Sentence Structure 11
The below sentences have been broken down into subject, verb, and modifiers. Since there are hardly any specific rules around objects, I’ve clubbed objects into modifiers to reduce complexity.
One common confusion students face is regarding prepositional phrases following a noun that comes after a verb (…verb noun PP). In such cases, many students almost always associate those prepositional phrases with the nouns preceding them. However, many a time, such prepositional phrases are modifying the verbs. One way to test that a prepositional phrase is modifying a verb is by putting that prepositional phrase immediately after the verb and then putting the noun. If the sentence still makes sense, the prepositional phrase is modifying the verb.
Please note that the abbreviation ‘PP’ has been used for a prepositional phrase in the below sentence structures.
Sentence 1
The government will tend to finance its deficits by increasing the money supply with insufficient regard for whether there is enough room for economic growth to enable such an increase to occur without causing inflation.
- The government will tend (Main clause)
- to finance (Infinitive modifying “tend”)
- its deficits (Noun – modifies “finance”)
- by increasing the money supply (PP modifying “finance”)
- with insufficient regard (PP modifying “increasing”)
- for whether there is enough room (PP modifying “regard”)
- for economic growth (PP modifying “room”)
- to enable such an increase (Infinitive modifying “enough”)
- to occur (Infinitive modifying “enable”)
- without causing inflation. (PP modifying “enable”)
- for whether there is enough room (PP modifying “regard”)
- with insufficient regard (PP modifying “increasing”)
- to finance (Infinitive modifying “tend”)
Sentence 2
The professionalization of the study of history in the second half of the nineteenth century, including history’s transformation from a literary genre to a scientific discipline, had important consequences not only for historians’ perceptions of women but also for women as historians.
- The professionalization (Main subject)
- of the study (PP modifying the main subject)
- of history (PP modifying “study”)
- in the second half (PP modifying the main subject)
- of the nineteenth century, (PP modifying “half”)
- including history’s transformation (PP modifying the main subject)
- from a literary genre (PP modifying “transformation”)
- to a scientific discipline, (PP modifying “transformation”)
- of the study (PP modifying the main subject)
- had important consequences (Main verb “had”)
- not only for historians’ perceptions of women (PP modifying “had”)
- but also for women as historians. (PP modifying “had”)
Sentence 3
Advanced technology is being transferred ever more speedily across borders, but even with the latest technology, productivity and wages in developing countries will remain lower than in developed countries for many years because developed countries have better infrastructure and better-educated workers.
- Advanced technology is being transferred (First IC)
- ever more speedily (Adverb – modifies the verb “is being transferred”)
- across borders, (PP modifying “is being transferred”)
- but (Beginning of the second IC)
- even with the latest technology, (PP modifying verb of the second IC)
- productivity and wages (Subject of the second IC)
- in developing countries (PP modifying the subject of the second IC)
- will remain lower than in developed countries (Verb of the second IC “will remain”)
- for many years (PP modifying “will remain”)
- because developed countries have (DC modifying “will remain”)
- better infrastructure and better-educated workers. (Noun – modifies “have”)
Sentence 4
Researchers compared the number of tooth fractures in present-day carnivores with the number of tooth fractures in carnivores that lived 36,000 to 10,000 years ago and that were preserved in the Rancho La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.
- Researchers compared (Main clause)
- the number (Noun – modifies “compared”)
- of tooth fractures (PP modifying “number”)
- in present-day carnivores (PP modifying “tooth fractures”)
- of tooth fractures (PP modifying “number”)
- with the number (PP modifying “compared”)
- of tooth fractures (PP modifying “number”)
- in carnivores (PP modifying “tooth fractures”)
- that lived 36,000 to 10,000 years ago (DC modifying “carnivores”)
- and that were preserved (DC modifying “carnivores”)
- in the Rancho La Brea tar pits (PP modifying “preserved”)
- in Los Angeles. (PP modifying “pits”)
- in the Rancho La Brea tar pits (PP modifying “preserved”)
- in carnivores (PP modifying “tooth fractures”)
- of tooth fractures (PP modifying “number”)
- the number (Noun – modifies “compared”)
Sentence 5
In American Genesis, which covers the century of technological innovation in the United States beginning in 1876,Thomas Hughes assigns special prominence to Thomas Edison as the archetype of the independent nineteenth-century inventor.
- In American Genesis, (PP modifying the main verb)
- which covers the century (DC modifying “American Genesis”)
- of technological innovation (PP modifying “century”)
- in the United States (PP modifying “innovation”)
- beginning in 1876, (Verb-ing modifier modifying “century”)
- of technological innovation (PP modifying “century”)
- which covers the century (DC modifying “American Genesis”)
- Thomas Hughes assigns special prominence (Main Clause)
- to Thomas Edison (PP modifying “assigns”)
- as the archetype (PP modifying “prominence”)
- of the independent nineteenth-century inventor. (PP modifying “archetype”)
Sentence 6
Many United States companies believe that the rising cost of employees’ health care benefits has hurt the country’s competitive position in the global market by raising production costs and thus increasing the prices of exported and domestically sold goods.
