English and Language Usage Flashcards
Adjective (definition)
A word that modifies a noun or pronoun
Adverb (definition)
Word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb and indicates when, how, where, why, or how much
Article (definition)
Word that is used to limit a noun, either indefinite (a / an) or definite (the)
Clause (definition)
Group of words that are related and contain both subject and a verb
Direct object (definition)
Noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb and answers the question whom, or what
Noun (definition)
Word for a person, place, or thing
Object of the preposition (definition)
Noun, pronoun, or clause to which the preposition refers
Phrase (definition)
Group of words that are related but do not contain a verb and a subject together
Possessive pronoun (definition)
Pronoun used to indicate ownership
Pronoun (definition)
Word that replaces and refers to a noun
Subject (definition)
Noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb
Verb (definition)
Word that shows an action or a state of being
First person singular possessive pronouns
mine, my
First person plural possessive pronouns
our, ours
Second person singular possessive pronouns
your, yours
Second person plural possessive pronouns
your, yours
Third person singular possessive pronouns
her, hers, his, its
Third person plural possessive pronouns
their, theirs
Adverb
-ly
First person singular pronouns
I, me, mine, my
First person plural pronouns
we, us, our, ours
Second person singular pronouns
you, your, yours
Second person plural pronouns
you, your, yours
Third person singular pronouns
he, she, him, her, it, hers, his, its
Third person plural pronouns
they, them, their,theirs
Antecedent (definition)
A noun that a pronoun refers back to.
A pronoun and its _____ need to agree in number, meaning that whether the _____ is singular or plural, the pronoun must be the same.
Antecedent
T/F
Replacing he or she with they or them as a singular pronoun to avoid gendered language is acceptable in writing.
False
Correct the sentence:
The guide reiterated the possibility of danger to each person as they entered the bus.
The guide reiterated the possibility of danger to each person as he or she entered the bus.
Correct the sentence:
Each girl was presented with their varsity letter.
Each girl was presented with her varsity letter.
Direct dialogue tells what?
exactly what someone said rather than telling about it.
Indirect dialogue
Tells about what someone said
Direct dialogue
tells exactly what someone said
Attributive tag
part of a sentence that indicates who said a direct quote, followed by a comma, and quotation marks open and close the direct dialogue.
A quote inside of a quote is indicated by what?
single quotation marks
If quoted material occurs at the end of a sentence, the period belongs where?
within the quotation marks
If quoted material is located in the middle of a sentence, a _____ should be placed _____ the quotation marks.
comma, within
If the quotation marks enclose a question or an exclamation, the question mark or exclamation point should be _____ _____ the quotation marks.
included within
If a question mark or exclamation point applies to the whole sentence, the question mark or exclamation point belong where?
outside the quotation marks at the end of the sentence
Which point of view is considered to be “formal”?
Third person
First person point of view writing is
from within the story
Nominalization (definition)
Refers to the making of a noun from a verb, adverb, or adjective.
Subordinating conjunction (definition)
A word that joins two or more clauses and makes the clause that contains it dependent on another clause; therefore, the clause that contains the subordinating conjunction is of less importance.
Ex: He had a negative reaction to the nutritionist’s presentation.
Active verb (definition)
Verbs that show an action performed by the subject of the sentence.
Ex: He reacted negatively to the nutritionist’s presentation.
Passive verbs (definition)
Comprised of a “be” plus a past participle that shifts the action of a sentence from the subject to the object of the sentence
Ex: The dog chewed the bone.
Changed to: The bone was chewed by the dog.
When would passive voice ideally be used?
When the writer does not want to assign blame
Context clues (definition)
Words surrounding an unfamiliar word that can help in discerning the meaning of the unfamiliar word.
8 Types of context clues:
1) Definition
2) Description
3) Example
4) Synonym
5) Antonym
6) Comparison
7) Contrast
8) Explanation
Definition (context clue)
The definition of the unfamiliar word is given in the sentence.
