MCT four-level sentence analysis for a 13-year-old: medieval manuscript sentence rewritten — proficient and exemplary models, teacher feedback & rubric (Ally McBeal cadence)

Clear, student-friendly four-level (parts of speech, parts of sentence, phrases, clauses) analysis of a medieval manuscript sentence. Shows a proficient rewrite and an exemplary rewrite, step-by-step MCT analysis, playful Ally McBeal-style teacher comments, and a simple rubric for ages 13.

PDF

Goal (short):

Take a complicated 11th-century sentence, rewrite it so a modern reader (age 13) understands it, then show two student models (Proficient and Exemplary) and analyze each using the MCT four-level sentence analysis: Level 1 Parts of Speech, Level 2 Parts of Sentence, Level 3 Phrases, Level 4 Clauses. Finish with teacher feedback in an Ally McBeal cadence and a simple rubric.

Original (medieval Latin) & quick English sense:

Original: Quoniam de ciuitatis vtriusque terrene scilicet et celestis debitis finibus deinceps mihi uideo disputandum; t prius exponenda sunt quantum operis huius terminandi facio patitur. Argumenta mortalium, quibus sibi ipsi beatitudinem facere in huius vite infelicitate moliti sunt, ut ab eorum rebus vanis spes nostra quid differat, quam deus nobis dedit et res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo, quam dabit, non tantum auctoritate divina sed adhibita etiam ratione qualem propter infideles possumus adhibere, clarescat.

Plain English sense (short): The writer will discuss the limits of the earthly and heavenly city, but first will explain how much of the task he can finish. He then will show how people’s false hopes for happiness in this unhappy life differ from the true happiness God gives, and make clear, using reason as well as divine authority, what kind of happiness we can expect because of unbelievers.

Two student model sentences (based on the passage)

Proficient model (clear, correct, but plain):

Sentence P: "I will discuss the proper limits of both the earthly and the heavenly city, but first I must say how much of this work I can complete; then I will show how people’s false hopes for happiness differ from the true happiness God gives, and I will explain, using reason and divine authority, what we can expect."

Exemplary model (clear and more elegant — smoother rhythm and tighter wording):

Sentence E: "I will consider the proper bounds of the earthly and the heavenly city; first I must explain how much of this work I may finish, and then, by reason as well as divine authority, I will show how mortals’ vain hopes differ from the true happiness God grants and what form of beatitude we may rightly expect."

MCT four-level analysis — Proficient model (Sentence P)

  1. Level 1 — Parts of Speech (word classes):
    • I (pronoun)
    • will discuss (auxiliary verb + main verb = verb phrase)
    • the (article)
      • proper (adjective)
      • limits (noun)
      • of (preposition)
      • both (determiner)
        • the (article)
        • earthly (adjective)
        • and (conjunction)
        • the (article)
        • heavenly (adjective)
        • city (noun)
    • but (coordinating conjunction)
    • first (adverb)
    • I (pronoun) must say (modal + verb)
    • how (subordinating conjunction/wh-word) much (adverb) of (prep) this (demonstrative) work (noun) I (pron) can complete (modal + verb)
    • then (adverb) I (pron) will show (verb)
    • how (subordinator) people’s (noun + possessive) false (adj) hopes (n) for (prep) happiness (n) differ (v) from (prep) the (art) true (adj) happiness (n) God (n) gives (v)
    • and (conj) I (pron) will explain (v), using (present participle) reason (n) and (conj) divine (adj) authority (n), what (wh-word) we (pron) can expect (modal + verb).
  2. Level 2 — Parts of Sentence (subject/predicate roles):
    • Main subject: I
    • Predicates: a series of verb phrases — "will discuss...", "must say...", "will show...", "will explain..." (compound/series of predicates about the same subject)
    • Objects/complements:
      • Direct object of "discuss": "the proper limits of both the earthly and the heavenly city" (noun phrase)
      • Direct object of "say": the clause "how much of this work I can complete" (a dependent clause acting as a noun/what must be said)
      • Direct object of "show": clause "how people's... differ from the true happiness God gives"
      • Direct object of "explain": clause "what we can expect"
  3. Level 3 — Phrases (groups that act like one unit):
    • Prepositional phrases: "of both the earthly and the heavenly city"; "for happiness"; "from the true happiness"; "using reason and divine authority"
    • Nominal phrases (noun groups): "the proper limits"; "this work"; "people’s false hopes"; "the true happiness God gives" (includes an embedded clause)
    • Participial phrase: "using reason and divine authority" (present participle "using" with object)
  4. Level 4 — Clauses (independent/dependent and sentence type):
    • Independent clause(s): the whole sentence is one long compound-complex structure with one main subject "I" and several linked predicates. Grammatically you could break it into coordinated independent clauses joined by commas and conjunctions (compound).
    • Dependent clauses (subordinate noun clauses):
      • "how much of this work I can complete" — noun clause acting as object of "must say"
      • "how people’s false hopes ... differ from the true happiness God gives" — noun clause object of "will show"
      • "what we can expect" — noun clause object of "will explain"
    • Sentence type: compound-complex (multiple main predicates with embedded dependent noun clauses)

