Quick overview (for a 13-year-old)
We will: make four levels of color-coded grammar flashcards; explain the 8 parts of speech; identify phrases and clauses; parse the Augustine sentence into a sentence map; give an emoji flowchart; show a color-coded sentence for oral delivery; perform an Ally McBeal cadence oral script (with breathing and pause marks); give grammar justifications with citations; finish with a brief personal reflection (Ally McBeal style) and an ACARA v9 teacher comment for a proficient/exemplary outcome.
Color legend for flashcards and the sentence
- 🟦 Nouns (people, places, things, ideas)
- 🔴 Verbs (actions or states)
- 🟧 Pronouns (words that replace nouns)
- 🟩 Adjectives (describe nouns)
- 🟪 Adverbs (describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs)
- 🟫 Prepositions (show relationship: time/place/others)
- ➕ Conjunctions (join words/phrases/clauses)
- ❗ Interjections (short exclamations)
Four levels of grammar flashcards
- Level 1 — Parts of Speech (single-word focus): For each of the 8 parts of speech, give: definition + 4 examples + 1 mini-sentence. Color each card with the legend color.
- Level 2 — Phrases (group-of-words that act as one unit): Cards for prepositional phrases, appositive phrase, and verbal phrases (infinitive, gerund, participle). Show structure + example + underline the head word and color each word by part of speech.
- Level 3 — Clauses (subject + verb): Independent clause vs subordinate clause (adverbial, relative, noun clause). Show examples and how they can stand or not stand alone.
- Level 4 — Sentence Structure: Simple, compound, complex (and complex-compound). Map clauses with arrows and color-coded clause labels (S for subject side, P for predicate side).
The 8 building blocks (short definitions)
- Nouns: words for people/places/things/ideas (e.g., city, hope).
- Verbs: action or state words (e.g., see, give).
- Pronouns: replace nouns (e.g., it, he).
- Adjectives: describe nouns (e.g., earthly, unhappy).
- Adverbs: modify verbs/adjectives (e.g., first can act adverbially here).
- Prepositions: show relationships (e.g., in, for).
- Conjunctions: join words/clauses (e.g., and, but).
- Interjections: short feelings (rare in scholarly sentences).
The Augustine sentence (original)
As I see that I have still to discuss the fit destinies of the two cities, the earthly and the heavenly, I must first explain, so far as the limits of this work allow me, the reasonings by which men have attempted to make for themselves a happiness in this unhappy life, in order that it may be evident, not only from divine authority, but also from such reasons as can be adduced to unbelievers, how the empty dreams of the philosophers differ from the hope which God gives to us, and from the substantial fulfillment of it which He will give us as our blessedness.
Step-by-step clause and phrase map (simple labels)
- Opening subordinate clause (adverbial reason/condition):
'As' I see that I have still to discuss the fit destinies of the two cities, the earthly and the heavenly.(This whole chunk explains why the speaker will do the main action.)
- Main clause (what the speaker must do):
I must first explain, so far as the limits of this work allow me, the reasonings by which men have attempted to make for themselves a happiness in this unhappy life,(The noun phrase 'the reasonings...' is the direct object of 'explain'. It has a relative/adverbial modifier 'by which men have attempted...')
- Purpose clause introduced by 'in order that':
in order that it may be evident, not only from divine authority, but also from such reasons as can be adduced to unbelievers,(This clause states the goal: to make something clear both from authority and reason.)
- Content (extraposed 'it' with a 'how'-clause):
how the empty dreams of the philosophers differ from the hope which God gives to us, and from the substantial fulfillment of it which He will give us as our blessedness.(This is the idea the author wants to make evident: a content clause introduced by 'how'.)
Emoji flowchart of the sentence (box-by-box)
Legend: 🔁 subordinate clause, ▶️ main clause, 🎯 purpose, 📦 object, 🔗 relative link
🔁 As I see that I have still to discuss the fit destinies of the two cities (the earthly and the heavenly) ➜ ▶️ I must first explain (so far as the limits of this work allow me) ➜ 📦 the reasonings 🔗 (by which men have attempted to make for themselves a happiness in this unhappy life) ➜ 🎯 in order that it may be evident (not only from divine authority, but also from such reasons as can be adduced to unbelievers) ➜ 📢 how the empty dreams of the philosophers differ from the hope which God gives to us, and from the substantial fulfillment of it which He will give us as our blessedness.
Full color-coded sentence (word-by-word)
As
I see
that
I have
still
to discuss
the fit destinies
of
the two cities,
the earthly and the heavenly,
I
must
first
explain,
so far as the limits of this work allow me,
the reasonings
by
which
men
have attempted
to make
for
themselves
a
happiness
in
this unhappy life,
in order that
it
may be
evident,
not only from
divine authority,
but also from
such reasons
as
can be adduced
to
unbelievers,
how
the empty dreams
of
the philosophers
differ
from
the hope
which
God
gives
to
us,
and from
the substantial fulfillment
of
it
which
He will give
us
as
our blessedness.
