Transcript language-and-literacy-levels-module-1-2a

Language and
Literacy Levels
Optional Module
1.2 A: Sentences
Instructions
If after reading the glossary, indicators and
examples about this language item in the
Levels you still need to learn more, it is
anticipated that you will work through this
PowerPoint at your own pace and without the
need to be supported by a trainer. However,
depending upon your school's implementation
plan, you may be able to email or post any
questions to your trainer or discuss them with
your Professional Learning Community or
similar group.
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A sentence is…
• the way we make meaning by using
one or more clauses.
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A clause is …
a unit of meaning based around a verb. A
• <<insert def from Levels glossary>>
clause requires a happening expressed by
a verb. Therefore a sentence can be as
simple as and as short as “Stop!”
“The floor” is not a clause because it does
not make meaning. Add the verb “sweep” to
make “sweep the floor” and we have a
clause.
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Clauses
• Clauses typically contain:
• - the mandatory verb
• - who or what is participating in the
happening (typically expressed by nouns)
• - and extra information about the verb
(typically expressed by adverbs, adverb
groups and prepositional phrases).
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Clauses
• Let’s examine the sentence “The netball
team won the grand final last week.” to see
how this works.
• Meaning centres around the verb “won”, with
“The netball team” and “the grand final” as
the nouns participating in what is happening
and “last week” providing the extra
information about the verb (when did it
happen?).
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Checkpoint
• Sentences are made up of clauses.
• Clauses are the basic unit of meaning.
• A clause must at least contain a verb.
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Types of sentences
There are three types of sentences:
• - Simple sentences (one verb so just
one clause)
• - Compound sentences (more than one
verb so more than one clause)
• - Complex sentences (more than one
verb so more than one clause joined in
different way to compound sentences)
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Simple sentences only have one
verb/verb group (shown in green)
• I love the circus.
• Last Saturday IIwent to the circus in
Bonython Park.
• Last Saturday I went to the circus in
Bonython Park with my sister.
• I visited the Circus.
• I hope to see* performing dogs.
•
* a verb can be made up of more than one word
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Compound Sentences are made up of more than
one clause. Co-ordinating AKA linking
conjunctions (in blue) are the only way to combine
the clauses to make compound sentences.
• I went to the circus and I saw the
performing dogs.
• I went to the circus but my sister
was sick.
• My sister was sick so we didn’t go
to the circus.
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Co-ordinating AKA linking
conjunctions …
• join clauses to set up a relationship of equal status
(eg Tom watched television and Asif read.)
• The clause “Tom watched television” is no more or
less important than the clause “Asif read”. They
could be two separate simples sentences, but here
they have been linked by the co-ordinating or linking
conjunction to make a compound sentence. Coordinating suggests an equal partnership.
• There is only a small group of this type of
conjunction (eg and, but, so, and then)
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Checkpoint
 Sentences are made up of one or more
clauses.
 One verb = one clause = simple sentence
 More than one verb = more than one clause
= compound OR complex sentence
 The only way a compound sentence is
formed is through the use of the few coordinating AKA linking conjunctions (eg and)
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Complex sentences
• Most of the remaining slides are
about complex sentences and the
ways they can be formed. These
ways are:
• - Subordinating/binding
conjunctions
• - Relative clauses
• - Non-finite verbs or verb groups
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Complex Sentences using
subordinating/binding conjunctions
• One way of forming complex sentences is when the
conjunction is bound to a clause and therefore needs
to be added to another clause before it makes sense.
It needs to go with the clause wherever the clause is
moved within the sentence.
• When I came home… (needs another clause to make
sense)
• When I came home, I had lunch. (now bound to
another clause so it makes sense)
• I had lunch when I came home. (conjunction moves
with the clause so it continues to make sense)
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Complex Sentences using
subordinating/binding conjunctions
The type of conjunction used here is
called a subordinating or binding
conjunction.
“Subordinating” suggests that unlike the
clause in a compound sentence there is
an unequal status between the clauses in
a complex sentence.
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Complex Sentences using
subordinating/binding conjunctions
There is a far greater number of sub-ordinating
AKA binding conjunctions than co-ordinating
AKA linking conjunctions.
‘Because’ is learnt quite early and is used at
Language and Literacy Level 5.
