Download subjects, predicates, and sentences - Windsor C

7th Grade Grammar Reference
SUBJECTS, PREDICATES, AND SENTENCES
Declarative Sentence: a sentence that makes a statement and ends with a period
Example: Edgar Allan Poe wrote suspenseful short stories.
Interrogative Sentence: a sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark
Example: Did Poe also write poetry?
Imperative Sentence: a sentence that gives a command or makes a request and ends
with a period
Example: Read “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
Exclamatory Sentence: a sentence that expresses strong feeling and ends with an
exclamation point
Example: What a great writer Poe was!
Sentence: a group of words that has subject and a predicate and expresses a complete
thought
Examples: I teach middle school.
I like teaching.
Subject: names whom or what the sentence is about
complete subject - includes all the words in the subject
simple subject - is the main word or word group in the complete subject.
Complete Subject
Example: A large ship with many sails / appeared on the horizon.
(ship is the simple subject)
compound subject – two or more simple subjects joined by and, or, both…and,
either…or, or neither…nor
Examples: Hamburgers and pizza are served in the cafeteria.
Neither hamburgers nor pizza is my favorite cafeteria food.
Neither pizza nor hamburgers are my favorite cafeteria food.
Predicate: tells what the subject does or has, may tell what the subject is or is like
complete predicate - includes all the words of the predicate
simple predicate - is always a verb and is the main word or word group in the
complete predicate
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Complete Predicate
Example: Emily Dickinson / wrote hundreds of poems.
(wrote is the simple predicate)
compound predicate – two or more simple predicates joined together by
or, but, both…and, either…or, or neither…nor
and,
Examples: Many students read and enjoy poetry.
Florence reads and enjoys poetry.
Simple Sentence: contains one complete subject and one complete predicate and
expresses a complete thought
Examples: Florence reads poems.
Florence and James read poems.
James reads and enjoys poems.
Sentence Fragment: It is lacking either a subject or a predicate; a sentence fragment
does not have a complete thought.
Examples: The poems, Wrote about nature, on Monday
Compound Sentence: two or more simple sentences joined together with a comma plus
a coordinating conjunction, a semi-colon, or an adverbial conjunction proceeded by a
semi-colon and followed by a comma
Examples: The school cafeteria sometimes serves Chinese food, but it is not very good.
The school cafeteria sometimes serves Chinese food; it is not very good.
The school cafeteria sometimes serves Chinese food; however, it is not very
good.
Run-on Sentence: is really two or more sentences (a.k.a. independent clauses) that run
together without proper punctuation to join them.
Example:
It may rain today take your umbrella.
Options to fix: It may rain today. Take your umbrella.
It may rain today, so take your umbrella.
It may rain today; take your umbrella.
NOUNS
Noun (a.k.a. common noun): names any ordinary person, place, thing, or idea
Examples: car, house, ground, sky, sun, moon
Proper Noun: names a very specific person, place, thing, or idea and begins with a
capital letter.
Examples: Ford, White House, Earth, Mrs. Smith, Paul
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Singular Noun: names one person, place, thing, or idea
Examples: toy, friend, deer, sheep, ox, leaf, city
Plural Noun: names more than one person, place, thing, or idea
Examples: toys, friends, deer, sheep, oxen, leaves, cities
Collective Noun: names a group of people, animals, things, or ideas that function as one
entity.
Examples: audience, class, choir, staff, team, bouquet, herd
Concrete Noun: names a person, place, or thing that you can actually see, touch, taste,
smell, or hear
Examples: radio, fire, muffins, cloud, tuba, spaghetti
Abstract Noun: names an idea, feeling, emotion, or quality
Examples: beauty, happiness, anger, nature, love, freedom, ability, talent, velocity, thought
Possessive Noun: names a person, place, thing, or idea that shows ownership
Examples: Ruth’s, student’s, students’, man’s, men’s, city’s, cities’
Appositive: A noun that is placed next to another noun to identify it or add information
about it. The appositive word or phrase is usually set off from the rest of the sentence
by commas unless it is needed, or essential, to the meaning of the sentence. If you could
remove the appositive and the meaning of the sentence is still clear, it should be set off
by commas.
