- Running fast isn’t fun.
Linking verb: ‘is’.
Subject: ‘running’.
Subject complement: ‘fun’.
‘Fast’ modifies ‘running’ (adjective).
‘Not’ modifies ‘is’ (adverb).
- I don’t want to stand on my porch when it’s wet.
Action verb: ‘do’ (auxiliary verb).
Subject: ‘I’.
‘Not’ modifies ‘do’ (adverb).
Main verb: ‘want’.
Object: ‘to stand’ (infinitive/noun).
Prepositional phrase: ‘on my porch’. The phrase functions as an adverb modifying ‘stand’. The preposition is ‘on’ and it governs the noun ‘porch’. ‘My’ is an adjective modifying ‘porch’.
Subordinate clause: ‘when it’s wet’.
Subordinate Conjunction: ‘when’.
Linking verb: ‘is’.
Subject: ‘it’.
Subject complement: ‘wet’.
- Swimming after work is too tiring.
Linking verb: ‘is’.
Subject: ‘swimming’.
Subject complement: ‘tiring’.
‘Too’ modifies ‘tiring’ (adverb). ‘Too’ is an adverb because it modifies an adjective, ‘tiring’. Oxford Languages (Google dictionary) and Merriam-Webster both have definitions of ‘too’ with its only part of speech being adverb.
Prepositional phrase: ‘after work’. The phrase functions as an adjective modifying ‘swimming’. The preposition is ‘after’ and it governs the noun ‘work’.
- John gets sweaty when he does his exercise routine.
Independent clause: ‘John gets sweaty’.
Action verb: ‘gets’.
Subject: ‘John’.
Object: ‘sweaty’.
Subordinate clause: ‘when he does his exercise routine’.
Subordinate conjunction: ‘when’.
Action verb: ‘does’.
Subject: ‘he’.
Object: ‘routine’.
‘His’ modifies ‘routine’ (adjective).
‘Exercise’ modifies ‘routine’ (adjective).
- I gave him gifts.
Action verb: ‘gave’.
Subject: ‘I’.
Object: ‘gifts’.
Implied prepositional phrase: ‘(to) him’. The phrase functions as an adverb modifying ‘gave’. The preposition is the implied word ‘(to)’ and it governs the noun ‘him’.
- I love to throw boomerangs to myself.
Action verb: ‘love’.
Subject: ‘I’.
Object: ‘boomerangs’.
The infinitive ‘to throw’ is an adverb that modifies ‘love’.
Prepositional phrase: ‘to myself’. The phrase functions as an adverb modifying ‘to throw’. The preposition is ‘to’ and it governs the noun ‘myself’.
- When a movie is boring, I stop watching.
Independent clause: ‘I stop watching’.
Action verb: ‘stop’.
Subject: ‘I’.
Object: ‘watching’ (gerund).
Subordinate clause: ‘when a movie is boring’.
Subordinate conjunction: ‘when’.
Linking verb: ‘is’.
Subject: ‘movie’.
Subject complement: ‘boring’.
‘A’ modifies ‘movie’ (adjective).
- I like reading non-fiction books out of order.
Action verb: ‘like’.
Subject: ‘I’.
Gerund phrase: ‘reading non-fiction books’. This whole phrase functions as the object of ‘like’.
Gerund: ‘reading’.
Direct object: ‘books’.
‘Non-fiction’ modifies ‘books’ (adjective).
Prepositional phrase: ‘out of order’. The phrase functions as an adverb modifying ‘reading’. The preposition is ‘out of’ and it governs the noun ‘order’.
I found the gerund phrase in this sentence confusing and I used the following article to aid my understanding:
- My broken speakers don’t work for making sound.
Action verb: ‘do’ (auxiliary verb).
Subject: ‘speakers’.
The main verb ‘work’ modifies ‘do’.
‘My’ modifies ‘speakers’ (adjective).
‘Broken’ modifies ‘speakers’ (adjective).
‘Not’ modifies ‘do’ (adverb).
Prepositional phrase: ‘for making sound’. The phrase functions as an adverb modifying ‘work’. The preposition is ‘for’ and it governs the ‘sound’. ‘Making’ is an adjective (participle) modifying ‘sound’. I’m pretty unsure about this one as it seems like ‘making’ could be a gerund. In that case it would function as the object of the preposition.
- FYI, working at the CIA is cooler than the FBI.
Linking verb: ‘is’.
Subject: ‘working’.
Subject complement: ‘cooler’. I think ‘cooler’ is an adjective.
Prepositional phrase: ‘at the CIA’. The phrase functions as an adjective modifying ‘working’. The preposition is ‘at’ and it governs the noun ‘CIA’. ‘The’ is an adjective (determiner) modifying ‘CIA’.
Prepositional phrase: ‘than the FBI’. The phrase functions as an adverb modifying ‘cooler’. The preposition is ‘than’ and it governs the noun ‘FBI’. ‘The’ is an adjective modifying ‘FBI’.
‘FYI’ is an abbreviation for the prepositional phrase: ‘for your information’. The phrase is an adverb that modifies the whole rest of the sentence. ‘For’ is the preposition and it governs the noun ‘information’. ‘Your’ is an adjective modifying ‘information’.