New York State Elementary Test Prep- ELA 4- 4th Grade

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Good readers look for clues to help decode
a new word.

One way to do this is to look at the whole sentence.

This can help you to know what kind of word it is.

Let's take a close look at
sentences.

A sentence is made up of 2 parts.

* a subject

* a predicate

      The subject names the
      person, place or thing
      (noun) that the sentence
      is about.

The predicate contains
words that tell what the
subject is or does (verb).

So...

When you are looking at an unfamiliar word,
ask yourself...

Is the word in the subject?

Am I looking for a noun?

Is the word in the predicate?

Am I looking for a verb?

Let's look at some examples. boy with book

My _____?______ walked with me in the park.

Subject My _____? _____

Predicate

walked with me
in the park.

                          Since...   ______? ______ is
                                         in the subject of the
                                         sentence, you are looking for
                                         a noun (the name of a
                                         person, place, or thing)

My dalmatian walked with me in the park.

....now that you know you are looking for a noun, it
makes it easier to decode the word dalmatian.

The _____?_____ flew on the space shuttle.

Subject The _____? _____

Predicate

flew on the
space shuttle.

                      Since...   ______? ______ is
                                       in the subject of the
                                       sentence, you are looking
                                       for a noun (the name of a
                                                person, place, or thing)

The astronaut flew on the space shuttle.

....now that you know you are looking for a noun, it
makes it easier to decode the word astronaut.

The horse ______ ? ______ along the path.

Subject The horse

Predicate

_____ ? _______
along the path.

                       Since...   ______? ______ is
                                      in the predicate of the
                                      sentence, you are looking for
                                      a verb (or a word that shows
                                                      what the horse does).

The horse galloped along the path.

....now that you know you are looking for a verb, it
makes it easier to decode the word galloped.

The wagon ______ ? ______ down the bumpy road.

Subject The wagon

Predicate

_____ ? ______
down the bumpy road.

                      Since...   ______? ______ is
                                     in the predicate of the
                                     sentence, you are looking for
                                     a verb (or a word that shows
                                                    what the wagon does).

The wagon bounced down the bumpy road.

.... now that you know you are looking for a verb, it
makes it easier to decode the word bounced.

Remember... when you are decoding an unfamiliar word,
                               knowing whether it is the subject or
                           predicate can help you.

Click on the flower for practice.