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Noun Clause Many people are fairly comfortable with the idea of nouns, but they might not feel so confident when it comes to the idea of a noun clause. Noun clauses come in a variety of forms; and learning about each form is the best way to understand the concept of noun clauses. Purpose of a Noun Clause Noun clauses can be used in a number of ways, and they serve different purposes. First and foremost, please recognize that these clauses are dependent clauses. A dependent clause is one that cannot stand by itself. If a dependent clause is placed alone, it forms a fragment, not a sentence. An independent clause can act as a sentence by itself, but dependent clauses cannot. Subject of a Verb A noun clause can act as a subject of a verb, and we will break down what that means after a couple of examples. This clause is acting as the subject of a verb is present in: • What Alicia said made her friends cry. • What Megan wrote surprised her family. • What the man did was not very polite. When there's a verb in the sentence, you must find the subject. Therefore, in the first we can ask "What made?" and the answer is "What Alicia said." Therefore, "What Alicia said" is the subject of that verb. In the next case, we can ask "What surprised?" and the answer is "What Megan wrote." Do you now see how a noun clause can act as a subject of a verb? Object of a Verb In the same vein, noun clauses can also act as the object of a verb: • She didn't know that the directions were wrong. • He didn't realize that the stove was off. • They now understand that you should not cheat on a test. Once again, we can use the method of questioning to demonstrate how the noun clause is being used. What didn't she know? What didn't he realize? And what do they now understand? The answer in all three cases is the noun clause! Subject Complement Let's pick up the pace a little bit, and let's see if you can figure out how these noun clauses are actually answers to questions within the sentence. • Carlie's problem was that she didn't do the wash. • Harry's crowning achievement was his 4.0 GPA. • Darla's television was a 60 inch screen. Once again, do you see what questions these noun clauses answer and how they relate to the subject? What was Carlie's problem? What was Harry's crowning achievement? What was Darla's television? Without these clauses, the sentences would not be complete thoughts grammaticaly, nor would they sound complete at all. Object of a Preposition Noun clauses also act as objects of a preposition. • Harry is not the provider of what Margie needs. • Josephine is not resposible for what Alex decided to do. • Allie is the owner of that blue car. Once again, Harry is not the provider of what? Josephine is not responsible for what? Allie is the owner of what? Adjective Complement Last but not least, a noun clause can also act as an adjective complement. • The group is happy that Meg returned home. • The child is sad that his stomach hurts. • The family is excited that they bought a new house. One more time with feeling: Why is the group happy? Why is the child sad? Why is the family excited? Selecting a Type of Noun Clause Using noun clauses in everyday speech is a fairly common practice, as noun clauses add often crucial information to sentences. However, learning to differentiate between the various types can be difficult. If you're in a position where you have to decide which form the noun clause is taking, consider the options carefully, and consult a grammar guide if you need additional assistance. MLA Style "Noun Clause ." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 2 October 2015. <http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/nouns/nounclause.html> Prepositional phrases modify nouns and verbs while indicating various relationships between subjects and verbs. They are used to color and inform sentences in powerful ways. No ad requested because of display:none on the adsbygoogle tag Parts of a Prepositional Phrase In simplest terms, prepositional phrases consist of a preposition and an object of a preposition. Prepositions are indeclinable words that introduce the object of a prepositional phrase. Indeclinable words are words that have only one possible form. For example, below is a preposition, but belows or belowing are not possible forms of below. The noun phrase or pronoun that follows the preposition is called the subject of the preposition. For example, behind the couch is a prepositional phrase where behind is the preposition and the noun phrase the couch acts as the subject of the preposition. Sometimes adjectives are used to further modify the subject of the preposition, as in behind the big old smelly green couch. Formal Functions of Prepositions Prepositions perform three formal functions in sentences. They can act as an adjective modifying a noun, as an adverb modifying a verb, or as a nominal when used in conjunction with the verb form to be. Prepositions Functioning as Adjectives In the following sentences, prepositional phrases perform the function of modifying the nouns boat, pen, and truck: Look at the boat with the blue sail. Please hand me the pen next to the telephone. Have him move the truck with the trailer. Prepositions Functioning as Adverbs In these examples, notice how the prepositional phrases perform adverbial functions by modifying the verbs after, stalled, and won: The coyote runs after the rabbit. The car stalled despite the tuneup. The team won without the starting quarterback. Prepositions Functioning as Nominals In English, sometimes words function as nouns but aren't themselves nouns. These words are called nominals. Prepositions sometimes perform this important function in sentences when they are used in conjunction with the verb to be. For example: The park is next