Precomp English

noun clause

A noun clause is a subordinate clause that is used as a noun. A noun clause may be used as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, an object of a preposition, an appositive, or a predicate nominative. A noun clause usually begins with one of these words: how, that, what, whatever, when, where, which, whichever, who, whom, whoever, whose, why. direct object Cindy did not know where the beakers were kept. subject What makes them different is their ability to change colors to blend with their environment.

Participle

A participle is a verb form that acts as an adjective. It modifies a noun or pronoun. The car screeched down the twisting road. (The participle twisting modifies the noun road.) A participle can be present or past. A present participle ends in -ing. A past participle usually ends in -ed.

Participial Phrase

A participle with complements and modifiers is called a participial phrase. A participial phrase acts as an adjective. It can be in different positions in a sentence. If a participial phrase falls at the beginning of a sentence, it is usually followed by a comma. Screeching loudly, the car pulled into the service station.

personal pronoun

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing Ex:First Person, Singular I my, mine me First Person, Plural we our, ours us Second Person, Singular you your, yours you Second Person, Plural you your, yours you Third Person, Singular he, she, it his, her, hers, its him, her, it Third Person, Plural they their, theirs them

plural noun

A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea: brothers, classrooms, piglets, and joys.

possessive noun

A possessive noun shows possession, ownership, or the relationship between two nouns: Raul's house, the cat's fur, and the girls' soccer ball.

predicate adjective

A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject. Her paintings look mysterious. (What word describes the paintings?) The swimmer was powerful. (What word describes the swimmer?)

predicate nominative

A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and identifies or renames the subject. Harold is our quarterback. (What word identifies Harold?) Reggie Lee remains my friend. (What word identifies Reggie Lee?)

adverb clause

An adverb clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. It is used to tell when, where, why, how, to what extent, or under what conditions. An adverb clause is usually introduced by a subordinating conjunction. I cry whenever I see a sad movie. (The adverb clause modifies the verb cry. It tells when.)

elliptical

An adverb clause that seems to have missing words is called elliptical. The words that are left out are understood in the clause. Steve runs faster than I [run].

inverted order

In most sentences that you read and write, the subject comes before the predicate. SUBJECT PREDICATE The red-tailed hawk | soared high overhead. For variety or special emphasis, some sentences are written in inverted order. In such cases the predicate comes before the subject. PREDICATE SUBJECT High overhead soared | the red-tailed hawk. The subject also follows the verb in any sentence that begins with there or here. PREDICATE SUBJECT There sit | the missing books! Here is | your birthday present.

negative words

Negative words, such as not and its contraction -n't, are also considered adverbs. Other negative words such as nowhere, hardly, and never can also function as adverbs. The boat has not arrived. I have never eaten squid.

object complements

Object complements are words that identify or describe a direct object in a sentence. They answer the question what? after a direct object in order to complete the meaning of the direct object. An object complement may be a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective. The mayor apppointed Ken treasurer. (Noun) The dog considers the sofa his. (Pronoun) Residents think the new structure ugly. (Adjective)

direct object

One kind of complement is the direct object. A direct object answers the question what? or whom? after an action verb. Mario picked some flowers for the mantel. (Mario picked what?) Liu trusts her sister completely. (Liu trusts whom?) A direct object may have more than one part. The farmer carried the calf and the lamb through the floodwaters.

Postive Comparative Superlative

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE walks fast walks faster walks fastest writes neatly writes more neatly writes most neatly hears well hears better hears best behaves badly behaves worse behaves worst

object of the prepositions

Prepositions begin phrases that generally end with a noun or a pronoun called the object of the preposition. The horses jumped over the fence. They showered the king with gifts.

antecedent

The antecedent of a pronoun is the word or group of words referred to by the pronoun. Ben rode his bike to school. (Ben is the antecedent of his.)

complete predicate

The complete predicate is made up of all the words that tell what the subject is or does, including the simple predicate. The principal of the school invited us to a board meeting.

complete subject

The complete subject is made up of the simple subject and all the words that tell about it. The members of the team voted to buy new uniforms.

simple subject

The simple subject is the main noun or pronoun that tells what the sentence is about. The batter swung at the third ball. (main noun as simple subject) She hit a high pop foul. (main pronoun as simple subject)

tense

The tense of a verb expresses time. Simple Tenses Present Tense: She eats. (present or habitual action) Past Tense: She ate. (action completed in the past) Future Tense: She will eat. (action to be done in the future) Perfect Tenses Present Perfect Tense: She has eaten. (action done at some indefinite time or still in effect) Past Perfect Tense: She had eaten. (action completed before some other past action) Future Perfect Tense: She will have eaten. (action to be completed before some future time)

linking verb

linking verb links, or joins, the subject of a sentence with an adjective, a noun, or a pronoun. The concert was loud. (adjective) I am a good card player. (noun

noun

person, place, thing, or idea Ex:brother, classroom, piglet, and joy.

