5 Improving Grammar Skills “I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I...

5

Improving Grammar Skills

“I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it.”

― Carl Sandburg, American poet and author

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

After completing the chapter, you will be able to:

• Identify the parts of a sentence.• Use nouns and pronouns correctly.• Use verbs correctly.• Use adjectives and adverbs correctly.• Identify conjunctions, prepositions, and

interjections.



Sentence Parts

• A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought.

• A sentence has two main parts.– subject is the person speaking or the person,

place, or thing the sentence describes– predicate describes an action or state of

being for the subject



• Eight different parts of speech:– noun: a word naming a person, place, or thing– pronoun: a word taking the place of a noun– verb: a word showing action or state of being– adjective: a word describing a noun or pronoun– adverb: word describing a verb, adjective,

another adverb– conjunction: a word connecting words, phrases,

or sentences– preposition: a word relating nouns or pronouns

to other words in a sentence– interjection: a word expressing strong emotion

Sentence Parts



• Eight parts of speech

Sentence Parts



• Subjects and predicates– Simple subject is just the nouns or pronouns

about which the sentence gives informationThe school has nine classrooms.

– Simple subject and other words that describe it make the complete subjectThe payment for admission includes snacks.

Sentence Parts



• Subjects and predicates– Simple predicate includes only the verbs that

show action or state of beingMy brother cleaned his room.

– Compound predicate contains two or more verbs joined by and or some other conjunction

The shipping clerk wrapped the package and mailed it.

– Complete predicate includes the verb and other information that tells what the subject is or does

Ms. Chung is the principal.

Sentence Parts



• Objects and complements– Direct object is someone or something that

receives the action of the verbThe little boy threw the ball.

– Indirect object names something or someone for whom the action of the verb is performed

The boy gave the dog a biscuit.– Subject complement is an adjective that

describes the subject or a noun that renames or tells what the subject is

Your new dress is beautiful.

Sentence Parts



• A phrase is a group of words that act together to convey meaning in a sentence.

Sentence Parts



• Clause is a group of words within a sentence that has a subject and a predicate

• Independent clause gives a complete thought and can stand alone as a separate sentence

I read a novel, and she watched a movie.

Sentence Parts



• Dependent clause requires rest of the sentence to provide a complete thought When we land, everyone will leave the plane.

• Subordinating clause is joined to the rest of the sentence with a subordinating conjunction

I cannot attend the meeting, though I am interested in the topic.

• Sentence fragment is a dependent clause used alone and is a writing error

Sentence Parts



• Nonrestrictive clause provides information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentenceThe vase that you dropped was very valuable.

• Restrictive clause is a type of dependent clause that is essential to the meaning of the sentence

The bicycle, which is dirty and rusty, is an antique.

Sentence Parts



• Sentence structure– Simple sentence has one independent clause

and no dependent clauses. Paula and Jan ate lunch in the cafeteria.

– Compound sentence has two independent clauses joined by a conjunction, such as and or but

A heavy rain fell and the game was delayed.

Sentence Parts



• Sentence structure– Complex sentences have an independent

clause and one or more dependent clausesWhen you write a business letter,

you should use clear and concise language.– Compound-complex sentence has two

independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses

Whenever she dines at a restaurant, she orders a salad and this helps her stay healthy.

Sentence Parts



1.What is a sentence?Answer: a group of words that expresses a complete thought

2.What are the two main parts of a sentence?Answer: subject and a predicate

(continued)



3.What are the five types of clauses?Answer: Independent, dependent, subordinating, restrictive, nonrestrictive

4.List the four types of sentences.Answer: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex



Nouns and Pronouns

• A noun is a word that names a person, place, or thing. Maria, Chesterfield Park, and potatoes are examples of nouns.

• A proper noun names a particular person, place, or thing. Mr. Thomas, Atlanta, and Empire State Building are examples of proper nouns.

• A common noun describes a person, place, or thing in general terms. Teacher, city, and building are examples of common nouns.



• A singular noun names one person, place, or thing. Girl, carrot, and bus are examples of singular nouns.

• A plural noun indicates more than one person, place, or thing. Girls, carrots, and buses are examples of plural nouns

• Irregular nouns are those that do not follow the guidelines for making plurals. Rather than adding s or es to the singular form, the plural form often has a different spelling from the singular form.

Nouns and Pronouns



• How to make singular nouns plural

Nouns and Pronouns



• Collective noun refers to a group or unit that contains more than one person, place, or thing. Army, class, committee, and team are examples of collective nouns.

