Download Grammar Guide File - Wythe County Schools Moodle Site

Comparative/Superlative
Comparative: Comparative adjectives are used to
compare differences between two nouns . [er]
My house is larger than hers.
Your dog runs faster than Jim's dog.
The rock flew higher than the roof.
Superlative: : Superlative adjectives are used to
compare a group of nouns.
My house is the largest one in our neighborhood.
This is the smallest box I've ever seen.
Your dog ran the fastest of any dog in the race.
Verb Moods
Indicative: A statement, a fact, or an opinion.
I screamed loudly at the concert.
Imperative: A command
Scream your favorite song as loud as you can.
Interrogative: Asks a question.
Did you scream at the concert?
Subjuntive:Contrary to reality;a wish or
hypothetical; probably not going to happen
If I were to scream my loudest, I could severely
injure my vocal cords.
Conditional: Depends on something else to
happen; could possibly happen
If you scream the loudest, you will be on TV.
aboard
about
above
according to
across
after
against
along
amid
among
around
aside from
as of
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
Prepositions
but
by
down
during
except
for
from
in
in addition to
inside
in spite of
instead of
into
like
near
next to
of
off
on
on account of
out
out of
over
past
since
through
throughout
to
toward
under
underneath
until
unto
up
upon
with
without
Ellipsis-use ONLY three periods to express the
idea is to be continued or when information is
omitted.
Slowly she reached for the door handle afraid she
would see…
Dashes-indicates an abrupt break in thought; used
between words to affect style or mood.
I was thinking of my mother--who is arriving
tomorrow--just as you walked in.
Hoover Preparotory School for Girls has a number
of profoundly stupid traditions—such as the
singing-the-alma-mater-song-every-Thursday-atlunch-tradtion.
Colon-use before a list of items after the
expression as follows or the following.
Minimum equipment for camping is as follows: a
sleeping bag, food, clothing, sturdy shoes, a
pocketknife, and a rope.
Colon in conventional situations:
between the hour and minute 2:45
between chapter and verse in Biblical references
Galatians 5:22
after the salutation of a business letter Dear Sir or
Madam:
B
Commonly Confused Words
affect-to influence
effect-the result of an action
accept-to receive with consent
except-to leave out from a group
among-involves more than two
between-only two involved
can-refers to ability
may-permission
capitol-building; statehouse
capital-a city; seat of government
leave-to go away from
let-to give opportunity
lie-always has object
lay-to recline
teach-to instruct
learn-to gain knowledge
principal-the head of a school
principle-a rule of conduct
rise-to get up
raise-to lift or grow
to-infinitive or preposition
too-also
two-number
they’re-contraction of they are there-place their-possessive form of they
its-possessive form of it
it’s-contraction of it is
sit-to place yourself in a seated position
set-to place an object
stationary-in a fixed position
stationery-writing paper
where-at, in, or to what place
were-past tense of the verb be
which-refers to things only
that-refers to people or things
whom-objects of sentences or clauses
who-used as a subject
He is the one whom I love.
Who is sitting on my foot?
With whom did you go out last night?
All right, who ate the dog food?
Punctuating Titles
Underline if handwriting, italicize if typing whole works such as:
books
ships
works of art
plays
trains
television series
periodicals
aircraft
movies/films
works of art
spacecraft
musical albums/compositions
Quotation marks “ “ for pieces of works such as:
short stories
poems
songs
chapters and other parts of books essays and articles
episodes of television series
Subordinating Conjunctions – introduce an adverb clause
after
as soon as
in order that
unless whether
although
as though
since
until
while
as
because
so that
when
as if
how
than
whenever
as long as
if
though
where
When winter sets in, many animals hibernate.
Because you cleaned your room, we will get ice cream.
Although she ran well, she did not win the race.
Relative Pronouns- introduce an adjective clause
that
which who
whom whose
Leonardo da Vinci was the artist who painted the Mona Lisa.
A black hole, which results after a star has collapsed, can trap energy.
Is this shirt the one that is on sale?
Verbals
Participle-a verb form that can be used as an adjective.
The crying woman left the movie theater.
The police officers searched the abandoned warehouse.
While sleeping with the TV on, the tormented child dreamt of monsters.
Do not confuse a participle with a verb phrase.
(P)Planning their trip, the class learned how to read a map.
(VP)While they were planning their trip, the class learned how to read a map.
Gerund-verb form ending in –ing that is used as a noun
Running is great exercise.
My son loves playing with his toy dinosaur.
Most people enjoy eating.
Infinitive-to + a verb that can be used as a noun, adjective, or an adverb.