Ex: In this woodworking, he used a type of file known as a rasp.
Description (context clue)
A description of the unfamiliar word is given in the sentence.
Ex: Allen is a malcontent; he is constantly changing jobs, moving to different apartments, and trading in cars. He complains and expresses his dissatisfaction with every aspect of his life.
Example (context clue)
Examples of the unfamiliar word are given in the sentence.
Ex: the menu listed such delicacies as frog legs, octopi, and chocolate-flavored worms.
Synonym (context clue)
A synonym of the unfamiliar word is given in the sentence.
Ex: the ophthalmologist, or eye doctor, prescribed eye drops.
Antonym (context clue)
An antonym of the unfamiliar word is given in the sentence.
Ex: Unlike the sophisticated life in the city, life in Scottsdale was a quaint existence.
Comparison (context clue)
A comparison is used in the sentence that helps give meaning to the unfamiliar word.
Ex: Elliot is wealthy and generous as is his father, who is a philanthropist.
Contrast (context clue)
The unfamiliar word is contrasted to known words or phrases.
Ex: The instructor would often deviate from the topic, rather than remain focused on the subject he introduced at the beginning of the lecture.
Explanation (context clue)
The unfamiliar word is defined in the sentence through an explanation of a situation.
Ex: He was awarded a degree posthumously; he died a month before graduation.
Etymology (definition)
Refers to the history of a given word or its origin
Root word (definition)
Word in its simplest form, before any affixes are attached
Prefix (definition)
Group of letters added to the beginning of a word that modifies or extends the words meaning.
Suffix (definition)
Group of letters added to the end of a word that modifies or extend the word’s meaning.
Common prefixes
un, re, in, dis
Common suffixes
ia, y, ic, ical, ac, ism, ology, or, er
Common root words
arch, audio, bio, chrom, geo, graph, morph, ortho, ped, terra, therm
Simple sentence (definition)
A sentence that contains only one clause that has a complete meaning.
Ex: I am going. Don’t cry. Never fear. I’ll return.
Independent clause (definition)
Clause that has a complete meaning
Dependent clause (definition)
Clause that is made dependent or incomplete because of the addition of a subordinating conjunction.
Complex sentence (definition)
Contains one or more dependent clauses.
Ex: When this happens, I don’t try to pull my thoughts back to the present.
Compound sentence (definition)
Contains two, or more, independent clauses joined together with a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.
Paragraph (definition)
Group of sentences that forms a cohesive whole due to its similar topic or theme.
ie and ei words
i before e, except after c - or when sounded like a as in the word neighbor.
Suffixes for words ending in e
If a word ends in a silent e and the added suffix begins with a consonant, then keep the letter e when adding the suffix. (EX: awe+some = awesome, hate+ful= hateful)
If a word ends in a silent e and the added suffix begins with a vowel, then drop the e when adding the suffix. (Ex: age+ing= aging, true+ism= truism)
Suffixes for words ending in y
If a word ends with a y preceded by a vowel, keep the y when adding the suffix. (Ex: annoy+ance= annoyance, buy+er= buyer)
If a word ends with a y preceded by a consonant, change the y to an i before adding the suffix. (Ex: carry+ed= carried, victory+ous= victorious)
Suffixes for words ending in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (part I)
If a word has one syllable and ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, then double the final consonant before adding the suffix that begins with a vowel. (Ex: bag+age=baggage, bar+ed= barred, run+ing= running.
Suffixes for words ending in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (part II)
If a word has more than one syllable, but the accent is on the last syllable, then double the final consonant before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. (Ex: compel+ing= compelling, control+ing= controlling, excel+ence= excellence)
Suffixes for words ending in c
If a word ends in a c and a suffix beginning with e, i, or y is added, then the letter k should be inserted following the letter c. (Ex: colic+y= colicky, panic+y= panicky, frolic+y= frolicky)
Words ending in -ceed, -sede, and =cede
In English, there are four words that end in -ceed, and one word that ends in -sede. Other words with the same sound end in -cede.
