English II Grammar Handouts

8/8/2019 English II Grammar Handouts

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Practice with Verbals #1

Directions: circle each verbal and indicate if it is a noun, adjective, or adverb; then

indicate its use if it is noun or the word modified if it is an adjective or adverb.

1. Chasing the Joker in his Batcar is Batmans chief thrill.

2. The boy doing the puzzle is a friend of mine.

3. The bound edition of the novel has disappeared from the library.

4. Holden Caulfield wanted to quit school and work in a filling station.

5. To cross the desert, the camel loaded up on water.

6. His being elected governor astonished his supporters.

7. His preoccupation was to work before his main job.

8. The wrestler purposely faltered to get a better hold on his opponent.

9. His way of relaxing after a hard days work was playing basketball.

10. The track team swam in the winter to build lung capacity and increase endurance.

11. Drifting slowly to earth in a parachute seems almost euphoric after the trauma of

jumping from the airplane.

12. The night made the trees too dark to see.

13. One cannot help wondering what he will do after graduating from high school.

14. The aging seamstress made a costume consisting of rags.

15. She had no desire except to stay.

16. It is easy to identify infinitives unless they are in a sentence with an expletive.

17. She went walking with the handsome stranger along the beach.

18. President Bush made looking like an environmentalist his number-one priority.

19. The campers, having finished their meal, put out the fire.

20. Beware of anyone who says he has a deal to work with you.


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Practice with Verbals #2

Directions: circle each verbal and indicate if it is a noun, adjective, or adverb; then indicate

its use if it is noun or the word modified if it is an adjective or adverb.

1. Walking through the covered bridge, we could hear the old wood joints creaking and groaning.

2. Phil Jackson told Shaq to improve his free throws or he would be traded to Dallas, the armpit of

the universe.

3. Mr. Harrison will rent a small tractor to plow part of the yard for a garden.

4. At this point in the hearings, the committee will avoid debating specific policy proposals.

5. Disappointed by the casts mediocre showing during dress rehearsal, the director emphasized the

importance of concentrating during a performance.

6. Annoyed, Jane was driving around the block to find a parking place.

7. Having forgotten to send a birthday card, Ed sent a telegram to his brother.

8. To become an artist, one must first learn the fundamentals of drawing.


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9. One way to reduce grocery bills is planting a garden of tomatoes, lettuce, and beans.

10. The best time to find bargains in the stores in the last week of December.

11. Sophies aunt and uncle asked her to pay them a visit next summer.

12. Raising Labrador puppies is a rewarding and profitable project for that family.

13. Will you help me collate these pages for the school yearbook by the end of the day?

14. My sisters being a stewardess, we get free tickets to Europe every other year.

15. The city has given developing new sources of revenue the greatest importance this year.

16. Ellens summer job, selling sportswear in a department store, will prove valuable in her career in

merchandising.

17. Being a new member of the debate team, I was particularly nervous during the few minutes

before the start of the debate.

18. Jeffs friends watched him practice his backstroke.

19. Having been criticized for the poor structure of her feature article, Maria worked late that night

to rewrite it.

20. According to doctors, laughing may be one way to treat certain kinds of illness.


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Practice with Infinitives

Directions: circle each infinitive and indicate if it is a noun, adjective, or adverb; then

indicate its use if it is noun or the word modified if it is an adjective or adverb.

1. We go to school to learn how to function as human beings.

2. MacArthurs famous vow, to return to the Philippines, was fulfilled.

3. To show sympathy for Jack, Jill fell down the hill.

4. Nice is a nice town to visit.

5. The suit was ready to be worn.

6. The acid test is to try the crossword puzzle using a pen.

7. Moses begged the Romans to let the Hebrews go.

8. It is nice to know you.

9. After trying to climb the Eiger, the fellows in our group asked only to rest and sleep and be left

alone for several days.


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10. To live without fear, to be free to shape our own destinies, and to pursue happiness are

fundamental to the American dream.

11. The vagrant pleaded with the staff of the homeless shelter to let him stay the night.

12. The sophomore was so attracted to the freshman girl that he purposely tried to fail all of his

subjects.

