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Essay Writing > 100 Key Grammatical Terms > Flashcards

100 Key Grammatical Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

ABSTRACT NOUN

A

A noun (such as courage or freedom) that names an idea, event, quality, or concept. Contrast with a concrete noun

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2
Q

Active voice

A

The verb form or voice in which the subject of the sentence performs or causes the action expressed by the verb. Contrast w/ passive voice

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3
Q

Adjective

A

A part speech (or word class) that modifies a noun or pronoun. Adjective forms: positive, comparative, superlative

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4
Q

Adverb

A

The part of speech (or word class) that is primarily used to modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs can also modify prepositional phrases, subordinate clauses, and complete sentences.

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5
Q

Affix

A

A prefix, suffix, or influx, a word element (or morpheme) that can be attached to a base or root to form a new word. Noun: affixation. Adjective: afixable

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6
Q

Agreement

A

The correspondence of a verb with its subject in person and number, and of a pronoun with its antecedent in person, number and gender.

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7
Q

Appositive

A

A noun, noun phrase, or series of nouns used to identify or rename another noun, noun phrase, or pronoun.

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8
Q

Article

A

A type of determined that proceeds a noun: a, an, the

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9
Q

Attributive

A

An adjective that usually comes before the noun it modifies without a linking verb. Contrast with a predicative adjective

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10
Q

Auxiliary

A

a verb that determines the mood or tense of another verb in a verb phrase. Also known as a helping verb. Contrast with a lexical verb

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11
Q

Base

A

The form of a word to which prefixes and suffixes are added to create new words.

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12
Q

Case

A

A characteristic of nouns and certain pronouns that Express their relationship to other words in a sentence. Pronouns have three case distinctions:subjective, possessive and objective. In english, nouns have only one case inflection, the possessive. The case of nouns other than the possessive is sometimes called the ‘common case’

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13
Q

Clause

A

A group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. A clause may be either a sentence (an independent clause) or a sentence-like construction within a sentence (a dependent clause)

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14
Q

Common noun

A

A noun that can be preceded by the definitive article and that represents one or all of the members of a class. As a general rule, a common noun does not begin with a capital letter unless it appears at the start of a sentence. Common nouns can be sub categorized as count nouns and mass nouns. Semantically, common nouns can be classified as abstract nouns and concrete nouns. Contrast with a proper noun.

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15
Q

Comparative

A

The form of an adjective or adverb involving a comparison of more or less, greater or lesser

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16
Q

Complement

A

A word or word group that completes the predicate in a sentence. The two kinds of compliments are ‘subject compliments’ (which follow the verb ‘be’ and other linking verbs) and ‘object complements’ (which follow a direct object). If it identifies the subject, the complement is a noun or pronoun; if it describes the subject, the complement is an adjective.

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17
Q

Complex sentence

A

A sentence that contains at least one independent clause and one dependent clause

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18
Q

Compound-complex sentence

A

A sentence that contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.

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19
Q

Compound sentence

A

A sentence that contains at least two independent clauses.

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20
Q

Conditional clause

A

A type of adverbial clause that states a hypothesis or condition, real or imagined. A conditional clause may be introduced by the subordinating conjunction ‘if’ or another conjunction, such as ‘unless’ or ‘in the case of’.

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21
Q

Conjunction

A

The part of speech (or word class) that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses or sentences. The two main types of conjunction are coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.

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22
Q

Contraction

A

A shortened form of a word or group of words (such as ‘doesn’t’ or ‘won’t’), with the missing letters usually marked by an apostrophe

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23
Q

Coordination

A

The grammatical connection of two or more ideas to give them equal emphasis and importance. Contrast with subordination.

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24
Q

Count noun

A

A noun that refers to an object or idea that can form a plural or occur in a noun phrase with an indefinite article or with numerals. Contrast with a mass noun (or noncount noun)

