To analyse a long sentence, remove the extra information first, find the core subjek and predikat, then label what remains. The core is usually only three or four words.
This lesson draws on identifying sentence patterns and finishes the syntax section.
How do I strip a long sentence to its core?
Use brackets. Put every time, place, manner or reason phrase in brackets, then read what is left.
- Bracket keterangan phrases (pada hari Isnin, di dewan, dengan cermat, kerana hujan).
- Find the verb.
- Ask who does it (subjek) and what receives it (objek).
- Label the bracketed phrases by type.
Worked example from an original passage
The sentence: “Pada pagi Isnin, pengawas sekolah dengan cermat mengutip sampah plastik di padang kerana pertandingan kebersihan akan diadakan.”
Step 1, bracket the extras. (Pada pagi Isnin), pengawas sekolah (dengan cermat) mengutip sampah plastik (di padang) (kerana pertandingan kebersihan akan diadakan).
Step 2, find the core. The verb is “mengutip”. The subjek is “pengawas sekolah”. The objek is “sampah plastik”.
| Component | Words | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Keterangan masa | Pada pagi Isnin | Bila? |
| Subjek | pengawas sekolah | Siapa? |
| Keterangan cara | dengan cermat | Bagaimana? |
| Predikat (kata kerja) | mengutip | Apa dibuat? |
| Objek | sampah plastik | Apa? |
| Keterangan tempat | di padang | Di mana? |
| Keterangan sebab | kerana pertandingan kebersihan akan diadakan | Kenapa? |
Notice that “sampah plastik” is an objek because it answers “apa dikutip”. “Di padang” answers “di mana”, so it is a keterangan, not an objek.
Why does the subjek seem to hide?
Because Malay often opens with a time or place phrase. Students then call the first words the subjek.
The bracket step removes the problem. After the brackets are out, the first noun phrase that does the verb’s action is the subjek.
The mistake that costs marks
The slip is to label everything after the verb as objek. “Sampah plastik” and “di padang” both follow “mengutip”, and students group them together.
The repair is to ask the question.
“Apa dikutip?” gives the objek. “Di mana?” gives a keterangan. A different question means a different component.
Check yourself
Label the parts in: “Semalam, Siti menghantar surat kepada pengetua melalui pejabat.”
Answer
Keterangan masa: Semalam. Subjek: Siti.
Predikat (kata kerja): menghantar. Objek: surat. Keterangan (penerima): kepada pengetua. Keterangan cara or perantara: melalui pejabat.
Classification of “kepada pengetua” may be shown as a pelengkap or a keterangan depending on the teaching convention, so check which term your class uses. Your core is “Siti menghantar surat”.
What to study next
Test all four syntax skills together on the syntax practice set. If active and passive still slip, return to transforming active and passive sentences.
For a teacher to go through sentence analysis on your own passages, see online one-to-one Bahasa Melayu tuition.