Lesson 9: Skill Building

Activity A:

Here are two sentences to analyze. You will be able to do this if you use all of the tools you have learned so far. This will also be a challenge because there is a new tool involved.

1. We are ready to write the paper.
2. Will you write the paper your teacher told you to hand in tomorrow?

Tool 27: When a root verb has no root helper verb and no subject to the left of it, it might be a root verbal.

After the word "to," there is usually a root verbal. The root verbal after "to" is also called an infinitive.

Here are some examples:

• Stephanie will go shopping (to buy a toy that her baby can play with).
• I should go home early (to avoid making my mother worry).

Tool 28: When giving someone a command or a request, the subject is the invisible "you" because "you" is who will the verb.

Here are some examples:

• ^You Get there early.
  
• ^You Go away!
  
• Please ^you keep (off the grass).
  

Tool 29: Sometimes when we give a request or a command, we speak or write to the person and use a name for him or her. This name is called the "addressing word" because we are addressing the person. The invisible "you" is sill this subject. Commas separate the addressing word from the rest of the sentence.

Here are some examples with addressing word in italics:

• Jeb, ^youget there early.
  
• Phil, ^youtake your books (with you) (when you go home).
  
• ^You take your books (with you), Phil, (when you go home).
  
• ^You take your books (with you) (when you go home), Phil.

Activity B:

Analyze the following request and command sentences. If there is an understood "you" as a subject, put it in superscript (above the line) using the superscript key. Highlight any addressing words in red, and use the normal analysis key for the rest. Remember, if you don't know what a word is, don't analyze it! Just leave it alone until we cover it in later lessons.

1. Go.
2. Give it to me.
3. Please give it to me, Dan.
4. Mail that, Jake.
5. Jake, mail that.
6. Please, Jake, mail that.
7. Now write three of your own requests or commands using addressing words, and analyze them.