Diagramming Sentences

Sentences can be very complex, and can contain many different parts of speech which implicate many
different grammatical rules. Even the simplest of sentences must have a subject and a verb, and
grammatical rules dictate how the subject and verb interact. Diagramming sentences can help you to
make sure each piece of your sentence is grammatically correct, and can give you a deeper
understanding of the English Language

Purpose of Diagramming Sentences

There are a number of different reasons diagramming sentences can be useful, all of which are related
to developing a deeper understanding of English grammar. Diagramming sentences can help you to:

 Learn and identify the parts of speech

 Understand how the parts of speech function together to create compound sentences

 Explore methods of joining subjects, verbs and objects

 Understand complex grammatical tools used to make compound sentences, including

prepositional phrases, verbal nouns, modifiers and compound subjects.

Components of Sentences

Sentences can contain a number of different components, which must work together. Diagramming
sentences allows you to separate and identify these different components of sentences by arranging
them pictorally.

Although there are several different methods of diagrammng a sentence, each involves separating the
subject, the predicate (the verb), and the other components of a sentence.

Those components can include:

 Subject: Who or what the sentence is about. The person doing the action

 Predicate: Verb or action being done

 Direct Object: Something/someone the action is done to

 Indirect Object: The person/thing the action is done to or for

 Prepositions: Relationship words that provide information about how the other parts of the
sentence fit together

 Modifiers: Words that provide additional detail about a subject, action or object in the sentence

 Articles: Words that modify nouns

  Dependent/subordinate clauses: Clauses that can't stand alone

When writing sentences, subjects and verbs must agree in number (for example, a singular subject must
have a singular verb). Modifiers also must be placed as close as possible to the subject or object being
modified. Sometimes, in complex sentences, it can be difficult to determine which subject and which
verb are related, or what an adjective is describing.

By diagramming sentences, you learn to how to identify how the components of a sentence work
together, and you develop a deeper understanding of the function that words play in sentences. This
can help make your own writing clearer and free of grammatical errors.

How to Diagram a Sentence

Create your "Base Line"

Your base line is the top line of your diagram which explains what your sentence is about. It is the
fundamental pieces of the sentence.

1. Begin with the verb and the subject. Write them on one line, with a straight line between them

2. Write the object on the same line, with a vertical line separating the object from the verb

Diagram the other parts of your sentence below the base line

Each of the other components of the sentence - modifers, prepositional phrases, subordinating clauses,
interjections, and so on, are placed below the base line of the sentence, according to specific sentence
diagramming rules.

 Modifiers (Words and phrases that provide additional detail about a subject, verb or object) are
placed below the base line on slanted lines extending from the thing that they are modifying

 Prepositional phrases also go below the base line, on slanted lines extending from the subject,
object or verb they are modifying. However, the object of the preposition goes on a horizontal
line below the preposition.

Detail the components of compound sentences

 Each component of a compound sentences gets its own separate diagram, with its own separate
base lines.

 The two clauses are joined by dotted lines, with the conjunction written on a horizontal line next
to the dotted line.

Examples of Diagramming Sentences

The easiest way to understand sentence diagramming is to study sentences that have been diagrammed
and to practice diagramming your own. A quick Internet search will locate websites, such as Guide to
Diagramming Sentences which have examples and pictures of diagrammed sentences and explanations.

Understanding the Parts of Speech

1. 1

Review the parts of speech. Understanding what nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions,

prepositions, etc. are is essential to sentence diagramming.[1]

 Nouns are words representing people, places, things, or ideas.

 Dog, computer, Haiti, teacher, and dream

 Pronouns are words like he, she, they, it, or who, which represent nouns.

 Verbs are action words.

 To run, to swim, and to fly

 Adjectives are description words that apply to nouns.

 Blue in blue  water, big in big  baby, and smelly in smelly  garbage

 Adverbs, like adjectives, are description words; however, adverbs apply to verbs,
adjectives, and other adverbs.

 Quickly in quickly  run, quite in quite  slowly, and very in very  beautiful

 Participles are words formed from verbs that act like adjectives or nouns.[2]

 Working in working  farmers, flying in flying  birds,

and flooded in flooded  basement
  Conjunctions join clauses or words within the same clause.

 And, but, or, for, nor, so, and yet

 Joining independent clauses: "Jalissa took the car keys, and she drove to
work."

 Joining words in the same clause: "Arturo likes apples and oranges
equally."

 Prepositions tell you how nouns in a sentence relate to one another. There are many
prepositions.

 Above, on, in, between, through, and to

 Articles modify nouns differently than adjectives. They help make nouns more specific.
[3]

 a, an, and the

2. 2

Parse your sentence to find the different parts of speech. It is much easier to diagram a sentence if you
already have an idea of the grammatical contents of that sentence. You can write out and label the
different words in the sentence, or you can simply note mentally which words serve what purpose.
Some words are difficult to parse, so save those for last.

 Determine your subject and verb. These are the foundations of a sentence, and thus
the foundations of a sentence diagram. The subject is a noun or pronoun that is
performing the verb. The verb is the action of the sentence. The subjects of the
following sentences are bold, and the main verbs are italic.

 Children will listen.

 Though John doesn't like broccoli, he will eat other vegetables.

 Vegetables disgust Felipe.

 Felipe was disgusted by vegetables.

 Ira gave Cho her necklace.

 Find the direct object if there is one. Direct objects are nouns or pronouns that are the
recipients of the verb. From the above examples, Children will listen does not have a
direct object; but, Vegetables disgust Felipe does. Felipe is the direct object of the
verb disgust.

Part2
Diagramming Sentences

1. 1

Draw a horizontal line with a small vertical line through the middle. To the left of the vertical line,
write your subject. To the right of the vertical line, write your verb. This is the most basic complete
sentence.[4]

2. 2

Draw another vertical line stopping at the horizontal line if there is a direct object. To the right of this
line, write the direct object.

