Copyright: Exploring English 1.1® 1994-95 Greg Dixon


Anatomy of English Sentences

This section provides a description of the parts of speech.

 Anatomy Chart

 Parts of Speech - Grammatical Terms

 Sentences

 Glossary

 Index

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Anatomy Chart

The Anatomy Chart provides a quick reference to the parts of speech that make up English sentences.


Parts of Speech

 Adjectives

 Adverbs

 Conjunctions

 Determiners

 Interjections

 Nouns

 Objects

 Prepositions

 Pronouns

 Subjects

 Verbs


Adjectives

An adjective is a modifier or qualifier that modifies the meaning of a noun or phrase.

     Examples:

         The joke fell like a lead balloon. ('lead' is a noun used as an adjective).

         The stolen book was found clutched by Aaron's sticky
         fingers.

Adjectives are generally placed before the word or words they modify.

See Comparative Adjectives.

See Superlatives.


Comparative Adjectives

  A comparative adjective compares one thing with another.

     Examples:

         John was taller than Bill.

         The sun is more brilliant than anything on earth.

         The moon is less bright than the sun.


Superlatives

 A superlative indicates extremes among two or more things.

     Examples:

         Sissy Hankshaw was the greatest hitch-hiker ever.

         Sissy had the largest thumb in the world.

         Hitch-hiking was the least of her worries.


Adverbs

 An adverb is a word or group of words that serves to modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a whole sentence.

     Examples:

         The river flowed quietly through the meadow.

         A brightly painted car slipped under the sunset.

     An adverbial is a word or group of words that functions as an adverb:

         I'm singing in the rain.


Conjunctions

A conjunction is any word or group of words, other than a relative pronoun, that connects words, phrases, or clauses:

         He shut the door and turned out the light.

Words such as 'and', 'but', 'or', and 'nor' are coordinating conjunctions.  Words such as 'while', 'where', 'since', and 'because' are subordinating conjunctions.

         The politician announced his policies while sitting on
         a poll.


Determiners

A determiner is a type of noun modifier that specifies reference in a noun phrase:

         Take the red car to her office.

         You are not suffering from an illness.

The word 'the' is a definite article. The word 'an' is an indefinite article.

See Definite Articles

See Indefinite Articles


Definite Article

A definite article is a determiner that indicates that a specific item is being referred to, and not just any similar item.  The word 'the' is a definite article in the following sentence:

              Ronald did not choose the right path.


Indefinite Articles

An indefinite article is a determiner indicating that a reference is nonspecific:

              Quasimodo brought his girl some flowers.

Words such as 'a', 'an', and 'some' are indefinite articles.


Interjections

An interjection is a word that expresses strong emotion in a sentence:

          Yikes! I'm late!


Nouns

 A noun is a word that refers to a thing, animal, place, quality, action, or idea. The common nouns are highlighted in the following sentences:

         The bear caught a salmon in the stream.

         Love is All.

See Proper Nouns.


Proper Nouns

 A proper noun is a formal name for a human, place, or thing.

    John ate the lemon pie.

Note: The phrase 'the lemon pie' in the second sentence is a noun phrase and acts collectively as a noun.


Objects

The object is the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that receives the action of the verb.

         Lets play soccer!

         Jim kicked the soccer ball.


Prepositions

A preposition relates or 'positions' a noun or pronoun to another element of the sentence. Common prepositions are words such as 'at', 'by', 'in', 'to', 'from', 'under', and 'with':

         We all went to the cinema straight from the restaurant.

Prepositions can have a direct relationship with the physical world, or relate abstract concepts to each other:

         The Conservatives have slid to the left of the Liberals.


Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or noun phrase.  The pronoun must be easily understood in context:

         Gretzky shot the puck. Tretiak stopped it with his
         left pad.

See Pronoun Agreement


Pronoun Agreement

The pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent:

         The players all cheered. They were very happy to win.
         The goalie cheered. He was elated to score a goal.

The pronoun as subject must agree with the verb:

         He was elated and they were happy.

Personal pronouns must be in the proper case:

         Subjective case:

             I flew to Paris.