To install the ceiling fan took two hours. (noun)
The best time to visit Florida is in December. (adjective)
The camel knelt at the pool to drink. (adverb)
A
Noun-person, place, thing, idea
Pronoun-a word used in place of one or more nouns
I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours, you, your, yours,
he, him, his, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs,
myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself,
herself, itself, themselves
Adjective-a word used to modify a noun or pronoun
What kind? Which one? How much? How many?
Conjunction-a word used to join words or group of words
for and nor but or yet so
Parts of Speech
Verb-a word used to express action or state of being
Adverb-a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
Where? When? How? To what extent?
Preposition-a word that shows the relationship of a noun or
pronoun to another word (see list of prepositions)
Interjection-a word used to express emotion
Oh! You surprised me. Aha, you’ve discovered the secret.
Direct Object – a noun, pronoun, or word group that tells who or
what receives the action of the verb.
Our history built a model of the Alamo.
Has the freeze destroyed some of the crops?
Mr. Clark planted tulips and daffodils.
Mrs. Wagner greets whoever comes into her class.
(A direct object will not be in a prepositional phrase.)
Simple Sentence-contains one independent clause and no
dependent clause.
Ernesto has volunteered to organize the recycling campaign.
Compound Sentence-contains two or more independent clauses
and no dependent clauses.
Alberto led for half the distance, and then Jared took the lead.
Complex Sentence-contains one independent clause and at least
one dependent clause.
After we finish our report on the history of computers, we may go to
the basketball game.
The detective show appeared on television for several weeks before
it became popular with viewers.
Compound-Complex-contains two or more independent clauses
and at least one dependent clause.
When Bill left, he locked the door, but he forgot to turn off the lights.
Before we conducted the experiment, we asked for permission to
use the science lab, but the principal insisted on teacher supervision
of our work.
Comma Rules
Items in a series-Use commas to separate items in a series.
Always stop, look, and listen before crossing railroad tracks.
At the market, purchase egg, milk, and bread.
Compound Sentences-use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). [FANBOYS]
Cocker spaniels make good pets, but they require a lot of grooming.
Introductory words or phrasesWell, I think we should ask for help.
When the bus arrives, we’ll drive to the Grand Canyon.
After you wash the dishes, I’ll dry them and put them away.
InterruptersMy best friend, Nancy, is studying ballet.
Direct addressMrs. Clarkson, this letter is addressed to you.
Parenthetical expressionsSidney, I think, volunteers at the senior center.
Conventional situationsThursday, February 14, 2013
Dear Aunt Margaret,
JSMS’s address is 1200 Wateree Street, Kingsport, TN 37660
Participial phrasesThis small turtle, crossing the street slowly, was in danger.
The coach, signaling the referee for a time-out, gathered her team
for a pep talk.
Clause-a group of words that has both a verb and its subject.
Independent Clause-expresses a complete thought and can
stand by itself as a complete sentence.
Dependent Clause-does not express a complete thought and
cannot stand by itself as a complete sentence.
Phrase-a group of related words that is used as a single part
of speech and that DOES NOT contain both a verb and its
subject.
Prepositional Phrase-the preposition, the object of the
preposition, and any modifiers
The car in front of us slid into an icy snow bank.
During the stormy night, the black horse ran off.
Adverb Phrase-a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb,
an adjective, or an adverb.
The snow fell throughout the day.
Are you good at soccer?
For a beginner, Elaine speaks French well.
Adjective Phrase-a prepositional phrase that modifies a
noun or a pronoun.
Sicily is an island off the coast of Italy.
The glass of juice on the counter is for Emma.
Participle Phrase- consists of a participle and any modifiers
or complements the participle has. (The entire phrase is used
as an adjective.)
Seeing itself in the mirror, the duck seemed quite bewildered.
After a while, we heard the duck quacking noisily at its own
image.
after all
at any rate
by the way
for example
for instance
Parenthetical Expressions
generally speaking
of course
nevertheless
on the contrary
on the other hand
therefore
in my opinion
however
I believe (hope, suppose, think)
Apostrophes
Possessive- use apostrophe and an s to show ownership.
a dog’s collar
Willis’s typewriter
Sandra’s boat
Plural Possessive- nouns ending in s add only the apostrophe
actors’ scripts
doctors’ opinions
customers’ complaints
Plural noun that does not end in s – add apostrophe and s
Women’s suits
geese’s noise
children’s books
Do not confuse contractions with possessive pronouns.
Contractions
Possessive Pronouns
He said it’s snowing. [it is]
Its front tire is flat.
It’s been a long time. [It has]
Who’s next in line? [Who is]
Whose idea was it?
Who’s swept? [Who has]
You’re writing an essay. [You are]
Your writing has improved.
They’re not here. [They are]
Their dog is barking.
There’s a trophy for first place. [There is] This trophy is theirs.
Created by Rachael Wagner in 2014 [email protected] - Revised 2016