Sentence structureSentence structureMost sentences have a subject, verb and an object. They are usually formed in this manner: subject + verb + objectThe singer was drinking a beer.The man played his new guitar last night.Madonna is making a new album.U2 will play a new song.

Let’s look at the subjects.In the first sentence, singer is the subject.In the second sentence, man is the subject.In the third sentence, Madonna is the subject.In the fourth sentence, U2 is the subject.

Now let’s look at the verbs.In the first sentence, was drinking is the verb. (past continuous)In the second sentence, played is the verb. (simple past)In the third sentence, is making is the verb. (present continuous)In the fourth sentence, will play is the verb. (future)

Now let’s look at the objects.In the first sentence, beer is the direct object.In the second sentence, guitar is the direct object.In the third sentence, album is the direct object.In the fourth sentence, song is the direct object.

Let’s look at them in a different way.

The singer was drinking a beer.S V O

The man played his new guitar last night.S V O

Madonna is making a new album.S V O

U2 will play a new songS V O

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Many sentences also have indirect objects. These objects refer to things or people thatbenefit from the action. They can come after the verb or can follow a preposition at theend of a sentence.He sang a song to me.She played the guitar for him.The lead singer gave Jean an autograph.

In the first sentence, me is the indirect object.In the second sentence, him is the indirect object.In the third sentence, Jean is the indirct object.

Sentences can also have complements. These usually come after a linking verb. These words giveinformation about the subject. A complement is often used after verbs such as be, seem, and look.The lead vocalist is Irish.The drummer seems angry.

In the first sentence, the complement is Irish. It describes the subject, vocalist.In the second sentence, the complement is angry. It describes the drummer.You can see that in these sentences, the complement can be a noun or an adjective.

Example: The organist is Russian.S V C

The lead vocalist sang her a beautiful song.

The guitarist threw a pick to his bass player.

Pete Townsend picked up the guitar and destroyed it.

Sue went to the concert last week.

That drummer is always angry!

Andy loves his new bass guitar.

Kurt Cobain wrote some great songs.

Jimi Hendrix was definitely the best guitarist who ever lived.

Neil Young is in the hospital.

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Exercise 1: Identify the subject, verb, object and complement if there is one.

AdjectivesAdjectivesAdjectives are words that give more information about a nounor a pronoun. They are usually used before the noun. He is the best guitarist in the band.The man played a red organ.The curly haired singer had a great voice.Fred is a terrible drummer.

In the first sentence, best is an adjective.In the second sentence, red is an adjective.In the third sentence, curly haired and great are adjectives.In the fourth sentence, terrible is an adjective.

Adjectives can be made comparative.good = betternice = niceryoung = younger

Adjectives can be made superlative.good = better = bestnice = nicer = nicestyoung = younger = youngest

When we use a string of adjectives, there is an order.size – color – origin – material – purpose nounThe small, purple, German, wooden, bass guitar was on the table.

Example: Ringo StarrHe has long hair.He is an excellent drummer.He has a strange voice.

Anastasia

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

Jimi Hendrix

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

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Exercise 2: Write three sentences using adjectives about these people.

Avril Lavigne

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

John Lennon

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

AdverbsAdverbsAdverbs are words or groups of words that describe or add to themeaning of a verb, an adjective or another adverb.The guitarist played quickly.Marie always listens to Chuck Berry.I am going to buy a tambourine tomorrow.He plays the drums well.

In the first sentence, quickly is the adverb.In the second sentence, always is the adverb.In the third sentence, tomorrow is the adverb.In the fourth sentence, well is the adverb.

Adverbs can be of time – early, late, yesterday.They can be of manner – well, quickly.They can be of place – upstairs.They can be of frequency – often, rarely.

Adverbs often appear at the end of sentences, but they can sometimes be used at the beginning orin the middle. Never can only occurs in the middle position.

Example: Monika _never_ goes to rock concerts. She doesn’t like them.

Walk _________! The concert doesn’t start for two more hours.

I can’t go to the concert ________________. I have to study.

I will buy tickets for the concert ____________________.

The drummer has been asked to practice ____________________.