         Objective case:

             Fate took me to Rome.


Subjects

The subject is a word or group of words about which something is stated in a sentence. The statement is referred to as the predicate.

The subjects are highlighted in the following sentences:

         Indiana Jones cowered before the harmless garter snake.

         Gretzky shot the puck into the net.

         The butterfly fluttered her splendid wings.


Verbs

This section describes the parts of speech that describe actions in English.

 Finite Verbs

 Auxiliary Verbs

 Linking Verbs

 Infinitives

 Participles

 Gerunds

 Verb Agreement

 Verb Conjugation

 Person

 Number

 Voice

 Tense

 Transitive - Intransitive

 Mood


Finite Verbs

A verb is a word that expresses an occurrence, act, or mode of being. Finite verbs, sometimes called main verbs, are limited by time, person, and number.

     The finite verbs are highlighted in the following sentences:

         The bear caught a salmon in the stream.

         Who ate the pie?

         Stop!

A nonfinite verb form - such as a participle, infinitive, or gerund - is not limited by time, person, or number.


Auxilliary Verbs

An auxiliary verb is a verb that accompanies a main verb to indicate the tense, voice, mood, number, or person where this is not indicated by inflection:

         The concert was enjoyed by all.

         You will drown in a sea of homework if you do not work
         harder.

The auxiliary verb is also known as the helping verb.


Linking Verbs

A linking verb joins a subject with a predicate adjective, noun, or pronoun.  The most common linking verbs are forms of the verb 'to be'.  Other common linking verbs are 'seem', 'become', 'grow', 'smell', and 'taste':

     Mary seemed able to win the race, but she became fatigued
     near the finish line.

A linking verb is usually followed by an adjective, not an adverb:

     Her hands feel rough.

If you are not sure whether a verb is a linking verb or an action verb, try substituting a form of to be for the verb. The verb is a linking verb if the meaning of the sentence is not significantly altered:

     Zola looks sad.
     Zola is sad.

A linking verb is sometimes referred to as a copula.


Infinitives

An infinitive is an uninflected form of a verb usually introduced by 'to'.  An infinitive can serve either as a noun, adverb or adjective.  Examples:

         As a noun:
               To Love is Divine.

         As an adverb:
               Artists love to create art.

         As an adjective:
               He has many tales to tell.

See Split Infinitives


Split Infinitives

Avoid injecting an adverb between 'to' and the verb unless you wish to stress the adverb.  For example:

     To boldly go where no sentence has gone before.


Participles

A participle is a verb form used as a modifier.  Participles usually end in '-ing'  or '-ed'.  The word 'fallen' is a past participle used as an adjective in:

         The logger jumped over the fallen log.

Participles can also be used with auxiliary verbs to form compound tenses. The past participles in the next sentences indicate a past action or state:

         The log had landed before I arrived

         Superman had saved the day!

A present participle indicates an ongoing action or condition:

         I am swimming in air.

         The sun is shining brightly.

'Speeding' is a present participle used as an adjective in:

         Superman caught the speeding train.


Gerunds

A gerund is a noun that is formed from a verb, usually by adding '-ing' or '-ed':

     Examples:

         Gerund as subject:

            Having been loved made him happy.

         Gerund as object:

            She taught flying.

         Gerund as complement:

            Life is loving.


Verb Agreement

Agreement is the determination of the inflectional form of one word according to a grammatical feature, such as number or gender, of another word.

For example, the highlighted verbs agree with the number of the subject in the following sentences:

         Brian and Mila are coming for dinner.

         We sing. He sings.

A collective noun used as subject is treated as singular when referring to the group as a unit:

         The jury determines the verdict.

         The crowd is out of kleenex.

A collective noun is treated as plural when referring to individual members of the group:

         A number of people were very outspoken
         on the issue.

Words ending in '-ics' that refer to a body of knowledge, a science, or an art are usually considered singular.

Words ending in -ics that refer to qualities or physical qualities are usually considered plural:

           Singular        	  Plural

         Aeronautics       acrobatics
         civics                tactics
         physics             athletics

Words such as 'politics', 'acoustics', and 'ethics' can be either singular or plural, according to the sense intended.

