Keep going to the end
In short sentences the telling part is one word. Most sentences are longer than that.
“My cat sleeps on the mat.”
What happens? The cat sleeps. But the sentence does not stop there. It also tells you where. All of it belongs to the telling part.
Naming part: “My cat”. Telling part: “sleeps on the mat”.
Once the telling part starts, it runs to the end of the sentence.
What comes along
| Sentence | Naming part | Telling part |
|---|---|---|
| Six ducks swim in the pond. | Six ducks | swim in the pond |
| Ava rides her bike. | Ava | rides her bike |
| My brother reads a book. | My brother | reads a book |
| The clock ticks at night. | The clock | ticks at night |
Words that tell where, when, or what something happens to all live in the telling part.
A mistake to watch for
It is tempting to grab only the word that tells what happens and stop.
Sentence: “Six ducks swim in the pond.”
If you answer “swim”, you have left out where they swim. The whole telling part is “swim in the pond”.
Here is a way to check. Read the naming part, then your telling part, and see whether you have used up the sentence. “Six ducks” plus “swim” leaves three words sitting there with nowhere to go.
Your turn
Give the whole telling part.
- “The bus stops here.”
- “Leo drops his cup.”
- “My little sister sings in the car.”
- “Two apples fell out of the tree.”
Check your answers
- “stops here”
- “drops his cup”
- “sings in the car”
- “fell out of the tree”
Remember
- The telling part runs from the what-happens word to the end.
- Words about where and when belong to it.
- Check that the two parts together use up the whole sentence.