Download 1. Noun – names a person, place, thing, or idea

Name: ________________
ELA Grammar Notes
Parts of Speech
1. Noun – names a person, place, thing, or idea
● Common nouns – general nouns (lower case letters) and not specific
★ teacher, book, school, street
● Proper nouns – specifically named people, places, or things (capital letters)
★ Mrs. Alexander, The Jungle Book, Dutch Fork Middle, Harbison Blvd.
● Collective nouns – nouns that name groups
★ Team, class, choir, band, flock, orchestra
● Concrete nouns – can be experienced with the five senses and physically exist
★ Sidewalk, bird, hair, desk
● Abstract nouns – exist but cannot be physically experienced with the five senses
★ Courage, love, loyalty, honesty, time
2. Pronoun – replaces a noun or group of words
first person – I, me, my, mine, we, ours, us
second person – you, your
third person – he, him, her, she, they, them, their, it, its
● Antecedent- who the pronoun is referring to in the sentence
Keith is the smartest boy in the class. (Keith- antecedent of the pronoun “boy”)
● Definite pronoun- refers to a specific antecedent/noun in the sentence (he, she, it)
Maddie studied for the ELA test because she wanted to do well. (she is definitely referring to Maddie)
● Indefinite pronoun- does NOT refer to someone/something specific in the sentence
(ex: anyone, something, someone, many, few, several)
Although it could happen to anyone, I lost my homework. (anyone is not referring to one specific
person/group)
3. Verbs
● Action – expresses physical or mental action, what our subject is doing
★ Andrew screamed when he heard we had homework the first day of school!
● Linking – connects the subject with another word in the sentence
★ Ashley is an excellent student.
● Helping (auxiliary, which means secondary or supporting) – “help” the main verb make
sense
★ can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must
★ Madison shouldn’t eat candy.
4. Adverbs – modify/describe the verb.
● Tell: how, when, where (HWW) and to what extend an action or verb is done
★ Josh walked happily to the movies. (How did he walk?)
★ Julie quickly drew a masterpiece. (How did she draw?)
5. Adjectives - modify/describe nouns or pronouns by describing, identifying, or quantifying
(numbers) words (DIQ).
● Ex: delicious, breezy, bumpy, loud, gold, pink, jumbo, great, little, calm, never-ending
★ The beautiful day was short-lived as it turned rainy. (beautiful, rainy describe day)
➔ Coordinate adjectives- adjectives that appear in sequence with one another to describe the
same noun. If you can insert the word “and” between the two adjectives...there should be
a comma used.
◆ The quiet, composed students were perfect during the assembly. “Quiet and
Composed” are interchangeable (“composed and quiet”) while describing the
students. Therefore, you DO need a comma.
◆ The students were given a harsh verbal warning by Mrs. Howe for disrupting the
performance. “Harsh and verbal” are not similar while describing “warning.”
Therefore, you do NOT need a comma.
6. Prepositions/prepositional phrases – show a relationship between nouns in a sentence; add
more information about the noun or pronoun
● Ex: in, by, for, within, of, to, at, about, into, through, after, between, under, around, etc.
● Prepositional phrases can act as adjectives or adverbs.
The announcements blurted into the classroom, and Ms. Barrett jumped within her seat.
7. Conjunctions – the glue that holds words, phrases, and clauses together
● Coordinating conjunction - joins phrases or independent clauses
★ F- for
★ A- and
★
★
★
★
★
N- nor
B- but
O- or
Y- yet
S- so
I was sleepy, yet I had eight hours of sleep last night.
● Subordinating conjunctions – mark a dependent clause - AAAWWUUBBIST
➔ If the dependent clause is introductory (beginning of a sentence), a comma will
separate the two clauses.
➔ If the dependent clause occurs at the end of a sentence, no comma is needed.
★ A- After
★ A- Although
★ A- As
★ W- When
When I returned to school, I jumped for joy!
★ W- While
It was hard to start studying again while my mind was sleeping.
★ U- Until
★ U- Unless
★ B- Before
★ B- Because
★ I- If
★ S- Since
★ T- That
8. Interjections – an abruptive remark or exclamation
● Ex: Wow, Oh, Ah, I get it!
9. Articles- modify nouns, act like adjectives
● Ex: the, an, a
Dutch Fork Middle School is the best middle school in the state!
Independent and Dependent Clauses
1. Independent clauses – a group of words that contain a subject, a verb, and makes sense alone.
Tashana loves her new puppy.
★ Tashana is the subject
★ loves is the verb
★ what does she love?- her puppy
Brandon played football this summer, and he read five books!
★ Brandon and he are the subjects of the independent clauses, played and read are
the verbs; clauses can stand alone
2. Dependent clauses – a group of words that contain a subject and a verb, but cannot make
sense alone; needs an independent clause attached to it to make perfect sense.
Although it is a lot of work.
★
★
★
★
it is the subject
is is the linking verb
but what is a lot of work? Although it’s a lot of work, what?
the clause doesn’t make sense alone
Sentence Types
1. Simple sentence – one independent clause (IC)
Stephen loves his new dog!
★ 1 IC= one simple sentence
2. Compound sentence – two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction
Lauren went shopping yesterday, and she plans to go shopping this weekend.
★ 2ICs + coordinating conjunction= compound sentence
3. Complex sentence – one dependent clause, one independent clause, and a subordinating
conjunction
Although it was a lot of work, Michael Phelps trained for the olympics.
★ 1IC + 1DC + subordinating conjunction= complex sentence
An introductory DC clause will cause a comma
➔ Although it was a lot of work, Michael Phelps trained for the olympics. (comma)DC + IC
When the IC clause comes first in a complex sentence, there is no comma.
➔ Michael Phelps trained for the olympics although it was a lot of work.(no comma)
4. Compound-complex sentence – a combination of a DC, two ICs, coord and sub. conjunctions
Although it was a lot of work, Michael Phelps trained for the olympics, and he can’t wait to
show off his gold medals.
★ 2 ICs + 1 or more DCs + coordinating conjunction + subordinating conjunction=
compound-complex sentence