Be careful not to have a verb agree with an expression that is not the subject of the verb. The subjects and the verbs are highlighted the following sentences:

         A personal computer such as an IBM PC, an Apple
         MacIntosh, or a Commodore Amiga makes a great tool
         for writers.

         The computer is one of the new developments that can
         often (but not always) make life easier.

See Verb Conjugation


Verb Conjugation

Tense, person, number, voice, and mood are indicated through the inflected verb form, an auxiliary verb, or both:

For example, the verb 'to see' is conjugated for tense below:

    Present:               	I see the light.
    Present Progressive:   	I am seeing the light.
    Past:                          	I saw the light.
    Perfect:                      	I have seen the light.
    Past perfect:                	I had seen the light.
    Future:                        	I will see the light.
    Future Perfect:            	I will have seen the light.

See Verb Conjugation Table


Verb Conjugation Table

     Second Person Singular:

     Present  Present     Past     Past
     Tense    Participle  Tense    Participle

Some Regular Verbs:

     smiles   smiling     smiled   smiled
     cares    caring      cared    cared
     walks    walking     walked   walked

Some Irregular Verbs:

     begins   beginning   began    begun
     bites    biting      bit      bitten
     breaks   breaking    broke    broken
     gives    giving      gave     given
     sings    singing     sang     sung
     swims    swimming    swam     swum
     throws   throwing    threw    thrown


Person

Person is the form of a word that suggests whether a person is speaking (first person), being spoken to (second person), or being spoken about (third person).

Verbs are inflected in form or joined with auxiliary verbs to indicate person and number.

                  Person and Number:

         First Person Singular: 	I run.

         Second Person Singular: 	You run.

         Third Person Singular: 	He runs.

         First Person Plural:   	We run.

         Second Person Plural:  	They run.


Number

Number is a characteristic of nouns, pronouns, and verbs that indicates whether one thing (singular) or more than one thing (plural) is intended:

   Singular:

       He chases a cat.

   Plural:

       They chase the cats.


Voice

Voice is a characteristic of a verb that indicates whether its subject acts or is acted upon.

Passive voice indicates that the subject is acted upon and consists of a form of 'be' and a past participle.  The grammatical subject is not the logical subject in a passive sentence. Instead it receives the action described by the verb:

         The kite was flown by a young girl.

Active voice indicates that the subject of the sentence acts.  In Active voice the grammatical subject is the logical subject:

         Bill swung the bat.


Tense

Verb tense is the expression of the time frame for the action of the verb.  The form of the verb expresses the time frame.

Examples:

Present Tense. [The action occurs in the immediate present]:

        He stops the puck.

Present Progressive Tense [The action is ongoing in the present]:

        He is stopping the puck.

Past Tense [The action occurred in the past]:

        He stopped the puck.

Past Progressive [The action is ongoing in the past]:

        He was stopping the puck.

Perfect Tense [The action extends from the past to the
present]:

        He has stopped the puck.

Past Perfect Tense [The action occurred at a time prior to
another past time]:

        He had stopped the puck.

Future Tense [The action will occur]:

        He will stop the puck.

Future Perfect Tense [The action will have already occurred
at a point in the future]:

        He will have stopped the puck.


Transitive Intransitive
Transitive - Intransitive

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning:

        The boy threw a rock at the window.

An intransitive verb is a verb that does not require a direct object to complete its meaning:

        The boy ran away as fast as he could.

The transitive and intransitive verb forms often vary only slightly, or sometimes not at all, so that writers at all levels must be alert to use the correct form:

         Intransitive

                I must lie down.

         Transitive

                I must lay down my tools.

The difficulty of proper use is complicated by seemingly illogical
variations of form in the past tense:

         Intransitive

                I lay down yesterday for a nap.

         Transitive

                I laid down my tools yesterday.


Mood

Mood is the use of form to indicate semantic and grammatical differences in the manner of the action of a verb.  Three moods are used in English:

Indicative mood is used to state a fact or ask a question:

     What is the moon made of?  The moon is made of blue
     cheese.

