard someone getting out of the car. He sensed heavy footfalls moving in his direction. Soon, the footsteps stopped and he felt a pat on his shoulder. Turning around and looking into a pair of blood-shot eyes, he gaped in disbelief. (By adding the incomplete thought to the complete sentence, we have a complete sentence!)

Answers to the `Additional Refresher Exercise'

Additional Refresher Exercise Rapidly they came, like a 21-gun salute, Exploding into multiple single crackling pops. The jolly red fire-crackers danced gleefully As each thick roll jerked heavily back and forth And the string of rolls turned into smoky black ashes.

Answers to the `Additional Refresher Exercise' can now be found in the current blog post on The Pear Tree website.

Online `O' Level English And Lit Lessons (for Singaporean students)

Adjectives and Adverbs

Why are adjectives and adverbs important?

They add descriptive details that enable the reader to visualise even more graphically what is written.

To recap:

Adjectives: Descriptive words that tell you more about the noun or pronoun.

Adverbs: Modify the verb, adjective or adverb by giving one more information about any one of those.

Additional Refresher Exercise Rapidly they came, like a 21-gun salute, Exploding into multiple single crackling pops. The jolly red fire-crackers danced gleefully As each thick roll jerked heavily back and forth And the string of rolls turned into smoky black ashes.

Identify the adjectives and adverbs in the boxed exercise. Suggested answers will be given soon as a blog post on The Pear Tree website


So, why are adjectives and adverbs important?

Just take a look at the following:

A man and his daughter came upon a window from which light fell onto the pavement outside. One could see through the window many kinds of watches and seated within the shop, was a man who was working over a device.

The above is an adaptation of an extract from Nathaniel Hawthorne's story, `The Artist of the Beautiful'. Wouldn't you agree that, as a reader, you cannot adequate visualise what Hawthorne is trying to describe? Now, read the original version:

An elderly man, with his pretty daughter on his arm, was passing along the street, and emerged from the gloom of the cloudy evening into the light that fell across the pavement from the window of a small shop. It was a projecting window; and on the inside, were suspended a variety of watches - pinchbeck, silver, and one or two of gold - all with their faces turned from the street, as if churlishly disinclined to inform the wayfarers what o'clock it was. Seated within the shop, sidelong to the window, with his pale face bent earnestly over some delicate piece of mechanism, on which was thrown the concentrated lustre of a shade-lamp appeared a young man.

 You will find the original, by being more descriptive, is graphic enough to give the reader a better picture of what the author wants to get across than the adaptation with very few details. Therefore, make sure to include adjectives and adverbs the next time you write so as to make your writing more graphic.

Adverbs: Answers to the Exercise in the previous post

The exercise is reproduced below:

Exercise

I went very quickly into the the wooden shed.  It was somewhat dilapidated and yet, there was a homely feeling to it.  I walked up to the chest of drawers, and with a piece of old newspaper that I had found lying nearby, I wiped off the dust from the surface.  Yes, it was still there.  I had thought the childishly drawn picture of a wilting flower would have faded with age.  But no, it was still there.  Slowly, I traced the outlines with my index finger and sighed.  It's been a long time, such a long time. 

Suggested Answers and Explanations:

Adverb	What it modifies	Explanation
very	Adverb `quickly'	Gives added details to the `quickly' (adverb) to indicate the degree of the quickness of the narrator's action (verb) in going into the shed.
quickly	Verb `went'	Elaborates on the pace the narrator adopted.
somewhat	Adjective `dilapidated'	Allows the reader to visualise to what extent the shed is dilapidated.
childishly	Adjective `drawn'	`Drawn' is used here as an adjective to indicate the type of picture and `childishly' demonstrates the manner in which it was `drawn'
slowly	Verb `traced'	Reveals the narrator's lack of haste in tracing the outlines.
such	Adjective `long'	Emphasises the prolonged period of time that has passed.

Adverbs

(Update from the last post: Go to the Blog page of The Pear Tree Centre for Education for an additional exercise on the past perfect tense as well as the suggested answers and explanations.)

Adverbs

What are adverbs? They are similar to adjectives in that, while adjectives describe the nouns, adverbs modify, or gives further details or descriptions of, the verbs, adjectives or adverbs.

Describing the Verb

I ran slowly.

The car's engine died and it gradually came to a stop.