13. Cy Youngs goal, to be the winningest pitcher, came true.

14. The prisoner of war was happy to breathe fresh air again.

15. Let us leave the subject of infinitives and go on to greater things.

16. We are all strong enough to endure the misfortunes of others.*

17. To achieve a position in the world a man will do his utmost to appear already arrived.*

18. Old people love to give good advice: it compensates them for their inability nowadays to

set a bad example.*

19. It is the habit of mediocre minds to condemn all that is beyond their grasp.*

20. Vanity leads us to act against our inclinations more often than does reason.*

* Rouchefoucauld


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Practice with Clauses Handout #1

Directions: Place all subordinate (dependent) clauses in parentheses. Label each clause

as adjective, adverb, or noun, and indicate the use of each.

1. When Steve was only sixteen, he was as fast as I.

2. The place where Steve was born has been covered by the new reservoir.

3. The person whose car blocked the driveway could not be found.

4. My dads being an astronaut, I believe the possibility that man will some day walk on

Mars is very likely.

5. Drivers should realize that cars can be as deadly as guns.

6. Fran has a happy disposition that puts everyone at ease.

7. It was one of those perfect June days poets write about.

8. Mr. Hertz is one of those employers who dont welcome suggestions from

employees.

9. These weeds grow where no other plants can survive.

10. Since time is short, it is morally insane that we spend one second diagraming

clauses.

11. Helen plays the piano well although she has never taken lessons.

12. The man whom we ran over in the storm had been hit by lightning.

13. What caused the craters on the moon is still unknown.

14. Pasteurs great discovery was that germs can cause disease.

15. On the last day of school, I give whoever has read his homework every night a ticket to a Soundsgame.

16. The wooden bridge over which we drove was very shaky.

17. Language is the most important tool man has ever invented.

18. Carl Sandburg wrote for twenty years before he was recognized.

19. Only a diamond can cut a diamond because no other substance is so hard.

20. The man Douglas wanted to meet was out of office.


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Practice with Clauses Handout #2

Directions: Place all subordinate (dependent) clauses in parentheses. Label each clauseas adjective, adverb, or noun, and indicate the use of each.

1. Who doesnt want to retire to an island on which life is carefree?

2. If traveling is exciting to you, be a reporter.

3. As I approached the giggling group, the whispering stopped.

4. Jim said that he would be on time unless the train was late.

5. A call was made to the hospital at which the ambulance was waiting.

6. That you were forgotten is no fault of mine.

7. Our team, which is the best in the league, will win the tournament.

8. Beverly cried when her name was announced as the winner of the pageant.

9. The idea that she might win had never entered her mind.

10. As soon as the eagle appeared, the fans started screaming.

11. The mountain which was covered with snow was hidden by clouds.

12. It is clear that, if one forgets about expletives, he will never be able to diagram this

sentence.

13. I am sorry that I forgot to respond to your invitation.

14. What is exciting to me is a closely-fought basketball game.

15. The new cars are equipped with thermostats that control the temperature of theengine.

16. He will tell you what you want to hear and do what he wants to do.

17. The underpass which we drove over began to sway under the gale-force winds.

18. The man Bush wanted to selected for vice-president was the man we wanted.


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19. The fact that a rabbits foot is a silly talisman controls the rabbit population.

20. Ending a clause with a preposition is something with which I will not put up.

Absurdly Challenging Clause Review

Directions: Place all subordinate (dependent) clauses in parentheses. Label each clause

as adjective, adverb, or noun, and indicate the use of each.

1. It is probable that waxing a moving car is taxing.

2. The floorboards under which good old Silas Marner kept his money were riddled with

termites.

3. Underdog goes wherever he is needed whenever he is needed.

4. Lest you get the wrong idea, I am still captain of this ship.

5. The thought that his home was an igloo chilled the Eskimo.

6. Would you give whichever Fuller he is the brush?

7. The guru from Nepal said that we are what we eat.

8. Tom was forced to look continually at whatever the teacher wrote on the board.

9. What I cant understand is why he told me the reason he didnt want to go home.

10. The cannibals were much better fed than the missionaries.

11. The charming rogue called the sweet young think what she wanted to be called.

12. Sydney Carton was so brave that he gave his life to save another.

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English II Grammar Handouts