 In the above sentence, Vegetables disgust Felipe, vegetables is the subject, disgust is

the verb, and Felipe is the direct object.

3. 3

Place indirect objects beneath the verb. In general, indirect objects could take a preposition and so are
drawn with a diagonal line coming off of the word they modify. See step 6 for prepositions.[5]

 In the above sentence, The farmers gave their kids fresh vegetables, farmers  is the
subject,  gave is the verb, vegetables is the direct object, kids is the indirect
object, the is an article, their is a possessive pronoun, and fresh is an adjective
modifying vegetables.
 4. 4

Draw a slash if there is a predicate nominative or predicate adjective. A predicate nominative is a noun,

pronoun, or adjective that refers to the subject. The verb preceding the predicate nominative or
adjective is usually a linking verb, such as the forms of to be (is, are, was, etc.) or sense words
(looks, smells, tastes, etc.). To the right of the slash, write the predicate nominative or adjective.[6]

 In the above sentence, Vegetables are disgusting, vegetables is the subject, are is a

linking verb, and disgusting is the predicate adjective.

 Note that pronouns following linking verbs should be in the nominative case: This is
she or It is I and not This is her or It is me.

5. 5

Place adjectives, adverbs, articles, and possessives on diagonal lines below the words they modify.

 In the above sentence, The green vegetables are always disgusting, vegetables is the

subject, are is the linking verb, disgusting is the predicate adjective, green is an
adjective modifying vegetables, the is an article, and always is an adverb
modifying disgusting.
  Participles are diagrammed similarly to adjectives. Draw the participle as a curved word
on a bent, slanted line beneath the word it modifies. In the above sentence, Working
farmers enjoy vegetables, working is a participle modifying farmers, which is the
subject; enjoy is the verb; and vegetables is the object.

6. 6

Begin prepositions like you would adjectives: Draw a diagonal line down. The object of the preposition
goes on a horizontal line coming off the preposition line.

 In the above sentence, The kids threw the vegetables in the trash, kids is the
subject, threw is the verb, vegetables is the direct object, in is a preposition, trash is the
object of the preposition, and all three thes are articles.

7. 7

Determine how any conjunctions are being used.

 If the sentence is a compound sentence made up of two independent clauses, the
coordinating conjunction will connect via a bent, broken line.[7]

 In the above sentence, The green vegetables are always disgusting, and I hate
them, there are two independent clauses. Vegetables is the subject of the first
clause, are is a linking verb, disgusting is the predicate adjective, the is an
article, green is an adjective, and always is an adverb. I is the subject of the
second clause, hate is the verb, and them is the direct object (it is a pronoun
whose antecedent is vegetables). The two clauses are linked by the coordinating
conjunction and.

 If the sentence is a simple sentence and the conjunction is joining words within it, you
will split the line and join it by a broken line, or you will join two existing lines with a
broken line.

 In the first of the above sentences, I like fruits and vegetables, I is the
subject, like is the verb, fruits and vegetables are the two direct objects,
and and is the conjunction joining the direct objects.

 In the second of the above sentences, Green and yellow vegetables are

disgusting, vegetables is the subject, are is the linking verb, disgusting is the
 predicate adjective, always is an adverb
modifying disgusting, green and yellow are adjectives modifying vegetables,
and and is the conjunction joining the adjectives.

8.

Draw appositives in parentheses next to the words they modify. Appositives are words that redefine or
rename other words. Appositives can be separated in sentences using colons, dashes, or parentheses
and do not change the meaning of the sentence. Adjectives and articles that apply to the appositive are
drawn beneath the appositive word.[8]

 In the above sentence, An unabashed herbivore, I like fruits and vegetables, I is the
subject, like is the verb, fruits and vegetables are direct objects, and joins the direct
objects, herbivore is in apposition to I, an is an article, and unabashed is an adjective
modifying herbivore.

9.

Place infinitive phrases on their own line, called a pedestal, beginning with a diagonal. Infinitives are
the basic forms of verbs, often beginning with the word to, as in to see or to walk or to eat.[9]

 In the above sentence, I like to eat vegetables, I is the subject, like is the verb, to eat
vegetables is an infinitive phrase made up of the verb to eat and the object vegetables.

10.

10

Draw a staircase for gerunds. Gerunds are verbs ending in -ing that act as nouns, but often take direct
objects. They are usually drawn on a pedestal.[10]
  In the above sentence, Eating vegetables is good for you, eating vegetables is a gerund
phrase made up of the gerund eating and the object vegetables, is is a linking
verb, good is the predicate adjective, for is a preposition, and you is the object of the
preposition.

 Gerunds can also function as objects of prepositions. When functioning as the object of
a preposition, gerunds do not need a pedestal.

 In the above sentence, You can achieve a healthier lifestyle by eating

vegetables, You is the subject, can achieve is a verb phrase, lifestyle is the
direct object, by is a preposition, eating vegetables is a gerund phrase made up
of the gerund eating and the object vegetables, healthier is an adjective
modifying lifestyle, and a is an article. See Tips below for more information on
verb phrases.

11.

11

Draw noun phrases on pedestals. That, and other expletives like which, can introduce a noun phrase.
[11]

 In the above sentence, I wish that she ate more vegetables, I is the subject; wish is the
verb; that she ate more vegetables is a noun clause introduced by the
expletive that and made up of the subject she, the verb ate, the direct
object vegetables, and the adjective more.

 Noun phrases do not always need an expletive. Sometimes it is simply understood, as in

the sentence I wish she ate more vegetables. When the expletive is understood, draw
an X in parentheses where the word would go.