Imperative mood is used to issue a command or make a request:

     Eat your moon.  Please pass the cheese.

Subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, wishing, belief, or improbability.

     If the moon were made of blue cheese, it would smell.

The subjunctive mood is indicated through a shift in tense when the dependent clause follows a wish statement, or is an improbable if clause:

Indicative:

     I know the time. [present]

Subjunctive:

     I wish I knew the time. [past]

Probable if clause:

     If I buy a watch I will know the time.

Improbable:

     If I won the lottery, I would not care about the time.

Sentences that express urging, demand, or necessity also
require the subjunctive mood.  Verbs other than the verb 'to be'
in the dependent clause use the present tense form of the verb,
without adding the 's' for the third person singular:

     I demand that she apologize to the student.

Such sentences that require the verb 'to be' in the dependent
clause use the form 'be' in all three persons:

     I insist that I be promoted.
     I had insisted that you be hired immediately.
     They insisted that she be nominated for President.


Sentences

This section describes how the parts of speech are combined to create English sentences.

 Simple Sentences

 Compound Sentences

 Complex Sentences

 Compound Complex Sentences

 Sentence Functions

 Quotations


Simple Sentences

A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause and does not contain a subordinate clause:

         William wrote well.

A simple sentence may contain compound subjects and
predicates to express complex ideas while maintaining a single main clause:

         Modern Man, with an eye to preserving the future of
         mankind through the wonders of nuclear technology, has
         lost his marbles.


Compound Sentences

A compound sentence contains two or more coordinate clauses:

         I bored my parents, they bored me.
                  - Robert Lowell, Life Studies

        The bell rang, the whistle blew, and the cuckoo took the day off.

         The phone rang and there was a knock at the door.

The word 'and' in the last sentence is a coordinating conjunction.

NOTE: The first sentence contains what appears to be a comma splice.  The rule is that grammatically complete clauses should be punctuated with a semicolon, or made into separate sentences.  The sentence is an example of a valid exception to the rule.  The guideline for breaking the rule is that "a comma is preferable when the clauses are very short and alike in form, or when the tone of the sentence is easy and conversational"
- Strunk & White, The Elements of Style.


Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains at least one main (independent) clause and one subordinate (dependent) clause:

         Time runs quickly when a deadline is near.

         Since there was no food, he was hungry.

The phrases "when a deadline is near" and "since there was no food" are subordinate clauses.  The words 'when' and 'since' are subordinating conjunctions.

One test for a subordinate clause is to see whether the clause could stand as a separate sentence.  The clause is subordinate if it does not express a complete thought on its own. Often the clause is made to be subordinate by the subordinating conjunction and could stand on its own with the conjunction removed.


Compound Complex Sentences
Compound-Complex Sentences

A compound-complex  sentence contains coordinate and subordinate clauses:

         When the door opened, a fox slipped through a hole in the
         floor and the chickens gave a cluck of relief.

The coordinate clauses are "a fox slipped through a hole in the floor" and "the chickens gave a cluck of relief".

The word 'and' is a coordinating conjunction.

The subordinate clause is "When the door opened".

The word 'when' is a subordinating conjunction.


Sentence Functions

 Declarative Sentences

 Interrogative Sentences

 Imperative Sentence

 Exclamatory Sentences


Declarative Sentences

A declarative sentence makes a statement:

         The car is green.


Interrogative Sentences

An interrogative sentence asks a question:

         Is the car yours?


Imperative Sentences

An imperative sentence issues a command or request:

         Drive carefully.


Exclamatory Sentences

An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feeling:

         Not him!


Quotations

The following quotations are given as examples of sentences that survive. Some are exceptionally well designed, some make remarkable statements, and some are just plain fun.

