Writer's Choice Grade 7

Unit 14: Clauses and Complex Sentences

Web Quest

Introduction

When you make use of a variety of sentences and clauses, your writing becomes more engaging. Good writers know that changing sentence structure and length will help hold their reader's attention. Specifically, subordinating clauses add information and detail to descriptions very effectively. Employing them will also help prevent a long string of short, choppy, and uninteresting sentences. Anna Sewell's novel, Black Beauty provides classic examples of effective clauses.

Destination Title: Black Beauty

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1. Click Read.
2. In the left-hand bar, open the pull-down menu, "Choose a section, "and click "Fiction."
3. Click the title, Black Beauty. Note: The list is alphabetical.
4. Click Chapter 1.
Directions
Read page 1 of Chapter: "My Early Home." After you have read the passage, follow the hints and directions below to identify a variety of sentences and clauses.

1.
Identify one compound sentence in the first paragraph.
2.
Look at the first sentence of the fourth paragraph. What kind of clause is "when there was a good deal of kicking"? What does it tell?
3.
The first sentence of the seventh paragraph is a simple sentence. How do you know?
4.
What kind of sentence is the first one in the eighth paragraph? Identify the clauses that tell you.
5.
In the last sentence on the page, what kind of clause is "who looked after the horses"? What does it modify?
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