- Many United States companies believe (Main Clause)
- that the rising cost (DC modifying “believe” – Subject “cost”)
- of employees’ health care benefits (PP modifying “cost”)
- has hurt (verb for the subject “cost”)
- the country’s competitive position (Noun – modifies “hurt”)
- in the global market (PP modifying “position”)
- by raising production costs and thus increasing the prices (PP modifying “hurt”)
- of exported and domestically sold goods. (PP modifying “prices”)
- the country’s competitive position (Noun – modifies “hurt”)
- that the rising cost (DC modifying “believe” – Subject “cost”)
Sentence 7
Historically, the first company to commercialize a new technology typically has benefited from the unique opportunity to shape product definitions, forcing later companies to adapt to the standard that has been set, expend large amounts of resources to invest in unproven alternatives, or develop and implement alternative business models that are better received by the end user.
- Historically, (Adverb – modifies the main verb)
- the first company (Main subject)
- to commercialize a new technology (Infinitive modifying “first”)
- typically has benefited (Main verb)
- from the unique opportunity (PP modifying the main verb)
- to shape product definitions (Infinitive modifying “opportunity”)
- from the unique opportunity (PP modifying the main verb)
- , forcing (Verb-ing modifier modifying the previous clause)
- later companies (Noun – modifies “forcing”)
- to adapt (Infinitive modifying “forcing”)
- to the standard (PP modifying “adapt”)
- that has been set (DC modifying “standard”)
- to the standard (PP modifying “adapt”)
- , expend large amounts (Parallel to “adapt”)
- of resources (PP modifying “amounts”)
- to invest (Infinitive modifying “expend”)
- in unproven alternatives (PP modifying “invest”)
- , or develop and implement (Parallel to “adapt”)
- alternative business models (Noun – modifies “develop and implement”)
- that are better received (DC modifying “models”)
- by the end user. (PP modifying “received”)
- that are better received (DC modifying “models”)
- alternative business models (Noun – modifies “develop and implement”)
Sentence 8
Although Internet Explorer was initially not necessarily technically better than Netscape Navigator, Microsoft was able to leverage its dominance in the operating system market to take over the web browser market by bundling Internet Explorer with Microsoft Windows, the predominant computer operating system at the time.
- Although Internet Explorer was (DC presenting contrast to the main clause)
- initially not necessarily technically better than Netscape Navigator, (Modifier modifying the subject “Internet Explorer”)
- Microsoft was able (Main Clause)
- to leverage (Infinitive modifying “able”)
- its dominance (Noun – modifies “leverage”)
- in the operating system market (PP modifying “dominance”)
- to take over the web browser market (Infinitive modifying “leverage”)
- by bundling Internet Explorer (PP modifying “take over”)
- with Microsoft Windows, (PP modifying “bundling”)
- the predominant computer operating system (Noun – modifies “Microsoft Windows”)
- at the time. (PP modifying “predominant”)
- the predominant computer operating system (Noun – modifies “Microsoft Windows”)
- with Microsoft Windows, (PP modifying “bundling”)
- by bundling Internet Explorer (PP modifying “take over”)
- its dominance (Noun – modifies “leverage”)
- to leverage (Infinitive modifying “able”)
Sentence 9
The study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the leading biological research journal of the Royal Society, found that thiamethoxam and clothianidin, two chemicals from the neonicotinoid family of insecticides, reduce living sperm in male honeybees, called drones, by almost 40 percent.
- The study (Main subject)
- published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Verb-ed modifier modifying the main subject)
- the leading biological research journal (Noun – modifies “Proceedings..B”)
- of the Royal Society, (PP modifying “journal”)
- the leading biological research journal (Noun – modifies “Proceedings..B”)
- published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Verb-ed modifier modifying the main subject)
- found (Main verb)
- that thiamethoxam and clothianidin (DC modifying “found”)
- , two chemicals (Noun – modifies the subject of the ‘that’ clause)
- from the neonicotinoid family (PP modifying “chemicals”)
- of insecticides, (PP modifying “family”)
- from the neonicotinoid family (PP modifying “chemicals”)
- , two chemicals (Noun – modifies the subject of the ‘that’ clause)
- reduce (Verb of the ‘that’ clause)
- living sperm (Noun – modifies “reduce”)
- in male honeybees (PP modifying “reduce”)
- , called drones, (Verb-ed modifier modifying “male honeybees”)
- by almost 40 percent. (PP modifying “reduce”)
- that thiamethoxam and clothianidin (DC modifying “found”)
Sentence 10
In 1963, almost 1,000 healthy 50-year-old men in Gothenburg who had been born in 1913 agreed to be studied for the rest of their lives, in order to help scientists better understand lifetime risks for disease, especially heart disease.
- In 1963, (PP modifying the main verb)
- almost 1,000 healthy 50-year-old men (Main subject)
- in Gothenburg (PP modifying “men”)
- who had been born (DC modifying “men”)
- in 1913 (PP modifying “born”)
- agreed (Main verb)
- to be studied (Infinitive modifying “agreed”)
- for the rest (PP modifying “studied”)
- of their lives, (PP modifying “rest”)
- in order to help scientists better understand lifetime risks (Infinitive modifying “studied”)
- for disease, (PP modifying “risks”)
- especially heart disease. (Noun – modifies “disease”)
- for disease, (PP modifying “risks”)
- for the rest (PP modifying “studied”)
- to be studied (Infinitive modifying “agreed”)
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