Example: James Madison’s wife, Dolley, was a famous first lady.
Madison’s friend Thomas Jefferson was president before Madison.
Appositive Phrase: A group of words that includes an appositive and other words that
modify, or describe, the appositive.
Example: Our fourth president, Madison held many other offices.
President is the appositive and our fourth modifies, or describes, president.
All together, our fourth president is an appositive phrase.
VERBS
Action Verb: a word or words that express/show some type of action or doing
Examples: scream, swim, run, wonder, look, think, observe, dream
Direct Object: the noun or pronoun that receives the action from the verb
Example: Paul threw the ball.
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Indirect Object: precedes the direct object and tells to whom? or for whom? or to
what? or for what? the action of the verb is done
Example: Sarah baked me a cake.
Linking Verb: connects the subject of the sentence with a noun or an adjective in the
predicate (does not show action)
Example: Sarah is quiet.
Common Linking Verbs – True Linking Verbs
The following verbs are true linking verbs. They are always linking verbs.
am
is
are
was
were
be
being
been
become
seem
has been
might have been
Common Linking Verbs – Some verbs can be linking or action.
HINT 1: If you can substitute any of the verbs on this second list with an equal sign
[=] and the sentence still makes sense, the verb is almost always linking.
HINT 2: If you can substitute am, is, or are and the sentence still sounds logical, the
verb is linking.
appear
feel
grow
look
prove
remain
smell
sound
taste
turn
Predicate Noun: The noun that follows a linking verb. It renames or identifies the
subject.
Example: Langston Hughes is a writer.
Predicate Adjective: An adjective that follows a linking verb. It modifies, or describes,
the subject.
Example: Langston Hughes is talented.
Helping Verb: helps the main verb express action or clarify verb tense
Examples: I am learning.
We are learning.
I was learning.
We were learning.
She has learned.
You have learned.
He had learned.
They had learned.
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Common Helping Verbs
am
be
is
being
are
been
was
were
have
has
had
shall
will
do
does
did
may
must
might
can
could
would
should
Active Voice: A verb is in the active voice when the subject performs the action of
the verb.
Example: Rudyard Kipling wrote “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”.
Passive Voice: A verb is in the passive voice when the subject receives the action
of the verb.
Example: “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” was written by Rudyard Kipling.
PRONOUNS
Pronoun: takes the place of one or more nouns.
Example: Max likes books. He particularly enjoys science fiction novels.
Personal Pronoun: refers to people or things
Example: Max likes books. He particularly enjoys science fiction novels.
Subject Pronoun: used as the subject of the sentence
Example: Max likes books. He particularly enjoys science fiction novels.
Predicate Pronoun: a subject pronoun used in place of the predicate noun after a linking
verb
Example: The girl in the picture is I.
The boy in the picture is he.
Object Pronoun: used as a direct object or an indirect object after an action verb
Example: The teacher praised us. (direct object)
Tell me a story. (indirect object)
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Subject Pronouns
Singular
I
you
he, she, it
Plural
we
you
they
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me
you
him, her, it
Object Pronouns
us
you
them
Antecedent: the word a pronoun refers to; antecedent means “going before”
Example: Cassie is the main character in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. She has three
brothers.
Possessive Pronoun: takes the place of a possessive noun
Example: Lisa’s class put on a play. Her class put on a play. (used before a noun-adjective)
The idea was Lisa’s. The idea was hers. (used alone)
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
Singular
my
your
her, his, its
mine
yours
hers, his, its
Used before Nouns
(Possessive Adjective)
Used Alone
Plural
our
your
their
ours
yours
theirs
Indefinite Pronoun: does not refer to a particular person, place, or thing
Examples: Everybody goes to the dance.
Many go to the dance.
