At the start of this year, some well-known characters have gone into public domain so their image can be used without worrying about copyright. Today, you’ll be focusing on the grammatical structure of a sentence from an article about this topic.
Sentence Structure and Parts of Speech
Set a timer for ten minutes. Take a look at the sentence below and break it down into its grammatical components (subject, verb, object, clauses, adjective, pronoun, etc.). If you have a bit of time left, focus on the relationship between words and how they work together. The following sentence has been taken from the article ‘Disney’s earliest Mickey and Minnie Mouse enter public domain as US copyright expires‘ by Noor Nanji.
“Steamboat Willie, a 1928 short film featuring early non-speaking versions of Mickey and Minnie, is widely seen as the moment that transformed Disney’s fortunes and made cinema history.”
If you’d like to spend a bit more time practising today. You can read the whole article on the BBC website: Disney’s earliest Mickey and Minnie Mouse enter public domain as US copyright expires.
Older Practice Activities
- How to Handle StressWhenever we want to share information or some kind of message, we need to structure the way we say it to make it easy to understand. There are many phrases and words in English that you can use. When listing a few things or ideas, the simplest way is to use the words first, second,… Read more: How to Handle Stress
- Again! Again!If you’ve ever taken care of a toddler, you’ve probably noticed they like routine and repeating things over and over again. Today, we’ll take a look at an article that talks about this phenomenon. The article is not too long, and you should be able to skim it for the general idea easily. After your… Read more: Again! Again!
- Prepositions of Time and PlacePrepositions can be a bit tricky, especially the most common ones such as on, at and in. You’ve probably studied the use of these many times before but mistakes in them are so common, a bit of extra practice won’t hurt. With prepositions on, at and in the general rule is that we use in… Read more: Prepositions of Time and Place
- A Day in the LifeIt’s time to practise some writing. Today, I’d like you to focus on the structure of your piece. Try to use some phrases to signpost where you are in the narrative. I’d also recommend using prepositions of time and place to add some specific information and detail. Journal Entry Writing a journal in English can… Read more: A Day in the Life
- BrainStuffBrainStuff is a podcast that releases short (usually under 15 minutes) episodes daily. They usually offer a short introduction to a specific topic. They often speak quite fast during the episodes, so don’t forget you can slow down the audio in most podcast apps. BrainStuff: How Do We Define the Kilogram How Do We Define… Read more: BrainStuff
- FreericeWhile I usually recommend learning vocabulary from context rather than lists and definitions, we can use these techniques to practise what we already know. Today, my recommendation is for a website run by the UN World Food Programme, where you can improve your knowledge while earning rice for correct answers. These grains of rice are… Read more: Freerice