to the hospital. The student is between an A and a B. The fight scene is before the second act. Semantic Properties of Prepositions In semantic terms, the preposition functions to illustrate a logical, temporal, or spatial relationship between the object of the prepositional phrase and the other components of the sentence. Consider the following examples: The dog is asleep on his bed. In this example, the prepositional phrase on his bed indicates a spatial relationship between the subject dog and the object bed. If the preposition on was replaced with under or beneath the spatial relationship would be altered. The town hasn't been the same since the war. In this sentence, the prepositional phrase since the war indicates a temporal relationship between the verb phrase hasn't been the same and the object war. The family survived despite the accident. he prepositional phrase despite the accident in this sentence indicates a logical relationship between the survival of the family and the accident. MLA Style "Prepositional Phrases." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 2 October 2015. <http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-ofspeech/prepositions/Prepositional-Phrases.html> Grammar Colon Usage Lessons on how to use a colon, along with other punctuation rules, can come in handy to make someone a better writer. Without knowing how to effectively use colons, a writer can end up just putting colons everywhere, nowhere at all or interchanging the colon with a comma. Grammar Rules for Using a Colon There are six key rules for colon usage that should always be followed: 1. Use a colon after a sentence or independent clause when introducing a list of items. Example: Incorrect: "All dogs must get: food, water, and healthcare." Reason: The part of the sentence before the colon does not illustrate a complete thought. Correct: "There are three things that every dog needs: food, water, and healthcare." 2. Colons should never come before a list unless the colon is following a sentence. 3. Use a colon after a complete sentence which is following by a bulleted list. 4. Use colons between two sentences only if the second sentence illustrates the first. If there are two sentences that follow the colon, then capitalize the first word of each sentence. If there is one sentence following the lead sentence then you should not capitalize the first sentence. 5. Use a colon to introduce a quotation that is more than three lines long. You should not use quotation marks and you should single space the quotation and indent from the left margin only. 6. Use a colon following a greeting (also known as a salutation) in a business letter. It does not matter if you are using the person’s first name, their first and last name or their title, you should always use a colon if the letter is a formal business letter. If the letter is a personal letter, then either a colon or comma is appropriate. Examples: • Dear Joan: • Dear Joan Smith: • Dear Madam: Using Colons Correctly The grammar rules for using a colon are pretty simple and straightforward. All you need to truly remember is that a colon is not a comma nor is it interchangeable for a comma. Knowing when to use a colon is one of the easiest grammatical lessons to remember. All it takes is time and practice to better equip yourself with the rules of learning and grammar usage of colons. MLA Style "Grammar Colon Usage." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 2 October 2015. <http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/punctuation/grammar-colonusage.html>. VERB PHRASES If you want to understand what a verb phrase is, you need to understand verbs and phrases first. Phrases will be explained, as well as sentence structure, and examples will be offered for all of them. No ad requested because of display:none on the adsbygoogle tag Defining a Verb Phrase A verb phrase can be the predicate of a sentence or a clause. In this case, there will usually be a helping verb in addition to the verb. Here are some examples of a verb phrase as a predicate: • The author is writing a new book. • I must make an “A” in this class. • The dog might eat the cake. • He was walking to work today. • We grew apart after high school. A verb phrase can also be a phrase that functions as an adverb or adjective that has a verb and its complements, objects, or modifiers. Some examples are: • Running on the wet floor, she slipped and broke her arm. • Fill up the gas tank to help it run better. • To bake a cake, you need flour and sugar. • Finally, I have saved enough to buy a car. Defining a Sentence A sentence is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate, which is a verb or verb phrase. It expresses a complete thought; so therefore, it is called an independent clause. • The subject is the star of the sentence, what or who the sentence is about. It can be a noun or a pronoun. • The predicate is the action, or what the subject is doing. It can also tell the subject’s state of being. It contains a verb, verb phrase, or linking verb. Simple sentence examples are: Sally ran. Jose slept. Most verbs show action, like run, taste, fly, jump, crawl, or hit. Verbs link a word to the subject and are called linking verbs. These do not refer to an action, they express a state of being. For example: am, are, was, were, has been, etc. Other linking verbs are: seem, appear, become, taste, stay, and feel. Some verbs can pull double duty, and be active or linking depending on their use. Here is an example: • Active - Would you like to stay the night? Linking - I want you to stay sweet forever. • Active - I can taste the salt in this. Linking - This tastes gross. Defining a Phrase A phrase is a group of words that have a function in a sentence, but do not have a subject and verb. If it had a subject and a verb, it would be