Lesson video

Hi everyone, it's Miss van Vliet here again, it's nice to see you and I hope that you are well today.

So today's lesson is another grammar lesson, and we're going to look at some complex sentences.

So let's get started with our learning.

So our learning objective for today is to explore some complex sentences.

So our agenda is as follows.

We're going to do a warm up, then we're going to revise the simple and compound sentences, then we're going to explore some complex sentences and then I'd like you to write some complex sentences.

So in this lesson, you will need exercise book or paper, a pencil, and of course we need your brain.

So, put on your thinking hat and let's start this lesson.

Okay, so warm up, just to remind ourselves of the different word classes that there are.

A noun is a, do you remember? A noun is a PPT, a person, place or thing.

Well done if you did that out loud.

An adjective is a describing word.

An adjective is a describing word.

Sometimes I say an adjective is a describing word, it tells you what it's like.

Well done.

A verb, do you remember what a verb is? If you did the third lesson in this, in "How to Train Your Dragon" units in outcome one, the third lesson we looked at verbs, and a verb is a doing or a being word, well done.

And then adverb is a word, an adverb describes a verb.

So we've got nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs.

So for this starter in this warm up, could you please label the sentence and add the matching word class to it? So I've got the colossal statues towered above the crashing sea.

Can you identify what each word is and their word class in that sentence? So pause the video if you need to and just take a moment.

Okay.

So let's see whether you got what I got.

So the colossal statues towered above the crashing sea.

Colossal statues.

Well, colossal is describing my statutes, so colossal must be an adjective, and a statue is a thing so it's a noun.

Towered is a verb and it means that they stood, they towered over.

So I can tower into you or over your screen, so I'm towering, so the statues.

The colossal and colossal means big, so the colossal statutes towered above the crashing sea.

What is crashing describing? It's describing the sea, so crashing is an adjective and sea is a noun.

Well done if you got that.

Okay, so just see if you can remember what a compound sentence is and what a simple sentence is.

Can you match the, and just point on your screen and just match compound to what, what would you match it to? So remember we had Mr Main and Mr Main is a clause and a clause has a verb and a clause makes sense on its own.

So just think compound, Mr Main, the dragon flew through the sky.

How would you match these? Of course, a compound sentence has two main clauses.

A compound sentence has two main clauses.

Your turn.

Well done.

And I wish that these sentences down here on the screen have two main clauses.

The dragon flew through the sky, or is it the dragon flew through the sky and breathed flames all over the village? Of course, it's the dragon flew through the sky and breathed flames all over the village because we have joined those two main clauses with a coordinating conjunction.

Well done.

So the simple sentence is of course, one main clause and it makes sense on its own, the dragon flew through the sky.

Well done if you got that.

So a simple sentence, main clause, dragon flew through the sky.

Compound sentence, two main clauses joined by BOA, so our coordinating conjunctions but, or, and.

And here we go, we've got the dragon flew through the sky and breathed flames all over the village.

So just take a mental picture of it, just try and put that in your head.

Simple is one main clause, compound is two main clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.

So then what is a complex sentence? Well a complex sentence is a main clause with a subordinate clause.

And now we've got Mr Main here and we've got Mr Subordinate.

And Mr Subordinate is the helper because the subordinate has a verb, can have verb, but it doesn't make sense on it's own.

So remember our Mr Main makes sense on its own, a subordinate does not make sense on its own.

And we join a complex sentence with a subordinating conjunction.

Subordinating conjunction.

Okay, so a complex sentence has a main clause and a subordinate clause.

My turn, a complex sentence has a main clause and a subordinate clause.

Your turn.

Well done.

We look at an example sentence.

So, the villagers ran to safety as the dragon was spewing flames.

Hmm, what do you see? What do you notice? Have some thinking time.

Can you identify the main clause and the subordinate clause? Hmm, let's have a look.

The villagers ran to safety as the dragon was spewing flames.

Which one is the main clause? Point to it on the screen.

Do that in 3, 2, 1.

Which one's my subordinate clause? Point to the screen 3, 2, 1.

Of course, the villagers ran to safety is the main clause, it makes sense on its own, as the dragon was spewing flames is the subordinating clause, doesn't make sense on its own.

Hmm, as the dragon was spewing flames, the villagers ran to safety.

What do you notice about this sentence? It sounds very very similar to the last sentence we just looked at.

