40 · Reduced and marked
Final synthesis
A sentence diagram shows how smaller groups fit inside larger ones. Begin with the main clause, then work inward. For each phrase or clause, find its head, identify the words that belong with it, and ask what the complete group does in the next larger structure.
build an argument
Work from an outer frame toward its parts
Build an analysis you can explain
- Mark the outer frame, or frames when there is coordination, before opening smaller units.
- For each unit, find its head and its dependents, then name the job the complete unit has in the next layer.
- Choose evidence that fits the proposed relationship: a verb frame, agreement, replacement, removal, movement, or a careful paraphrase.
- Keep more than one analysis when ordinary readings and the available evidence support more than one.
No test defines a category, and a failed transformation can reflect wording or context instead of structure. A bare sentence can genuinely leave an attachment open; context may choose a reading that the stored words alone cannot.
Every branch records a relationship.
The boundaries and labels in a finished tree explain how the sentence is built. Replacement, agreement, movement, and paraphrase can support particular choices. When the sentence genuinely allows two structures, a complete analysis keeps both.
Ten sentences from this lesson, one decision at a time.