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 Finding Clauses
Practice Exercise # 4

Directions:  [Work through the text one sentence at a time.]
1. First place parentheses ( ) around every prepositional phrase.
2. Underline every subject once, every finite verb twice, and label complements (PA, PN, IO or DO). [Reminder: A predicate adjective describes the subject; a predicate noun "equals" the subject; an indirect object is someone or thing "to" or "for" whom (or what) the action of the verb is performed. Any other complement has to be a direct object.]
 

The text is:
     A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am." 
Note: In creating these pages, I cannot create a double underline. I will therefore underline both subjects and finite verbs once, but subjects will be in green; finite verbs in blue.

Sentence #1

     Work your way through the text one sentence at a time. The first sentence is:
       A little boywas overheard praying (DO) : "Lord, if youcan't make me (DO) a better boy, don't worry(about it).
Review Prepositional Phrases Review S/V/C patterns.

We need to begin at the end and work backward, but we also need to look for subordinate conjunctions. Since "if" always functions as a subordinate conjunction, let's get that clause out of the way. The words in the S/V/C pattern of the "if" clause are "you can't make me a better boy." The following "don't" is part of a different pattern. The pattern begins with the "if," which also tells us that it is subordinate. The clause indicates the conditions under which the Lord is not to worry. Hence, it chunks to "don't worry."
 

       A little boywas overheard praying (DO) : "Lord, [Adverbial to "don't worry" if youcan't make me (DO) a better boy], don't worry (about it).
We still have two pattern unanalyzed, so we need to start with the last one. It clearly ends with the words "about it." Where does it begin? Since we now know that the "if" clause chunks to "don't worry," we know that it is part of the "don't worry" clause. But we need to look at the word before the "if." Does "Lord" go with the "don't worry" clause, or with the "was overheard" clause? Common sense tells us that it goes with the "don't worry" clause. The next word back, however, "praying," clearly goes with the "was overheard" pattern. Thus the first word in the "don't worry" clause is "Lord."
     Finally, we need to determine if it is a subordinate or a main clause. The colon before "Lord" suggests that we are dealing with two main clauses -- one before the colon, and one after. Thus we can put a vertical line before "Lord," and another at the end of the sentence.
       A little boywas overheard praying: / "Lord, [Adverbial to "don't worry" if youcan't make me (DO) a better boy], don't worry(about it). / 

Sentence #2

The second sentence is:
I'm having a real good time (DO) like Iam." 
Review Prepositional Phrases Review S/V/C patterns.

We begin at the end, with the "I am" pattern. The last word is obviously "am." As for the first word in this clause, "like" here functions as a subordinate conjunction because if we ask "like what?", the answer is the subject / finite verb, "I am." 
     The next question is "How does this subordinate clause function?" -- What does it chunk to? I would accept either of two answers. Some people may see it as describing the subject, "I." Others may see it as describing the conditions under which the "am having" is taking place. Thus they would see it as an adverbial clause to "am having." Note that either option results in the "like" clause chunking to a word in the "I'm having a real good time" pattern.
I'm having a real good time (DO)[Adverbial to "am having" or adjectival to "I" like Iam]." 
This leaves us with one unanalyzed pattern, a clause that begins with "I'm" and ends with "am." It must be the main clause, so all we need to do is to put a vertical line at the end of the sentence.
I'm having a real good time (DO)[Adverbial to "am having" or adjectival to "I" like Iam]."/