a clause. Phrases can function in the sentence like nouns, adverbs, or adjectives. Four of the main kinds of phrases are infinitive, participle, prepositional, and gerund. Here are definitions and examples. • Infinitive: These phrases start with an infinitive plus a simple form of a verb. They can act like a noun, adjective, or adverb. Here is an example: She wanted to show off her new dress. The whole phrase is what she wanted, so it is acting like a noun. • Participle - This phrase will act as an adjective and begins with a participle. A participle is an adjective that has been made from a verb, like talked or swimming. Here’s an example: We have to replace the window broken by the hail. The phrase modifies the noun “window”, so it is functioning like an adjective. • Prepositional - These phrases start with a preposition and have an object of that preposition. They function as adjectives or adverbs. Example: The plane will fly over the clouds. The phrase tells where the plane will fly, so it is acting like an adverb. • Gerund - These phrases act like a noun and start with a verb ending with an “ing”. They can be subjects or objects. An example is: Lying to the IRS is never a good idea. The phrase acts as the subject in this sentence. • MLA Style "Verb Phrase." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 2 October 2015. <http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/sentences/verbphrase.html>. Adjective prepositional phrases follow the nouns they modify, unlike adjectives which generally go immediately before the nouns they modify. Like adjectives, they tell which one, what kind, how much, or how many. The show \on television tonight is about snow leopards \in Asia. On television tells us which show. In Asia tells us which leopards. Adverb prepositional phrases that modify adjectives and adverbs must go after the words they modify. Like intensifiers, they tell to what extent. They can also tell why or in what way or in what circumstances. I am hungry \because of this diet. (Because of this diet tells why I'm hungry.) You can run pretty quickly \in those high heels. (In those high heels tells when you run quickly.) Adverb prepositional phrases that modify verbs can move about the sentence, just as adverbs do. Like adverbs they can tell where, when, how, and to what extent. Since they use more than one word, they can also tell why. We will go snowboarding \in the winter. (In the winter tells when we will go snowboarding.) \In the winter, we will go snowboarding. We will, \in the winter, go snowboarding. Hint: Sometimes a prepositional phrase could make sense either as an adjective phrase modifying the noun before it or as an adverb phrase modifying the verb. In this case, it is usually considered an adjective phrase. The plant \in the window gets lots of sunlight. (Tells which plant.) \In the window, the plant gets lots of sunlight. (Tells where the plant gets lots of sunlight.) MLA "Adjective or Adverb Prepositional Phrases." English Grammar 101. Cingletree Learning, LLC., 2015. Web. 02 Oct. 2015. What Is an Adverb Clause? Adverb clauses are clauses that function as adverbs. Since they are dependent clauses, they must have a subordinating conjunction to connect them to the other clause. Subordinating conjunctions can be arranged according to the purpose of the clause they begin. Here are some examples of subordinating conjunctions: • Time: after, when, until, soon, before, once, while, as soon as, whenever, by the time • Condition: if, whether or not, provided, in case, unless, even if, in the event • Cause and effect: because, as, since, so, in order that, now that, inasmuch as • Contrast: though, although, while, whereas, even though Most of the time, an adverb clause will be separated from the other clause with a comma. Here are a few examples of sentences with and without commas: • Whether you like it or not, you have to go. (The adverb clause “Whether you like it or not” puts a condition on the action.) • She enjoyed the party more than he did. (The adverb clause 'than he did' modifies the adverb “more”.) Functions of Adverbs Since adverb clauses function as adverbs, let’s look at the functions of adverbs. • Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. • They tell why, when, where, how, how much, and how often an action occurs. • They can begin a sentence that is a question, and give more information. Here are some examples according to what the adverb is modifying: • Verbs: We eat pizza weekly. She watched the wild animal carefully. • Adjectives: That is a very nice person. The dog is extremely hyperactive. • Adverbs: She sings quite beautifully. My dog is almost always starving. Examples of Adverb Clauses Adverb clauses can modify by telling the place, time, cause, and purpose of an action. They can also show concession and condition. Basically they answer the questions: Where?, when?, why?, and under what conditions? Here are some examples with the adverb clause underlined: • Place: Wherever there is music, people will often dance. If you know where they live, you can drop in for a visit. • Time: After the chores are done, we will eat ice cream. When the clock strikes midnight, she has to leave. • Cause: She passed the course because she worked hard. Since he has long hair, he wears a ponytail. • Purpose: So that he would not ruin the carpet, he took off his shoes. He ate vegetables in order to stay healthy. • Concession: Even though you are 13, you can’t go to that movie. Although you gave it your best, you did not win the match. • Condition: If you save some money, you can buy a new game. Unless you hurry, you will be late for school. MLA "Adverb Clauses." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 2 October 2015. <http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-ofspeech/adverbs/adverb-clauses.html>