second person

second person pronouns refer to the one spoken to

Third person

third person pronouns refer to the one spoken about.

collective noun

A collective noun names a group. When the collective noun refers to the group as a whole, it is singular. When it refers to the individual group members, the collective noun is plural. The class meets two days a week. (singular) The board of trustees come from all walks of life. (plural)

common noun

A common noun names a general class of people, places, things, or ideas: soldier, country, month, or theory.

complement

A complement completes the meaning of a verb. It may be one word or a group of words.

complex sentences

A complex sentence contains one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. When she heard the applause, Beth felt proud.

compound predicate

A compound predicate consists of two simple predicates that share the same subject. The two simple predicates are connected by a conjunction. Harold picked the flowers and arranged them. The well-trained dogs will neither bark nor bite. The angry customer has either called or written five times. A flock of birds swooped behind the hill but reappeared above the trees. The conjunctions in the sentences above are and, neither ... nor, either ... or, and but.

compound preposition

A compound preposition is a preposition made up of more than one word. according to apart from because of in front of next to out of ahead of aside from by means of in spite of on account of owing to along with as to in addition to instead of on top of

compound sentences

A compound sentence contains two or more main clauses that are usually joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction. Maria sang one of her own songs, and Robert danced. Maria sang, Robert danced, and Li-Ching played the piano.

compound subject

A compound subject consists of two or more simple subjects that share the same verb. The two subjects are joined by a conjunction. (For a list of conjunctions, see Lesson 11, page 71.) The conjunctions in the following sentences are and, neither ... nor, and either ... or. Andrea and Rick entered the relay race. Neither the teachers nor the students favor the new schedule. Either cinnamon or nutmeg is used in this recipe.

compound-complex sentence

A compound-complex sentence has more than one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Although we had difficulty deciding, we finally chose a destination, and Dad bought the airline tickets.

concrete noun

A concrete noun names an object that occupies space or that can be recognized by any of the senses: tuba, music, potato, and aroma

conjunction

A conjunction is a word that joins single words or groups of words. ex. and

coordinating conjunctions

A coordinating conjunction joins words or groups of words that have equal grammatical weight in a sentence. And, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet are coordinating conjunctions. Germaine washed the dishes and dried them. The squirrel buried the nut, but the dog dug it up

declarative sentece

A declarative sentence makes a statement and usually ends with a period. Diet soda is my favorite drink.

demonstative pronoun

A demonstrative pronoun points out specific persons, places, things, or ideas ex Demonstrative: That is a good idea! Those are my friends.

Gerund

A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that is used as a noun. Sewing has never interested me.

Gerund Phrase

A gerund phrase is a gerund with any complements or modifiers needed to complete its meaning. Her enthusiastic cheering drew people from yards away. Moving the chair was not easy.

How to Find Both Simple and complete

A good way to find the complete subject and complete predicate in a sentence is to find the simple subject and simple predicate first. The president of our class won the election by a landslide. Once you have located the simple subject and predicate, then you can divide the entire sentence into complete subject and complete predicate. The president of our class | won the election by a landslide.

adjective

An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun by limiting its meaning. shiny toaster friendly neighbor horrible accident green bird that book

preposition

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to some other word in a sentence. The cat food is inside the cupboard. We'll go to the movie after lunch. These are some commonly used prepositions: aboard as but (except) in out toward about at by inside outside under above before concerning into over underneath across behind despite like past until after below down near pending unto against beneath during of regarding up along beside except off since upon amid besides excepting on through with among between for onto throughout within around beyond from opposite to out

Prepositional Phrase Adjective vs Adverb

A prepositional phrase acts as an adjective when it modifies a noun or a pronoun. A prepositional phrase acts as an adverb when it modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. David tried every pair of skis in the lodge. (adjective phrase modifying the noun skis) You can come to the party. (adverb phrase modifying the verb phrase can come)

Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and usually ends with a noun or a pronoun, called the object of the preposition. (For a list of prepositions, see Unit 1, Lesson 10, page 69.) The object may be compound or may have modifiers. Our stockpile of snowballs was depleted quickly. This pudding is made with milk and bread. (compound object) I brought back film footage of the horrible storm. (object with modifier)

pronoun

A pronoun takes the place of a noun, a group of words acting as a noun, or another pronoun

proper adjective

A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun and begins with a capital letter. Cervantes was a Spanish writer. The Korean restaurant is very popular.

