Sentence Structure 8
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 release in 1993 of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Mosaic web browser, one of the first graphical web browsers, initiated an explosive growth in internet use.
- The release (Main subject)
- in 1993 (PP modifying the main subject)
- of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Mosaic web browser (PP modifying the main subject)
- , one of the first graphical web browsers, (Noun – modifies “NCSA Mosaic web browser”)
- initiated (Main verb)
- an explosive growth (Noun – modifies “initiated”)
- in internet use. (PP modifying “initiated” or “growth”)
Sentence 2
Deep sea vents are surrounded by exotic life-forms and, with their extreme chemistry, have long seemed places where life might have originated.
- Deep sea vents are surrounded (Main subject and Main verb 1)
- by exotic life-forms (PP modifying “surrounded”)
- and (connects two main verbs)
- , with their extreme chemistry, (PP modifying “Deep sea vents”)
- have long seemed places (Main verb 2 “have seemed”)
- where life might have originated. (DC modifying “places”)
Sentence 3
The computer company reported strong second-quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street’s estimates and announced the first in a series of price cuts intended to increase sales further.
- The computer company reported (Main subject and Main Verb 1)
- strong second-quarter earnings (Noun – modifies “reported”)
- that surpassed (DC modifying “earnings”)
- Wall Street’s estimates (Noun – modifies “surpassed”)
- that surpassed (DC modifying “earnings”)
- strong second-quarter earnings (Noun – modifies “reported”)
- and announced the first (Main Verb 2 “announced”)
- in a series of price cuts (PP modifying “the first”)
- intended (Verb-ed modifier modifying “price cuts”)
- to increase sales further. (Infinitive modifying “intended”)
- intended (Verb-ed modifier modifying “price cuts”)
- in a series of price cuts (PP modifying “the first”)
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