Often, one finds that adverbs end with an `ly', and this is true for those adverbs that describes the verb. In the above examples, `slowly' describes the manner in which the person ran, and `gradually' describes the car coming to a stop in stages.

However, there are adverbs that do not end with an `ly', and these modify the adjective or another adverb. Examples are:

He was too bold a character. (The `too' modifies the adjective `bold' which describes the `character.)

The deep green leaves is soothing to the sight. (The `deep' describes the extent to which the leaves, the noun, are green, the adjective.)

I drew very carefully the dots on the paper. (`Carefully', the adverb, modifies `drew', which is a verb while `very' modifies the adverb, `carefully'.)

Now, try to identify the adverbs in the following exercise. The answers are given in the next post.

Exercise

I went very quickly into the the wooden shed.  It was somewhat dilapidated and yet, there was a homely feeling to it.  I walked up to the chest of drawers, and with a piece of old newspaper that I had found lying nearby, I wiped off the dust from the surface.  Yes, it was still there.  I had thought the childishly drawn picture of a wilting flower would have faded with age.  But no, it was still there.  Slowly, I traced the outlines with my index finger and sighed.  It's been a long time, such a long time. 

The Past Perfect Tense: Additional Exercise in The Pear Tree Blog

An additional exercise on the Past Perfect Tense can be found in the `Our Blog' section of The Pear Tree Centre for Education.

Attempt the exercise and look out for the answers, with suggested explanations, in the upcoming blog post.

To gain a greater understanding of the Perfect Tense, join the grammar course at The Pear Tree Centre for Education.

Past Perfect Tense (Explanations to given exercise)

Suggested Explanations:

• I had not felt like stepping outdoors for several days now.  

The `several days' indicate that whatever had happened took place over a period of time.  To demonstrate the `feeling' that lasted for `several days', the past perfect tense, `had not felt' is used.

• This indiscriminate burning had gone on for too long, I thought to myself at that time.

`Too long' indicates that the `indiscriminate burning' took place over a period of time.

• Indeed, it was a welcomed respite from the hazy conditions that we had been experiencing for the last few days. 

Here there are two verbs, namely `was' and `had been experiencing'.  So, in order to differentiate between the timings of the occurrences of the two events that are connect to each other and had already taken place, or are in the past, the past perfect tense is used to indicate which of the two took place first. In this case, the hazy conditions that `we had been experiencing' took place first before the welcomed respite (`it was'). 

• I wanted to breathe in the air that was fresher than it had been previously.

There are three verbs in the statement above, namely `wanted', `was' and `had been'. To differentiate between the timings of two inter-related occurrences, the perfect tense is used for the first related occurrence.

There is a comparison between the quality of the air at two moments in the past. The air had gradually become fresher. When it was less fresh, the past perfect tense is used to indicate what the quality of the air was before it became fresher later. 

The Past Perfect Tense

The perfect tense can leave many baffled. When do you actually use it? Why is it used instead of the present tense (in the case of present perfect tense) or the past tense (in the case of the past perfect tense)?

In the first instance, let us narrow the focus to just one, namely the past perfect tense and attempt to gain a better understanding of it before going into other kinds of perfect tenses.

Firstly, we must remember that the past perfect tense belongs to the family of `tenses'; hence, we are looking at time-frame. Allow me to go over a couple of reasons for using the past perfect tense.

Now take a look at the following exercise and attempt to explain why the past perfect tense is used in each of the cases.

I had not felt like stepping outdoors for several days now.  The air even smelt of the burning that was taking place thousands of miles away in the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. This indiscriminate burning had gone on for too long, I thought to myself at that time.

Then, the heavens parted and the beautiful rain poured down in torrents.  I sighed in relief.  Indeed, it was a welcomed respite from the hazy conditions that we had been experiencing for the last few days. When it stopped raining, I walked out for a stroll.  I wanted to breathe in the air that was fresher than it had been previously.

Suggested explanations, to cross-reference with those that you may have come up with, will be offered soon.

An Exercise in Tenses

In the extract of a paragraph from the passage, A Cooking Challenge, in a previous post on reading comprehension, you will notice that there are different kinds of tenses. Take a look at the tenses highlighted in red and attempt to explain why different kinds of tenses are used.  Then, go to the blog page of The Pear Tree Centre for Education for the explanations.

In the next post, I will go over the same extract to explain perfect tense.

