Glossary of Grammatic Definitions

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Sentence Correction

		I: Introduction

		II: Sentence Correction Tips

		III: Glossary

		IV: Three-Step Method

		V: Seven Error Types

		VI: Sample Questions

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active	voice in which the person or thing performing the action is the subject of the verb John throws the pencil.
adjective	modifies a noun or adverb It was a happy coincidence.
adverb	modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb The detective paced slowly around the room.
article	word (a, an, the) that specifies or confines the meaning of a noun Definite Article: The soldier died bravely. Indefinite Article: A soldier never truly returns home.
clause	in a sentence, a group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate I couldn't believe that Barbara said those things.
conjunction	joins two or more words, phrases, clauses, or sentences Sue and Sally have never been late; they are always on time.
collective noun	indicates a group of persons, things, or animals treated as a single entity The fleet of ships arrives too late. A chorus of angels quivers in her soul.
correlative conjunction	pair of words which, separated from each other in a sentence, act as a conjunction (joining two or more words, phrases, or sentences) Either you are coming with me, or we will never see each other again.
gerund	noun formed from a verb, usually by adding -ing to the end Running to catch a train can be very dangerous.
idiom	expression comprising several words, the meaning of which extends beyond the meanings of the individual words for a full list of idioms, click here.
impersonal pronoun	pronoun that does not stand in for any particular noun, but instead refers to "people in general" or fulfills the sentence's syntactical need for a pronoun One must pay close attention to a test's instructions. It must be said.
infinitive	dictionary form of a verb; in English, most often appears as "to ___ " ("to eat", "to run") To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there's the rub.
modifier	word, phrase, or clause that provides extra information about another word, phrase, or clause The soft pillow made up a bit for the hard bed.
mood	verb form that indicates the speaker's position on the factuality of the sentence; indicates if action/condition is true or unlikely, or if the speaker is giving a command Indicative: Harry spends all of his money on comic books. Imperative: Spend all of your money on comic books! Subjunctive: I wish Paul were not spending his money so recklessly.
noun	indicates a person, place, or thing John ate pizza at the cafe with his friends.
object	in a sentence, the noun or noun phrase that receives, or is otherwise affected by, the action specified by the verb Geronimo ran to the cliff.
passive voice	voice in which the person or thing performing the action is the object of the verb The batter was hit by the pitch.
phrase	in a sentence, a group of words that contains either a subject or a predicate and lacks the other Noun Phrase: The mouse in the trap Prepositional: under the full moon Verb Phrase: runs around and around Adjectival: golden slumber Adverbial: happily oblivious
plural	noun, pronoun, or adjective indicating multiple persons or things Cows don't like sheep.
possessive pronoun	pronoun indicating possession Lucy's book is over there. That book over there is hers.
predicate	part of a sentence or clause that, as a whole, modifies the subject; includes the verb, the object/s, or phrases presided over by the verb Ricky reads. Ricky reads the newspaper. Ricky reads the newspaper to his grandfather.
preposition	shows relationship between words, phrases, or clauses The man from Brazil had never seen snow. The tax collector tapped on the door.
pronoun	stands in for a noun or noun phrase John just meant to scare the boys. He made a terrible mistake, though.
proper noun	noun indicating a specific person, place, or thing The Angkor Vat Temple in Cambodia is one of Cassandra's favorite works of architecture.
relative pronoun	pronoun that connects a subordinate clause to the rest of the sentence Harry is the boy who won the race. Harry is the boy that Julie had a crush on.
sentence	group of words that contains a subject and a predicate, and is able to stand on its own This is a sentence.
singular	noun, pronoun, or adjective indicating one person or thing The cow* doesn't like the sheep.*
subject	in a sentence, the noun or noun phrase that performs the action indicated by the verb; or which is explained or described by the verb The ship sailed through the night storm.
verb	represents an action or state of being We all know this already.
voice	set of verb forms indicating the relationship between the subject and the action or condition expressed by the verb The big fish swallowed Jonah. Jonah was swallowed by the big fish.

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Sentence Correction Tips

Three-Step Method