• Possessive nouns indicate ownership. For most singular nouns, the possessive form is created by adding an apostrophe and an s to the noun.

Nouns and Pronouns



• Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence.

• The word a pronoun replaces is called its antecedent.

I am sure that you will win.

Nouns and Pronouns



• Personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things.

• A pronoun in first person refers to someone who is speaking or writing.

• A pronoun in second person refers to someone who is being addressed.

• A pronoun in third person refers to someone being discussed.

Nouns and Pronouns



• Nominative case pronouns are used as the subject in a sentence or as subject complements.

• Objective case pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of prepositions.

• Possessive case pronouns show ownership.

Nouns and Pronouns



• Pronouns indicate number and gender.

Nouns and Pronouns



• Interrogative pronouns, ask a question, include what, which, who, whom, and whose.

• Relative pronouns begin dependent clauses in complex sentences, include who, whom, whose, which, what, and that.

• Demonstrative pronouns identify or direct attention to a noun or pronoun, include this, that, these, and those.

Nouns and Pronouns



• Indefinite pronouns refer to an object or person that has been identified earlier or does not need specific identification. Examples include some, none, one, every, neither, other, both, each, any, such, another

• Some pronouns can also be used as adjectives or in adjective clauses. Examples include some, none, all, and who.

Nouns and Pronouns



1.What is a noun?Answer: a word that names a person, place, or thing

2.What is a pronoun?Answer: a word that replaces a noun in a sentence

3.What is an antecedent?Answer: the word a pronoun replaces



Verbs

• A verb is a word that shows action. Action verbs include read, sing, run, count, laugh, go, and eat.

• A verb is a word that shows state of being. State of being verbs are be, is, are, was, were, and am.– Verbs that show a state of being are also

called linking verbs when they relate a subject to a subject complement. The verb is links the subject (Ralph) to the subject complement (a tall boy).

Ralph is a tall boy.



• Verbs that work with a main verb to show action are called helping verbs. Examples are be, been, am, is, are, was, were, has.

• A compound verb consists of two or more verbs in the same sentence.

Verbs



• Verbs can have one or more of five different properties: – voice– mood– tense– person– number

Verbs



• An action verb can be:– active voice, the subject of the sentence

performs the action. Alfred rowed the boat.

– passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon.

The boat was rowed by Alfred.

Verbs



• The mood of a verb relates to the way in which the speaker or writer wants the sentence to be understood. – indicative mood expresses a straightforward

statement of fact or opinion or asks a question.The snowstorm raged for two days.

– imperative mood states a command or a direct request.

Leave the building.– subjunctive mood expresses an idea,

suggestion, or hypothetical situation.If I were you, I would read this book.

Verbs



• Present tense of a verb indicates that the action or state of being takes place now.

• Past tense indicates that the action or state of being has already occurred. The past tense is usually formed by adding ed to the present tense. Examples include walk/walked, hunt/hunted, and look/looked. For irregular verbs, the spelling of the past tense varies. Examples include run/ran, drink/drank, and pay/paid.

• Future tense indicates that the action or state of being will occur at a later time. The future tense is formed by adding will before the present tense of the verb.

Verbs



• Present perfect tense is formed by adding have or has to the past tense.

The horse has run around the paddock.

• Past perfect tense is formed by adding had to the past tense.

The horse had run around the paddock.

• Future perfect tense is formed by adding will have to the past tense.

The horse will have run around the paddock.

Verbs



• Verbs can be in one of three persons. – First person refers to an action of someone

who is speaking or writing.– Second person refers to an action of

someone who is being addressed (you).– Third person refers to an action of someone

being discussed.

Verbs



• A verb should agree in number with related nouns or pronouns.

• Verbs that relate to I should always be singular.

• Verbs that relate to you should always be plural, even when one person is being addressed.

• Verbs that relate to nouns or pronouns used in the third person (someone spoken about) should agree in number with the nouns or pronouns.

Verbs



• A present participle is a verb form that indicates action is in progress or ongoing. It can also be used as an adjective. To create a present participle, add ing to the present tense. Examples include eating, drawing, and working.

• A past participle indicates that action has been completed.

• A dangling participle is a writing error in which a participle phase modifies nothing or the wrong person or object.

Verbs



• A gerund is a verb form used as a noun. Gerunds are formed by adding ing to the present tense of a verb. Examples of gerunds include eating, shopping, talking, playing, and counting.

