Grammar Basics Some Terms Why Learn Grammar?

Transcript:Grammar Basics Some Terms Why Learn Grammar?:
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 I was watching a movie. I took 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