We’ve made it all the way to pattern seven! This is the point when my students start celebrating, and they feel like they’ve mastered the language of grammar. Of course there’s a lot left to learn from here, but there’s no reason not to celebrate. Mastering all seven patterns is a major accomplishment.

So here is what pattern seven looks like. It has four core parts and follows the same internal logic of pattern six, making it relatively easy to learn. First comes the familiar subject noun (SN), or who or what the sentence is about. Next comes the verb-transitive (V-t), which is an action verb that sends or transfers its action to something else. The something that receives the action is called the direct object (DO). Last of all comes the object complement adjective (OCA), which modifies the direct object.

Let’s put this in context with an example. Be sure to download the grammar memorization questions as a cross-reference.

SAMPLE LESSON

Here is a simple sentence about Henry’s second daughter, Elizabeth, next in the line of succession after Mary.

To classify this sentence we would follow a simple script.

Who considered herself clever?—Elizabeth (SN)

What is being said about Elizabeth?—Elizabeth considered (V)

Considered whom?—herself (DO)

Since we have a direct object, we can go back to the verb and label it transitive—(V-t)

Considered herself what?—clever

Does clever mean the same thing as herself?— no, clever modifies herself (OCA)

So the only difference with pattern six is that the object complement modifies the direct object, making it an adjective, instead of meaning the same thing as it. It really is that simple!

And, it gets even better. Pattern seven diagrams are the same as pattern six.

You probably noticed that this is a comparatively short sample lesson. That’s because I previously went into so much detail on pattern six, which is the foundation for pattern seven. If you need clarification, just go back to pattern six. If not, continue on to the practice sentences.

PRACTICE SENTENCES

All of our practice sentences will revolve around Queen Elizabeth. She is such a prominent historical figure, I am going to take her story a little at a time. For this post, I am focusing on some of her overarching characteristics and style of rule. There will be time to get into finer details later. As always, I am going to mix other patterns along with pattern seven.

She’s not so beloved in my classroom, however. We spend considerable time studying Saint Edmund Campion, and it’s hard to like Elizabeth in that context. Similarly, we study William Shakespeare and Elizabeth’s patronage therein, and it’s hard to ignore the propagandist impact she had on turning family rivals like Richard III into monsters through Shakespeare’s plays.

Despite these criticisms, my students generally agree Elizabeth deserves all the fanfare she’s been awarded throughout history. She was extremely good at managing the affairs of state in tandem with the politics of her personal cult. In a way, she redefined power itself. Generations of leaders, both male and female, have borrowed from her playbook.