Fundamentals of English: IPA and Verb Tenses

Schwa /ə/

Found in unstressed syllables.

One syllable words

Stressed thus, they have full vowel sounds (except: 'the', 'what').

Bilabial

Articulation involving both lips, includes sounds /p/, /b/, /m/, /w/.

Plosives

Sounds produced by obstructing airflow, includes /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/.

Labiodental

Articulation involving the lower lip and upper teeth, includes /f/, /v/.

Fricatives

Sounds produced by forcing air through a narrow channel, includes /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /h/.

Interdental

Articulation involving the tongue and the upper teeth, includes /ð/, /θ/.

Affricates

Sounds that begin as plosives and release as fricatives, includes /tʃ/, /dʒ/.

Alveolar

Articulation involving the alveolar ridge, includes /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l/.

Nasal

Sounds produced with airflow through the nose, includes /m/, /n/, /ŋ/.

Palatal

Articulation involving the hard palate, includes /j/.

Approximants

Sounds produced with a narrowing of the vocal tract, includes /w/, /r/, /j/, /l/.

Palato-alveolar

Articulation involving both the hard palate and alveolar ridge, includes /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/.

Lateral

Articulation involving airflow around the sides of the tongue, includes /l/, /r/.

Velar

Articulation involving the soft part of the roof of the mouth, includes /k/, /g/, /ŋ/.

Glide

Sounds that involve a smooth transition between vowel sounds, includes /w/, /j/.

Glottal

Articulation involving the glottis, includes /h/.

Glottal stop

A sound produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract, as in 'button', 'kitten'.

Alveolar tap

A quick, light contact of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, as in 'butter', 'stutter'.

Simple Present

Tense used for general truth, habitual action, scientific fact, or something that happens regularly.

Simple Past

Tense for an action that happened at a specific time in the past, often with time expressions like 'last night', 'yesterday'.

Simple Future

Tense indicating an action that will happen in the future, formed with 'will/shall + base form'.

Present Continuous

Tense indicating an ongoing action, formed with 'is/are/am + -ing'.

Past Continuous

Tense indicating an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted, formed with 'was/were + -ing'.

Future Continuous

Tense indicating an ongoing action in the future, formed with 'will/shall + be + -ing'.

Present Perfect

Tense indicating an action that began in the past and is still true now, formed with 'has/have + pp.'.

Past Perfect

Tense indicating an action completed before another past action, formed with 'had + pp.'.

Future Perfect

Tense indicating an action completed before some point in the future, formed with 'will/shall + have + pp.'.

Present Perfect Continuous

Tense indicating an action that started in the past and continues to the present, formed with 'has/have + been + -ing'.

Past Perfect Continuous

Tense indicating an action that started, continued, and ended at some time in the past, formed with 'had + been + -ing'.

Future Perfect Continuous

Tense indicating looking back to the past from a point in the future, emphasizing the length or duration of an activity, formed with 'will/shall + have been + -ing'.

Gerunds

-ing words that function as nouns

Infinitives

the most flexible verbal to + v that functions as a noun, adj. or adv.

Participles

word derived from a verb that can be used as an adjective (-ed or -ing form)

S- IV

Sentence pattern where the subject is followed by an intransitive verb

S- LV-(S)C

Sentence pattern where the subject is followed by a linking verb and a subject complement

S- TV- DO

Sentence pattern where the subject is followed by a transitive verb and a direct object

S- TV- IO- DO

Sentence pattern where the subject is followed by a transitive verb, an indirect object, and a direct object

S- TV- DO- IO

Sentence pattern where the subject is followed by a transitive verb, a direct object, and an indirect object

S- TV- DO - OC

Sentence pattern where the subject is followed by a transitive verb, a direct object, and an object complement

S- TV- DO - OP

Sentence pattern where the subject is followed by a transitive verb, a direct object, and an object of the preposition

Compound Sentence

Sentence structure with 2 independent clauses and 1 coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)

Complex Sentence

Sentence structure with 1 dependent clause and 1 independent clause

Compound-Complex Sentence

Sentence structure with 1 dependent clause and 2 independent clauses

Simple Sentence

Sentence structure with a single independent clause

Demonstrative Pronoun

used to REPLACE a noun

Demonstrative Adjective

adjective that can be used to specifically describe the position of someone or something

Relative Pronoun

relate subordinate clauses

Markedness

Marked= not following the usual 'rule'

Indicative Mood

states a fact or an actuality

Imperative Mood

makes a request or a command

Subjunctive Mood

statements that are contrary to fact, including wishes, suggestions, proposals, doubt, possibility