Some INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
another
anybody
anyone
anything
each
either
Always Singular
everybody
everyone
everything
much
neither
nobocy
no one
nothing
one
somebody
someone
something
Always Plural
both
few
many
others
several
Reflexive Pronoun: ends with –self or –selves and refers to the subject of the sentence
Examples: Jeremy bought himself a book on horses. (never use hisself)
The teens found themselves in an awkward situation. (never use theirselves)
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Singular
Plural
myself
yourself
himself, herself, itself
ourselves
yourselves
themselves
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Interrogative Pronoun: a pronoun used to introduce an interrogative sentence (a
question)
Examples: Who borrowed the book? (subject)
Whom did the librarian call? (direct object)
Demonstrative Pronoun: this, that, these, those; a pronoun that points out something
either nearby or at a distance
Examples: This is a good movie. (nearby)
That is a good movie. (at a distance)
These are good movies. (nearby)
Those are good movies. (at a distance)
ADJECTIVES
Adjective: a word that modifies, or describes, a noun or a pronoun
HOW ADJECTIVES MODIFY NOUNS
WHAT KIND?
HOW MANY?
WHICH ONE?
We studied ancient history.
I read four chapters.
That invention changed history.
Predicate Adjective: follows a linking verb and modifies the subject of a sentence
Example: Chefs are creative.
The customers seem impressed.
Proper Adjectives: adjectives formed from proper nouns
Examples: Georgia peaches
American history
Articles: a, and, and the are a special group of adjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives: this, that, these, those; points out something either nearby
or at a distance and answers which one(s)?
Examples: This movie is good. (nearby)
That movie is good. (at a distance)
These movies are good. (nearby)
Those movies are good. (at a distance)
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ADVERBS
Adverb: a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb and tell how,
when, and where
WHAT ADVERBS MODIFY
VERBS
ADJECTIVES
ADVERBS
People handle old violins carefully.
Very old violins are valuable.
Orchestras almost always include violins.
ADVERBS TELL
How (in what manner)
When (how often)
Where (in what direction)
To what extent/degree
WAYS ADVERBS MODIFY
EXAMPLES
easily, completely, neatly, sadly, gratefully
soon, now, immediately, often, never, usually, early
here, there, everywhere, inside, downstairs, above, far
extremely, not, quite, rather, really, terribly, too, very
PREPOSITIONS, CONJUNCTIONS, AND INTERJECTIONS
Preposition: a word that relates a noun or a pronoun to another word in the sentence
Example: Jan drove across the bridge and through the town.
COMMON PREPOSITIONS
aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
as
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but (except)
by
down
during
except
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
onto
opposite
out
outside
over
past
since
through
throughout
to
toward
under
underneath
until
up
upon
with
within
without
SOME PREPOSITIONS OF MORE THAN ONE WORD
according to
across from
along with
aside from
because of
except for
in front of
in place of
in spite of
instead of
on account of
on top of
Prepositional Phrase: a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a
noun or a pronoun, which is called the object of the preposition
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Example: Jan drove across the bridge and through the town.
Object of the Preposition: the noun or pronoun at the end of a prepositional phrase
Example: Jan drove across the bridge and through the town.
Coordinating Conjunction: a word used to connect, or join, parts of a sentence
Example: Jane and Joe are going to the park. (compound subject)
Jane is going to the store and park. (compound predicate)
Jane is going to the store with Joe and Sarah. (compound object)
Jane is going to the store, and Joe is going to the park. (compound sentence)
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
(MEMORIZE THESE)
F
for
A
and
N
nor
B
but
O
or
Y
yet
S
so
Correlative Conjunctions: pairs of words used to connect, or join, parts of a sentence
Note: When a compound subject is joined by and, the subject is usually plural.
When a compound subject is joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
both . . . and
either . . . or
neither . . . nor
not . . . but also
CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS with examples
Both Luis and Carla are going to New York.
Either Luis or Carla is going to New York.
Neither Mrs. James nor the students are going to New York.
Not only the students but also Mrs. James is going to New
Conjunctive Adverb: an adverb used to join the simple sentences in a compound
sentence (use a semicolon + adverb + comma to join the sentences)
Example: The school cafeteria sometimes serves Chinese food; however, these meals are
not very tasty.
USING CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
replace AND
replace BUT
state a RESULT (cause/effect)
state an EQUALITY
besides
however
consequently
equally
furthermore
nevertheless
therefore
likewise
moreover
still
thus
similarly
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Interjections: a word or group of words that expresses emotion such as surprise or
disbelief
Examples: Good grief! My favorite restaurant has closed.
Oh, well, I’ll just eat at home.