Youth is a blunder; Manhood a struggle; Old Age a regret.
                      — Benjamin Disraeli

There is an art of reading, as well as an art of thinking, and an art of writing.
                      — Isaac Disraeli

The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one.
                      — Ralph Waldo Emerson

The louder he talked of his honour, the faster we counted our spoons.
                      — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is not marriage an open question, when  it is alleged, from the beginning of the world, that such who are in the institution wish to get out; and such as are out wish to get in.
                      — Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Fool and his words are soon parted; a man of genius and his money.
                      — William Shenstone

All happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
                      — Leo Tolstoy, Translated by Aylmer Maude

A verb has a hard enough time of it in this world when it is all together.  It's downright inhuman to split it up. But that's what those Germans do.  They take part of a verb and put it down here, like a stake, and they take the other part of it and put it a way over yonder like another stake, and between these two limits they just shovel in German.
                     — Mark Twain

There is a great deal of unmapped country within us which would have to be taken into account in an explanation of our gusts and storms.
                     — George Eliot

A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to need, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it.
                     — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When a lot of remedies are suggested for a disease, that means it cannot be cured.
                     — Anton Chekhov

That man's silence is wonderful to listen to.
                     — Thomas Hardy

I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of  prose and poetry;  that is prose; words in their best order;—poetry; the best words in the best order.
                      — Samuel Taylor Coleridge


Glossary

A

A number of people

a personal computer

active voice

adjective

adverb

adverbial

agreement

all

an

and

antecedent

are

ate

auxiliary verb

B

bear

became

brightly

butterfly

C

case

caught

clause

collective noun

comparative adjective

complement

complex sentence

compound complex sentence

compound sentence

compound-complex  sentence

conjunction

coordinate

coordinating conjunction

coordinating conjunction

coordinating conjunctions

copula

crowd

D

declarative sentence

definite article

direct object

do

E

exclamatory sentence

F

fallen

feel

Finite

flying

from

future perfect tense

future tense

G

gender

gerund

Glossary

greatest

Gretzky

H

Having been loved

he

helping verb

I

I

imperative mood

imperative sentence

in the rain

indefinite article

independent clause

Indiana Jones

indicative mood

infinitely expanding universe

infinitive

infinitives

inflection

interjection

interrogative sentence

intransitive verb

intransitive

is

it

J

John

jury

L

laid

landed

largest

lay

lead

least

less

lie

linking verb

love

loving

M

main verb

make

makes

me

mood

more

N

nonfinite verb

noun phrase

noun

number

O

object

objective

over the moon

P

participle

passive voice

past perfect tense

past progressive

past tense

perfect tense

person

phrase

predicate

preposition

prepositional phrase

present participle

present progressive tense

present tense

pronoun

proper noun

Q

quietly

R

ran

relative pronoun

rock

S

salmon

saved

Second Person

seemed

shining

simple sentence

sing

sings

Singular

soccer

some

speeding

sticky

stop

stream

subject

subjective

subjunctive mood

subordinate clause

subordinate clauses

subordinate

subordinating conjunction

subordinating conjunctions

supelative

swimming

swung

T

taller

tense

the new developments

the soccer ball

the

they

threw

thumbed wildly

time

to boldly go

to create

To Love

to tell

to

transitive verb

U

uninflected

V

verb phrase

verb tense

verb

voice

W

was flown

was

while

will

Y

yikes


Index

A

Active Voice

Adjectives

Adverbs

Anatomy Chart

Anatomy of English Sentences

Articles

Auxilliary Verbs

C

Comparative Adjectives

Complex Sentences

Compound Complex Sentences

Compound Sentences

Conjunctions

D

Declarative Sentence

Declarative Sentences

Definite Article

Determiners

E

Exclamatory Sentence

Exclamatory Sentences

F

Finite Verbs

G

Gerunds

Glossary

H

Helping Verb

I

Imperative Sentence

Imperative Sentences

Indefinite Articles

Index

Infinitives

Interjections

Interrogative Sentence

Interrogative Sentences

L

Linking Verbs

M

Mood

N

Noun Phrases

Nouns

Number

Number

O

Objects

P

Participles

Parts of Speech

Passive Voice

Past Participles

Person

Prepositional Phrases

Prepositions

Present Participles

Pronoun Agreement

Pronouns

Proper Nouns

Q

Quotations

S

Sentence Functions

Sentence Functions

Sentence Functions

Sentence Functions

Sentence Functions

Sentences

Sentences

Simple Sentences

Sounds of English

Split Infinitives

Subjects

Superlatives

T

Tense

Transitive Intransitive

V

Verb Agreement

Verb Conjugation Table

Verb Conjugation

Verb Phrases

Verbs

Voice


Noun Phrases

A noun phrase is a group of words that behave as a noun in a sentence.

