How to teach grammar in context with The Secret Garden – a one sentence warmup

Choose a sentence to put under the microscope. Look for a sentence that contains some of the following: figurative language, sensory imagery, alliteration, allusion, clauses, prepositional, infinitive, gerund or appositive phrases. Example:

She heard something rustling on the matting and when she looked down she saw a little snake gliding along and watching her with eyes like jewels.

·       simile: like jewels

·       sensory imagery: rustling, snake gliding and watching, eyes like jewels

·       clause: when she looked down

·       participles: rustling, gliding along, watching her

·       prepositional phrases: on the matting, with eyes, like jewels

The goal is to increase a student’s reading comprehension and writing skills. Analyzing a single sentence makes readers aware of figurative language and symbolism as they read. Identifying an author’s use of clauses and phrases demonstrates writing strategies anyone can use.

The Grammardog Guide to The Secret Garden features 16 multiple choice grammar, style, proofreading and literary analysis quizzes that use sentences from the literature. Answer key is included.