Parts of a Sentence: Beyond Parts of Speech

Vocabulary flashcards covering the components, clause structures, functional types, and key grammatical features of sentences.

Subject

The person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is all about; who or what is performing an action in the sentence.

Direct object vs Indirect object

The direct object receives the action of the verb, while the indirect object indicates to whom or for whom the action is performed.

Example : He gave her a gift. Here, "gift" is the direct object, and "her" is the indirect object.

Predicate

The part of the sentence that includes the verb and, often, additional information about the subject.

Phrase

Part of a sentence that is missing either a subject or a verb, but that includes a group of words that forms a grammatical component.

Subordinating conjunction

A conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause and connects it to a main clause, indicating a relationship between the two. Examples include "because," "although," and "if."

Coordinating conjunction

A conjunction that connects words, phrases, or clauses that are of equal grammatical rank. Examples include "and," "but," and "or." (FANBOYS) for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so

Dependent Clause

A clause that includes at least a subject and a verb, but that depends on the rest of the sentence to make sense; it usually begins with a subordinating conjunction.

Independent Clause

A clause that can stand alone and make grammatical sense.

Simple Sentence

A sentence that consists of only one clause, with a subject and a predicate.

Example is "I went to the store."

Compound Sentence

A sentence made of two independent clauses joined by either a comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) or by a semicolon alone.

Example is "I wanted to go for a walk, but it started to rain."

Complex Sentence

A sentence comprised of one dependent clause and one independent clause, no matter what order.

Example is "Although I was tired, I finished my homework."

Compound-Complex Sentence

A sentence with 2 or more independent clauses and 1 or more dependent clause.

Example is "Although it was raining, I wanted to go for a walk, and my friend did too."

Declarative Sentence

A sentence that intends to inform, state, or declare the speaker's thoughts.

Example is "The sky is blue."

Imperative Sentence

A sentence that tells somebody to do something; is demanding or insistent in nature.

Example is "Please close the door."

Interrogative Sentence

A sentence that asks a question.

Example is "What time is it?"

Exclamatory Sentence

A sentence that ends with an exclamation point and expresses strong emotion.

Example is "Wow, what a beautiful sunset!"

Direct Object

A noun or noun clause following an action verb; it is the recipient of the action in the sentence.

Predicate Nominative

A noun or noun clause following a linking verb that has the same meaning or value as the subject.

Infinitive

The word “to” plus a verb.

Appositive

A word or phrase that adds more information about a subject.

Essential Appositive

An appositive that does not need commas and is necessary for understanding the sentence.

Non-essential Appositive

An appositive surrounded by commas that adds information that is helpful, but not necessary.

Gerund

A verb plus “-ing” that acts as a noun.