Sentences, Subjects, Verbs & Clauses
Year 9 English Language Arts Understanding the Building Blocks of Sentences
Learning Intention
We are learning to: 1. identify the parts of a sentence — the subject and the verb. 2. recognise different types of clauses so we can understand and write clear, complete sentences.
Success Criteria
I can: 1. find the subject and verb in a sentence and explain their roles. 2. tell the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause.
What is a Sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that gives a complete idea. Every sentence must have: • a subject (who or what the sentence is about) • a verb (what the subject is doing) Example: The dog barked. Subject = dog, Verb = barked
Subject
The subject is the part of the sentence that tells us who or what the sentence is about. Examples: • The dog barked. → The dog = subject • My brother is running. → My brother = subject • The flowers are blooming. → The flowers = subject A subject is always a person, place, thing, or group doing the action or being described.
Find the Subject
Read each sentence and identify the subject: 1. The cat sleeps on the mat. 2. My teacher explains the lesson. 3. The students are listening carefully. 4. Rain falls from the clouds.
Verb
A verb is the action word or the being word in a sentence. It tells us what the subject is doing or what is happening. Examples: • The dog barked. → barked = verb (action) • She jumped. → jumped = verb (action) • They are happy. → are = verb (being) • The baby is sleeping. → is sleeping = verb (action)
Identify Subjects and Verbs
Find both the subject and verb in each sentence: 1. The bird sings beautifully. 2. Children play in the park. 3. The book is interesting. 4. We finished our homework.
What is a Clause?
A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb. There are two types: • Independent clause • Dependent clause
Independent Clause
An independent clause: • has a subject • has a verb • makes complete sense • can stand alone as a sentence Examples: • The cat slept. • I finished my homework. • The sun is shining.
Dependent Clause
A dependent clause: • has a subject • has a verb • does NOT make sense on its own • needs an independent clause to complete the meaning • often begins with words like because, when, although, if, since, after, before
Dependent Clause Examples
Examples of dependent clauses: • because it was raining • when the bell rang • although he was tired These feel unfinished. They need an independent clause to complete the meaning.
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