Other examples include: when, since, after,
despite, although, if, while, unless, even though
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Complex Sentences using relative
clauses
•
using
non-finite
clauses
A clause which begins with a relative pronoun (eg who,
which, that) can provide additional non-essential
information as an aside (eg The lift, which had only just
been fixed, stopped between menswear and furniture.)
These asides should have commas.
• These clauses can also provide essential information
about a noun in the sentence (eg The man who fixed it
is now on holidays.) In this example, the relative clause
who fixed it is included in the sentence to add some
important information to distinguish this man from all
others and so does not need commas.
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Complex Sentences using
relative clauses
•
using
relative
clauses
Which of the following relative clauses gives
some extra non-essential information about a
noun in the sentence? HINT how are they
punctuated?
• The dogs, which had been rescued
from the pound, performed brilliantly.
• My sister who had a bad cold was
not allowed to go to the circus.
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Complex Sentences using
relative clauses
using relative clauses
• The dogs, which had been rescued
from the pound, performed brilliantly.
• The non-essential information (the
aside) about the dog contained in the
relative clause is surrounded by
commas. This is like someone lowering
their voice or speaking behind their
hand to show it is not essential to the
other clause.
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Checkpoint
• Unlike compound sentences, complex
sentences can be formed in different ways.
• One of these ways is by using sub-ordinating
(AKA binding) conjunctions of which there
are many (eg unless, after, although, when).
• Another way is through the use of relative
clauses which begin with relative pronouns
(eg who, that, which) and give more
information about a noun in the sentence.
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Complex Sentences
using non-finite clauses
• A non-finite clause has no subject (no
one/nothing is doing the verb) and it
carries no tense.
• There are two types of non-finite
verbs:
• infinitives: the ‘to’ form of the verb
• participles: - ing: and – ed (en) added
to the end of the verb
•
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Complex Sentences
using non-finite clauses
• Infinitives: the ‘to’ form of the verb: to
write (eg It took ten years to write her
first book. To write her essay, she
needed peace and quiet.) The use of
infinites begins at Level 5 (eg I went to
the shops to buy some lollies).
•
•
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Complex Sentences
using non-finite clauses
• Participles: - ing: writing; and – ed (en)
forms: written (eg Writing in her
favourite café for several hours each
day, she was finally able to finish her
first novel. Hating Alison Ashley,
written by popular author Robin Klein,
is an absolutely hilarious read for
young and old.)
•
•
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Complex Sentences
using non-finite clauses
• The use of ‘having’ as a non-finite
auxiliary is another common form of
non-finite clause: having written;
having been written (Having written her
first book, she now felt she could do
anything. Having been written by Robin
Klein, we can expect it to be another
great read.)
•
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Fancy a challenge?
• On a previous slide it stated that a nonfinite clause “has no subject … and
carries no tense”.
• To test this, decide how this short text
on the next slide written in past tense
would be changed to present tense.
•
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Fancy a challenge?
• To score a goal, I practised each
afternoon after school. Having
scored one, I changed my
technique and kept trying until I
scored ten more times.
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Fancy a challenge?
• To score a goal, I practise each
afternoon after school. Having
scored one, I change my
technique and keep trying until I
score ten more times.
• NB The infinite “to score’ and the non-finite auxiliary “having
scored” do not change tense. They also have no subject unlike
“practise”, “change”, “keep” and “score” which in this text all
have “I” as the subject.
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Checkpoint
• A non-finite clause has no subject (no
one/nothing is doing the verb) and it
carries no tense.
• There are two types of non-finite verbs:
• infinitives: the ‘to’ form of the verb
• participles: - ing: and – ed (en) added
to the end of the verb
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Grammatically simple but lexically dense
sentences are sometimes more appropriate
• Finally let’s quickly return to simple sentences.
The following sentences only contain one verb
and are therefore simple sentences, but are
indicative of Levels 11 and above.
• The rescued performing dogs gave a
magnificent performance of their skills.
• The extraordinary performance of the rescued
dogs captivated everyone.
• The continued exploitation of performing
animals for human entertainment is evidence of
a debased society.
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Grammatically simple but lexically
dense sentences
• In some text types in some learning areas
it is more appropriate to use
grammatically simple sentences. The
complexity of these sentences is in the
choice of vocabulary (eg magnificent) and
the way lots of information is tightly
packed within the simple sentence (eg
The continued exploitation of performing
animals for human entertainment…).
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