MCT four-level analysis — Exemplary model (Sentence E)

  1. Level 1 — Parts of Speech:
    • I (pronoun)
    • will consider (verb phrase)
    • the (article) proper (adj) bounds (noun) of (prep) the (art) earthly (adj) and (conj) the (art) heavenly (adj) city (noun)
    • first (adverb) I (pron) must explain (verb)
    • how (subordinator) much (adv) of (prep) this (demonstrative) work (n) I (pron) may (modal) finish (verb)
    • and (conj) then (adv) by (prep) reason (n) as (conj) well (adv) as (conj) divine (adj) authority (n) I (pron) will show (v)
    • how (subord) mortals’ (n) vain (adj) hopes (n) differ (v) from (prep) the (art) true (adj) happiness (n) God (n) grants (v)
    • and (conj) what (wh-word) form (n) of (prep) beatitude (n) we (pron) may (modal) rightly (adv) expect (v)
  2. Level 2 — Parts of Sentence:
    • Subject: I
    • Predicates: "will consider..."; "must explain..."; "will show..." — three linked predicates for the single subject
    • Objects/complements:
      • Object of consider: "the proper bounds of the earthly and the heavenly city" (noun phrase)
      • Object of explain: clause "how much of this work I may finish"
      • Object of show: clause "how mortals’ vain hopes differ..." and clause "what form of beatitude we may expect" (both are noun clauses introduced by 'how' and 'what')
  3. Level 3 — Phrases:
    • Prepositional phrases: "of the earthly and the heavenly city"; "by reason as well as divine authority"; "of beatitude"
    • Nominal phrases: "the proper bounds"; "mortals’ vain hopes"; "the true happiness God grants" (embedded relative idea)
    • Balanced/parallel phrase choices: "by reason as well as divine authority" (good parallelism — elegant)
  4. Level 4 — Clauses:
    • Independent core: subject "I" with three linked predicates (compound verb series). The sentence is compound-complex but reads more compactly because of tighter wording.
    • Dependent (noun) clauses functioning as objects: "how much..."; "how mortals'..."; "what form..."
    • Sentence type: compound-complex; stylistically more disciplined (fewer extra words, stronger parallel structures), which gives it exemplary status.

Teacher comment (Ally McBeal cadence — playful, rhythmic, a little theatrical):

"Oooo, I like this! — snap — there’s a clear plan: limits, then what you can do, then the comparison. Lovely rhythm. The Proficient sentence: honest, understandable, tells the story. The Exemplary sentence: smoother, cleaner—oh, so satisfying. Tighten a clause here, clip a flabby phrase there, and you’ve got music. Remember: say one idea at a time in each clause; let the big words sing at the end. Bravo — and, oh! Keep that balance (reason as well as authority) — it’s delicious."

Simple rubric (for grading these rewrites & analyses) — 4 criteria

  1. Clarity & Meaning (35 points)
    • Exemplary (31–35): Sentence makes the original idea clear, precise, and easy for a 13-year-old to understand.
    • Proficient (24–30): Clear overall, small confusion or extra words but correct meaning.
    • Developing (<24): Meaning is unclear or key parts are missing.
  2. Grammar Accuracy — Parts of Speech (25 points)
    • Exemplary (22–25): Parts of speech labeled correctly and complete.
    • Proficient (18–21): Mostly correct, one or two small errors.
    • Developing (<18): Several errors or misunderstandings.
  3. Structure — Phrases & Clauses (25 points)
    • Exemplary (22–25): Phrases identified, clauses classified, and sentence type labeled accurately.
    • Proficient (18–21): Most phrases/clauses correct; one small slip.
    • Developing (<18): Missing or incorrect clause/phrase analysis.
  4. Style & Economy (15 points)
    • Exemplary (14–15): Word choice is precise, parallelism and rhythm improve readability.
    • Proficient (11–13): Reasonable word choice but could be tighter.
    • Developing (<11): Wordiness or awkward phrasing hides meaning.

Total: 100 points. Aim for Exemplary: tighten phrasing, keep clear clause boundaries, and make sure every phrase has a job.

Quick tips to improve (step-by-step):

  1. Identify the main subject and its main verbs first — that's the backbone.
  2. Turn complex noun ideas into short noun phrases ("the proper bounds") so they don't hide the verb.
  3. Use parallel structure for linked ideas ("by reason as well as divine authority").
  4. Limit each dependent clause to one clear purpose: object, explanation, or comparison.
  5. Read aloud. If the sentence stumbles, tighten it.

If you want, I can: (a) show a t-model circle diagram for the exemplary sentence; (b) rewrite the Latin more literally; or (c) make practice sentences to analyze together. Which do you want next? — cue the music! 🎶

Ask a followup question