5th Grade
Ms. Stephanie Yilmaz
Functions in a sentence
GS, GV, CO, CC
Maïlys & Djibril
What are the functions of words in a sentence?
The function of a word is the role it plays in the sentence.
Here are the different functions that word groups can serve:
The subject function.
The verb phrase function
The adverbial complement function
The verb complement function: direct object / indirect object
1. the subject function
You can ask the question: "What is it?" or "Who is it?" before the verb.
You can replace the subject with a pronoun.
You can frame the subject with "it is...who" or "they are...who."
Example:
Little Louis is playing in the schoolyard.
They want to remember this moment for the rest of their lives.
2. The verbal group function
A verb phrase is a phrase whose core is a verb.
A verb phrase can be broken down into several phrases.
How do you identify the verbal group?
We ask the question: What is the subject doing?
3. The function of the adverbial complement
Circumstantial complements are non-essential complements that specify the circumstances under which an action takes place.
A circumstantial complement is a word or group of words that provides additional details about the action described in the sentence.
How do you identify the adverbial phrase in a sentence?
Ask the questions "when?", "where?", and "how?"
4. The complement function of the verb: direct object / indirect object
The direct object (DO)
– The DO is part of the verb phrase.
– It specifies the action of the verb.
– How to find the DO in a sentence.
We ask the question "who?" or "what?" after the verb.
For example: The students are doing an exercise. She listens to her teacher.
5. The indirect object (IO)
The direct object (COI) is part of the verb phrase.
It specifies the person or thing on which the action expressed by the verb is performed.
The direct object is separated from the verb by a preposition:
à, de, pour, aux, contre, …
It answers the questions: to whom? to what? from whom? from what? with whom?
Ex: Kids love this clown.
