Key Terms
In order to talk about grammar, it is necessary to become familiar with some key terms. The definitions given here may not be classic textbook definitions but will focus, instead, on how these things function. Since that is true, these definitions may not cover all the ways these elements of grammar work. The key focus here will be on how to use the elements of grammar. Students need to become "roadside mechanics" (able to make simple repairs and do everyday maintenance) and not "garage mechanics" (able to diagnose every problem, tear an engine down, and rebuild it from scratch).
Basic grammar terms
- Noun: person, place, thing, or idea
- Verb: the action a noun takes or the nature (state) of a noun
- Modify: to change (or expand) the meaning of something
- Adjective: word changing the meaning of a noun
- Adverb: word changing the meaning of a verb (can also modify the meaning of another adverb)
- Phrase: group of related words
- Prepositional phrase
A phrase which begins with a preposition. Prepositional phrases always follow this pattern: preposition (modifiers) noun (or pronoun). Not all prepositional phrases have modifiers (words that change the meaning of the noun)
- Participial phrase
A phrase which contains a form of a verb but acts like a noun, adjective or adverb (for instance, a verb ending in -ing or -ed like in the sentence
"Walking down the street is fun.")
- Clause: group of related words that include a subject and verb
- Types of clauses by part of speech
- Adjective: a clause which acts like an adjective (modifies a noun) [also called relative clause]
- Adverb: a clause which acts like an adverb (modifies a verb)
- Noun: a clause which acts like a noun or pronoun
- Types of clauses by function
- Independent: a clause which expresses a complete thought; a clause which can stand alone as a sentence (is independent)
- Dependent: a clause which modifies a noun or verb or acts like a noun; a clause which depends on the rest of the sentence to complete a thought (is dependent); a clause which cannot stand alone as a sentence
- Fragment: a piece of a sentence punctuated as if it is a complete sentence