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Exercise 3: Fill in the blanks with an appropriate adverb.

Jim Morrison drank and used drugs ______________________.

The lead singer was signing autographs ________________.

________________, we met Shania Twain backstage.

Bob Dylan ______________ speaks to his fans during a concert.

The guitarist _______________________ went to a party after the show.

PrepositionsPrepositionsA preposition is a word which is used to show the way inwhich other words are connected. A preposition usuallycomes before a noun or a pronoun.The band played on the stage.The guitarist put his pick in his pocket.The concert will start at 8:00.The lead singer held his tambourine above his head.

In the first sentence, on is the preposition.In the second sentence, in is the preposition.In the third sentence, at is the preposition.In the fourth sentence, above is the preposition.

A preposition can also come at the end of a clause with certain structures.For example, It’s not something I am interested in.

Some words can only be followed by certain prepositions.The guitarist was kind to his friends.She is good at singing.

Example: The tambourine was __on/under/beside________ the chair.

The guitarist’s bottle of water was _____________________ the amplifier.

The band came ___________________ the left door.

The band was playing a memorial concert _________ Ronnie Van Sandt.

John Lennon was murdered _____________ 1980.

The concert began _________________ 8:00.

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Exercise 4: Fill in the blanks with a preposition.

Robert Plant preferred to stand _____________ John Paul Jones during a concert.

The groupie went _______________ the organist backstage.

The show will probably finish __________ 11:30 and 12:00 p.m.

"Gimme Shelter" is one ______________ the Rolling Stones’ best songs.

ConjunctionsConjunctionsConjunctions are words that connect sentences, phrases or clauses.A clause is a group of words that have a subject and a verb.The girl plays bass and the man plays electric guitar.The amplifier broke, so we cancelled the show.He can’t play guitar but his sister can.She hates rock music because she says it has no melody.

In the first sentence, and is a conjunction.In the second sentence, so is a conjunction.In the third sentence, but is a conjunction.In the fourth sentence, because is a conjunction.

Rita loves rock music but her father hates it.But is the conjunction joining two clauses:Rita loves rock music her father hates it.We can use only one conjunction for two clauses.

Example: Led Zeppelin broke up _because____ Jon Bonham had died.

Graham Nash left the Hollies in 1970 ___________ the band continued without him.

The concert hall was too smoky ________________ we left the building.

Jerry Garcia was short ________________ fat.

We can go to the Phish concert ______________ the Blues Traveler show.

Buffalo Springfield disbanded in the late 1960s _____________ Neil Young and StevenStills couldn’t get along.

The lead singer for Alice in Chains, Layne Staley, died in 2001 _______________ the band willstill reunite without him for a series of concerts this year.

Alice Cooper can put on great shows ____________________ he can write great songs.

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Exercise 5: Fill in the blanks with appropriate conjunctions.

The lead singer couldn’t play guitar _________________ the saxophone well.

The electricity went out ____________________ everyone had to leave the concert hall.

PronounsPronounsA pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun or noun phrase.I play the drums.She gave her two tambourines.I built the guitar myself.That amplifier is his.

In the first sentence, I is a pronoun.In the second sentence, her is a pronoun.In the third sentence, myself is a pronoun.In the fourth sentence, his is a pronoun.

Subject pronouns are pronouns which are used as subjects in a sentence.I play the drums.I is a subject pronoun.

Object pronouns are used as the objects of verbs or prepositions.She gave her two tambourines.Her is the object pronoun.

A reflexive pronoun is used as the object of a verb or preposition when the subject and the objectare the same.I built the guitar myself.Myself is the object pronoun.

A possessive pronoun is used to show possession. Possessive pronouns are not followed by anoun.The amplifier is his.His is a possessive pronoun.

Here is a chart to help you remember:

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subject object reflexive possessive

I me myself mine

you you yourself yours

he him himself his

she her herself hers

it it itself its

we us ourselves ours

you you yourselves yours

they them themselves theirs

Example: Cindy went to the concert. Henry had bought _her_ a ticket.

Alex went to the concert by _____________.