Note: If the interjection shows strong emotion, use an exclamation mark. If the
interjection shows mild emotion, use a comma to set it off from the rest of the sentence.
SOME COMMON INTERJECTIONS
aha
alas
gee
good grief
great
ha
hey
hooray
my
no
oh
oops
ouch
well
wow
yes
CLAUSES AND COMPLEX SENTENCES
Simple Sentence (a.k.a. independent clause/main idea): contains one complete subject
and one complete predicate and expresses a complete thought
Examples: Florence reads poems.
Florence and James read poems.
James reads and enjoys poems.
Compound Sentence: two or more simple sentences (a.k.a. independent clauses/main
clauses) joined together with a comma plus a coordinating conjunction, a semi-colon, or
an adverbial conjunction proceeded by a semi-colon and followed by a comma
Examples: The school cafeteria sometimes serves Chinese food, but it is not very good.
The school cafeteria sometimes serves Chinese food; it is not very good.
The school cafeteria sometimes serves Chinese food; however, it is not very
good.
Phrase: a group of words that does not have a subject and predicate and cannot stand
alone.
Example: at the wall, by the coffee shop, will run, did talk, writing a book
Clause: a group of words that do have a subject and verb but cannot stand alone; it
starts with a subordinate conjunction.
Example: that was on sale, where the dog went to sleep, those who are late
Main/ Independent Clause: a group of words that has a subject and a predicate and
expresses a complete thought; it can stand alone.
Example: Because she was late, (Jan ran to the bus).
(I’m never talking to him again) unless he tells me the secret.
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Subordinate/Dependent Clause: a group of words that has a subject and predicate but
does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone; subordinate/dependent
clauses add information to a sentence; subordinate clauses can be adjective clauses,
adverb clauses, or noun clauses
Example: Because she was late, Jan ran to the bus.
Jan ran to the bus because she was late.
Adjective Clause: a subordinate/dependent clause that describes a noun or pronoun
Example: Willa is a new student who is taking violin lessons.
SOME COMMON WORDS SIGNALING ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
that
which
who
whom
whose
where
when
Punctuation Rules:
If the dependent clause is essential (important) to the sentence, do not use commas.
Example: The girl who is standing beside the coach is our best swimmer. (no i.d given)
If the dependent clause is not essential (important) to the sentence, use commas.
Example: Janice, who is standing beside the coach, is our best swimmer. (i.d. given)
Note: Adjective clauses that begin with that are essential – do not use commas.
Adjective clauses that begin with which are typically not essential – use commas.
Adverb Clause: a subordinate/dependent clause that describes a verb, adjective, or
adverb
Examples: After we won the meet, we shook hands with our opponents.
We won the meet because we practiced hard.
SOME COMMON SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
after
because
though
although
before
till
as
if
unless
as if
since
until
as though
than
when
Punctuation Rules:
If at the beginning of the sentence, put a comma at the end of the clause.
Example: Whenever I hear that song, I think of you.
If at the end of the sentence, typically no comma is needed.
Example: I think of you whenever I hear that song.
whenever
where
whereas
wherever
while
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Noun Clause: a subordinate/dependent clause used as a noun
Examples: Whoever plays hockey wears protective equipment. (subject)
Suzi knows that ice hockey is a rough game. (direct object)
She tells whoever will listen her opinions. (indirect object)
Victory goes to whoever makes more goals. (object of a preposition)
This rink is where the teams play. (predicate noun)
COMMON WORDS THAT INTRODUCE NOUN CLAUSES
how, however
if
that
what, whatever
when
where
whether
which, whichever
who, whom
whoever, whomever
whose
why
Compound-Complex Sentence: a compound sentence (two or more independent/main
clauses) that contains one or more subordinate clauses.
Example: Sam and I left early for school; however, we arrived late because my flip- flop broke.
Subject/Verb Agreement: the subject and the verb must agree in person and number.
Example: Correct – We have never been here.
Incorrect – We has never been here.
Prefix – a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its
meaning.
Example: unwrap, rewrap
Root: The part of a word that contains the basic meaning of the word.
Example: vision, invisible (vis=see)
Suffix: a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning.