proper noun

A proper noun specifies a particular person, place, thing, event, or idea. Proper nouns are always capitalized: General Schwartzkopf, America, July, or Big Bang.

reflexive pronoun

A reflexive pronoun refers to the subject of the sentence ex: Reflexive: They psyched themselves up for the football game.

relative pronoun

A relative pronoun is used to introduce a subordinate clause. ex.Relative: The cake that we baked was delicious

run-on sentence

A run-on sentence contains two or more complete sentences written as one. Incorrect: There was a mistake on our bill, the server took care of it. (two main clauses separated by a comma instead of a period) Correct: There was a mistake on our bill. The server took care of it. (Break up with a period or semicolon.) Incorrect: I ran into Margaret she is leaving for Florida tomorrow. (two main clauses with no punctuation between them) Correct: I ran into Margaret; she is leaving for Florida tomorrow. (Break up with a period or semicolon.)

sentence fragment

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. It may lack a subject, a verb, or both. Alternatively, it may be a subordinate clause that cannot stand alone. Correct it by adding the missing phrase or words. Although he bought the tie for his brother. (Fragment) Although he bought the tie for his brother, he kept it for himself. (Sentence)

simple predict

A simple predicate is the verb or verb phrase that expresses action or being about the subject. The crowd cheered after the touchdown. (main verb as simple predicate) The team will practice on Saturday. (main verb phrase as simple predicate) You can find a simple subject by asking Who? or What? about the verb. My grandmother lived in Poland as a girl. (Who lived in Poland?) Her quilts have won many prizes at state fairs. (What won many prizes?)

simple sentences

A simple sentence contains one main clause and no subordinate clauses. The simple sentence may not appear to be simple. It may have a compound subject or a compound predicate. It may also contain modifiers. As long as it has only one main clause, it is a simple sentence.

singluar plural

A singular noun is a word that names one person, place, thing, or idea: brother, classroom, piglet, and joy.

subordinatng conjunction

A subordinating conjunction joins two ideas, or clauses, so that one is grammatically dependent on the other. after as long as if than whenever although as soon as in order that though where as as though since unless whereas as far as because so until wherever as if before so that when while He listened to music until he fell asleep. Whenever I see a mountain, I want to climb it

Transitive Verb

A transitive verb is followed by a word or words that answer the question what? or whom? Transitive: Children trust their parents. The puppy carried the bone away.

Verb

A verb is a word that expresses action or a state of being and is necessary to make a statement. Most verbs will fit one or more of these sentences: We _________. We _________ loyal. We ________ it. It _________. We sleep. We remain loyal. We love it! It snowed.

Auiliary Verbs

A verb phrase consists of a main verb and all its auxiliary, or helping, verbs. My stomach has been growling all morning. I am waiting for a letter

verb phrase

A verb phrase consists of a main verb and all its auxiliary, or helping, verbs. My stomach has been growling all morning. I am waiting for a letter

abstract noun

An abstract noun names an idea, a quality, or a characteristic: courage, sanity, power, and memory.

action verb

An action verb tells what someone or something does ex. run

adjective clause

An adjective clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun. Remember that a subordinate clause contains a subject and verb but cannot stand alone. An adjective clause usually begins with a relative pronoun, such as who, whom, whose, that, and which, or a subordinating conjunction, such as where or when. The book that I lent him is now overdue. (The adjective clause modifies the noun ) Sometimes the relative pronoun or subordinating conjunction is left out. The book I lent him is now overdue. An adjective clause can be essential or nonessential to the meaning of a sentence. An essential adjective clause is an adjective clause that cannot be omitted from a sentence without changing its meaning. A nonessential adjective clause can be omitted from a sentence, and the meaning of the sentence will remain the same. Essential: The player who batted last scored the winning run. Nonessential: Jerome, who batted last, is the best player on the team.

adverb

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb by making its meaning more specific. Adverbs modify by answering the questions when? where? how? and to what degree? We left early for the soccer game. (The adverb early modifies the verb left by answering the question when?) Janine waited there for the bus. (The adverb there modifies the verb waited by answering the question where?) The nurse quietly shut the door of the hospital room. (The adverb quietly modifies the verb shut by answering the question how?) Very few things in life are completely perfect. (The adverb completely modifies the adjective perfect by answering the question to what degree?)

appositive

An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed next to another noun or pronoun to further identify it. My brother David is an engineer.