    The infinitely expanding universe disappeared!


Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that behave as a preposition in a sentence.

      Bonanza jumped over the moon.


Sounds of English

This section provides examples of the sounds of English.  You must have a sound card installed and configured correctly in order to play the sounds.

Introduction

Introduction


Verb Phrases

A verb phrase is a group of words that behave as a verb in a sentence.

     Sissy thumbed wildly.


A number of people

(noun phrase).  People treated as a subset of a group (in this context).


a personal computer

(noun phrase).   A modern day 'black hole' for money and time.


active voice

(grammar).  Active voice indicates that the subject of the sentence acts.


adjective

(grammar).  A modifier or qualifier that modifies the meaning of a noun or phrase.


adverb

(grammar).  An adverb is a word or group of words that serves to modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a whole sentence.


adverbial

(grammar).  An adverbial is a word or group of words that functions as an adverb.


agreement

(grammar).  Agreement is the determination of the inflectional form of one word according to a grammatical feature, such as number or gender, of another word.


all

(noun).  Everything.


an

(indefinite article).  Variation of 'a' used before a noun beginning with a vowel.


and

(coordinating conjunction).  Links one thing with another.


antecedent

(grammar).  A noun replaced by a pronoun.


are

(verb).  Form of 'to be' used with a plural subject.


ate

(verb).  Past tense of 'eat'.


auxiliary verb

(grammar). An auxiliary verb accompanies a verb to indicate the tense, voice, mood, number, or person where this is not indicated by inflection.


bear

(noun).  A large mammal.


became

(linking verb).  Past tense of 'become'.


brightly

(adverb). With animation, light, or colour.


butterfly

(noun).  A flying insect.


case

(grammar).  Inflection.


caught

(verb).   The past tense and past participle of 'catch'.


clause

(grammar).  A group of related words that has both a subject and a predicate.


collective noun

(grammar).  A noun that represents a group.


comparative adjective

(grammar). A comparative adjective compares one thing with another.


complement

(grammar).  A phrase or word that completes the sense of a verb.


complex sentence

(grammar).  A complex sentence contains at least one main (independent) clause and one subordinate (dependent) clause.


compound complex sentence

(grammar).  A compound-complex sentence contains both coordinate and subordinate clauses.


compound sentence

(grammar).  A compound sentence contains two or more coordinate clauses.


compound-complex  sentence

(grammar).  A compound-complex sentence contains both coordinate and subordinate clauses.


conjunction

(grammar). A conjunction is any word or group of words, other than a relative pronoun,that connects words, phrases, or clauses.


coordinate

(grammar, adjective).  Of the same rank.


coordinating conjunction

(grammar).  A word that joins two independent clauses.


coordinating conjunction

(grammar). A co-ordinating conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance.


coordinating conjunctions

(grammar). A co-ordinating conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance.


copula

(grammar).  A linking entity.


crowd

(noun).  A group of people.


declarative sentence

(grammar).  A sentence that makes a statement.


definite article

(grammar). A definite article is a determiner that indicates that a specific item is being referred to, and not just any similar item.


direct object

(grammar).  The person or thing receiving the action of the verb.


do

(verb).  To act.


exclamatory sentence

(grammar).  A sentence that expresses strong emotion or surprise.


fallen

(participle).  Past participle of 'fall'.


feel

(verb).  To experience a physical or emotional sensation.(linking verb).  To seem like a given sensation.


Finite

(adjective).  Limited in time and space.


flying

(gerund).  Formed from 'fly'.


from

(preposition).  Away.


future perfect tense

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action will have already completed in the future.


future tense

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action will occur in the future.


gender

(grammar).  Sex.


gerund

(grammar). A gerund is a noun that is formed from a verb, usually by adding '-ing' or '-ed'.