Example: fearless (less=without)
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CAPITALIZATION
RULE
RULE 1
Capitalize the first word in a
sentence
RULE 2
Capitalize the pronoun I
RULE 3
Capitalize proper nouns and
words formed from proper
nouns
EXAMPLE
Learning is a choice.
He asked if I wanted to see the movie.
A. Capitalize names of particular persons and initials that stand for names of particular persons:
Langston Hughes, Annie Dillard, Mildred D. Taylor
B. Capitalize the names of particular places and abbreviations that stand for names of particular
places:
-Continents (North America)
-Countries (United States, US)
-States (Missouri, MO)
-Cities (Imperial)
-Islands (Hawai’i)
-Bodies of water (Pacific Ocean)
-Streets and highways (U.S. Highway 67)
-Mountains (Ozark Mountains)
-Parks (Mastadon State Historic Site)
C. Capitalize names of particular things or abbreviations that stand for the names of particular things:
-Organizations, associations, teams, and specific classes (American Red Cross, Chess Club, Algebra I, PTA
for Parent-Teacher Association)
-Calendar items like holidays, days of the week, and months (Labor Day, Monday, September)
-Historical events and periods (The Middle Ages)
-Languages, nationalities, ethnic groups, and religions (English, American, Japanese, Buddhism)
-Names of businesses and brand/official names of their products (McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, Kleenex
tissue, Windsor Middle School students)
-Monuments, bridges, buildings, planets, and documents!
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D. Capitalize proper adjectives.
Italian restaurant, Mexican art, Chinese food
RULE 4
Capitalize titles of persons
A. Capitalize titles and abbreviations for titles.
President Truman; Secretary of State William H. Seward; Mr. Mendelson; Dr. Young;
Daniel Young, M.D. (Doctor of Medicine)
B. Capitalize family relationship words when used before a person’s name
Uncle John, Aunt Cheryl, Grandpa Jim
C. Capitalize family relationship words when used in place of a person’s name.
Yes, Dad, I’ll help you.
Do you need help, Grandma?
RULE 5
Capitalize the first, last, and all
the main words in the title of a
book, short story, essay, movie,
song, magazine, play, poem,
newspaper, television show, or
work of art.
RULE 6
Capitalize the first word in the
greeting or closing of a letter.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“The Pit and the Pendulum”
The Fault in Our Stars
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Starry Night
“Uptown Funk”
RULE 7
Capitalize historical events,
documents, and specific time
periods
DO NOT CAPITALIZE
Dear friends
Yours truly,
Your friend
Dear Aunt Sally (but watch for proper nouns)
Boston Tea Party
Declaration of Independence
Stone Age
A. Do not capitalize seasons of the year.
I like spring and fall the best.
B. Do not capitalize directions unless they are part of a title or name.
Turn right, then left, and continue north until you see the sign for Southeast Missouri University.
C. Do not capitalize words showing family relationships if my is before the title.
I will go to the store with my mom and my aunt Cheryl.
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PUNCTUATION
Symbol
Punctuation
Name
.
Period
?
Question
Mark
!
Exclamation
Mark
,
Comma
Use
Example
 Use to end a declarative sentence.
 Tractors perform many jobs.
 Use to end an imperative sentence.
 Turn the key.
 Use to end an interrogative sentence.
 Who built the first tractor?
 Use to end an exclamatory sentence.
 How powerful your tractor is!
 Use after a strong interjection.
 Wow!
 Separate three or more words, phrases
or clauses in a series.
 Cars, buses, and trucks clog the streets.
 Set off introductory words, phrases, or
clauses.
 In the fall of 1998, Frank Jordan ran for
mayor.
 Set off non-essential phrases.
 The Titanic, a luxury liner, sank on its first
voyage.
 Join compound sentences with a comma
before the conjunction or after a
conjunctive adverb
 Marci called her best friend, but no one
answered.
Marci called her best friend; however, no
one answered.
 Set off a subordinate clause at the start
of a sentence.
 Whenever I feel afraid, I whistle a happy
tune.
 Separate a date and year. Do not use a
comma between month and year only.
 The ship sank April 15, 1912.
The ship sank in April 1912.
