Grammar and usage

Coordinating conjunctions

a conjunction placed between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences of equal rank, e.g., and, but, or.

MLA Formatting Quotes

"Everywhere she went she glowed" (Wallace 77). Or in the odyssey - "He was a brave man" (Odyssey l.44-66).

Comma splice

A comma splice is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses. For example: It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

Direct object

A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb in a sentence. It answers the questions what? or whom? about the verb.

Predicate adjective

A predicate adjective can be a single adjective, or it can be a phrase that includes an adjective and any modifiers. How to find a predicate adjective: 1) Find the verb in the sentence. Is the verb a linking verb? 2) Now look at the information following the verb.

Predicate nominative

A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun which follows the verb and describes or renames the subject. It is another way of naming the subject. It follows a linking verb.

Action verb

An action verb is a verb that expresses physical or mental action. The action verb tells us what the subject of our clause or sentence is doing-physically or mentally. Examples of Action Verbs: To find an action verb: 1) Find the word in the sentence that is something someone or something can do.

Exclamatory sentence

An exclamatory sentence expresses strong emotion, and it ends with an exclamation mark (! <--- one of these things). You might use it to show anger, confusion, love, happiness, or any other boisterous emotion.

Imperative sentence

An imperative sentence gives a direct command. It can end in a full stop or an exclamation mark, depending on the forcefulness of the command.

Indirect object

An indirect object is really a prepositional phrase in which the preposition to or for is not stated but understood. It tells to whom or for whom something is done. The indirect object always comes between the verb and the direct object. Example: She gave me a gift.

Interrogative sentence

An interrogative sentence is one that asks a direct question and always ends in a question mark.

Declarative sentence

Declarative sentences are the opposite of questions. Known as a "mood" in the grammar world, you can also use declarative to describe other things that make a definite statement. A strongly worded political sign could be declarative.

Sentence fragment

Fragments are incomplete sentences. Usually, fragments are pieces of sentences that have become disconnected from the main clause.

Preposition

Prepositions are the words that indicate location. Usually, prepositions show this location in the physical world.

Clause

a clause is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition. A typical clause consists of a subject and a predicate, where the predicate is typically a verb phrase - a verb together with any objects and other modifiers.

Prepositional phrase

a modifying phrase consisting of a preposition and its object.

Phrase

a phrase is a group of words (or possibly a single word) that functions as a constituent in the syntax of a sentence—a single unit within a grammatical hierarchy. A phrase appears within a clause, although it is also possible for a phrase to be a clause or to contain a clause within it.

Simple sentence

a sentence consisting of only one clause, with a single subject and predicate.

Compound sentence

entence with more than one subject or predicate.

Linking verb

linking verb is used to refer to verbs that describe the subject or link the subject to some complement such as a predicate adjective or predicate noun.