appositive phrase

An appositive phrase contains an appositive and any words that modify it. An appositive phrase is usually not essential to the meaning of a sentence. Appositives are often set off by commas. My brother David, an engineer in Philadelphia, enjoys his job.

examatory sentence

An exclamatory sentence shows strong or sudden feeling. It ends with an exclamation point. We won the game!

imperative sentence

An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request. The subject "you" is understood. (You) Report any safety violations to the supervisor.

indefinate pronoun

An indefinite pronoun refers to persons, places, or things in a more general way than a noun does. Ex.Indefinite: Everyone has already voted. No one should enter without knocking

infinative

An infinitive is a verb form usually preceded by the word to. In this case, to is not a preposition, but a part of the infinitive verb form. An infinitive can be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. I love to gather flowers in the spring. (infinitive as a noun) Our plans to visit Civil War battlefields changed drastically. (infinitive as an adjective) Your address is difficult to remember. (infinitive as an adverb)

infinative phrase

An infinitive phrase includes an infinitive and any complements and modifiers needed to complete its meaning. Many animals can learn to recognize people.

intensive

An intensive pronoun adds emphasis to a noun or another pronoun ex: Freddie himself asked Julie out

interjection

An interjection is a word that expresses emotion or exclamation. An interjection has no grammatical connection to other words. oh wow oops ouch well whew ah yipes uh-oh gee ow hey hooray alas why man my uh-huh Why, I didn't realize that. Oops, sorry about that. Uh-oh, she'd better watch out.

interrogative pronoun

An interrogative pronoun is used to form questions Ex. Interrogative: Which is your choice? With whom were you playing video games?

Interrogative Sentence

An interrogative sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark. Are your allergies bothering you?

intransitive verb

An intransitive verb is not followed by a word that answers what? or whom? Intransitive: The team played poorly. The light burned brightly.

indirect

Another kind of complement, the indirect object, answers these questions following an action verb: to whom? for whom? to what? The child threw her father and mother a kiss. (The child threw a kiss to whom?) Keanu bought them some popcorn. (Keanu bought popcorn for whom?) The crowd gave our team a cheer. (The crowd gave a cheer to what?)

article

Articles are the adjectives a, an, and the. A and an are indefinite articles. The is the definite article.

subject complement

Certain words in sentences complete the meaning of linking verbs. These words are called subject complements because they further identify or describe the subject. The linking verbs used in such sentences include all forms of the verb be, as well as the verbs become, seem, remain, feel, taste, smell, appear, look, grow, stay, and sound.

Correlative conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to join words and groups of words of equal weight in a sentence. both...and just as...so not only...but also either...or neither...nor whether...or Both whales and dolphins are mammals. Whether I fail or succeed, my parents will still support me.

First Person

First person personal pronouns refer to the speaker

participial phrase vs. gerund phrase vs. infinative phrase

The three types of verbal phrases, participial, gerund, and infinitive, are closely related to verbs. However, they do not function as verbs, but as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. The easiest way to distinguish the phrases is by the way they function in a sentence and by their forms. • An infinitive phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. Infinitives are usually preceded by the word to. • Participial phrases function as adjectives. Present participles end in -ing. Most past participles end in -ed. • Gerund phrases function as nouns. Gerunds end in -ing

Main Clause Independent Clausefc

There are two types of clauses: main and subordinate. A main clause contains a subject and a predicate. This type of clause is also called independent, because it can stand alone as a sentence. The baby cried. A subordinate, or dependent, clause contains a subject and predicate but cannot stand alone. This type of clause must be used with a main clause in order to make sense. It usually begins with a subordinating conjunction, such as after, although, as, as if, because, if, since, so that, than, unless, until, when, where, or while; a relative pronoun such as who, whose, whom, which, that, or what; or a relative adverb, such as when, where, or why. The baby cried when the dog barked loudly.

Subordinate Clause

There are two types of clauses: main and subordinate. A main clause contains a subject and a predicate. This type of clause is also called independent, because it can stand alone as a sentence. The baby cried. A subordinate, or dependent, clause contains a subject and predicate but cannot stand alone. This type of clause must be used with a main clause in order to make sense. It usually begins with a subordinating conjunction, such as after, although, as, as if, because, if, since, so that, than, unless, until, when, where, or while; a relative pronoun such as who, whose, whom, which, that, or what; or a relative adverb, such as when, where, or why. The baby cried when the dog barked loudly.

principal parts

Verbs have four principal parts or forms: base, past, present participle, and past participle. Base: I eat. Present Participle: I am eating. Past: I ate. Past Participle: I have eaten