 Separate the street address from city
and the city from state. Set off the name
of a state or country used after a city
unless a zip code follows.
 Write to Lisa at 15 College Avenue,
Columbia, MO 65201.
The student is driving from Columbia,
Missouri, to St. Louis.
 Set off an abbreviated title or degree
following a person’s name.
 Michelle Nakamura, Ph.D., will be the
graduation speaker.
 Set off too in the middle of the sentence
when it means “also.” Do not set it off at
the end of the sentence.
 Parents, too, will attend the ceremony.
Parents will attend the ceremony too.
 Set off the salutation of a friendly letter.
Use a comma after the closing of both a
friendly letter and a business letter.
 Dear Dad,
Your loving daughter,
Sincerely,
 Set off an explanatory phrase from a
quotation.
 “Spiders,” explained Sean, “have eight
legs.”
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;
:
“”
Semicolon
 Join the main clauses of compound
sentences not joined by coordinating
conjunctions.
 Hybrid cars are growing in popularity;
they are better for the environment.
 Join main clauses of compound
sentences joined by coordinating
conjunctions only if the main clauses are
long and already contain commas.
 Before the invention of the automobile,
people rode horses, bicycles, or streetcars
for short distances; and they used horsedrawn carriages, trains, or boats for
longer trips.
 Join main clauses joined by a
conjunctive adverb.
 I started my homework immediately after
school; consequently, I finished before
dinner.
 Introduce a list that ends a sentence
with a phrase such as these, the
following, or as follows and a colon.
 I participate in the following sports:
softball, tennis, basketball, and
swimming.
 Do NOT use a colon after a verb or
preposition.
 I sent messages to Grandma, Aunt Rita,
and Julie. (correct)
I sent messages to: Grandma, Aunt Rita,
and Julie. (incorrect)
 Separate the hour and the minutes
when using numerals to write the time.
 Students are released at 7:15 a.m. and
class begins at 7:25 a.m.
 Set off the salutation of a business
letter.
 Dear Professor Sanchez:
 Enclose a direct quotation.
 “Spiders have eight legs,” explained Sean.
 Enclose each part of an interrupted
quotation.
 “Spiders,” explained Sean, “have eight
legs.”
 Place periods and commas inside
quotation marks.
 “Spiders,” explained Sean, “have eight
legs.”
 Place a question mark or an exclamation
point inside closing quotation marks if
it’s part of the quotation.
 Yoko asked, “Have you ever visited
Florida?”
 Place a question mark or an exclamation
point outside closing quotation marks if
it’s part of the entire sentence but not
part of the quotation.
 Did Sean say, “Spiders have eight legs”?
 When writing dialogue, or a
conversation, begin a new paragraph
each time the speaker changes.

 Enclose titles of shorter works or a
single work from a larger series such as
 “Jingle Bells” (song)
“Daffodils” (poem)
Colon
Quotation
Marks
“You’re kidding!” I exclaimed. “That
sounds unbelievable. Did she really say
that?
“Indeed she did,” Kara insisted.
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short stories, poems, magazine titles, or
a television episode from a series.
...
’
–
-
Ellipsis
Apostrophe
Dash
Hyphen
( )
Parenthesis
...
Ellipsis
 Indicates an omission of words or a
hesitation in speech.
 Armstrong said, “. . . The Eagle has
landed.”
 Form the possessive of a singular noun
with an apostrophe and s (‘s)
 girl + ‘s = girl’s
 Form the possessive of a plural noun
that does not end in s with an
apostrophe and s (‘s)
 men + ‘s = men’s
 Form the possessive of a plural noun
that ends in s with an apostrophe alone.
 boys + ‘ = boys’
 Form the possessive of an indefinite
pronoun, such as everyone, everybody,
anyone, with an apostrophe and s (‘s)
 anybody + ‘s = anybody’s
 Replace letters that are omitted in a
contraction with an apostrophe.
 it is = it’s
your are = you’re
 Set off a sudden break or change in
thought or speech.
 Billy Adams—he lives next door—is our
team manager.
 Divide a word at the end of a line
between syllables.
 With her husband, Marie Curie discovered radium and polonium.
