Essential Grammar Basics: Learn Key Terms for Better Writing
Discover the importance of learning grammar, including how it enhances writing skills, communication, and academic performance. Explore key terms such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions, subjects, objects, and articles with practical examples and definitions.
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GRAMMAR BASICS Some Terms
WHY LEARN GRAMMAR? Knowing grammar will help you learn how to put sentences together. Knowing how to put sentences together will help you become a better writer. Becoming a better writer will help you express yourself better as well as get better grades.
FYI Different kinds of words are called parts of speech
NOUN def: nouns can be people, places, and things ex. dog, homework, Abraham Lincoln, love
VERB def: a word that shows action, state, or occurrence ex. walk, will eat, am playing, is
ADJECTIVE def: a word that describes a noun ex. happy, beautiful, tired
QUICK QUIZ What part of speech is the underlined word? The dog ran after the cat. noun
PRONOUN def: a word that takes the place of a noun ex. Josh likes to watch TV. He prefers sports shows.
ADVERB def: a word or phrase that modifies an adjective, verb, or another adverb (modify: to describe or limit) ex. I am very happy
PREPOSITION def: a word used to tell direction, location or time; usually contains a noun and gives more information about something else in the sentence ex. in, at, for, to, with The man is in the grocery store.
SUBJECT def: who or what the sentence is about (will be a noun or noun phrase) ex. Jessica, the book, returning clothes Tim plays the guitar.
OBJECT def: a noun/pronoun that receives an action of a verb ex. I sent a letter.
ARTICLE (DEFINITE & INDEFINITE) definite (specific): the indefinite (general): a/an ex. I bought the car. (a specific car my reader/listener already knew about) ex. I played a game. (general, not specific)
INFINITIVE def: to + base form of verb ex. to eat, to sleep, to cry
SUBJECT-VERB-OBJECT (SVO) def: in English, clauses tend to follow a subject verb object pattern ex. The company fired the employees.
PHRASE def: a group of words ex. falling on the floor, in the moonlight
CLAUSE def: a group of words with a subject & a verb ex. while Iwas watching a movie. Itook a shower.
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE def: a clause that can be a complete sentence (can have a period) ex. I opened the door.
DEPENDENT CLAUSE def: a clause that cannot be a complete sentence by itself; it needs an independent clause ex. When I was playing basketball yesterday, I sprained my ankle.
SENTENCE / COMPLETE SENTENCE def: a group of words with at least 1 independent clause ex. Teachers are crazy.
COMPOUND SENTENCE def: more than 1 independent clause, but no dependent clause ex. I workout at home, and I play video games at home.
COMPLEX SENTENCE def: one independent clause, and at least 1 dependent clause ex. My parents washed my car while I was on vacation.
COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCE def: more than 1 independent clause, and at least 1 dependent clause. ex. After I get home from school, I clean my room, and my mom makes dinner.
FRAGMENT def: a group of words with a period at the end, but is not a complete sentence (it is missing either a subject or a verb) ex. Waiting at the store. (who was waiting? There s no subject.)
FUSED SENTENCE / RUN-ON def: when two complete sentences (independent clauses) are connected without punctuation or a connecting word ex. Kelly is on the track team she is very good.
COMMA SPLICE def: when two complete sentences (independent clauses) are connected with a comma ex. Kelly is on the track team, she is very good.
CONJUNCTION def: a word that joins or connects 2 parts of a sentence ex. Birds can fly and lay eggs.
COORDINATING CONJUNCTION def: a word that joins or connects 2 independent clauses; these are often called fanboys for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so ex. Birds can fly, but dogs can only run.
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION def: a word that makes one clause in the sentence dependent ex. If I go to the store, I will buy milk.
GERUND def: a verb ending in ing that is used as a noun ex. eating, swimming, biking I love swimming.
PARTICIPLE def: a verb ending in ing that is part of a complete verb in a specific verb tense ex. Joel is taking his test.
PARALLELISM / PARALLEL STRUCTURE def: when you use the same kinds of words or phrases in a sentence or list ex. Tom is happy, rich, and going to college. Tom is happy, rich, and smart. (all adjectives)
ONE LAST THING There are many more grammar terms. You can find them online or on the grammar boot camp website. It is possible for a word or phrase to be more than one of the grammar terms at the same time. ex. Paul threw a ball. (ball is a noun, and the object)
NOUNS Woohoo!
WHAT ARE NOUNS AGAIN? def: a person, place or thing What are the nouns in the sentence? John owns a bike, two cats, and 6 shoes. John owns a bike, two cats, and 6 shoes.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUNS Nouns Concrete Nouns Abstract Nouns Common Nouns Proper Nouns
DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUNS Concrete: nouns that can interact with out senses (you can see, taste, touch, hear, and smell them) ex. airplane, sandwich, key
DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUNS Proper nouns: names of people, places or things; ex. George Bush, Canada, The Matrix What is special about these nouns? They use capital letters.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUNS Abstract nouns: these are nouns we cannot experience with our 5 senses; they are ideas Ex: love, death, religion, success I cannot smell, taste, touch, hear, or see these things, but I can experience them.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUNS Count nouns:count nouns are nouns that I can count; they can be made plural ex. 1 paper, 2 papers, 3 papers
DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUNS Noncount nouns: nouns that are group or collective nouns, and cannot be counted or pluralized ex. homework, research, happiness, popcorn I have 2 homeworks. I have some homework.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUNS Sometimes you will see people pluralize noncount nouns, but it s a trick. See below: I want 2 coffees, please. What are they really saying? I want 2 cups of coffee, please. *Coffee is a noncount noun.*
HOW CAN I FIND A NOUN? First, try to decide if it s a person place or thing. After that, you can try adding an article (a/an, the) before it. If the article fits it is probably a noun. a cat the pool a eat the happy
HOW CAN I FIND A NOUN? You can also try to make the noun a subject and put a verb with it- if it make sense, it s probably a noun. ex. try adding is good to a word Love is good. Happily is good.
PRONOUNS YAY!
WHAT ARE PRONOUNS AGAIN? def: a word that takes the place of a noun ex. he, she, I, who, this The chickens are eating. They like worms a lot.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRONOUNS Subject pronouns: these pronouns are used as subjects in a sentence ex. We are hungry. Subject Pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, they
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRONOUNS Object pronouns: these pronouns are used as objects in a sentence ex. They threw me the ball. Object Pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us, them
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRONOUNS Relative pronouns: these pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun/pronoun ex. Tiffany, who is a teacher, made ice cream. Relative Pronouns who, whom, whoever, whomever, which, whichever, that
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRONOUNS Reflexive pronouns: these pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence within the same sentence ex. Terry cut down the tree himself. Reflexive Pronouns myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