Glossary

<Glossary>


greatest

(adjective).  The superlative of 'great'.


Gretzky

(Proper Noun).  Wayne Gretzky is one of the finest players and ambassadors for professional hockey to play in this century.


Having been loved

(gerund phrase serving as a subject).


he

(pronoun).  Refers to a male person or animal.


helping verb

(grammar). A helping verb accompanies a verb to indicate the tense, voice, mood, number, or person where this is not indicated by inflection.


I

(subjective pronoun).  Refers to the speaker or writer.


imperative mood

(grammar).  Imperative mood is used to issue a command or make a request.


imperative sentence

(grammar).  A sentence that issues a command or request.


in the rain

(adverbial clause).  'in the rain' is an adverbial clause that modifies a verb.


indefinite article

(grammar).  An indefinite article is a determiner indicating that a reference is nonspecific.


independent clause

(grammar).  A main or coordinate clause.  An independent clause can stand on its own as a separate sentence.


Indiana Jones

(Proper Noun).  A colourful adventurer interested in Archaeology.


indicative mood

(grammar).  Indicative mood is used to state a fact or ask a question.


infinitely expanding universe

(noun phrase).


infinitive

(grammar).  An infinitive is an uninflected form of a verb usually introduced by 'to'.


infinitives

(grammar).  Infinitives are nonfinite forms of verbs which can serve either as nouns, adverbs or adjectives.


inflection

(grammar).  A chang in the form of words to suggest mood, tense, number, or person.


interjection

An interjection is a word that expresses strong emotion in a sentence.


interrogative sentence

(grammar).  A sentence that asks a question.


intransitive verb

(grammar).  An intransitive verb is a verb that does not require a direct object to complete its meaning.


intransitive

(adjective).  Intransitive verbs to not require an object.


is

(verb).  Form of 'to be' used with singular subjects.


it

(pronoun).   Refers to a thing that is not human.


John

(proper noun).  The name of a person.


jury

(noun).  A group of jurors.


laid

(verb).  Past tense of 'lay'.


landed

(participle).  Past participle of 'land' (in this context).


largest

(adjective).  The superlative of 'large'.


lay

(verb).


lead

(noun).  A heavy, dull metal.


least

(adjective).  The superlative of 'little'.


less

(determiner).  Having not as much.


lie

(verb).


linking verb

A linking verb joins a subject with a predicate adjective, noun, or pronoun.


love

(noun).  Affection, etc. [topic too large for discussion here].


loving

(gerund form of 'love').


main verb

(grammar).  The verb that expresses the basic nature of the action.


make

(verb).  Form of 'make' used with plural subjects.


makes

(verb).  Form of 'make' used with singular subjects.


me

(objective pronoun).  Refers to the speaker or writer.


mood

(grammar).  Mood indicates the semantic and grammatical differences in the manner of the action of a verb.


more

(comparative determiner).  Having greater quantity.


nonfinite verb

(grammar).   A verb form not limited by time, person, or number.


noun phrase

(grammar).  A group of words that behave as a noun in a sentence.


noun

(grammar).  A noun is a word that refers to a thing, person, place, quality, action, or idea.


number

(grammar).  Number is a characteristic of nouns, pronouns, and verbs that indicates whether one thing (singular) or more than one thing (plural) is intended.


object

(grammar).  The object is the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that receives the action of the verb.


objective

(adjective).  Relating to an object.


over the moon

(prepositional phrase).


participle

(grammar).  A participle is a verb form used as a modifier.


passive voice

(grammar).  Passive voice indicates that the subject is acted upon and consists of a form of 'be' and a past participle.


past perfect tense

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action was completed prior to a point in the past.


past progressive

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action is ongoing in the past.


past tense

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action was completed in the past.


perfect tense

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action extends from the past to the present.


person

(grammar).  Indicates point of view.


phrase

(grammar).  A group of two or more words used as a noun, adjective, or adverb.  A phrase is distinguished from a clause by not having a subject and a predicate.


predicate

(grammar).  The part of a sentence that says something about the subject of the sentence.


