A simple sentence has a verb, and the verb usually has a subject and object.

eg Miranda held the book.

Verb - held Subject – Miranda (Who or what held?) Object – the book

Subject may be implied (Go!)

Object may not be needed (She ran.)

a) Ian Thorpe lived in Australia.

b) The extraordinarily fast, gold medal winner, Ian Thorpe, lived in Australia with his mum, dad and sister.

A simple sentence has only one verb/verb group.

A simple sentence is an independent clause.

An independent clause is the basic unit of meaning in English.

Can stand on its own

Makes complete sense

Has only one verb or verb group

a) Ian Thorpe lived in Australia.

b) The extraordinarily fast, gold medal winner, Ian Thorpe, lived in Australia with his mum, dad and sister.

long and rambling:I woke up to find that I had grown long beautiful hair and was wearing a fantastic new ball gown and the crown had changed to be made of silver and when I ran to look out of the window I was looking at a completely new place and there were horses and glittering streams and birds all over the place and I was extremely happy about all that but I did not know anyone there at all.

fragmentBecause I went there. In the mountains during winter and just before the snow begins to fall.

Verb errorsThe crystal broken. (was broken, is broken, will be, can’t be, broke)He must of gone to the shop. (must have)

• is an independent clause• can stand on its own• makes complete sense• has only one verb or verb group

The clause conveys a message- what is happening, who is taking

part and the circumstances surrounding the action (how, when, where, why).

eg The students from Year 4 at Dee Why PS travelled to the Powerhouse Museum today by bus.

Select the simple sentences

Which of the following are simple sentences (independent clauses):

1. walking to the shop2. the boy with the blue jumper ran down the street3. the boy wearing the blue jumper ran down the street4. the noise that came from the factory 5. having been to the fish market this morning6. the delicious aroma of baked bread from the bakery

across the street7. that large, vicious dog with shaggy hair keeps on

chasing the poor postman away

The verb is the engine house of our language.Verbs are the basis of any message communicated. They provide movement or action or a sense of what is happening.

There are different types of verbs:

•Action verbs (They danced all night.)•Saying verbs (He whispered softly.) •Thinking verbs (She forgot his name.)•Feeling verbs (Sarah likes baked beans.)•Relating verbs (Cows are herbivorous.)

(sensing verbs)

Ref “A Grammar Companion” pages 54-60

A verb/verb group may consist of a single word

eg He wrote the letter.

or a number of words eg I will be going to the shop. eg He might have been going to talk. eg They were doing their homework.

Activity Select the verb/verb groups from the passages.

Focus on the author’s use of alternative verbs for common words such as said, walked etc

Jointly develop a vocabulary cluster with the class, and prompt them to use these words in their own writing

e.g. Words for walked from first few pages of David Legge’s Rise and Shine.

Vocabulary Cluster

came sloshing

were leaving

drewcloser

strode headed

reached

walked

walk

step

saunter

stroll

dawdle

stridejog

spedrace

zoom

eg Fox by Margaret Wild Dog runs Magpie and Fox streak Magpie and Fox rip Magpie and Fox pelt Fox scorches Fox pads away

Nouns are words used to represent people, places, ideas and things. A noun answers the question “Who?” or “What?”

There are different types of nouns:

•Common nouns (girl, egg, classroom)•Proper nouns (Sam, Wagga Wagga)•Collective nouns (crowd, swarm, team)•Abstract nouns (sadness, love, wonder)

Ref English Syllabus –Glossary definition page 96

A group of words representing who or what is involved. It may include different types of articles (a, an, the), adjectives (describers),nouns linked together, adjectival phrases and clauses.

Before the noun•eg The pretty little girl rode her shiny

new mountain bike. After the noun

•eg The pretty little girl with long brown hair rode her mountain bike.

Ref English SyllabusGlossary definition page 96

Ref “A Grammar Companion” page 17Wind in the Willows extract

Select the noun groups from the sentences

A phrase is a group of words that forms part of a sentence and does not contain a verb.

eg the girl with long hair the book on the table Late last night we looked in the house. We met at five o’clock. After school we crossed the road with care.

What is the difference between a clause and a phrase?

ActivitySort the independent clauses and

phrases into 2 groups

the simple sentence the independent clause verb/verb groups noun/noun groups clauses and phrases