Give _______ the tickets! You will lose them. I will put them in my pocket.

These tickets are _______________!

You can carry the amp ______________.

______________ didn’t have a ticket for the concert so Paula waited outside.

Ronnie James Dio gave _________________ his autograph!

Nick Cave wrote all of the songs______________ for his new Bad Seeds album.

Please get up. This seat is ______________.

Give _____________ the binoculars. He can’t see the band.

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Exercise 6: Fill in the blanks with a pronoun.

ReadingReading

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Rock’n Roll Dinosaurs

The portentous introduction by Ed Sullivan in the beginning of 1964, "Ladies andGentleman, the Beatles!" opened the floodgates for the British Invasion. The Beatles pavedthe way for such bands as the Kinks, Small Faces and the Who. These bands have died outand then enjoyed reunions. Age and drug related deaths have taken their toll. One bandwhich has survived death, drugs and the ever-changing face of rock music is the RollingStones.

Few partnerships in rock’n roll have been as productive as the collaboration betweenMick Jagger and Keith Richards. Of course, having multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones in thebeginning did nothing to hinder their popularity. From the beginning, the band played amore raunchy, gritty blues-based sound than their British Invasion counterparts.

The band’s greatest strength, besides Charlie Watts, has always been their ability to addstylistic touches drawn from their interests in Eastern music, psychedelia, country and evendisco to a blues rock base. It’s difficult to listen to the trippy Their Satanic Majesties Request,the honky-tonk of Exile on Main Street and the clean-surfaced Bridges to Babylon andbelieve they were all recorded by the same band.

Of course, in some ways they weren’t; the lineup changes that have dogged the Stonesaccount for much of their musical diversity. Jagger’s famous slur and Richards’ sloppyguitar elegance are the two constants in the band’s many life cycles that make everyStones’ song instantly recognizable.

The main idea of a reading passage is the most important idea in the passage. The topicsentence tells the topic and the main idea of the reading passage. The topic sentence is usu-ally the first sentence of a reading passage but it may also be found in the middle or at theend of the passage.

Look at this: Jeff sometimes goes to rap concerts. His friends all like rap music. They like to stand in the

mosh pit. The problem is Jeff doesn’t like rap music. He can’t understand the lyrics. He does-n’t like the beat. The music makes him stressed. He only goes because he likes to be with hisbuddies.

The main idea in this passage is Jeff’s thoughts on rap music.The topic sentence is, "The problem is Jeff doesn’t like rap music."

Now read the story and answer the questions.

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1). What is the title?________________________________________________________________________

2). How many paragraphs are in the passage?________________________________________________________________________

3). What is the topic?________________________________________________________________________

4). What is the topic sentence?________________________________________________________________________

5). What bands did the Beatles pave the way for?________________________________________________________________________

6). Who probably writes the songs for the Rolling Stones?________________________________________________________________________

7). Did Brian Jones only play one instrument?________________________________________________________________________

8). What has been the band’s greatest strength?________________________________________________________________________

9). What has accounted for their diversity?________________________________________________________________________

10). What have been the two constants in the band’s history?________________________________________________________________________

ANSWER KEY Lesson 2

Exercise 1: Identify the subject, verb, object and complement if there is one.Example: The organist is Russian.

S V C

The lead vocalist sang her a beautiful song.S V IO O

The guitarist threw a pick to his bass player.S V O

Pete Townsend picked up the guitar and destroyed it.S V O V O

Sue went to the concert last week.S V

That drummer is always angry!S V C

Andy loves his new bass guitar.S V O

Kurt Cobain wrote some great songs.S V O

Jimi Hendrix was definitely the best guitarist who ever lived.S V C

Neil Young is in the hospital.S V C

Exercise 2: Write sentences using adjectives about these people. Your answers might be different. Example: Ringo Starr

He has long hair.He is an excellent drummer.He has a strange voice.

AnastasiaHer hair is blond.She sings romantic songs.She is a very sexy woman.

Jimi HendrixHe played the guitar with his left hand.He had black, curly hair.He was the greatest guitarist of all time.

Avril LavigneShe is a Canadian girl.She is a cute teenager.She writes rebellious songs.

