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KISS Grammar
A Level Two Workbook
Expanding the Basics
Analysis Keys and Notes for Teachers
Free, from the KISS Grammar Web Site
KISSGrammar.org
This book contains some suggestions for teaching KISS Level Two and the analysis keys for the exercises. The keys in this book have been numbered to match the students’ workbook. Note that in the printable books, instructional materials (and special notes for teachers) appear in green text in the table of contents.
© Ed Vavra
Nov. 1, 2012
Contents
Exercises in brackets have no analysis keys.
Introduction for Teachers and Parents
Applying KISS to Students’ Own Reading and Writing
KISS Level 2. 1. The Complexities of S/V/C Patterns
KISS Level 2.1.1. - Understood “You” – Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1 - Based on The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
Ex. 2 - From “Hansel and Grethel,” by Edric Vredenburg
KISS Level 2. 1. 2 - Varied Positions in the S/V/C Pattern -- Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1 - From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales, by Edric Vredenburg
Ex. 2 - From “Clytie, the Heliotrope”
KISS Level 2. 1. 3 - Expletives (Optional) – Notes forTeachers
Ex. 1 - Based on The Tale of Tom Kitten
Ex. 2 - Based on “The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan”
KISS Level 2. 1. 4 - Palimpsest Patterns – Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1 - From At the Back of the North Wind
Ex. 2 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet by C. Collodi
KISS Level 2. 1. 5 - Phrasal Verbs – Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1 - Based on The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
Ex. 2 - Based on The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
Ex. 3 - Based on The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
KISS Level 2. 1. 6 - Distinguishing Finite Verbs from Verbals
Important Notes for Teachers!
Ex. 1 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
Ex. 2 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
Ex. 3 - From Andrew Lang’s “Thumbelina”
Ex. 4.a. - Based on The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
Ex. 4.b. - Based on The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
Ex. 5 - A Passage for Analysis—The Shark (93 %)
Ex. 6 - Just for Fun—The Farmer, the Fly, and the Cow
KISS Level 2.1.7 - The Subjunctive Mood
The KISS Perspective on the Subjunctive Mood
Ex. 1 - On the Subjunctive Mood
Ex. 2 - From Heidi by Johanna Spyri
KISS Level 2. 2. The Complexities of Prepositional Phrases
KISS Level 2. 2. 1. The “To” Problem & Verbs as Objects of Prepositions
Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1.a. - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
Ex. 1.b. - A Robin and a Robin’s Son
Ex. 1.c. - To Market
Ex. 2 - From Pinocchio, The Tale of a Puppet
KISS Level 2.2.2 - Preposition (or Subordinate Conjunction)?
Notes for Teachers
Ex.1 - Is it a preposition?
Ex. 2 - From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales, by Edric Vredenburg
KISS Level 2. 2. 3 - Embedded Prepositional Phrases
Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1.a. - Based on The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
Ex. 1.b. - Based on The Tale of Johnny Town Mouse
Ex. 1.c. - Based on The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher
Ex. 2.a. - A Passage for Analysis—The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Ex. 2.b. - From “How Reddy Fox Was Surprised”
KISS Level 2. 2.4 - Prepositional Phrases - Advanced Questions
Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1 - Unusual Prepositional Phrases (Gerunds with Complements)
Ex. 2 - Subordinate Clauses as Objects of Prepositions
Ex. 3 - A Study in Ellipsed Objects of Prepositions
KISS Level 2. 3. Adding Three Level Five Constructions
Notes for Teachers
Ex. 1 - Nouns Used as Adverbs—From the Writing of Third and Seventh Graders
Interjections—Special Notes for Teachers
Ex. 2 - Interjections—from the Writing of Third Graders
Ex. 3 - Punctuating Interjections
Ex. 4.a. - Direct Address
Ex. 4.b. - “Rain, Rain, Go away”
Ex. 4.c. - “Little Boy Blue”
Ex. 5 - The Punctuation of Direct Address
Ex. 6 - Based on The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
Appendix
The KISS Grammar Toolbox
Using the KISS Analysis Keys
Creating Directions for Your Students
Introduction for Teachers and Parents
The study of grammar is a science.
The teaching of grammar is an art.
As you will see, this workbook expands students’ understanding of the basic concepts covered in Level One. Some of the concepts presented here are covered in most grammar textbooks. Others, such as “Palimpsest Patterns” may be exclusive to the KISS Approach.