I have had a few yuck moments, for sure, before I had the revelation that cooking is a science!  I have, for instance, realised that one simply does not concoct a drink from grapefruit and bitter gourd, no matter how good, Google tells you, they are good for your body.  I must admit that I tried unsuccessfully to redeem the drink through scooping spoonfuls of honey.  But, ah, those are moments that belong to history.  With a bit of help from my sister, friends and the Net, I found to my surprise that I was getting better.  That is, I was getting better, with creating rather simple dishes until the fateful day when I decided to cook egg curry with the help of the `egg roast curry powder'.

Remember to go to website of The Pear Tree Centre for Education for the suggested explanations. 

Suggested Answers (The Cooking Challenge)

Suggested answers to the reading comprehension questions found in the previous post.

1.    Give an example of a `palatable dish' that originated from `bland ingredients'.

An example would be fried egg.  The addition of onions, chillies to raw egg fried in oil makes the resultant dish tastier than the individual ingredients on their own.

2.    Which original phrase inspired the phrase `cross kitchen knives and ladles'?

The phrase is `cross swords'.

3.    What do you think happened when the writer had those `yuck moments'?

The dishes were failures in that these dishes didn't taste good.

4.    What does the writer mean by saying that `cooking is a science'?

There is a logical method to cooking. In other words, in order to achieve a good dish, only appropriate ingredients or ingredients that complement one another should be included.

5.    What would be the taste of the drink before honey was added to it? Was the addition of the honey successful in making it taste better? Give a reason for your answer.

It would taste very sour or bitter. No, since we are told that the attempt was unsuccessful.

6.    What is the meaning of chagrin?

It means disappointment or exasperation.

7.    Name the `staple vegetables'. Why do you think the writer refers to these vegetables as `staple'

The staple vegetables are tomatoes and carrots. These vegetables are regularly featured or used in the writer's cooking.

8.    What does `bid adieu' mean?

It means to say goodbye, in other words, to leave the pan.

9.    Why would the writer think that the eggs are ready to be removed?

The protruding white substance would indicate that the egg white is cooked since it has turned from liquid to solid. Hence, the writer would think that whole egg white and yolk inside each of the eggs would be cooked.

10.              In what way or ways is the `base' important?

The `base' was enough to make the dish tasty even though the main ingredient, the eggs, were not well-cooked.

A Reading Comprehension Exercise

The Cooking Challenge

I am not a great cook - well, not even a `passable' cook actually - but recently, I have been showing some interest in trying my hand at transforming bland ingredients into palatable dishes.  Reality shows have a way of inducing viewers into thinking they can become as good as the competitors on the countless shows where aspiring chefs cross kitchen knives and ladles!

I have had a few yuck moments, for sure, before I had the revelation that cooking is a science!  I have, for instance, realised that one simply does not concoct a drink from grapefruit and bitter gourd, no matter how good, Google tells you, they are for your body.  I must admit that I tried unsuccessfully to redeem the drink through scooping spoonfuls of honey.  But, ah, those are moments that belong to history.  With a bit of help from my sister, friends and the Net, I found to my surprise that I was getting better.  That is, I was getting better, with creating rather simple dishes until the fateful day when I decided to cook egg curry with the help of the `egg roast curry powder'.

Honestly, with the base curry powder at your side, how difficult can it be?  Well, unfortunately, I found out to my chagrin that what comes after including the `base' is also important!

First, I placed a saucepan, half-filled with water, on the stove and lighted it.  Then, I went about chopping the onions, garlic and ginger.  I decided that from a one-dish person, it would be better to include some carrots and tomatoes in it to make it a more complete and nutritious meal.  So, after a good rinse under the running tap, my dear staple vegetables landed on my chopping board.

Meanwhile, I glanced at the saucepan and thought the water was about to boil.  Now, I thought, would be a good time to gently lower the eggs into the pan using a ladle.  (Yes, I do get nightmares about boiling water splashing on me!)  I remembered hearing that eggs don't take long to become hard-boiled.  I glanced uncertainly at my eggs dancing in the boiling water.  When I noticed the tell-tale white substance protruding from within a thin crack lining the side of the one of the eggs, I decided that it was time for my eggs to bid adieu to the pan.

