Grammar Rules

Parts of speech - Noun

person, place, or thing

verb

action word

adjective

describes a noun

adverb

describes a verb—usually ends in “ly”

independent clause

can stand alone as a sentence

must:

-have a subject

-have a conjugated verb that is associated with that subject

-express a complete thought

dependent clause

cannot stand alone as a sentence

lacks at least one of the characters of an independent clause

commas

separate items in a list of three or more

separate two adjectives that describe the same noun

separate independent and dependent clauses

setting apart non-essential information within a sentence “comma sandwich”

FANBOYS

for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

When combined with a leading comma, they separate two independent clauses

semi-colon ;

join two independent clauses that are too closely related to write as separate sentences

separate items in a complex list

colon :

must be preceded by an independent clause

explanations, definitions, and lists follow colons

dashes

used once: follows colon rules

used twice: follows the rules of a comma sandwich

apostrophes

used for contractions and possession

can be singular or plural, dependent on the possessing noun

‘s signifies singular possession

s’ signifies plural possession