preposition

A preposition relates or `positions' a noun or pronoun to another element of the sentence.


prepositional phrase

(grammar).  A group of words that behave as a preposition in a sentence.


present participle

(grammar).  A present participle indicates an ongoing action or condition.


present progressive tense

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action is ongoing in the present.


present tense

(grammar).  Verb tense where the action occurs in the immediate present.


pronoun

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or noun phrase.


proper noun

A proper noun is a person, place, or object.


quietly

(adverb). Without noise.


ran

(verb).  Past tense of 'run'.


relative pronoun

(grammar).  Pronoun such as 'who', whose', whom', 'which', and 'that'.


rock

(noun).  A mineral collection.


salmon

(noun).  A fish commonly found in oceans and spawning in streams.


saved

(participle).  Past participle of 'to save' (in this context).


Second Person

(grammar).  From the perspective external to the speaker or writer.


seemed

(linking verb).  Appeared.


shining

(present participle).  Present participle of 'to shine' (in this context).


simple sentence

(grammar).  A simple sentence consists of a single independent clause and does not contain any subordinate clauses.


sing

(verb).  Form of 'to sing' used with singular subjects.


sings

(verb).  Form of 'to sing' used with plural subjects.


Singular

(grammar).  Limited in number to one.


soccer

(noun).  British football.


some

(indefinite article).


speeding

(participle).  Present participle of 'speed'.


sticky

(adjective).  Having a tendency to stick to other objects.


stop

(verb).  Halt.


stream

(noun).  A small body of running fluid.


subject

(grammar).  The subject is a word or group of words about which something is stated in a sentence.


subjective

(adjective).  Relating to the subject or agent.


subjunctive mood

(grammar).  Subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, wishing, belief, or improbability.


subordinate clause

(grammar).  A clause that adds detail to a sentence without being capable of standing alone as a separate sentence.  See independent clause.


subordinate clauses

(grammar).  A clause that functions as a modifier in a sentence.  Subordinate clauses cannot stand alone as sentences.


subordinate

(grammar, adjective).  Of a lesser rank.


subordinating conjunction

Subordinating conjunctions join subordinate clauses to main clauses.


subordinating conjunctions

(grammar).  A subordinating conjunction joins subordinate clauses to main clauses.


supelative

(grammar).  A supelative indicates extremes among two or more things.


swimming

(present participle).  Present participle of 'to swim' (in this context).


swung

(verb).  Active form of 'swing',  past tense.


taller

(comparative adjective).  Less short.


tense

(grammar).  The time perspective of an action.


the new developments

(noun phrase).  [plural subject].


the soccer ball

(noun phrase).  A specific sports ball.


the

(definite article).  Indicates a specific reference.


they

(pronoun).  Refers to people or things.


threw

(verb).  Past tense of 'throw'.


thumbed wildly

(verb phrase).  A verb and an adverb that combine to form a verb phrase.


time

(grammar, noun).  The continuum between the past and the future.   See many episodes of Star Trek:  The Next Generation.


to boldly go

(split infinitive).  Famous words uttered by Captain James Kirk at the beginning of every episode of Star Trek.   "To go boldly" just would not be the same!


to create

(infinitive).  To make.


To Love

(infinitive). Let me count the ways...  [try life for definition].


to tell

(infinitive). To inform.


to

(preposition). Towards.


transitive verb

(grammar).  A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning.


uninflected

(grammar).  Not modified to indicate voice, mood, person, or tense.


verb phrase

(grammar)  A group of words that behave as a verb in a sentence.


verb tense

(grammar).  Verb tense is the expression of the time frame for the action of the verb.


verb

(grammar).  A verb is a word that expresses an occurrence, act, or mode of being.


voice

(grammar).  Voice is a characteristic of a verb that indicates whether its subject acts or is acted upon.


was flown

(compound verb in passive voice).


was

(verb).  [often used as an auxiliary verb].


while

(subordinating conjunction).  During.


will

(verb).  [used as an auxiliary verb to form a future tense].


yikes

(interjection).  Informal exclamation!