Download Grammar Note Sheets - Grant County Schools

Nouns
A. Nouns are words that name persons, places, things, or ideas. There are two nouns in
each of the following sentences:
o Julia played tennis.
o Safety became a concern.
o Mr. Todd lives in London.
B. Julia, Mr. Todd, and London are proper nouns. Proper nouns name specific persons,
places, things, or ideas. They start with capital letters.
C. Common nouns, like tennis, safety, and concern, do not begin with capital letters unless
they begin a sentence.
D. The words a, an, and the are articles, and they always signal that a noun will follow.
o I ate a pickle.
o They had an argument.
o The information seems important.
Other words may come between a, an, or the and the noun.
o I ate a sour pickle.
o They had a terrible argument.
o The new information seems important.
Many nouns appear without a, an, or the.
o I ate dinner.
o They had problems.
o Information comes from many sources.
Practice Set 1-1
Directions: Underline the nouns in the following sentences.
Example: Sundari finally found her way to the station.
1. Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States.
2. He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
Pronouns
A. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Notice how pronouns replace some
of the nouns in the following sentences:
o Julia plays tennis.
She plays tennis.
o Safety became a concern.
It became a concern.
o Mr. Todd lives in London.
He lives in London.
These words that substitute for specific persons, places, or things are personal
pronouns. They are the most common pronouns. Other personal pronouns include I,
me, we, us, you, him, her, they, and them.
B. Another common type of pronoun is the indefinite pronoun. Indefinite pronouns
include words like each, everyone, everybody, anyone, somebody, both, some, all, and
most. Look at these sentences that contain indefinite pronouns:
o Everyone bought a ticket.
o The storm caught all of the workers by surprise.
o Anybody can learn English grammar.
Practice 1-2
Directions: Underline all the pronouns in the following sentences. Over each one, write
"P" for personal pronoun or "I" for indefinite pronoun.
Example: Anyone may take him to soccer practice.
1. It really does not affect someone like me.
2. They surprised everyone by choosing Jake instead of her.
Verbs
A. Verbs are words that show action or state of being. They also indicate the time that the
action or state of being occurs: either present, past, or future. Look at the verbs that
show action in the following sentences:
o Action in the present: The spider weaves a web.
o Action in the past:
The spider wove a web during the night.
o Action in the future: The spider will weave a new web after the storm.
B. Verbs like am, is, are, was, were, seem, feel, and become usually express state of being.
These verbs are called linking verbs. Look at the linking verbs that show state of being in
the following sentences:
o State of being in the present: I am tired.
o State of being in the past:
I became sleepy during class.
o State of being in the future: I will rally to stay awake and learn!
Practice Set 1-3
Directions: In the following sentences, underline all the verbs twice. Write "A" for action
or "L" for linking over each underlined verb. On the blank, indicate whether the verb shows
present, past or future time.
Example: Gary seemed moody.
past
1. Volcanoes erupt in many parts of the world.
2. Some people are always late.
Adjectives
________________
________________
A. Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. Adjectives usually come right
before the words that they describe; however, sometimes they come after linking verbs.
The articles a, an, and the are always adjectives.
Look at the following sentences that contain adjectives:
o Adjectives before nouns: The soft blanket kept the baby warm and cozy.
o Adjectives after linking verbs: The babies were cozy. The parents were happy.
Practice Set 1-4
Directions: Underline all the adjectives in the following sentences.
Example: Several people made low scores.
1. A gray dolphin swam beside the small boat.
2. The three passengers seemed upset.
Adverbs
A. Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. When trying to find
adverbs, look for words that tell how, when, or where. Remember that many adverbs
end in –ly.
Look at the following sentences that contain adverbs:
o Adverb telling how: Marcus walked carefully along the narrow ledge.
o Adverb telling when: He always takes risks. He walks the ledge daily.
o Adverb telling where: I will not walk there.
Practice Set 1-5
Directions: Underline all the adverbs in the following sentences. On the blank, write
whether the adverb tells how, when, or where.
Example: The pitcher played badly.
1. Yesterday, the mall was crowded.
how
________________
2. The chef prepared the meal quickly.
_________________
Prepositions
A. Prepositions are words that connect a noun or a pronoun to the rest of the sentence.
Prepositions include words like in, on, around, under, during, of, to, and with. A
prepositional phrase starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or a pronoun.
Look at the following sentences that contain prepositional phrases:
o A vase of flowers fell on the floor.
o During my break, I went to the snack bar.
o A car with a flat tire came around the corner.
Practice Set 1-6
Directions: Place parentheses () around all of the prepositional phrases in the following
sentences. Underline the prepositions.
Example: I stood (with the graduates) (for two hours).
1. The dog with muddy paws is sleeping on the couch.
2. Behind that bush is a nest of wasps.
Conjunctions
A. Conjunctions are words that join two or more words, groups of words, or sentences.
Conjunctions that join equal sentences or equal parts of sentences are coordinating
conjunctions. They are and, but, or, nor, for, yet, and so.
Look at the following sentences that contain coordinating conjunctions:
o Coordinating conjunction joining two nouns: Salt and pepper are popular spices.
o Coordinating conjunction joining two nouns: You may bring or buy your lunch.
o Coordinating conjunction joining two sentences: Simon will come early, but
Miriam will be late.
B. Subordinating conjunctions join parts of sentences that are not equal. These include
words like after, although, because, if, since, until, and where.
Look at the following sentences that contain subordinating conjunctions:
o If I get a new job, I will be able to pay my bills.
o Sandra chose the used car because it came with a service contract.
o The boys like to travel where they can ski.
Practice Set 1-7
Directions: Underline the conjunctions in the following sentences. Out to the side, write
whether they are coordinating or subordinating.
Example: I will stop on the way home, or I will run out of gas.
1. If you are going to be late, call me on my cellphone.
2. The scary part is over, so you can open your eyes.
Interjections
Interjections show strong feeling or emotion.
Look at the following sentence that contains an interjection:
Wow! You got the job!