 Compound numbers.
 thirty-two, sixty-five
 Fractions expressed in words.
 one-half, three-fourths
 Some compound nouns.
 brother-in-law, great-aunt
 Compound modifiers when it comes
before the word it modifies.
 Fido is a well-trained dog.
 After the prefixes all-, ex-, and self-.
Separate any prefix from a word that
begins with a capital letter.
 Set off thoughts or information that is
related to the sentence but not
necessary. The interrupting idea is an
aside or afterthought to the sentence.
Be careful not to overuse parenthesis.
Using commas is far more common and
appropriate for most cases.
 Indicates an omission of words or a
hesitation in speech.
 all-powerful
trans-Atlantic
 After her eggs, bacon, and coffee (her
usual breakfast), she leaves for work.
 Armstrong said, “. . . The Eagle has
landed.”
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Common Content Area Roots and Affixes
Common
Meaning
Root, Prefix
or Suffix
-able
capable or
worthy of
-ation
forms nouns
from verbs
de
down, from
demo
people
Science
Social Studies
Mathematics
invisible, predictable
adaptable, acceptable,
remarkable
civilization, automation,
speculation
deploy, destruction,
depression
democracy,
demographic
diagram, dialect,
dialogue
divisible
creation, information,
determination
detach, deodorize,
decompose
epidemic
dia
through,
between,
across
dict
to say
predict, contradict
di-, dys-, dif- not, negative disperse, disconnect
equi
equal
equilibrium, equator
exexter, extra
former,
completely
outside of
frag, fract
break
flux, flu
flow
graph, gram to write
gress
hyper
to walk
over, above
interlog, logo,
loc
mal
between
word, speak
-ity, -ty
state of,
quality of
beyond,
change
meta
bad, badly
dictate, edict
differ, dysfunction
equinox, equitable
external
exit, exalt, exclude
external, extract,
extrasensory
fracture, fragment
fluctuate
polygraph, graphite,
electrocardiogram
progress
hypersensitive,
hyperventilate,
hyperkinetic,
hypersonic
intermittent
logic
extradite, extrinsic,
extreme
fraction
influence, influx
biography, telegram,
historiography
transgress, digress
hyperlink, hypertext
international
monologue, dialogue,
eulogy
malaria, malfunction, malice, malady,
malformation
malcontent
electricity, peculiarity, subtlety, cruelty, frailty,
certainty
loyalty, royalty
metamorphosis,
metacognitive,
metabolism
metahistorical
interpretation,
evaluation
descend, decrease
diameter, diagonal,
diagram
difference
equation,
equidistant,
equilateral, equal
expanded
exterior
fraction
reflux, confluence
graph, graphic
hyperbole
intercept
logarithm
similarity,
technicality
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Common
Meaning
Root, Prefix
or Suffix
meter
measure
multi
nonpan
para
pend
peri
poly
rescrib, script
sect, sec
substruct
-tract
-vert
Science
Social Studies
Mathematics
micrometer, altimeter,
perimeter, metrics,
thermometer,
geometry,
multimeter
kilometer
many
multimedia
multitude, multipartite, multiplication
multinational
not
nonabrasive, nonfat,
nonfiction, nonprofit,
noncollinear,
nonferrous, nonskid,
nonresident,
noncoplanar,
nonmetallic
nonviolence
nonessential
all, whole
pandemic, panacea,
pandemonium, panoply,
panorama
pan-American
beside
paramedic, parachute paraphrase, compare
parabola, parallel
to hang
pendulum
append, depend,
impend
around
periscope, periodontal
perimeter
many
polymorphous
polytheist, polygamy
polygon,
polynomial
again, back
remake, return
rerun, rewrite
rearrange, rebuild,
recall
to write
describe, prescribe
subscribe
describe
cut
dissect
section
intersect
under
subsoil,
substandard, submarine, subway,
subset
subhuman
subtitles
build
structure
instruct
construct
to pull, drag, attract, extract
contract, retract
protract, subtract
draw
to turn
convert, invert
divert, revert, extravert vertical, invert
Reprinted from Sustaining Strategic Readers: Techniques for Supporting Content Literacy in Grades 6–12 by Valerie Ellery and Jennifer L. Rosenboom. © 2011
International Reading Association.
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