Grammar Flashcards
(36 cards)
State-of-being Verbs
Words that establish fact or condition
Is, were, am, are, was, etc
Action Verb
Words that show action
Grow, hide, play, surf, etc
Three types of verbs
Action verbs
State-of-being verbs
Helping verbs
Verb Phrase
When a state-of-being verb is combined with an action verb.
What is a phrase?
Two or more words serving as one part of a speech.
Describe a verb phrase
Ex.
“We are running a race.”
The verb phrase is “are running.”
State of being verb = are
Action been = running
Helping verbs
Helping verbs work with the main verb or verb phrase to tell about the action.
A verb cannot be a helping verb unless there is another verb to help.
23 helping verbs
Can, could Have, has had Am, are Do, does, did Be, being, been Shall, should Will, would, was, were Is May, might, must
Easiest way of identifying the subject in a sentence
Find the verb
Noun
Person, place, or thing
Pronoun
Takes the place of the noun
Subject in a sentence
Usually comes before the verb and answers the question:
“Who or what does this action?”
Complete Predicate
A sentence is predicated or based on the verb. For this reason we call the verb and usually all other words following the verb the complete predicate.
“The airplane TURNED SLOWLY ON THE RUNWAY.”
The Simple Predicate
The most important word or phrase in the complete predicate is the verb or verb phrase. The verb or verb phrase of the sentence is referred to as the simple predicate.
“The infantry MOVES by its legs.”
The Complete Subject
The complete subject is usually all the words that come before the simple predicate (verb) in the sentence.
“A STORN WITH SNOW AND RAIN arrived before dark.”
The Simple Subject
The simple subject is the noun or pronoun subject of the simple predicate in the sentence. In finding the simple subject one must first find the verb of the sentence and ask who or what accomplishes the action or condition of the verb. The answer to this question would be the simple subject.
“The third PLANET from the sun is the Earth.”
The Complete Predicate when it begins with an adverb or adverbial phrase
Often an adverb or adverbial phrase begins a sentence, and the usual sentence pattern changes. An adverb or adverbial phrase usually modifies a verb and is, therefore, part of the complete predicate. Remember that an adverb tells when, where, why, and how an action takes place.
“BY THREE O’CLOCK, the mail WILL BE DELIVERED.”
The Clause
A clause is a group of words with a simple subject and a simple predicate. A clause may or may not be a sentence.
1) “While I work at my desk…”
2) “I am working at my desk…”
Independent vs Dependent Clauses
When a clause stands alone as a complete thought, the clause is an independent clause. When a clause cannot stand alone as a complete thought, the clause is a dependent clause.
1) “The spring flowers are beginning to grow…”
This clause stands alone and is an independent clause.
2) “when the sun came up…”
This clause cannot stand alone and is a dependent clause.
The simple sentence versus the sentence fragment
An independent clause standing by itself as a sentence is referred to as a simple sentence. A dependent clause or phrase standing by itself is referred to as a sentence fragment-just a part of the sentence.
The Complex Sentence
When an independent clause and a dependent clause are joined together they form a complex sentence
The Adjective Clause
An adjective phrase or an adjective clause usually follows the noun or pronoun it modifies. Common words beginning adjective clauses are: which, that, who, whom, whose.
“The student WHO WON THE AWARD is in the eleventh grade.”
Compound Verb
When more than one verb is used in a sentence
We entered the plane, took our seats, and enjoyed the flight
Conjunction
A common part of speech used to combine two or more verbs in a sentence
(And, but)
