( ( ( ( ( ( My students ) ( ( ( knew ( many ( basic ideas ) ) ) ( about plants ) ) ( from ( earlier grades ) ) ) ) , ) so ) ( we ( tried ( to ( ( spend ( more time ) ) ( ( ( thinking and ) writing ) ( about ( ( the ( specific functions ) ) ( of ( the ( leaf ( veins ( , ( flower ( parts ( , ( ( roots , ) etc. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) . )
(ROOT (S (S (NP (PRP$ My) (NNS students)) (VP (VBD knew) (NP (JJ many) (JJ basic) (NNS ideas)) (PP (IN about) (NP (NNS plants))) (PP (IN from) (NP (JJR earlier) (NNS grades))))) (, ,) (IN so) (S (NP (PRP we)) (VP (VBD tried) (S (VP (TO to) (VP (VB spend) (NP (JJR more) (NN time)) (S (VP (VBG thinking) (CC and) (VBG writing) (PP (IN about) (NP (NP (DT the) (JJ specific) (NNS functions)) (PP (IN of) (NP (DT the) (NN leaf) (NNS veins) (, ,) (NN flower) (NNS parts) (, ,) (NNS roots) (, ,) (FW etc.)))))))))))) (. .)))
My students knew many basic ideas about plants from earlier grades, so we tried to spend more time thinking and writing about the specific functions of the leaf veins, flower parts, roots, etc.
(ROOT (S (NP (NNS Leaves)) (VP (VBP export) (NP (NN sugar)) (PP (TO to) (NP (NP (NNS roots)) (CC and) (NP (NP (JJ other) (JJ nonphotosynthetic) (NNS parts)) (PP (IN of) (NP (DT the) (NN plant)))))) (PP (IN through) (NP (DT the) (NNS veins)))) (. .)))