English Grammar

Noun

Noun

A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., dog, city, love).

Pronoun

A word that takes the place of a noun (e.g., he, she, it).

Verb

A word that expresses action or a state of being (e.g., run, is).

Adjective

A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun (e.g., red, tall).

Adverb

A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb, often ending in "-ly" (e.g., quickly, very).

Preposition

A word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in the sentence (e.g., on, at, by).

Conjunction

A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., and, but, because).

Interjection

A word that expresses emotion, often standing alone (e.g., Wow!, Oh no!).

Subject

The part of the sentence that is the reason for the sentence and is always a noun/pronoun that does the action

Predicate

The part of the sentence that tells something about the subject and where the action occurs, usually containing the verb (e.g., The dog runs).

Direct Object

The noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb (e.g., She kicked the ball).

Indirect Object

The noun or pronoun that indirectly receives the action of the verb, often found between the verb and the direct object (e.g., She gave me the ball).

Subject Complement

A word (usually a noun, pronoun, or adjective) that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject (e.g., She is a teacher).

Verb Complement

A word that follows a transitive verb (direct object and indirect object)

Transitive Verb

A verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning (e.g., She threw the ball).

Intransitive Verb

A verb that does not require a direct object to complete its meaning (e.g., The baby cried).

Linking Verb

A verb that connects the subject to a subject complement, which renames or describes the subject, rather than showing action (e.g., She is happy). Common linking verbs include forms of to be (am, is, are, was, were) and verbs like seem, become, appear.

Complement

Is a word, phrase, or clause that completes the meaning of a sentence or part of a sentence

What are the three types of conjunctions

Coordinating, subordinating, conjuctive adverbs

Article

Modifies a noun as being specific (the) or non-specific (a/an)

Define simple sentences and what type of coordinating conjunctions can be found in it?

Contains ONE independent clause and NO dependent clauses; Uses coordinating conjunctions (e.g. Bill likes dogs and cats)

Define compound sentences and what type of coordinating conjunctions can be found in it.

Contains TWO independent clauses and NO dependent clauses; Uses coordinations conjunctions or conjunctive adverbs

Define complex sentences and what type of coordinating conjunctions can be found in it?

Contains ONE independent clause and MORE THAN ONE dependent clauses; Uses subordinating conjunctions

Define compound-complex sentences and what type of coordinating conjunctions can be found in it?

Contains TWO OR MORE independent clauses and ONE OR MORE dependent clauses; Uses coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions

What type of sentence can you use a semicolon in, and why would you use it instead of a conjunction?

Semicolons are used in compound sentences or when connecting two closely related independent clauses. A semicolon can be used when the two clauses are closely related and the writer wants to emphasize that connection without a coordinating conjunction like and or but, creating a smoother, more concise sentence