The lesson defines a phrase and explains noun phrases (noun plus modifiers) and verb phrases (verb plus helping verbs, excluding adverbs). Students are asked to label noun and verb phrases in sentences (Option 1 and Option 2) and to use parts-of-speech symbols to mark words in those phrases. The lesson also asks students to give an example of a verb phrase and to explain what is and is not included in a verb phrase.

The lesson defines appositive phrases in the "Things to Know" section and explicitly defines prepositional phrases and their adjective/adverb functions in the Activity 1 explanation. Students are directed to mark prepositional and appositive phrases in multiple sentences (underline, parenthesize, label as adj/adv) and to write their own sentences that begin with prepositional phrases or contain appositives in Parts I and II (both Option 1 and Option 2). The answer keys show expected student actions — labeling phrases, identifying functions (adj/adv), and inserting commas for appositives — demonstrating instruction and practice on phrase function in specific sentences.

Students copy and correct two provided sentences for grammar, spelling, and punctuation in Activity 1, which requires them to revise clause boundaries (for example, using a semicolon, dash, or separate sentences). Students also add sentences and phrases to a stylistic device log and are asked to consider how each phrase or sentence affects the reader, which engages them with phrases in context.

The lesson defines verbal phrases and the three types (gerund, infinitive, participial) and explains how each type functions (e.g., gerund phrases function as nouns; participial phrases function as adjectives; infinitive phrases can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs). The skills and activities require students to underline verbal phrases in sentences, label each phrase's function (noun, adjective, or adverb), and write their own sentences using participial and infinitive phrases. The answer keys and practice pages ask students to identify how verbal phrases function in specific sentences from the text.

Students are instructed in Activity 1 to copy sentences and underline prepositional, appositive, and verbal phrases, then label how each verbal phrase functions in the sentence (noun, adjective, adverb) and identify gerund/infinitive/participial types. The Grammar Review chart defines phrase types and states how they function (e.g., prepositional phrases act as adjectives or adverbs; appositives rename nouns; verbal phrases can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs). The Parent Plan skills explicitly direct students to identify and understand the function of appositive, prepositional, and adjectival/adverbial phrases.

Part C: Grammar asks students to identify each underlined phrase as an appositive, gerund, infinitive, or participial phrase and to identify whether it functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb in the sentence. Five practice items require students to label phrase type and function in specific sentences (e.g., "Diving for pearls is difficult..." and "The canoe, Kino's only real possession,"). The included answer key provides the correct phrase-type and function labels for those items.

Students are prompted to use simple, compound, and complex sentences in the Skills section and the revision checklist's Style section asks students to vary sentence length and type. Students are instructed to look for run-on sentences and sentence fragments in the proofreading discussion and the "Why Proofread?" activity emphasizes how punctuation and sentence structure change meaning. Students are given sentence-level revision and proofreading tasks (e.g., focusing on sentence fragments, run-ons, and variation in sentence type).

The lesson defines an independent clause ("a complete thought that can stand by itself as a sentence") and notes that a clause contains a subject and verb. Students are asked to identify independent clauses, correct comma usage when joining two independent clauses, and combine sentence pairs using coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) on the Student Activity Page. The lesson includes error-spotting examples and practice that require students to choose appropriate conjunctions and place commas when forming compound sentences.

The lesson explicitly directs students to identify independent clauses: it tells them to "read the sentence slowly to confirm that it contains two (or more) independent clauses" and to "find where the first independent clause ends and the next one begins." The student activity requires learners to "identify independent clauses and mark their beginnings," underline each clause, and use editing marks to add commas + coordinating conjunctions or periods and capitals to correct run-on sentences.

Students are given a definition of dependent and independent clauses ("A dependent clause contains a subject and verb but is not a complete thought") and shown how subordinating conjunctions create dependent clauses. Students practice combining independent clauses into complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions and correct comma placement through sentence-level exercises (Option 1) and paragraph revision (Option 2). Students also use a provided list of common subordinating conjunctions and produce both complex and compound sentences in guided practice and answer keys.

