"Slotting" is the grammatical process of identifying the parts of a sentence. Students can use slotting to identify weak nouns and verbs and replace them with more precise and vivid words. This creates stronger sentences and increases the level and quality of communication in both written and spoken language.

Understanding grammar makes you a better communicator.

1

Identify the sentence you will use and write it out on your paper, including capitalization and punctuation.

2

Identify and put a box around the subject of the sentence. This is usually the first slot in the sentence, but in some cases it will come after the predicate. The subject is composed of at least a noun or a pronoun, and it is the person, place or thing the sentence is about. This is one of the two basic sentence slots.

3

Determine whether the sentence is an imperative (one that gives a command). If so, then the subject is an understood "you" and will not be expressed in the sentence. In this case, "you" is still the subject and the first of the two basic sentence slots. Draw a box to the left of the sentence and place the word "you" in it.

4

Identify the predicate and put a box around it. The predicate tells something about the subject and typically consists of a verb and possible objects or modifiers. The predicate is the second basic sentence slot.

5

Watch for sentences that start with the word "There" and are followed by a "to be" verb. The subject usually follows. For example, "There are two ice cream bars in the freezer." "Ice cream bars" is the subject and the first slot in this sentence.

http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/caneng/sentence.htm