But I've done something, what's happened here? Can you tell me? As the dragon was spewing flames, ah, what do you see? What did I do? I started my sentence with my subordinating conjunction as, I've got my subordinating clause and then I've got a comma and then I've got my main clause.

So it says, as the dragon was spewing flames, the villagers ran to safety.

So now I've swapped my clauses around and I've started my sentence with my subordinating clause and then my main clause.

And if I start a sentence with a subordinate clause, I have to put a comma after it.

So if my subordinating clause comes first, I need a comma.

So, can you tell me which way this sentence is written.

As the dragon soared to the sky, the inhabitants of Birk ran to get their weapons.

Which way is it written? Tell me.

I can't hear you.

Well done.

If you're not sure, have a look at the help there for you.

And that's absolutely fine if you're not sure, this is quite tricky.

Of course, I have as a dragon soared through the sky, the inhabitants of Birk ran to get their weapons.

I've started with my coordinating, sorry, my subordinating not coordinating, what did I say? Subordinating, it's a subordinating clause 'cause I have the subordinating conjunction and it makes a complex sentence.

So as the dragon soared through the sky, the inhabitants of Birk ran to get their weapons.

Okay, I'd like you now to see if you can rewrite the sentence and to move the clause around.

So, as a dragon soared through the sky, the inhabitants of Birk ran to get their weapons.

Can you rewrite it so that my main clause comes first? You need some help, there we go.

Pause the video and do that now.

Okay, so if I want to swap my clauses around and have my main clause first, do I need a comma? Thumbs up, thumbs down? Do I need to comma if my main clause comes first? No, I don't need to comma.

So I should or you should have written, the inhabitants of Birk ran to get their weapons as the dragon soared through the sky.

No need for a comma because our main clause comes first.

Okay, let's just recap all the different sentence types that we know.

Which one is a simple sentence? What do I need for a simple sentence? Point it on your screen in 3, 2, 1.

Well done.

What do I need for a compound sentence? What makes a compound sentence, point to the picture on your screen and do that in 3, 2, 1, okay? And then for a complex sentence, what do I need? Point to the picture on the screen in 3, 2, 1.

Let's check.

Simple sentence.

A simple sentence is one main clause.

A simple sentence is one main clause.

Your turn.

Okay, well done.

A compound sentence has two main clauses.

A compound sentence has two main clauses.

Your turn.

Good.

And then a complex sentence has a main clause and a subordinate clause.

Or it could of course have a subordinate clause and then a main clause.

And we did that today, we moved those clauses around.

So quick check.

Main clause, simple sentence.

Main clause and a main clause, compound sentence.

Main clause and a subordinate clause, complex sentence.

Subordinate clause and a main clause, complex sentence.

Okay, take a look at that screen, take a little image, put it in your head, try and remember that.

I know it's tricky, it's not easy to and well done for trying to getting through this lesson.

Okay, some subordinating conjunctions that I want you to focus on today is as, when, because, if, okay? As, when, because, if.

There are more subordinating conjunctions and you might know some others as well, so we'll look at those more later on.

So what I'd like you to do now is to write three complex sentences using the image opening scene of "How to Train Your Dragon." So that is that waves crashing.

If you haven't seen it, or you're only doing this grammar lesson, that's absolutely fine, just look at the picture and use it to write three sentences.

So we've got a boat, we've got crashing waves coming in, it's nighttime, the wind is howling.

So what can you come up with? I've got some, a word bank there that you can use, that you make your complex sentence really exciting.

And remember, a main clause and then a subordinate clause, you do not need a comma.

If you have your subordinate clause first, then you need a comma before you write your main clause.

And just try and focus on as, when, because, if.

So, pause the video and complete the task now.

Write three complex sentences, off you go.

So you should have now completed this task and you should have written three sentences.

Well done for doing that.

So today you did a warm up, you revised simple and compound sentences, we explored complex sentences, and you've written some complex sentence, quite a lot.

So remember, simple sentence has one main clause, compound sentence has two main clauses, and a complex sentence has one main clause and one subordinate clause.

Well done everyone.

That is the end of today's grammar lesson.

So make sure you go and tell your parents and carers that you know all about simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences.

I bet they'll be very surprised to hear that you know all of this.

So well done and congratulations, that's the end of today's lesson.

See you all soon.