English Grammar Lecture 1

Flashcards summarizing key concepts in English grammar from the lecture.

What is language?

Knowledge of sounds (phonetics, phonology), word structure (morphology), sentence structure (syntax), meaning (semantics), and real-world usage (pragmatics).

Phonetics

The articulation and perception of speech sounds.

Phonology

The patterning of speech sounds in a language.

Morphology

The knowledge of word formation and structure.

Syntax

The knowledge of sentence structure and the possible combinations of words.

Semantics

The study of meaning in a language; includes the recognition of ambiguities.

Pragmatics

The study of language in context; knowledge of formality levels and usage.

Prescriptive grammar

An approach to grammar that dictates rules for correct language usage.

Descriptive grammar

An approach to grammar that describes and characterizes how language is actually used by speakers.

Standard language

The variety of a language held to be 'correct' and generally used in formal settings.

Non-standard language

Various dialects and informal uses that may differ from the 'standard' variety.

Grammaticality

The conformity of a sentence to the rules of grammar in a particular language or dialect.

Grammatical vs. Ungrammatical

Grammatical sentences conform to language rules; ungrammatical sentences do not.

Count nouns

Nouns that can be counted, having singular and plural forms.

Non-count nouns

Nouns that cannot be counted directly and usually do not have plural forms.

Base-plurals

Nouns that can be used interchangeably in singular and plural forms.

Reflexive pronouns

Pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence, ending in -self or -selves.

Reciprocal pronouns

Pronouns that express a mutual relationship among participants, such as 'each other'.

Indefinite pronouns

Pronouns that refer to non-specific persons or things, like 'everyone', 'someone', 'anybody'.

Auxiliary verbs

Helping verbs that accompany a main verb to express tense, mood, or voice.

Modal verbs

Auxiliary verbs that express necessity, possibility, permission, or ability.

Passivisation

The process of changing a sentence from active to passive voice, highlighting the action rather than the doer.

Active voice

A structure where the subject performs the action of the verb.

Passive voice

A structure where the subject is acted upon by the verb.