Download Doing Grammar List of Constituent Acronyms

Doing Grammar List of Constituent Acronyms
S = sentence (S NP + VP)
RelCl:Adj= relative clause which is used as an adjective. Relative clauses expand to Noun
phrases and verb phrase—just like sentences (NP:RelClauseNP + VP)
RelPro= relative pronoun
NP= Noun Phrase
NP:Subj= noun phrase, subject
NP:DObj=noun phrase, direct object
NP: IObj=noun phrase, indirect object
NP:Obj/Prep=noun phrase, object of preposition
NP:GramSubj= noun phrase, grammatical subject
NP:obj/Prep/LogSubj= noun phrase, object of preposition, logical subject of the verb (i.e. the
agent of the verb) [used with passive voice]
NP:Head=noun phrase which is the head of a following phrase or clause
Expletive= expletive (lexically empty place holder such as “it” or “there”)
N= noun
PropN=proper n
Det= determinerArt=article
Def Art= definite article
I/Art or Indef Art= indefinite article
PreArt= pre-article
Demon= demonstrative
PossPro=Possessive Pronoun
OrdN = Ordinal number
Adj=adjective
Adv= adverb
GenN =genitive noun (i.e. a noun with “grammatical” possessive)
PrepPh=PP= Prepositional Phrase
Prep=Preposition
Pro=Pronoun
VP:Pred=VP=Verb Phrase, predicate
MV=Main Verb
past= past tense
pres = present tense
pres cond=present conditional
past cond= past conditional m
past perf=past perfect
pres perf= present perfect
past prog= past progressive
pres prog=present progressive
PresPart= present participle
PastPart= past participle
ADDING “Int” to the verb tense indicates that it is “Interrogative mood” –i.e. it’s a question, and
the first verb in the AUX will be moved to the front of the sentence
EX: PresInt = present tense, interrogative mood—or “this sentence is asking a question”
V= Verb
VT=transitive verb
VI=intransitive verb
Vg= ‘give’ verb, takes a direct and an indirect object
Vc=complement verb, takes a direct object NP AND an NP that is a complement to the direct
object
VL=linking verb
VBe=main verb “be”
AUX=auxiliary (for auxiliary verbs, etc.)
M= modal
neg= negative
DO= the placeholder verb “do” which is used to form yes/no questions and negative sentences.
Adj:PredAdj= predicate adjective
N:adj= Noun used as an adjective
Conj= conjunction
PresPartPh:Adj = participial phrase with present participle, used as an adjective
PastPartPh:Adj= participial phrase with past participle, used as an adjective
Subord= subordinator (varies with the clause or phrase)
NomAbs= nominative absolute
InfPh= infinite phrase (Infinitive phrases are ‘truncated’ sentences. Usually, there is no NP:Subj
[except in “for…to” constructions]; the verb is in the base, or unmarked, or “infinite” form. It is
preceded by “to.” EX: “to go to town;” “to read books” NOTE: in “to read books,” “books”
is still the direct object of “read”)
Ger Phrase= gerund phrase (Gerund phrases are also ‘truncated’ sentences. Again, usually there
is no NP:Subj. The verb is the ‘remainder’ of the progressive—hence it is *only* the present
participle. If the NP:Subj is there, it will be in the form of a GenN—i.e., either a possessive
pronoun or a noun with an apostrophe-s. EX: “going to town,” “reading books,” “his going to
town,” “Sally’s reading books.” Again. As with infinitive phrases, although it’s not a sentence,
the verb can still take a direct object, etc.)
Nonrestrictive Mod= Nonrestrictive Modifier (this can be anything that can be a *Sentence*
modifier—a nonrestrictive relative clause, a participial phrase, an appositive noun phrase, a
nominative absolute, etc.)