Engl 344 Grammar Terms

Formal Definitions of Nouns

can be made plural/possessive, can have derivational suffix, can be preceded by determiner

Functional Definition of Nouns

may be subject, object or complement, can be head of noun phrase, may modify another noun

Semantic definition of noun

refers to person, place, thing, idea, characteristic…

Formal definition of adjectives

comparative/superlative forms, may have endings like -y, -ful, -ous, -able, can be preceded by intensifier by very, may appear between determiner and noun, can modify nouns/pronouns

Functional definition of adjectives

modifies a noun, head of adjectival phrase, may be subject complement

Semantic function of adjectives

quality, appearance, color, texture, condition, time, speed, sound, mood, size, shape AND can answer Which one? What kind? How many?

Formal definitions of adverbs

comparative/superlative forms, often ends in -ly, can be preceded by intensifier/adverb, often movable

Functional definitions of adverb

modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb, head of adverbial phrase

Semantic definitions of adverbs

manner, time, place, frequency, degree, direction; Where? When? Why? How? To what Degree? How often?

Formal definitions of Prepositions

almost always followed by noun phrase, usually short, Squirrel test

Functional definition of prepositions

links noun phrase (object) to another element in sentence, head of prepositional phrase, governs the case of its object

Semantic definition of prepositions

refers to relationship of space, time, cause, association, etc…

Reflexive Pronoun

pronoun used when subject and object are the same person

Examples of reflexive pronouns

myself, himself, herself, yourself

Intensive reflexive pronouns

uses reflexive to add emphasis to a noun, object and subject are different, can be removed

Reciprocal pronouns

words used to show that two or more people are doing an action to feel a shared feeling

Examples of reciprocal pronouns

Each other AND one another

Demonstrative pronoun

can substitute for noun phrase or signal for one

Examples of demonstrative pronouns

this, that, these, those (these are the only 4)

Personal pronoun

replace nouns to avoid repeating names

What does “number” mean when talking about pronouns?

singular/plural

What does “person” mean when talking about pronouns?

point of view (1st, 2nd and 3rd person)

what does “case” mean when talking about pronouns?

determined by pronouns function in sentence (i.e. subjective, objective, possessive)

What is an indefinite pronouns?

a pronoun that replaces a name without pointing to something specific

Formal definition of conjunctions

often short, FANBOYS word, may fit frame of “___I eat tacos, I feel happy”

Functional definition of conjunctions

join phrases or clauses

semantic definition of conjunctions

refers to relationship between phrases or clauses: addition, contrast, cause, condition, exemplification, etc…

formal definition of article

is the word a(n) or the

functional definition of article

is a determiner

semantic definition of articles

refers to specificity or particularity

formal definition of interjection

usually set off with punctuation, can be removed from clause

functional definition of interjection

syntactically isolated

semantic definition of interjection

often demonstrates an affective reaction