Sentence Expansion

The cat is sleeping.

Answer explanation

The Burmese cat, that lives next door, is sleeping on the roof of my neighbour's sports car.

The Burmese cat- expanded noun phrase

that lives next door- relative clause

on the roof...- prepositional phrase

of my neighbour's sports car- expanded noun phrase

The train is stopping.

Answer explanation

"As the sun began to set behind the hills, the train, which had been travelling for hours, started to slow down at the busy station where passengers were waiting."

• Starts with a fronted adverbial: "As the sun began to set behind the hills"

• Includes a relative clause: "which had been travelling for hours"

• Uses a subordinate clause to add detail about where it's stopping

The wind was blowing.

Answer explanation

"Early in the morning, when the sky was still grey, the wind, which whistled through the trees, was blowing gently across the fields."

• Fronted adverbial: "Early in the morning"

• Subordinate clause: "when the sky was still grey"

• Relative clause: "which whistled through the trees"

The baby was crying.

Answer explanation

"In the middle of the quiet night, when the stars were twinkling above the rooftops, the baby, who had just woken from a dream, was crying loudly in her cosy cot, her tiny fists waving in the air like little drumsticks."

• Fronted adverbial: "In the middle of the quiet night"

• Subordinate clause: "when the stars were twinkling above the rooftops"

• Relative clause: "who had just woken from a dream"

• Prepositional phrases: "in her cosy cot", "above the rooftops"

• Adjectives: "quiet", "twinkling", "cosy", "tiny"

• Adverbs: "loudly"

• Figurative language: "her tiny fists waving in the air like little drumsticks" (simile)

The cookies are baking.

The tree fell.

The boy danced.

The bear roared.

The bell rang.

The house burned.