AP Lang Grammar

Subordinate clause (dependent clause)

clause containing a subject (noun), and a predicate (verb phrase), but it functions within a sentence as an adjective, adverb, or a noun; It cannot stand alone

Independent clause

clause containing a subject (noun), and a predicate (verb phrase); It stands alone or can stand alone as a complete sentence

linking verb

connects the subject to a word or word group that identifies or describes the subject

Phrasal verbs

consist of two or more words;(to drop off)

Gerund Phrase

consists of a gerund and any modifiers or complements the gerund has and the entire phrase is used as a noun

participle phrase

consists of a participle and any modifiers or complements the participle has. (used as an adjective)

Infinitive phrase

consists of an infinitive and any modifiers or complements the infinitive has. the entire phrase can be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb

Verb phrase

consists of one main verb and one or more helping verbs

Perfect Tense

distinguishes between two events that happened at different times

reciprocal pronouns

express a mutual or common relationship among people mentioned in the subject of the sentence. They are: each other (used for talking about two people), and one another (used for talking about at least three people).

action verb

expresses either physical or mental activity

Interrogative Pronoun

introduces a question (what)

Relative pronoun

introduces a subordinate clause (that)

Correlative conjunctions

join words of equal importance, but used in pairs (both...and, either...or, not only...but also)

Adjectives

modify nouns and pronouns; usually precede the nouns they modify, but may also follow linking verbs

Count nouns

nouns that can be counted; (a large number of people)

Mass nouns

nouns that cannot be counted; (a massive amount of water)

adverbs

one of the eight parts of speech; modifies/describes verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Example: He is VERY hot.

Noun

person, place, thing, or idea

Passive voice

verbs are performed by someone/something other than the subject (Who/which is often unnamed); "The shot was heard around the world"

Active voice

verbs are performed by the subject of the sentence

Appositives

words that are added, set off by commas, which rename

Main verbs

words that identify the action of a sentence

Modifiers

words that modify other words; Adjectives and adverbs

Independent Clause

Expressed a complete thought

Pronouns

Function as nouns or adjectives, depending on the context in which they are used; Nine kinds of these: subject, object, possessive, Intensive, reflexive, Indefinite, Relative/Interrogative, Demonstrative, and Reciprocal

Helping verbs

Helps the main verb express an action or a state of being.

The five forms of a verb

Infinitive, past tense, past participle, present participle, -s form

Conjunctions

Join words or groups of words together (For, And, nor, but, or, yet, so)

Comma splice (sentence problem)

Occurs in a compound or compound-complex sentence. To fix this, you MUST DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: include on of the seven coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) after the comma; replace the comma with a semicolon; or break up the two independent clauses to make two separate sentences

Simple sentence structure

One independent clause (a word group with at least 1 subject noun or pronoun, and 1 verb)

Correlative conjunctions

Pairs of conjunctions that link two grammatically equal things in a sentence.

Demonstrative Pronoun

Points out a person, a place, a thing, or an idea (those)

Relative Pronoun

Relates an adjective clause to the word or word group the clause modifies (Who, whom, whose, which, and that)

Compound sentence structure

Two independent clauses joined together using either a semicolon or comma, and a coordinating conjunction

Adverbs answer these questions:

When? Where? Why? How? Under what conditions? To what degree?

Adjectives answer these questions:

Which one? What kind of? How much? How many?

Verbs

Words that show action or a state of being. One of these is required in a sentence

Interjections

Words used to express surprise or emotion; Never used in formal academic writing

compound predicate

two or more simple predicates, or verbs, with the same subject

Conjunctive adverbs

used to indicate the relation between independent clauses

Subordinating conjunctions

used to introduce a subordinate clause; indicates its relation to the rest of the sentence

Misplaced modifiers

A modifier that isn't as close as possible to the word it modifies (I showed my tooth with a crack in it to the dentist)

Indefinite article

"a" or "an". "an" is used when followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound. More general/less specific than definite

-s form

"he walks"

Definite article

"the"; more specific than indefinite

Coordinating conjunction

(FANBOYS) for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Coordinating conjunctions

(FANBOYS): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Common nouns

A person, place, or thing that is not specific; not capitalized

Prepositional Phrase

A preposition and its object (Into the store, for some bread)

past tense of a verb

A verb that happened before now. Regular form: V + -ed or -d → He ran behind the shed. → They were all present.

Complex sentence structure

Contains one independent clause with at least 1 subordinate clause

Compound-Complex

Contains two independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause

Subordinate Clause

Does not express a complete thought

Past participle

VERB + -ED used as an adjective or a verb.

Linking verbs

Verbs that don't show action. They link the subject to words or groups of words that identify or describe the subject.

Appositive

a noun phrase that functions as an adjective to modify the subject of a sentence. Ex: Terrence, THE PRESIDENT OF THE BANK, presented the check.

Proper nouns

a specific noun; always capitalized (Donald Trump)

Participle

a verb form that can be used as an adjective

Gerund

a verb form that ends in -ing and that is used as a noun (stargazing)

Infinitive

a verb that cab be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb

Action verbs

a verb that expresses physical or mental action

Phrase

a word group lacking one or more elements (such as a subject or predicate) that would make it a complete sentence

Clause

a word group that features both a subject and a predicate

Prepositions

a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence

Article

a word that always functions as an adjective. There are two types: definite and indefinite

Abstract nouns

refer to qualities and ideas like justice, beauty, love (cannot be felt or seen)

Indefinite Pronouns

refers to a person, place, idea, or thing that may or may not be specifically named. (all, any, anybody, both, each, everyone, everything, few, many, more, neither, nobody, none)

Concrete nouns

sensory, experience, and physical objects; nouns that can literally be felt or sensed (can be seen/touched)

present tense

shows action that is happening now

Predicate

term used to identify the verb/its objects, complements, and modifiers in a sentence

Direct Object (DO)

the noun that is the receiver of a verb's action. Ex: "Nick threw the *glow stick*." *Glow stick* is the DO in this sentence.

Subject

the noun which the sentence is about; in declarative sentences, it appears before the verb

Infinitive form

to + verb