Elements of Style Glossary

Question 1

Adjectival Modifier

Answer 1

Word/Phrase/Clause that acts as an adjective in qualifying the meaning of a noun/pronoun.

Eg. ‘Your country’, ‘People who are always late’.

Question 2

Adjective

Answer 2

A word that describes the noun/pronoun.

Question 3

Adverb

Answer 3

A word that modifies or qualifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

E.g. Gracefully

Question 4

Adverbial Phrase

Answer 4

Phrase that functions as an adverb.

E.g. Landon laughs with abandon.

Question 5

Agreement

Answer 5

Correspondence of a verb with its subject in person and number.

Also the link between a pronoun and it’s antecedent in person, number and gender.

Question 6

Antecedent

Answer 6

The noun to which a pronoun refers. They must agree in person, number and gender.

E.g. Michael and his teammates moved off campus.

Question 7

Appositive

Answer 7

A noun/noun phrase that renames or adds identifying info to a noun it immediately follows.

E.g. His brother, an accountant with Arthur Anderson, was recently promoted.

Question 8

Linking Verb

Answer 8

A verb that joins the subject of a verb to its complement.

E.g. ‘is’ and ‘were’

Question 9

Loose Sentence

Answer 9

A sentence that begins with the main idea and then attaches modifiers, qualifiers and additional details.

Question 10

Main Clause

Answer 10

An independent clause, which can stand alone as a grammatically complete sentence.

Question 11

Modal Auxiliaries

Answer 11

Any of the verbs that combine with the main verb to express necessity (must), obligation (should), permission (may), probability (might), possibility (could), ability (can), or tentativeness (would).

Question 12

Modifier

Answer 12

A word/phrase that qualifies, describes, or limits the meaning of a word, phrase, or clause.

E.g. Dancing flowers

Question 13

Nominative Pronoun

Answer 13

A pronoun that functions as a subject or a subject complement.

E.g. I, he, she

Question 14

Nonrestrictive Modifier

Answer 14

A phrase/clause that does not limit/restrict the essential meaning of the element it modifies.

Question 15

Noun

Answer 15

A word that names a person, place, thing or idea.

Question 16

Number

Answer 16

A feature of nouns, pronouns, and a few verbs, referring to singular or plural.

E.g. A solo flute plays.

Question 17

Articles

Answer 17

The words ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’, which signal/announce nouns.

‘The’ refers to particular items. (Definitive)

‘A’ and ‘An’ refer to general items. (Indefinite)

Question 18

Auxiliary Verb

Answer 18

A verb that combines with the main verb to show differences in tense, person, and voice.

E.g. I am going, they have gone and we did not go.

Question 19

Case

Answer 19

Form of a noun/pronoun that reflects its grammatical function in a sentence.

Question 20

Clause

Answer 20

A group of related words that contains a subject and predicate.

Question 21

Colloquialism

Answer 21

A word/expression appropriate to informal conversation but not usually suitable for formal writing.

Question 22

Complement

Answer 22

A word/phrase (especially a noun/adjective) that completes the predicate.

Question 23

Subject Complements

Answer 23

Complete linking verbs and rename/describe the subject.

E.g. Mary is my neighbour

Question 24

Object Complements

Answer 24

Complete transitive verbs by describing/renaming the direct object.

E.g. Mary had a wonderful life.

Question 25

Compound Sentence

Answer 25

Two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, a correlative conjunction, or a semicolon.

Question 26

Compound Subject

Answer 26

Two or more simple subjects joined by a coordinating/correlative conjunction.

Question 27

Conjunction

Answer 27

A word that joins words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.

Question 28

Coordinating Conjunctions

Answer 28

‘And’, ‘but’, ‘or’, ‘nor’, ‘yet’, ‘so’, ‘for’.

These join grammatically equivalent elements.

Question 29

Correlative Conjunctions

Answer 29

‘Both’, ‘And’, ‘Either’, ‘Neither’, ‘Nor’.

Join the same kind of elements.

Question 30

Contraction

Answer 30

Shortened form of a word or group of words.

Question 31

Dependent Clause

Answer 31

A group of words that includes a subject and verb but is subordinate to an independent clause.

Question 32

Direct Object

Answer 32

A noun/pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb.

Question 33

Gerund

Answer 33

The -ing form of a verb that functions as a noun.

E.g. Hiking

Question 34

Indefinite Pronoun

Answer 34

Pronoun that refers to an unspecified person.

E.g. Anybody

Question 35

Independent Clause

Answer 35

Group of words with a subject and verb that can stand alone as a sentence.

Question 36

Indirect Object

Answer 36

A noun/pronoun that indicates to whom or for whom. to what or for what the action of a transitive verb is performed.

Question 37

Infinitive

Answer 37

In the present tense, a verb phrase consisting consisting of ‘to’ followed by the base form of the verb.

E.g. to write.

Question 38

Split Infinitive

Answer 38

Occurs when one or more words separate ‘to’ and the verb.

Question 39

Intransitive Verb

Answer 39

A verb that does not take direct object.