About this activity
Twelve subject-verb-object sentences: The boy kicks the ball. The girl pets the dog. The cat chases the mouse. The teacher reads the book. The baby drinks the milk. The man drives the truck. Every one has the same three-part shape, which is deliberate — the structure is the target and the vocabulary is deliberately easy.
How to use it in a session
Ask what is happening rather than reading the sentence aloud. The question produces the structure; reading produces an imitation. Once the three-part sentences come easily, ask who is doing it and what they are doing to — separating the parts is what lets you see which one is missing when a sentence comes out short. Eight minutes covers the twelve.
What to listen for
Listen for the object going missing. The boy kicks is the commonest reduction, and it shows the verb is present and the sentence frame is incomplete. Watch word order too — the ball kicks the boy has all three parts in the wrong arrangement, which is a different and less common problem.
Carrying it home
Narrating what is happening supplies this structure all day. Dad is cooking dinner, the dog is chasing the cat — a running commentary gives more models than any card set.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through third grade, and older students learning English as an additional language.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve sentences play with no account.
- My student says 'the boy kicks' and stops. What now?
- The object is missing. Asking kicks what, immediately, usually gets it — and a forced-choice between two options is easier than an open question for a student who is stuck.