Many of the concepts are relatively easy for students to understand, but some are more important than others. For example, KISS Level 2.1.6—“Distinguishing Finite Verbs from Verbals” is very important preparation for KISS Level Three—clauses. A clause is a subject / (finite) verb / complement pattern. Students who cannot distinguish finite verbs from verbals will therefore have serious difficulties in KISS Level Three. KISS Level 2.2.1—“The ‘To’ Problem and Verbals as Objects of Prepositions” deals with basically the same problem, but from the perspective of prepositional phrases.
You may want to skip (and come back to) two of the sub-levels in this book. At this point in their work, KISS Level 2.1.7—“The Subjunctive Mood” is more important for teachers than it is for students. Its basic objective is to emphasize that in sentences such as “If he were here, I would leave,” “were” is a subjunctive, not a subject/verb agreement error. The objective of KISS Level 2. 2.4—“Prep Phrases—Advanced Questions” is to suggest the types of things that, at this KISS Level, students should be expected to have problems with.
I strongly suggest you review the KISS Psycholinguistic Model with your students. (See the “Printable Books Page.”) The model changes the study of grammar into the study of how the human mind processes language, and it also validates (and sometimes challenges) the rules of punctuation.
General Reminders:
1. Although the ability to identify constructions is essential, once students have the ability, such exercises may become boring. You may therefore want to modify some of the directions. For example, punctuation exercises often ask students to identify constructions as well as fix the punctuation. You may want to change these to simply fixing and discussing the punctuation. The same is true for some of the exercises on logic.
2. You should at least browse through the “Master Books” for KISS Level Two. They include explanations for the nature and sequencing of exercises, comments on unusual cases, and sample exercises. (Repeating and updating this material in each of the nine grade-level KISS Level Two books does not make sense.) The on-line versions of the Master Books include links to all the KISS exercises for what we might call a “KISS slot.” You are welcome to switch exercises to match texts that your students are reading.
3. Emphasize the systematic method. College instructors in math, electronics, and a number of other fields complain that students want the “answers” and ignore the methods by which they can find the answers. If you emphasize the method of systematic analysis (described in the students’ version), you will probably find that your students will do much better, much faster. And you will be helping them learn how to work systematically.
Applying KISS to Students’ Own Reading and Writing
The primary objective of KISS is to enable students to intelligently discuss the grammar of anything that they read and especially anything that they write. Those who understand KISS concepts could, theoretically, use the Master Books and then use only the students’ own writing for exercise materials. But particularly in classrooms, this would be impractical.Imagine the dilemma of a teacher with twenty students in classroom. The students have been given the instructional material on subjects and verbs, and then the students immediately all try to find the subjects and verbs in a short passage that they wrote. The teacher would go nuts trying to check all of this. In other words, it makes much more sense for the students to all do a few of the same exercise, an exercise that can then be reviewed in class. KISS primarily provides the latter type of exercises.
Teachers should regularly supplement these exercises by having students analyze short passages from their own writing. The students can simply apply the directions they have been using to the analysis of their own writing. (In other words, if they are working at KISS Level Three, they would analyze their own writing through clauses.) The students can then work in small groups to check and discuss each others’ work. How often teachers should do this is an aspect of the art of teaching. But the more you do this, the more that you will probably see interested, motivated students.
KISS Level 2. 1. The Complexities of S/V/C Patterns
KISS Level 2.1.1. - Understood “You”– Notes for Teachers
When they see a sentence such as “Close the door,” some students can figure out on their own that “You” is the understood subject of “close.” However, brief instruction and an exercise or two should make this clear for all students. Traditional grammars refer to these sentences as “Imperatives” or the “Imperative Mood.” Some grammars simply use the term “Commands.” Obviously, you can, if you wish, teach students these names, but remember that the primary problem in the teaching of grammar is an overabundance of terminology.
Suggested Directions for Analytical Exercises
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase. Draw an arrow from the preposition to the word that the phrase modifies, and above the phrase write “Adj.” for “adjective” or “Adv.” for “adverb.”
2. Write in the understood “you” in each sentence.
3. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” “DO”).
Probable Time Required
An exercise done in class is probably all that most students will need to master this idea.
Ex. 1 - Based on The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
1. *You* Listen{to the story} {of Jemima Puddle-duck}. |
2. *You* Let us have [#1]a dinner-party all{to ourselves}! |
3. *You* Come{into the house}. |
4. *You* Giveme (IO)the herbs (DO){for the omelette}[#2]. |
5. *You* Besharp (PN)! |
Notes
1. At this KISS Level, I would expect students to mark “us” as the direct object of “Let,” and I would simply accept that. Technically, “us” is the subject of the infinitive “have.” “Dinner-party” is the direct object of the infinitive “have,” and the infinitive phrase is the direct object of “Let.”
