ABSTRACT
Before you read this chapter, please take a few minutes to recall some of the activities, exercises, drills, and lessons you've completed when studying the uses of the English language. For example, did you identify the part of speech for each word in a sentence? Did you underline subjects once, predicates twice? Were you ever asked to unhinge dangling participles? Have you ever been asked to write sentences with predicate adjectives, predicate nominatives, and the like? What were the purposes of these activities?
