Conventions Flashcards
Imperative Sentence
A sentence that gives a command or request.
Sit in your chair.
Capitalization
the action of starting a word with a capital letter to signify a certain characteristic
The rules of capitalization differ in each language; for example, Spanish does not capitalize the days of the week, whereas English does.
Writing: Conventional Stage
Fourth stage of writing (ages 6-7). Demonstrates more control over many aspects of the writing process.
Jane lost her cat named Tabby and it made her sad. She and her friends made sines with Tabby’s pitcher. One of her friends found Tabby and Jane was so happy
Writing: Pre-Conventional Stage
First stage of writing (ages 2-5). Child is aware that drawings and prints have specific meaning.
Accusative Case
nouns or pronouns that act as an object of a verb or preposition
Accusative pronouns - me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Compound-Complex Sentence
Two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause
While we are in town, we should stop at the hardware store, and you can buy a new hammer.
Subject/Verb Agreement
Present-tense verbs should match their subjects in number
I run vs. I runs.
Precommunicative Spelling
Students use scribble shapes and sometimes letter-like shapes for spelling words but are unable to make the forms
Indefinite Pronoun
Pronouns that refer to a non-specific person, place, or thing.
Anyone, Some, All, Nobody, Everything
Possessive Case
nouns or pronouns that show ownership
Nominative Case
nouns or pronouns that are the subject of the sentence
Nominative pronouns - I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Coordinating Conjunction
connects two clauses
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Punctuation
marks, such as period, comma, and parentheses, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.
period
Descriptive Grammar
Descriptive grammar conventions include grammatical rules and structures as they are spoken or written by everyday speakers.
For example, it is common in Southern dialects to use “y’all” and “ain’t.”
While these contractions may be acceptable and used frequently, they clash with the rules of prescriptive grammar.
Compound Sentence
Two independent clauses joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction
Dogs are mammals, but lizards are reptiles.
Phrase
a term of two or more words that convey an idea when used together
We were waiting for you.
Exclamatory Sentence
A sentence that expresses emotion.
Surprise! We won the game!
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns need to match their antecedent (noun) in person, number, and gender.
Mrs. Wilson is my friend. He serves lunch every day. (The pronoun he doesn’t match the gender of Mrs.)
Writing: Transitional Stage
Third stage of writing (ages 5-6). Writes a single letter (often the beginning consonant of the word) to represent an entire word or syllable; begins to understand and use basic punctuation
Sentence Purposes
The goal of of a sentence, either to express a statement, give a command, ask a question, or show emotion.
Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, or Exclamatory
Dependent / Subordinate Clause
clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction but cannot stand alone as a sentence even though it contains a subject and verb
While we were shopping, she spent her whole paycheck.
Etymology
the study of the origin and history of words
Participle Phrase
a phrase that modifies a participle – a term with a verb ending in “-ed” or “-ing” – to serve as an adjective
Tired after a long walk, the dog slept in the corner.
Semiphonetic Spelling
Students have some letter awareness, but are unable to use all letters in the word.
Spell “play” p-a