2. This phrase can also be described as an adverb to “Give.”
Ex. 2 -From “Hansel and Grethel,” by Edric Vredenburg
1. "*You* Bequiet (PA), Grethel [DirA]." |
2. "*You* Donotcry." |
3. "*You* Get up, you [DirA]lazy things [#1]." |
4. "*You* Waita little while [NuA] ." |
5. "*You* Sitdown here|[#2]and *you* rest." |
6. "*You* "Donotweep." |
7. "*You* "Get up, you lazy brat [#1]." |
8. "Now, you [DirA] children [#1], [#3] *you* liedown {near the fire}, |[#2]and*you* restyourselves (DO)." |
9. "Hansel [DirA], *you* stretchoutyourfinger (DO)." |
10. "*You* Be{of good cheer} (PA) [#4], dear sister [DirA], |[#2]and*you* sleep{in peace}." |
Notes
1. In constructions like “you lazy things,”“you lazy brat,” and “you children,” the second noun can be explained as an appositive to the “you.”
2. In sentences with an implied “you” as subject and compound finite verbs, we can explain the clause structure either as a single clause with compounded verbs, or as two separate clauses. [I have never seen a grammar textbook deal with this question, and the only context in which the question is important is in statistical studies of words (or compounds) per main clause.]
3. Some students will want to see either the first “you” or “children” as the subject of “lie” and “rest,” but for most readers the comma after children tends to break the S/V connection.
4. Alternatively, “of good cheer” can be explained as an adverb to “Be.” [It depends on whether one reads “of good cheer” as answering the question “Be what?” or “Be how?”]
KISS Level 2. 1. 2 - Varied Positions in the S/V/C Pattern-- Notes for Teachers
Some students are confused when a complement comes before the subject and verb (as in “Him I respect.”) or when the subject comes after the verb (as in “With deep sorrow wept mother.”) These are just a few short exercises that can give students examples of this relatively uncommon structural variation in English sentences. The plan is to include two exercises in each “complete” (grade-level) book. One can be done quickly in class; the other can be assigned for homework.
In the “complete” workbooks, the first exercise is different for each grade. The second and third exercises are the same in all of the “complete” workbooks. The second is a short passage that includes two varied S/V/C patterns. The third exercise focuses on those two patterns and asks students to use them as models to write similarly structured sentences.
Suggested Directions for Analytical Exercises
1. Place parentheses ( ) around each prepositional phrase.
2. Underline verbs twice, their subjects once, and label complements (“PA,” “PN,” “IO,” or “DO”).
Probable Time Required: One exercise?
Ex. 1 - From My Book of Favorite Fairy Tales, by Edric Vredenburg
1. Presently in[#1]camethemasters{of the cottage}. |["Snow-White"]
Note: My “grammar checker” states that this “came” results in “Verb Confusion.” You often can’t trust the grammar checkers.
2. Allthis (DO)the oldkingsaw. |["The Goose Girl"]
3. That (DO)Imustnottellyou (IO)oranyman (IO). |["The Goose Girl"]
4. Howmeek (PA)andpatient (PA)shehad been! |["The Goose Girl"]
5. Then firstcametwo whitedovesin {at the kitchen window}. |["Cinderella"]
6. {In this garden}stooda fine large pear tree full [#2]{of ripe fruit}. |["Cinderella"]
7. "Howsad (PA)Ifeel[#3] !" |["Little Red Riding Hood"]
8. "But, grandmother [DirA], what very greatteeth (DO)youhave!" |["Little Red Riding Hood"]
9. This (DO)Icanneverdo. |["The White Fawn"]
10. Great (PA)ismylove{for the Princess Desirée}. |["The White Fawn"]
Notes
1. “In” functions as an adverb here because it is what is left of an adverbial prepositional phrase—“came in *the cottage.”
2. “Full” is a post-positioned adjective (a reduction of “*which was* full”) that functions as an adjective to “tree.”
