Grammar 1

Nouns

A noun is a word that names something: either a person, place, or thing. In a sentence, nouns can play the role of subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, object complement, appositive, or adjective.

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or states of being of nouns: enormous, doglike, silly, yellow, fun, fast. They can also describe the quantity of nouns: many, few, millions, eleven. Most students learn that adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns. Adjectives do not modify verbs or adverbs or other adjectives. Ex. Margot wore a beautiful hat to the pie-eating contest.

What Do Adverbs Modify?

An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly), an adjective (very tall), another adverb (ended too quickly), or even a whole sentence (Fortunately, I had brought an umbrella). Adverbs often end in -ly, but some (such as fast) look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts. Ex. Tom Longboat did not run badly. Tom is very tall. The race finished too quickly. Fortunately, Lucy recorded Tom's win.

What Are Articles?

Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. Consider the following examples: Ex. After the long day, the cup of tea tasted particularly good. By using the article "the", we've shown that it was one specific day that was long and one specific cup of tea that tasted good. Ex. After a long day, a cup of tea tastes particularly good. By using the article a, we've created a general statement, implying that any cup of tea would taste good after any long day.

What Are Conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that link other words, phrases, or clauses together. Conjunctions allow you to form complex, elegant sentences and avoid the choppiness of multiple short sentences. Make sure that the phrases joined by conjunctions are parallel (share the same structure. I work quickly and am careful. incorrect I work quickly and carefully. correct

Interjections

Ouch! Oh my! Wow! Yikes! If you've ever uttered any of the words above, you've used an interjection, whether you knew it at the time or not. The word interjection comes from the Latin words inter (between) and jacĕre (to throw). So, an interjection is a word that you throw in between sentences or thoughts to express a sudden feeling.

Pronouns

Pronouns make up a small subcategory of nouns. The distinguishing characteristic of pronouns is that they can be substituted for other nouns. For instance, if you're telling a story about your sister Sarah, the story will begin to sound repetitive if you keep repeating "Sarah" over and over again.