Sentence City (1978)

Pew. Pew. >> [music] [music] >> We got to do something. The act's just not going over. We open in Sentence City next week. Now, if we get another small crowd, we're finished. We must do something. I talk better than any talking dog in the business. What can we do? >> We need something new. A new twist. A habit. Writing. Writing. I'm a talker, not a writer. Rolo the writing dog. It's Saco. Wait a minute. Isn't it hard to write? Do you think I can learn to write? Sure you can. Writing's a lot like talking. You just write down the words. No kidding. I can learn to write. Why, sure. Everybody can learn to write. Okay, I'll do it. I'm ready. Rolo the writing dog. Hey, sounds good. Maybe I can give you some help. Please don't disturb me while I'm writing. Maybe it's going to be a great book. Writing's not that easy. Everybody needs some help. Uh, planning to write? Then you'll need good words. You can't do better than Wallally's. If you need words for places, people, and things, try Wallally's nouns in the yellow carton. If it's action words you need, get Wallally's words in the green box. Remember, name words and action words. When you write, you'll need both kinds. Oh, yes, sir. That's me. Roll the writing dog. Here, boss. Uh, take a look at this. Bite, fuzzy, bone, roll, roll, roll, my boy. You need to write more than just one word at a time. To make people understand, you have to write groups of words. You need name words. You need action words. Together, they can express a complete thought or idea. the boss. That could be a problem. >> Why? Oh, I don't think I have any ideas. Well, we're getting to Sentence City a whole week before the show opens. You'll get plenty of ideas in a place like that. Oh, I can't wait. >> [music] >> Mom washes. A sentence must have at least one name word and one action word to express a complete thought. Mom washes clothes. A sentence often has more than one name word. Mom washes clothes. Mom and clothes are both name words. Sometimes dad does the clothes and sometimes a sentence has more than one action word. Dad washes and dries clothes. Washes and dries are both action words. Well, some action words describe movement. Actions we can see. Some action words describe action with no movement. Actions that cannot be seen. We can't see a flower need sun. But need is an action word. [music] Well, here we are in Sentence City. There certainly ought to be an idea for a sentence around here someplace. I'm looking. I'm looking. Do What do I look for? Anything. You can write a sentence about anything. Anything. Why not write about those kids? >> Hey, that's a neat kite. Let me try it. >> No, you'll break it. >> Come on. Give it here, kid. >> No. No. You can't fly it here. It'll get stuck in the trees. >> Well, you just watch. your goals. Look out. Look out. >> Oh, see it's gone. I told you so. >> Oh, don't worry. I can get it down. You're just lucky. You could have ruined my new kite. >> Well, that bully got what he deserved. Now, do you have something to write about? Oh yes sir. I already thought of a sentence. How about this one? The boy grabbed the kite. That's a wonderful sentence, Rolo. It has name words and an action word. It tells a complete thought. You see, I started with a capital letter and ended with a punctuation mark. A nice fat period. How did you know about that? I'm unnatural. [music] >> That's terrible. Absolutely terrible. >> You don't like lemonade? I love lemonade. But you have a mistake. It is spelled perfectly. Of course. But a sentence always starts with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark. Always. Always. Always. You must put a capital D on the front and a period on the end. Like this. Like that. Now I'll go buy some. [music] Well, here are two more sentences. Bo, the branch cracked, then fell. That's not two sentences. How can then fell be a sentence? That's not a complete idea. Where's the name word? What fell? Who fell? Oh, yeah. An action word and a name word. I was thinking about the boy falling. So, it should be then the boy fell. Now you have it. >> Dinner is ready. Professor, >> go away for it. I am on the verge of a great discovery. The name words on the action words. Together they can tell an idea. But something is missing. Maybe we could tell more. Aha. How about a kind of WORD TO TELL MORE ABOUT things or about people or about places? Yeah. The nice ghost, the mean boy, the spooky castle. That works. Those kinds of words tell more. And maybe we could have the same kind of words to go with action words. Run fast. Scream loudly. [screaming] CH. THAT'S GOOD. THESE WORDS help name words and action words tell more. THEY DESCRIBE. I shall call them descriptive words. [music] Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you a Channel 1 news flash. We have just received word that Professor Werdsworth working in his Transylvania laboratory has discovered new kinds of words, descriptive words, he calls them. These words are used with name words and action words and tell much more than the name words or action words alone. With the professor's descriptive words, instead of saying only snakes slink, you can say more like sad snakes slink slowly. We now return you to our regular program. [music] 30 years I, Professor Werdsworth, have studied sentences in my secret laboratory. I have FOUND THERE ARE FOUR KINDS OF SENTENCES. I will now present each kind of sentence and show the punctuation marks that go at the ends. I heard a strange noise that states a fact. This kind of sentence is a statement. The punctuation at the end of a statement is a period. What is that weird sound? This sentence asks, this kind of sentence is a question. It ends with a question mark. Look, it's a monster. [screaming] This is full of excitement. A sentence like this is an exclamation. It ends with an exclamation point. Leave this house. A sentence like this tells someone to do something. It is a command. A command sentence ends with a period. That's my newest discovery. Four kinds of sentences and their punctuation marks. Statement question exclamation command. Boris, bring my dinner. >> Yeah, that's a command. Hey, boss. Come over here and look at this. What's going on out there? It's a parade with marchers and bands and television and everything. Let's go out and see it. Okay, let's go. Gee, this is exciting. Boy, >> this is a channel one first, folks. A look behind the scenes as the Sentin City parade gets started. All right, I want to check out each group before we start the parade. Group one, let's have a look at you. We sentence city. No, no, no. How many times do I have to tell you? Get an action word in there. It takes a name word and an action word. Remember, we like sentence city. Okay, that's better. Group two, you're awfully big. Cat, purr, and I like school. You're running on forever there. Break it up. Break it up. Get rid of the and change the punctuation. Cat purr. I like school. Now there you go. Group three. That's a great sentence. Look out. Here we come. But look at that. No punctuation at the end. Fix it. Fix it. That's right. An exclamation point. Now you're starting to look good. >> Well, folks, the time is here. The Sentence City Parade is off and marching and they have some outstanding sentences this year. They're using nouns, the name words that name persons, places, or things. And every sentence has a verb, an action word. Someone is breaking into the line. Why, it's the mad professor. >> Monsters zing. Wait until YOU SEE HOW NICE my descriptive words can make this plain sentence. Happy monsters sing loudly. [laughter] Much nicer, don't you think? Try some descriptive words. You'll like them. Those words sound good and they tell more. They describe. [music] Isn't it beautiful, folks? >> Look, it's Rolo the talking dog. >> Rolo the writing dog. Now, folks, show opens Friday. >> Can I have your autograph, Rolo? Uh certainly I write every chance I get there. Well, you'll like writing, too. It's not hard at all. See? [music] [music] [music] >> [music]