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John LennonHe was the forceful leader of the Beatles.He wrote some very difficult songs to understand.He was murdered by a crazed madman while walking home to the Dakota building.

Exercise 3: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate adverb. Your answers might be different.

Example: Monica never goes to rock concerts. She doesn’t like them.

Walk slowly! The concert doesn’t start for two more hours.I can’t go to the concert tonight. I have to study.I will buy tickets for the Velvet Revolver concert tomorrow/next week/ soon.The drummer has been asked to practice quietly.Jim Morrison used drugs recklessly/often.The lead singer was signing autographs quickly/carefully.Yesterday/last week/last year, we met Shania Twain at the Autograph Fair.Bob Dylan rarely/seldom speaks to his fans during a concert.The guitarist immediately went to a party after the concert.

Exercise 4: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate preposition.

Example: The tambourine was __on/under/beside________ the chair.

The guitarist’s bottle of water was in front of/on/beside/behind the amplifier.The band came out of the left door.The band was playing a memorial concert for Ronnie Van Zandt.John Lennon was murdered in 1980.The concert began at 8:00.Robert Plant preferred to stand next to/beside John Paul Jones during concert.The groupie went with the organist backstage.The show will probably finish between 11:30 and 12:00 p.m."Gimme Shelter" is one of the Rolling Stones’ best songs.

Exercise 5: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate conjunction.

Example: Led Zeppelin broke up _because____ Jon Bonham had died.

Graham Nash left the Hollies in 1970, but the band continued without him.The concert hall was too smoky, so we left the building.Jerry Garcia was short and fat.We can go to the Phish concert or the Blues Traveler show.Buffalo Springfield disbanded in the late 1960s because Neil Young and Steven Stills couldn’t get along.The lead singer for Alice in Chains, Layne Staley, died in 2001, but the band will stillreunite without him for a series of concerts this year.Alice Cooper can put on a great show and he can write great songs.The lead singer couldn’t play the guitar or the saxophone well.The electricity went out, so everyone had to leave the concert hall.

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Exercise 6: Fill in the blanks with a pronoun.

Example: Cindy went to the concert. Henry had bought _her_ a ticket.

Give me the tickets! You will lose them. I will put them in my pocket.These tickets are ours/yours/his/hers/theirs/mine.You can carry the amp yourself.She didn’t have tickets for the concert so Paula waited outside.Ronnie James Dio gave us his autograph.Nick Cave wrote all the songs himself for the new Bad Seeds album.Please get up. This seat is hers.Give him the binoculars. He can’t see the band.

Reading: Reading: 1). What is the title?

The title is Rock’n Roll Dinosaurs.

2). How many paragraphs are in the passage?There are four paragraphs.

3). What is the topic?The topic is the Rolling Stones.

4). What is the topic sentence?The topic sentence is, "One band which has survived drugs, death and the ever-changing face of rock music is the Rolling Stones."

5). What bands did the Beatles pave the way for?The Beatles paved the way for the Kinks, Small Faces and the Who.

6). Who probably writes the songs for the Rolling Stones?Mick Jagger and Keith Richards probably write the songs.

7). Did Brian Jones only play one instrument?No, Brian Jones was a multi-instrumentalist.

8). What has been the band’s greatest strength?The band’s greatest strength has been to add different touches to their music.

9). What has accounted for their diversity?The different lineups have accounted for their diversity.

10). What have been the two constants in the band’s history?The two constants in their music have been Jagger’s famous slur and Richard’s guitar elegance.

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vocabulary listvocabulary listNOUNS VERBS ADJECTIVES ADVERBS PREPOSITIONSalbum add acoustic always atamplifier appear circular beautifully aboutaudience benefit classic electronically afterautograph connect faded often bybackstage escort lead rarely forband hit sexy sometimes frombass guitar pick wooden upstairs inbass player shake intodrum ofdrummer ongroupie throughheavy metal toinstrument underorganist withsnare drumstickstringtambourine

CONJUNCTIONS QUESTION WORDSand whatbecause whobut whenor whereso whywhen