I scooped up the eggs and left it in a pot of tap water to let them cool off.  Not too long after, I decided to peel the shells off of the eggs.  It was not easy to peel because the insides were not hard but still soft.  Is this what they call `soft-boiled'? I saw the gooey yellow and mushy white wobbling within the cracked shells.

No, I did not have my perfect egg curry, but my scrambled egg curry was not too bad.  I suppose, the base is important after all!

Below are some questions based on the above account.  Go over them and try to use contextual clues and prior knowledge to answer them. Suggested answers will be offered in a few days.

1. Give an example of a `palatable dish' that originated from `bland ingredients'.
2. Which original phrase inspired the phrase `cross kitchen knives and ladles'?
3. What do you think happened when the writer had those `yuck moments'? 
4. What does the writer mean by saying that `cooking is a science'?
5. What would be the taste of the drink before honey was added to it?  Was the addition of the honey successful in making it taste better? Give a reason for your answer.
6. What is the meaning of chagrin?
7. Name the `staple vegetables'. Why do you think the writer refers to the vegetables as `staple'?
8. What does `bid adieu' mean?
9. Why would the writer think that the eggs are ready to be removed?
10. In what way or ways is the `base' important?

Sentences: Ways of starting a sentence

So do the examples above include `proper' sentences?

Thundering down in torrents, rain came, battering the barren earth in merry glee.

So long as the sentence has a subject, verb and optional object, if it is needed to complete a thought, it does not matter in which order these appear. If I were to rearrange the words, I would get:

The rain came, thundering down in torrents (and) battering the barren earth in merry glee.

The subject is the rain and the action is `came'.  So, it does not matter whether the subject is at the beginning or in the middle; so long as it's there, and along with a verb (came), the sentence gets across a complete thought, it is a proper sentence.

Now, go over the following and ask yourself if they are complete or incomplete sentences:

1. The field is overgrown with grass.
2. I can't believe that
3. James running into the room in anticipation
4. She was in tears when she came up to me and apologised
5. Lush and green, the fields appeared in the morning glow.

The answers can be found in one of the posts in The Pear Tree website.

Sentences: Beginning a sentence

Marnqui was on his way to the park when he met Lil' Pompurse walking hurriedly toward the bus-stop.

Marnqui:	Hey, wait up, where are you off to?
Lil' Pompurse:	(With his little chest puffing up in a proud heave) I am off to tutor my classmates on what makes a sentence and what does not?
Marnqui:	Wow, so you are now a tutor?
Lil' Pompurse:	Yup, I am the smartest in class, so Mr John told me to help the others.
Marnqui:	Oh, pray then, tell me, what makes a sentence a sentence and what does not?
Lil' Pompurse:	Hmmm, so you don't know either, huh? (The chest heaved even more!)
Marnqui:	Don't bother about what I know or don't, just tell me, what are you going to teach your classmates?
Lil' Pompurse:	Well, it usually starts off with the subject or doer of the action. You know, like `I had cereal for breakfast.' The `I' is the subject or the one in the thick of the action!
Marnqui:	Oh, alright... then, what about a sentence that starts with an object?  What would your answer be for a sentence that goes like this: `The cereal was eaten by me.'
Lil' Pompurse:	I am coming to that! (Here, the chest deflated a little, but just for a moment, mind you!) That would depend on whether the sentence is an active or passive voice.
Marnqui:	Voice?! You mean, a sentence talks?!
Lil' Pompurse:	(Breaking into spirited laughter, or to our texting friends, lol) Gosh, you crack me up! In an active voice, the focus is on the subject or doer and the action, so the sentence is, sort of, active, you know. From my given example, the focus is on the `I' having the cereal. However, in the case of the passive voice, the attention is drawn to the object, or the recipient, or result, of the act. Thus, in your example, you want people to pay attention to the cereal and not the `I' or subject. Hence, you said, `The cereal was eaten by me.' Both are correct. It just depends on what or whom you want to draw attention to.
Marnqui:	Wow, you are so smart, Pompurse! Now, do you see this sign? What do you make of it? Some of these sentences don't start with a subject or an object? So, are they proper sentences?

What do you think? Are they `proper' sentences? Answers from The Pear Tree Centre for Education coming soon.

Meanwhile, look out for the additional exercise on complete and incomplete sentences, which will be available in a couple of days.

Sentences: Complete and Incomplete Sentences

A Sentence - What is it and what makes it complete?