Students are asked to memorize the seven coordinating conjunctions and give examples of subordinating conjunctions, which targets knowledge of clause connectors. Students are asked to describe what compound and complex sentences contain, which involves recognizing clauses within sentence structures. Students also correct sentences for grammar and punctuation, an activity that can require noticing clause boundaries and clause-level errors.

Students identify and correct sentence fragments by underlining and joining fragments to independent clauses in Part I and II. Students label fragments as dependent clauses, prepositional phrases, or verbal phrases and are asked to explain what each fragment was missing (subject, verb, or complete thought). Students practice converting fragments into complete sentences by adding missing elements or attaching fragments to main clauses.

Students are asked to insert semicolons between independent clauses and to join clauses using a semicolon plus a transitional expression, which requires them to identify independent clauses. Option 2 directs students to revise run-on sentences using a subordinating conjunction to form complex sentences and to rewrite sentences so that one is a complex sentence and one uses a semicolon with a transitional expression. The activity also asks students to determine the relationship the second clause has with the first (cause, effect, addition, contrast, example, emphasis), which engages them in thinking about clause-level relationships in sentences.

Students are asked to define the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause (Student Activity Part I, Q1) and to write examples of compound and complex sentences (Q4, Q5). Students complete punctuation exercises that require recognizing dependent clauses at the beginning or end of sentences and correctly punctuating two independent clauses joined by conjunctions or semicolons (Part II and Answer Key notes). The skills list explicitly names using dependent and independent clauses correctly and using simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Students are asked to combine given clauses to create a complex sentence and a compound sentence (Part IV, Create a complex sentence / Create a compound sentence). Students analyze and correct a fragment ("Before Bilbo got back home." / "He had many hardships and adventures.") and evaluate a run-on/comma splice, explaining why a revision is or is not better. Exercises also require rewriting two short sentences with a semicolon and transitional expression and completing exercises on grammar and mechanics noted in the rubric and editing-symbols reference.

The lesson explicitly defines a relative pronoun as one that begins a dependent clause and gives examples (who, whom, whose, which, that). It explains the two kinds of relative clauses (restrictive and nonrestrictive), shows comma usage, and provides multiple model sentences contrasting who/that and that/which. Student activities require underlining relative clauses, choosing between who/that or that/which and inserting commas, and Option 2 asks students to write a paragraph containing at least two relative pronouns and make an answer key.

The "Things to Review" section explicitly asks students to review the difference between a restrictive and nonrestrictive clause and to review pronouns and antecedents, which addresses clause-related grammar. The Sentence Correcting activity has students rewrite sentences and the provided corrections discuss punctuation choices between clauses (semicolon, colon, dash, period) and possessive forms, giving students practice with clause boundaries and sentence structure. Parent answer keys point out acceptable punctuation for joining independent clauses, which models clause-level revision.

Students are given definitions of independent and dependent clauses and shown that a dependent clause begins with subordinating conjunctions. Students practice identifying clauses by underlining independent clauses and bracketing dependent clauses in given sentences and labeling each sentence as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. Students must write a paragraph that includes at least one compound, one complex, and one compound-complex sentence, practicing clause combination in their own writing.

Students complete Activity 1 (Sentence Combining) in which they combine sets of sentences into a compound sentence and then into a complex sentence, and they are given an example transforming two sentences into a complex sentence with a subordinating conjunction. The Parent Plan guidance explicitly tells students that compound sentences contain two independent clauses and complex sentences contain one independent clause and one dependent clause. The Skills section directs students to use a variety of complete sentences (simple, compound, complex), which reinforces practice with clause types.

Students are asked to locate passive-voice sentences in the text and explain why the author used passive constructions, with prompts to rewrite those sentences in active voice. The materials instruct students to recognize a passive verb by looking for "(a form of the verb be) + (the past participle)" and note that "sometimes, the prepositional phrase 'by _____' appears" to show who is performing the action. Instructions for converting passive to active ask students to find the grammatical subject (which will become the direct object) and determine who is performing the action, using a 'by ___' phrase if present.