• An infinitive is the word to and a verb in its simple present form. Examples include to eat, to read, to see, to touch, and to find.

• A split infinitive occurs when an adverb is placed between the word to and the verb. Examples of split infinitives include to barely see, to slowly read, and to quickly jump.

Verbs



1.What are the two basic types of verbs?Answer: those that show action or those that show a state of being

2.What are the five properties of verbs?Answer: voice, mood, tense, person, number.

3.What are the three verb forms?Answer: participles, gerunds, infinitives



• An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. – may provide details about the noun or pronoun

that give you a better understanding of the person or thing

– may define limitsTwo students passed the exam.

Adjectives and Adverbs




• Two or more related adjectives that appear before a noun or pronoun and equally modify it are called coordinate adjectives.– Coordinate adjectives should be separated by

the word and or by commas.– When the order of the adjectives before a

noun can be arranged without changing the meaning of the sentence, the adjectives are typically coordinate adjectives.

The old, rusty shovel had a broken handle.



• Positive adjectives describe, but do not compare, people or things.

The small book was on top of the stack.

• Comparative adjectives compare two people or things. The red book was smaller than the blue book.

• Superlative adjectives compare three or more people or things.

The red book was the smallest of the books.




• Adjectives can be positive, comparative, or superlative.




• An article is an adjective that limits the noun or pronoun it modifies.

• Articles come before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase and can be definite or indefinite.– definite article the refers to a specific person

or thing– indefinite articles a and an typically refer to a

person or thing in a general way• Use a before words that begin with a consonant

sound and an before words that begin with a vowel sound.

• Articles need not be repeated before each noun in a series of nouns.




• A demonstrative adjective is used before a noun to indicate number and location.

• This, that, these, and those are examples– this and that are used with singular words– these and those are used with plural words– this and these indicate a location that is near

the speaker– that and those indicate a location that is not

near the speaker




• An adverb is a word that describes a verb, adjective, clause, or another adverb.

• Adverbs tell how, when, or where something is done.

• Adverbs can limit or qualify a description.The girl ran very fast.




• Positive adverbs describe, but do not compare, actions or qualities.

• Comparative adverbs compare two actions, conditions, or qualities. Add er or more to create the comparative form of most adverbs.

• Superlative adverbs compare three or more actions, conditions, or qualities. Add est or most to create the superlative form of most adverbs.




• Conjunctive adverbs, such as however, therefore, and also, connect or introduce clauses or phrases in a sentence.

• Conjunctive adverbs help clarify the ideas in the sentence.




1.What is an adjective?Answer: a word that describes a noun or pronoun

2.How is an adverb different from an adjective?Answer: An adverb is a word that describes a verb, adjective, clause, or another adverb. An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun.



Conjunctions, Prepositions, and Interjections

• A conjunction is a word that connects other words, phrases, or sentences. – Coordinating conjunctions join two or more

sentence elements that are of equal importance. Examples include and, or, nor, but.

– Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses to independent clauses. Examples include although, because, since, and unless.

– Correlative conjunctions are two or more words that work together to connect elements in a sentence. Examples include both/and, either/or, not only/but also, rather/than, and neither/nor.



• A preposition is a word that connects or relates its object to the rest of the sentence. – examples include to, at, by, under, of, beside,

over, and during– prepositional phrase consists of the

preposition, its object, and any related adjectives and adverbs




• An interjection is a word that expresses strong emotion, such as surprise, fear, anger, excitement, or shock.– examples include wow, oh, hey, ouch, well,

hurray– an interjection can express a command– interjections can appear at the beginning of a

sentence that expresses strong emotion– interjections can appear alone with an

exclamation mark– interjections should be used sparingly




1.What is a conjunction?Answer: a word that connects other words, phrases, or sentences

2.How is a preposition different from a conjunction?Answer: A preposition is a word that connects or relates its object to the rest of the sentence. A conjunction is a word that connects other words, phrases, or sentences.

(continued)



3.What is an interjection?Answer: a word that expresses strong emotion, such as surprise, fear, anger, excitement, or shock



• Nouns and pronouns are used as the simple subjects in sentences.

• A sentence is a group of words that express a complete thought.

• A verb is a word that shows action or state of being.

• Adjectives and adverbs are used to make sentences more descriptive.

• Conjunctions and prepositions connect words, phrases, or clauses to other elements in the sentence.

5 Improving Grammar Skills “I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I...

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