What is a sentence?  You might have been taught that, at a basic level, a complete sentence consists of a subject, verb and object.  However, this definition is too simplistic.

I (subject) go (verb or action word) to the market (objective of the action `go').

Therefore, in the simplest sense, it is correct to say in a sentence there is a subject, verb and object.

However, as Man is complex so is language.

I exist.

This is also a sentence, but there is no object; there is only the subject, `I', and the verb `exist'.  Therefore, it would be more instructive to think of a complete sentence as one that includes a complete thought.

A complete sentence is one that is able to convey one's thought completely.

Take a look at the following and ask yourself which of these include a complete thought and which don't.

Even though I studied hard.

I tried my best to persuade her.

The mighty waves thundered.

While the game was on.

Waiting at the sidelines.

The incomplete sentences are the following since they do not include complete thoughts:

Even though I studied hard.

While the game was on.

Waiting at the sidelines.

The use of `even though', `while' and `waiting' indicates that the writer has more information to disclose.

1. I studied hard but something contrary to what would normally happen took place. What was it? We are not told.  However, if we add that information, as shown in the next sentence, then the sentence will be complete since the `full' thought is offered to the reader.  Even though I studied hard, I failed in the exam.
2. Again, something happened `while the game was on'. Therefore, to complete the sentence, I could add: A man ran onto the pitch while the game was on.
3. We have no idea what to make of the `waiting at the sidelines'. Waiting is a gerund, that is, a word ending in `ing'.  If I were to convert the given example to the following: Waiting at the sidelines is a bad idea, then the `waiting at the sidelines' becomes a gerund phrase, that is, it becomes a noun - the subject of the verb `is'.

The remaining two, which are repeated below, are complete sentences since they complete the thoughts that need to be expressed.

I tried my best to persuade her.

The mighty waves thundered.

Suggested answers to exercise on Semi-colon and comma

     ;    and the    ,    

The answers to the exercise on the semi-colon and comma that was given in an earlier post is now available on The Pear Tree Blog. If you would like to check your answers or if you would like to have us look at your explanations for why you chose, or did not choose, to include the commas and semi-colons, please do write to us at admin1@thepeartree.info

Punctuation: The Comma

The comma has a few uses but here, I am going on to concentrate on just one, the one that many miss.  I have noticed when I teach children or adults that few know about the use of the comma to separate the main idea from elaborations or added details.  This is, actually, a useful device since it helps the reader to pause, take in the added details and at the same time, pinpoint the main idea that is expressed by the writer.

Take for example:

I went to the market, which I frequent, to buy groceries.

The main idea: I went to the market to buy groceries.
Added detail: which I frequent - this piece of information is not important but it gives the reader a better picture of the market in relation to the writer.

Another example is given below:

Although I put in a lot of effort, my entry was not accepted.

The main idea: My entry was not accepted.  That is the gist of what the writer wants to get across, but the writer also wants to give you the reason for, perhaps, feeling disappointed at the non-acceptance.  Hence, one gets the subsidiary, or secondary point, which is: Although I put in a lot of effort

Have a look at the third example offered below:

We were among the first at the concert theatre.  Hence, since it was free-seating, we had our choice of seats.

`Hence' is a transitional word.  It shows the relationship, or link, between the two ideas, namely, `We were among the first at the concert theatre' and `we had our choice of seats'.  It is an elaboration and not quite a part of the main idea found in the second sentence.  Similarly, `since it was free-seating' is also an elaboration and is not part of the main sentence or thought.

Now, attempt the following exercise which has the commas and semi-colons removed. Insert these where appropriate.  The answers, with explanations for some for these answers, will be available on the The Pear Tree website on Sept 10.

Jane and Peter in the hope that they will find Jane's missing wallet went to the mall.  They retraced the steps that they took while at the mall the previous day however they could not find the wallet.  Jane was distressed at having lost her wallet it had sentimental value for her as well.  Her grandmother had given her the beaded wallet for her birthday but now that her grandmother was no more she wanted that wallet more than ever in memory of her grandmother.  Jane sat on the stairs going from the lower floor to the second floor of the mall she burst into tears.  Just then a security guard walked up her she saw the familiar blue beads peeking out from the gaps in between his curled fingers.  She looked up expectantly at the man who was tall and stern-looking she could feel her heart beat faster and faster as he advanced.