Topic 1 - Common Sentence Level - Grammar Flashcards
(30 cards)
the focus of the sentence
subject
action word that the subject performs
verb
singular subject matches with a singular verb.
plural subjects match with a plural verb
subject-verb agreement
two ideas are in the same sentence with no identifiable indicator to separate them
run-on sentence
run on sentence that has no punctuation
two thoughts are joined together using no punctuation to divide them
On her first day of kindergarten in the United States, Tatiana cried all day the teacher read her stories to comfort her.
fused sentence
a comma is used to divide two thoughts but is not enough to correct the thought
comma spliced
- Use a period and a capital
- Use a comma and a conjunction or connecting word
- Use a semicolon (with or without a transitional word such as “however” or “also”)
correct run-on sentences
present, past, past participle, present participle
4 main forms of verbs
walk, walked, have walked, walking
present, past, past participle, present participle examples of regular verb
type of verb that is conjugated in a specialized way
irregular verb
when the pronoun does not reflect the number of words it replaces
pronoun agreement error
pronoun does not show a clear connection with the noun it replaced
pronoun reference error
descriptive words for nouns or pronouns
adjectives
- before a noun
- after the various forms of the verb “to be”
- after the verbs “look, appear, seem, become, sound, taste, smell’
position of adjectives
- add “er” to short adjectives
“her hair is longer than mine” - place the word “more” before longer adjectives
“it’s more gorgeous than when I saw it last”
comparative adjectives
- add “est” to shorter adjectives
“item is the cheapest” - place “the most” before longer adjectives
“car is the most expensive on the lot”
superlative adjectives
describes verbs, adjectives or possibly other adverbs
generally end in “ly
adverb
placement of words in a sentence that can cause confusion
“Everyone watched the mystery woman as she entered the ballroom with the mayor wearing a floor length gown.”
misplaced modifier error
sentence lacks the modifier that starts the sentence. Person, place or thing being described is missing
“while doing homework, the kids blasted the stereo”
dangling modifier
“he walk”
non standard form (pronoun/tense)
connecting word
conjunction
phrase that has a dependent word at or close to the beginning of the sentence requires another idea to make the sentence complete
“Although I was broke. I invited them out for dinner.”
If the dependent phrase starts the sentence, use a comma to correct
dependent fragment
starts with “to” or words ending in “ing” and are usually missing a subject
“Mario studied incessantly for his algebra exam. Aspiring to earn an A.”
“ing” and “to” fragments
essential element of a sentence (subject and verb are missing)
“Darren excels in all kinds of team sports. Except ice hockey. He doesn’t like the violence in the sport.”
added detail fragment