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25
Declarative sentence
A sentence in the form of a statement (in contrast to a command, a question, or an exclamation)
26
Definite article
In english, the definite article 'the' is a determined that refers to particular nouns. Compare to indefinite article
27
Demonstrative
A determined that points to a particular noun or to the noun it replaces. The demonstrative are: this, that, these, and those. A demonstrative pronoun distinguishes its antecedent from similar things. When the word precedes a noun, it is sometimes called a demonstrative adjective.
28
Dependent clause
A group of words that has both a subject and a verb but (unlike an independent clause) cannot stand alone as a sentence. Also known as a subordinate clause.
29
Determiner
A word or a group of words that introduces a noun. Determines include articles, demonstrative and possessive pronouns
30
Direct object
A noun or pronoun in a sentence that receives the action of a transitive verb. Compare to an indirect object
31
Ellipsis
The omission of one or more words, which must be supplied by the listener or reader. Adjective: elliptical or elliptic. Plural, ellipses
32
Excalmatory sentence
A sentence that expresses strong feelings by making an exclamation. (Compare with sentences that make a statement, express with a command, or ask a question)
33
Future tense
A verb form indicating the action that has not yet begun. The simple future is usually formed by adding the auxiallry 'will' or 'shall' to the base form of a verb
34
Gender
A grammatical classification which in English applies primarily to the third person singular personal pronouns: he, she, him, her, his, hers
35
Gerund
A verbal that end in -ing and functions as a noun
36
Grammar
The set of rules and examples dealing with the syntax and word structure of a language
37
Head
The keyword that determines the nature of a phrase. For example, in a noun phrase, the head is a noun or a pronoun
38
Idiom
A set of expression of two or more words that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words
39
Imperitave mood
The form of the verb that makes direct commands and requests
40
Imperative sentence
A sentence that gives advice or instructions or that expresses a request or command
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Indefinite article
The determined 'an' or 'a', which marks an unspecified count noun.
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Independent clause
A group of words made up of a subject and a predicate. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence (unlike dependent). Also known as the main clause
43
Indirect object
A noun or pronoun that indicates to whom or for whom the action of a verb in a sentence is performed
44
Indirect question
A sentence that reports a question and ends with a period rather than a question mark
45
Infinitive
A verbal--usually preceded by the particle 'to'--that can function as a noun, an adjective, or and adverb.
46
Inflection
A process of word formation in which items are added to the base form of a word to Express a grammatical meaning
47
-ing form
A contemporary linguistic term for the present particle and gerund: any verb form that ends in -ing
48
Intensifier
A word that emphasises another word or phrase. Intensifying adjectives modify nouns; intensifying adverbs commonly modify verbs, gradable adjectives and other adverbs
49
Interjection
The part of speech that usually expresses emotion and is capable of standing alone
50
Interrogative sentence
A sentence that asks a question.
51
Interrupting phrase
A word group (a statement, question, or exclamation) that interrupts the flow of a sentence and is usually set off by commas, dashes or parentheses
52
Intransitive verb
A verb that does not follow the usual rules for verb forms. Verbs in english are irregular if they do not have a conventional -ed form
53
Linking verbs
A verb, such as the form of 'be' or 'seem', that joins the subject of a sentence to a complement. Also known as a copula
54
Mass noun
A noun (such as 'advice', 'bread', 'knowledge') that names things which cannot be counted. A mass noun (also known as a non-count noun) is used only in the singular.
55
Modal
A verb that combines with another verb to indicate mood or tense
56
Modifier
A word, phrase, or clause that functions as an adjective or adverb to limit or qualify the meaning of another word or word group (called the head)
57
Mood
The quality of a verb that conveys the writers attitude toward a subject. In english, the indicative mood is used to make factual statements or pose questions, the imperitave mood to express a request or command, and the (rarely used) subjunctive mood to show a wish, doubt, or anything else contrary to fact
58
Negation
A grammatical construction that contradicts or negates part or all of a sentence's meaning. Commonly include the negative particle 'not' or contracted "n't"
59
Noun
The part of speech (or word class) that is used to name or identify a person, place, thing, quality, or action. Most nouns have both a singular and plural form.
60
Number
The grammatical contrast between singular and plural forms of nouns, pronouns, determiners, and verbs
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Object
A noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives or is affected by the action of a verb in a sentence
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Objective case
The case or function of a pronoun when it is the direct or indirect object of a verb or verbal, the object of a preposition, the subject of an infinitive, or and apposite to an object. The objective (or accusative) forms of english pronouns are me, us, you, him, her, it, them, whom, and whomever
63
Participle
A verb that functions as an adjective
64
Particle
A word that does not change its form through inflection and does not easily fit into the established system of parts of speech
65
Parts of speech
The traditional term for the categories into which words are classified according to their functions in sentences
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Passive voice
A verb form in which the subject receives the verbs action
67
Past tense
A verb tense indicating action occured in the past
68
Perfect aspect
A verb construction that describes events occurring in the past but linked to a later time, usually the present
69
Personal pronoun
A pronoun that refers to a particular person, group or thing
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Phrase
Any small group of words within a sentence or a clause
71
Plural
The form of a noun that typically denotes more than one person, thing, or instance
72
Possessive case
The inflected form of nouns and pronouns usually indicating ownership, measurement, or source. Also known as 'genitive case'
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Predicate
One of the two main parts of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb
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Predicative adjective
An adjective that usually comes after a linking verb and not before a noun
75
Prefix
A letter or group of letters attached to the beginning of a word that partly indicates its meaning
76
Prepositional phrase
A group of words made up of a preposition, its objects and any of the objects modifiers
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Present tense
A verb tense that expresses action in the present time
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Progressive aspect
a verb phrase made with a form of 'be' plus -ing that indicates an action or condition continuing in the present, past or future
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Pronoun
A word that takes the place of a noun
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Proper noun
A noun used for names events or places
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Quotation
The reproduction of the words of a writer or speaker. In a direct quotation, the words are reprinted exactly and placed in quotation marks
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Regular verb
A verb that forms its past tense and past participle by adding -d or -ed to the base form
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Relative clause
A clause introduced by a relative pronoun (which, that, who, whom, or whose) or a relative adverb (where, when, or why)
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Sentence
The largest independent unit of grammar: it begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark or exclamation point. A sentence is traditionally (and inadequately) defined as a word or group of words that expresses a complete idea that includes a subject and a verb.
85
Singular
The simplest form of a noun (the form that appears in a dictionary)
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Subject
The part of a sentence or clause that indicates what it is about
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Subjective case
The case of a pronoun when it is the subject of a clause, a subject complement, or an appositive to a subject or a subject complement. The subjective (or nominative) forms of english pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, and whoever
88
Subjunctive mood
The mood of a verb expressing wishes, stipulating demands, or making statements contrary to fact
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Suffix
A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word or stem, serving to form a new word or functioning as an inflection ending
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Superlative
The form of an adjective that suggests the most or the least of something
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Tense
The time of the verbs action or state of being
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Transition verb
A verb that takes a direct object.
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Verb
The part of the speech that describes an action or occurance or indicates a state of being
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Verbal
A verb form that functions in a sentence as a noun or a modifier rather than as a verb
95
Word class
A set of words that display the same formal properties, especially their inflections and distribution. Similar to the more traditional term part of speech

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