3. KISS explains this as a palimpsest pattern with “feel” written over “am.” See KISS Level 2.1.4 - Palimpsest Patterns.
Ex. 2- From “Clytie, the Heliotrope”
And her limbsbecame rooted(P)[#1] {to the ground}. | Green leavesenfoldedher body (DO). | Her beautifulfacewas concealed(P) {by tiny flowers},violet-colored [#2] and sweet [#2] {with perfume}. | Thuswasshechanged(P){into a flower}| and her rootsheldher (DO) fast {to the ground}; | but ever sheturnedher blossom-coveredface (DO){toward the sun}, following [#3] {with eagergaze}his daily flight. | {In vain}wereher sorrowand tears, [Adv. to "were"for[#4] Apolloregardedher (DO) not.]|
Notes
1. At KISS Level Four, some people will see “rooted” as a gerundive functioning as a predicate adjective.
2. “Violet-colored” and “sweet” are post-positioned adjectives.
3. “Following” is a gerundive to “she” (and/or “face”); “flight” is the direct object of “following.”
4. See the discussion of “for” as a conjunction.
KISS Level 2. 1. 3 - Expletives (Optional)– Notes forTeachers
In sentences such as “There are five men in the woods,” traditional grammars explain “There” as an “expletive” and they consider “men” as the subject. Although this is an acceptable explanation in KISS, the “expletive” concept is not needed (Keep It Simple, S....) because modern linguistics has shown that “There” can be explained as the subject and “men” as a predicate noun in an S/V/PN pattern. KISS uses the latter explanation, but those people who prefer the “expletive” explanation can obviously use it.
I have been asked how KISS deals with subject/verb agreement questions if it considers “there” as the subject. The answer to this is quite simple. In an S/V/PN pattern, the complement always has to equal the subject. Thus, if the complement is plural, the verb must be also.
Ex. 1 - Based on The Tale of Tom Kitten
In the explanation using “expletives,” the KISS predicate nouns are considered to be the subjects of the verb. Another alternative to both of these explanations is to consider the “there” as an adverb, as in “No buttons were there.” These different explanations have philosophical ramifications, but they are too fine to be of interest to most adults. For students in K-12, the KISS explanation always works, and it eliminates the need for adding “Expletives” to the students’ analytical toolbox.
1. Once {upon a time}therewerethree littlekittens (PN). |
Or:Once {upon a time} there[Expletive]werethree littlekittens. |
2. Therewereseveral greensmears (PN)! |
Or:There[Expletive]wereseveral greensmears! |
3. Therewasapit pat, paddle pat (PN)! |
Or:There[Expletive]wasapit pat, paddle pat! |
4. Somehow therewereveryextra--ordinary noises (PN)overhead. |
Or:Somehow there[Expletive]wereveryextra--ordinary noisesoverhead. |
5. Therewerenobuttons (PN). |
Or:There[Expletive]werenobuttons. |
Ex. 2 - Based on “The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan”
1. There [Expletive] wereno CATS{in Sawrey}! |
Or:Therewereno CATS (PN){in Sawrey}! |
2. But there [Expletive] wasnobodythere. |
Or:But therewasnobody (PN)there. |
3. There [Expletive] wasnothing{in the pie}. |
Or:Therewasnothing (PN){in the pie}. |
4. So there [Expletive] reallywasapatty-pan? |
Or:So therereally wasa patty-pan (PN)? |
5. There [Expletive] wasa very savoury smell. |
Or:Therewasa very savoury smell (PN). |
6. There [Expletive] began to bea pleasingsmell{of baked mouse}! |
Or:Therebegan to bea pleasingsmell (PN){of baked mouse}! |
7. There [Expletive] most certainlyisnotone, my dear Duchess [DirA]. |
Or:Theremost certainlyisnotone (PN), my dear Duchess [DirA]. |
8. There [Expletive] seemed to bea sort{of scuffling noise} {in the back passage}. |
Or:Thereseemed to bea sort (PN){of scuffling noise}{in the back passage}. |
9. Can there [Expletive] reallyhave beensomeone{in the house}? |
Or:Cantherereally have beensomeone (PN){in the house}? |
10. There [Expletive] [#1]stooda fine brownpie. |
Or:Therestooda fine brownpie (PN). |
Note
1. In this example, “There” could easily be explained as an adverb, depending on the context in which the sentence appears. In the KISS explanation, “stood” can be additionally explained in terms of a palimpsest pattern, with “stood” written over “was.”
KISS Level 2. 1. 4 - Palimpsest Patterns– Notes for Teachers
To my knowledge, the concept of the “palimpsest” pattern is unique to KISS Grammar. Once one has spent a little time analyzing randomly selected texts, however, the concept becomes somewhat obvious. As noted elsewhere in KISS, the traditional “transitive,” “intransitive,” and “linking” verbs are not very helpful, especially because “linking” verbs are usually presented in a short, incomplete list that students are expected to memorize and then forget. They can't use the list effectively because it is incomplete.