Term |
Definition |
Example |
active voice |
In a sentence in active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb. (See passive voice.) |
I mailed a letter. |
adjective |
An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun. |
brilliant deduction |
adverb |
An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. |
beautifully designed, blatantly obvious, fairly easily |
agreement |
Agreement refers to correspondence in gender, number, case, or person between words. |
They have three tickets; she has only one. |
antecedent |
An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. |
a boy and his dog |
article |
An article modifies a noun, making it definite (the), or indefinite (a, an). |
the first page, a poem by Keats |
clause |
A clause is a group of words with a subject and a predicate. |
|
An independent or main clause can stand alone as a sentence. |
She knows. |
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A dependent or subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. |
The woman who lives next door told me. |
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A restrictive or essential subordinate clause defines a noun, needs no punctuation, and usually begins with that. |
Dogs that are mistreated are often nasty animals. |
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A nonrestrictive or dispensable subordinate clause provides nonessential information, needs punctuation, and usually begins with which. |
The sun, which had been hidden for three days, burst out from behind the clouds. |
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complement |
A complement is a word or group of words used after a verb to complete a predicate construction. |
We like to eat ice cream. |
conjunction |
A conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses and shows the relationship between them. |
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A coordinating conjunction (and, but, or) connects elements of equal importance. |
almost but not quite |
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A correlative conjunction is a pair of coordinating conjunctions (such as both...and, either...or). |
either today or tomorrow |
|
direct object |
A direct object receives the action of the verb. |
The wind rattled the leaves. |
gerund |
A gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that acts as a noun. |
She loved going to the beach. |
infinitive |
An infinitive is a verb form used with to that acts as an adjective, adverb, or noun. |
To succeed in life you must be flexible. |
modifier |
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that limits or qualifies the sense of another word or word group. |
She likes homemade apple pie.
|
noun |
A noun names a person, place, or thing. |
Plato, Rio, fire, peace |
object |
An object is a word acting like a noun that receives or is affected by the action of a verb or that follows and is governed by a preposition. |
She placed the book on the table. |
participle |
A participle is a verb form that acts as an adjective. |
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A present participle ends in –ing. |
Running to the bus stop, she dropped her keys. |
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A past participle ends in –ed unless it is irregular. |
Soothed by the soft music, she fell asleep. |
|
passive voice |
In a sentence in passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. |
The letter was mailed by me. |
predicate |
A predicate expresses what is said of the subject; it includes the verb and any modifiers. |
The field stretched out lazily toward the horizon. |
prefix |
A prefix is a word element attached to the beginning of a word that alters its meaning. |
preadolescent |
preposition |
A preposition connects a noun or pronoun with another word to form a prepositional phrase that acts as an adjective or adverb. |
He arrived at the meeting in a state of panic. |
pronoun |
A pronoun substitutes for a noun. |
It never occurred to me. |
subject |
The subject of a sentence expresses who or what, performs the action of the verb (in the active), or receives the action of the verb (in the passive voice). |
The new teacher from Iowa quickly gained his students’ respect. |
suffix |
A suffix is a word element added to the end of a word, forming a new word or serving as an inflectional ending. |
gentleness |
verb |
A verb expresses the action or being of the subject. |
The patient regained consciousness slowly. |
Note: Entries for agreement, complement, modifier, object, prefix, and suffix come from "A Grammar Toolkit" in The American Heritage® Book of English Usage (New York: Bartleby.com, 2000 All other entries come from Bruce Ross-Larson, How to Edit Yourself (Washington, D.C.: American Writing Institute, 1999). |