Activity 1 asks students to combine sentence pairs into compound and then complex sentences, requiring students to create sentences with two independent clauses and with one independent plus one dependent clause. The Parent Plan provides suggested compound and complex versions and explicitly notes that compound sentences contain two independent clauses while complex sentences contain one independent clause and one dependent clause. The "Things to Review" section directs students to review differences among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

The lesson defines and gives examples of phrases and clauses in Activity 1: it explains prepositional phrases and notes they can function as adjectives (the girl in the red dress) or adverbs (clapped after the show). It also introduces descriptive clauses, specifically relative clauses (clauses that start with pronouns like who, which, or that) and verbal phrases, and provides example sentences (The boy who told the story was Alyce's friend; Exhausted by the long walk, she sat down...). Students are asked to rewrite two sentences, adding such phrases and clauses, and to compare their revisions with the author's original sentences.

The lesson's Skills section directs students to "use a variety of complete sentences (e.g., simple, compound, complex)," and Part IV: Grammar asks students to write a complex sentence and a compound sentence as well as passive and active versions. The study directions tell students to "review the vocabulary words, the grammar rules you have learned," implying grammar practice. These items require students to produce sentences that involve clauses.

The lesson explicitly states that "parentheses are used in sentences to set off words or phrases that illustrate or clarify" and provides examples showing nonessential information set off with parentheses. Students are given an activity to decide whether underlined information should be set off with commas or parentheses and to write two sentences that contain parentheses, one of which must be a complete sentence in parentheses. The parent notes instruct that the child should be able to tell why he put the information in parentheses.

Students are instructed how to identify and diagram prepositional phrases: the lesson defines a prepositional phrase, tells students that it begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, and explains that the whole phrase functions as an adjective or adverb. Students are asked to bracket prepositional phrases, write ADJ or ADV above them, and test what question the phrase answers. The diagramming activities and examples require students to label and place modifiers, predicate nouns/adjectives, direct objects, and verb phrases on sentence diagrams, and the Parts of a Sentence table explicitly lists and describes "Prepositional Phrase."

Students are asked to identify and bracket prepositional phrases (e.g., Neither [of the scientists] ...) and are told that the object of a preposition cannot be the subject. The Skills list and activities require students to "identify, use, and understand the function of prepositions and prepositional phrases" and to diagram sentences showing where prepositional phrases attach. The materials also ask students to determine the part of speech or function of interrogative words (e.g., when, who) and show diagrams that place prepositional phrases and the word "there" in specific sentence structures.

The lesson's Activity 1 focuses on diagramming verbals and verbal phrases and provides explicit examples and explanations of gerunds, infinitives, and participles (e.g., "Studying is important," "He wanted to complain," and "The angered father..."). The text explains how to determine a phrase's function (noun, adjective, or adverb) and gives a specific example noting that an infinitive phrase functions as an adverb because it answers "why." Students are asked to diagram sentences that require identifying how verbal phrases function (e.g., "Studying calculus was difficult" and "Newton wrote a letter to complain about Leibniz").

Students are asked to diagram sentences in Activity 4 and to diagram two sentences from their sidebar in Activity 7, practicing sentence analysis. The Diagramming Practice page and accompanying image show students breaking sentences into parts (e.g., identifying the subject, verb, modifiers, and prepositional phrases such as "without carbon" and "to history"). The materials point students to online resources (Basic Sentence Parts and Patterns; Reed-Kellogg Diagrammer) to support diagramming and sentence-structure analysis.

Students are asked to review the "Parts of a Sentence" page and to diagram sentences (Activity 5 and test items). The unit test includes sentence-diagramming items and the answer key explains that the prepositional phrase "with electricity" modifies "experimenting" and that "into his notebook" connects as a phrase related to the verb "copies." The editing/diagram examples also show adverbs modifying verbs and adjectives modifying nouns, demonstrating phrase function in specific sentences.