Ally McBeal cadence: oral delivery script (with breathing and pause marks)
Performance notes: use a conversational but dramatic, slightly theatrical rhythm — short inhalations at commas, longer breath at clause boundaries. Ally-style inner thoughts appear in parentheses / short asides. Emphasize contrasts: "earthly" vs "heavenly", "empty dreams" vs "hope".
Start (take a breath — deep, 3 seconds): [inhale 3s]
As I see (brief pause — inhale 0.5s) that I have still to discuss the fit destinies of the two cities — the earthly (short, sharp) and the heavenly (soft, held) — [pause 0.8s]
I must first explain [exhale slowly on must] — so far as the limits of this work allow me — [short inhale at the dash]
the reasonings (by which) men have attempted to make for themselves a happiness (in this unhappy life), [tiny laugh/thought in parenthesis: (oh, the attempts!)] [pause 1s]
in order that it may be evident — not only from divine authority, (pause) but also from such reasons (as can be adduced) to unbelievers — [longer breath: 1.5s]
how the empty dreams of the philosophers (air-quotes, slightly dismissive) differ (short dramatic pause) from the hope which God gives to us — and from the substantial fulfillment of it which He will give us as our blessedness. [final hold: 2s — soft landing]
End with a tiny upward inflection on "blessedness" if you want the sentence to feel hopeful; end flat if you want it solemn.
Ally McBeal annotations (why these breaths and stresses?)
- Begin with a long breath: the opening 'As I see...' is a long subordinate clause — treat it as background, so give the listener time to follow.
- Mark contrasts (earthly / heavenly; empty dreams / hope / fulfillment) with tone changes — this guides attention to semantic oppositions.
- Pause at commas but take slightly longer at clause boundaries (where clause type changes). This helps parse long sentences when speaking aloud.
- Use parentheses-like side-comments (Ally-style inner voice) to make the abstract language relatable.
Grammar & syntax justifications (with references)
- Clauses: A clause has a subject and a verb. The sentence starts with an adverbial subordinate clause beginning with "As" (a subordinating conjunction) — this is standard in identifying complex sentences. (See Purdue OWL, "Clauses" section: https://owl.purdue.edu/)
- Noun phrases and extraposition: The "it may be evident" construction uses an anticipatory 'it' and a content clause introduced by "how" (a content/noun clause). The real content is the following clause explaining how things differ. (See Huddleston & Pullum, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language for extraposition and content clauses.)
- Relative clauses: "which God gives to us" and "which He will give us" are relative clauses modifying 'hope' and 'fulfillment'. Relative pronouns ('which') introduce them. (See general grammar references e.g., Oxford or Cambridge grammars.)
- Phrases: "the fit destinies of the two cities" is a noun phrase with a prepositional phrase "of the two cities" modifying 'destinies'. "For themselves" is a prepositional phrase functioning as benefactive. (See standard grammar references, e.g., Purdue OWL Parts of Speech and Phrases.)
- Sentence type: The whole sentence is complex — a main independent clause ('I must first explain...') plus several subordinate clauses (adverbial 'As...' and purpose 'in order that...' and content 'how...').
Short citations for classroom use
- Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) — Parts of Speech and Clauses: https://owl.purdue.edu/
- Huddleston, R., & Pullum, G. K. (2002). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge University Press — for advanced clause and extraposition discussion.
- Oxford Learner's Dictionaries / Grammar sites for definitions of phrase/clause types.
Personal reflection (Ally McBeal cadence)
Okay — tiny heartbeat. (I love a good long sentence — it's like a puzzle, right?) Reading Augustine here felt like being handed a map with many paths. I had to breathe between the paths and point at the forks: "earthly" vs "heavenly," "dreams" vs "hope." Doing the color-coding made the map pop. (I smiled at 'this unhappy life' — so human.) Delivering it aloud? Rhythms save meaning. You pause, you let ideas land — people hear the difference. I felt smart and a little dramatic. And yes — I would do it again. [soft laugh]
ACARA v9 teacher comment (homeschool report comment — proficient to exemplary)
Student: [Name] — Age 13
Achievement comment (Proficient/Exemplary): [Name] demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of complex sentence structure and clause relationships. They accurately identified subordinate and main clauses, labeled relative and purpose clauses, and used color-coding to show parts of speech and phrase functions. Their oral performance, using deliberate pauses and expressive emphasis, made the sentence's contrasts and logic clear to listeners. [Name] applied meta-linguistic reflection appropriately and cited grammar resources to justify analyses. This work meets ACARA v9 expectations for critical understanding of grammar and textual interpretation and is of exemplary quality in clarity, accuracy, and presentation.
If you want printable flashcard templates, a set of step-by-step student tasks to practice each level, or an audio file of the Ally McBeal-style delivery, tell me which you'd like and I will prepare them.