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any thing that precedes another thing, especially the cause of the second thing
ex: one's ancestors |
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a pronoun referring to an antecedent in the plural, and expressing a mutual relation
The English reciprocal pronouns are each other and one another. |
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| A personal pronoun, having a form of "self" as a suffix to show that the subject's action affects the subject itself |
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Term
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A pronoun that introduces a relative clause and refers to an antecedent. The interrogative pronouns can be used as relative pronouns: what, which, who, whom, and whose.
who in The woman who is wearing the funny hat
that in The funny hat that is on her head |
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a pronoun which replaces a noun whose identity can be understood from the context; it indicates whether the noun is singular or plural, and whether it is near or far from the speaker or writer
Note: In the English language they are the same as the demonstrative adjectives - this, that, these and those |
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| A pronoun that does not specify the identity of its referent |
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| Intensive pronouns come directly after their antecedent. For instance: I myself believe in U.F.O. |
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a participle and its accompanying word or words. A participle phrase modifies a noun or a pronoun. It may contain a direct object and an adverb that modifies the participle. Below are some examples:
Sitting in his office, he rereads the instructions. ("Sitting in his office" is the participial phrase.)
Thomas Edison, experimenting with different materials in his laboratory, eventually improved the light bulb. ("Experimenting with different materials in his laboratory" is the participial phrase.) |
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| a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, the "object" of the preposition. |
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An appositive is a noun or pronoun -- often with modifiers -- set beside another noun or pronoun to explain or identify it.
An appositive phrase usually follows the word it explains or identifies, but it may also precede it.
Your friend BILL is in trouble.
A BEAUTIFUL COLLIE, Skip was my favorite dog.
John Kennedy THE POPULAR U.S. PRESIDENT was quite different from John Kennedy THE UNFAITHFUL HUSBAND. |
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Term
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Definition
to express action that has been completed with respect to the present. (The word perfect in its name refers to the idea of completion—of being now finished—rather than to perfection in the sense of "no flaws".)
I have finished.
The man has seen the car. |
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| past perfect tense (pluperfect) |
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Definition
a perfective tense that exists in most Indo-European languages, used to refer to an event that has completed before another past action.
In the sentence "The blind man, who knew that he had risen, motioned him to sit down again" (from Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty), "he had risen" is an example of the pluperfect tense.
It refers to an event (someone rises from his seat), which takes place before another event (the blind man notices the fact that the other has risen). Because that second event (the blind man's taking notice) is itself a past event and the past tense is used to refer to it ("the blind man knew"), the pluperfect is needed to make it clear that the first event (someone rises) has taken place even earlier in the past. |
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used to describe an event that has not yet happened but which is expected or planned to happen before another stated occurrence.
subject + shall or will have + past participle of verb
"I shall have gone to the store by the time you come." |
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| The subject of an active sentence performs the action of the verb: "I throw the ball." |
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| The subject of a passive sentence is still the main character of the sentence, but something else performs the action: "The ball is thrown by me." |
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infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that exist in many languages. In the usual (traditional) description of English, the infinitive f a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to: therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives.
to + verb = infinitive |
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Term
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Definition
a derivative of a non-finite verb, which can be used in compound tenses or voices, or as a modifier. Participles often share properties with other parts of speech, in particular adjectives and nouns.
Examples of participle formation include:
Verb Preterite
(past) Past
Participle Present
Participle Regular/
Irregular
talk talked talking regular
hire hired hiring
do did done doing irregular
say said saying
eat ate eaten eating
write wrote written writing
beat beat beaten beating
sing sang sung singing |
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Definition
a sentence with at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (which can also be called subordinate clause) is referred to as a complex-compound sentence. Sometimes also called a compound-complex sentence.
The cat lived in the backyard, but the dog, who knew he was superior, lived inside the house.
Independent clauses:
The cat lived in the backyard.
The dog lived inside the house.
Dependent clause:
who knew he was superior |
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Term
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Definition
composed of at least two independent clauses. It does not require a dependent clause. The clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (with or without a comma), a correlative conjunction (with or without a comma), or a semicolon that functions as a conjunction. A conjunction can be used to make a compound sentence. The use of a comma to separate two independent clauses in a sentence is accepted as part of the English language.
Example: My friend invited me to a party, but I do not want to go.
In the English language, a compound sentence is composed of at least two independent clauses. It does not require a dependent clause. The clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction (with or without a comma), a correlative conjunction (with or without a comma), or a semicolon that functions as a conjunction. A conjunction can be used to make a compound sentence. The use of a comma to separate two independent clauses in a sentence is accepted as part of the English language.
Example: My friend invited me to a party, but I do not want to go. |
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Term
| compound-complex sentence |
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Definition
| a sentence with at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (which can also be called subordinate clause) is referred to as a complex-compound sentence. Sometimes also called a compound-complex sentence |
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Term
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is a word or sentence element that limits or qualifies another word, a phrase, or a clause. In English, there are two kinds of modifiers: adjectives, which modify nouns and pronouns, and adverbs, which modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. A modifier phrase is a phrase that acts as a modifier; English has adjective phrases and adverb phrases. Neither modifiers nor modifier phrases are usually required by a clause's syntax; they are optional, and help clarify or limit the extent of the meaning of the word or phrase they modify.
The adjective "green" in the phrase "a green tree" modifies "tree", and thus limits its meaning in that it cannot be, say, a deciduous tree in winter. In the same way, the adverb "kindly" modifies the past tense of the verb "let" in "she kindly let me borrow her scissors". An adverb may also modify an adjective, such as in "abjectly poor".
A premodifier is a modifier placed before the head (the modified component). A postmodifier is a modifier placed after the head. Example: "land (pre-modifier) mines in wartime (post-modifier)". |
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