- ceed: emceed, exceed, proceed, succeed.
- sede: supersede
- cede: accede, antecede, concede, intercede, recede
Words ending in -able, or -ible
If the root word is complete word, then add -able. (If the root ends in e, drop the e before adding -able)
accept+able= acceptable, avail+able = available, enjoy+able = enjoyable,
aud+ible = audible, divis+ible = divisible, feas+ible = feasible
Exceptions to the -able, and -ible rules
digestible, flexible, responsible, irritable, accessible, inevitable, collectable, discernible
Words ending in -ance, -ancy, or -ant
If the suffix is preceded by a hard c or g sound, the the suffix is -ance, ancy, or - ant.
elegance, elegant, extravagance, extravagant, vacancy, vacant,
Words ending in -ence, -ency, -ent
If the suffix is preceded by a soft c or g sound, the suffix is -ence, -ency, or -ent.
absence, absent, agent, agency, beneficence, emergency, innocent, innocence
Words ending in -tion, or -sion
If the root of the word ends in -t, then the suffix -tion can be added. If the root word ends in -s, the suffix -sion can be added.
abduction, addiction, deduction, distraction, exception,
procession, profession, regression, succession, depression
Words ending in -cian
If a word names a person, then it should end with -cian.
magician, musician, physician, politician, technician
Homophone
Words that sound alike but are spelled differently.
Capitalize geographical location
United States,
Venice Beach,
Atlantic Ocean,
Italian Peninsula
Capitalize cardinal directions and their compounds when they refer to particular regions
West Canada,
the South
Do not capitalize cardinal directions when it refers to a point of the compass or when it refers to a part of a state
drive west,
western Kansas
Capitalize names of specific organizations, companies, institutions, and government bodies
Spanish Club,
Ford Foundation,
San Diego State University,
Department of Defense
Capitalize the names of historical events or documents, months, days of the week, special events, and calendar items
French Revolution, Atlantic Pact, August, Sunday, Super Bowl, Junior Prom, Christmas Eve, Veterans Day
Capitalize the names of nationalities, races, and religions
American,
Caucasian,
Christian
Capitalize the names of monuments, ships, planes, and awards
Washington Monument,
the Mayflower,
Purple Heart
Capitalize proper names and titles of rank or honor
Dr. Neal Adams, General Neal Adams, President Adams, N. Michael Adams, Reverend Neal Adams, King Adams
Capitalize words showing family relationships when they are parts of titles or when they can be substituted for proper names
Uncle Roy,
Cousin Lee,
Aunt Gina
DO NOT Capitalize words showing family relationship when preceded by a possessive
my cousin Lee,
your mother,
Neal’s brother
Capitalize main words in the titles of books and poems, plays, articles, musical compositions, chapters of books, etc
A Tale of Two Cities,
Computers for Dummies,
the New York Times
Capitalize words referring to specific deities
Lord,
Savior,
Jesus
Capitalize the first word in every line of poetry and the first word of a complete quotation
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Mr. Adams said, “You will always remember your high school days with fond recollection.”
Capitalize the names of seasons only if they are personified or are part of a specific event. Otherwise, they are not capitalized.
“Heralded in trumpet blare, comes Spring across the threshold in scented frock and maiden hair.”
My favorite season is summer.
I can’t wait for the Winter Olympics.
Ellipses
Used to suggest hesitation, attempt to conceal something, signal a trailing or unfinished thought, indicate difficulty in directly expressing oneself, or denote the omission of part of an original material within a quotation
Commas
Any two words or phrases in a series of three or more should be separated by a comma
Semicolons
May be placed between two related, independent clauses.
Precedes conjunctive adverbs, such as however, therefore, that connect sentence elements of equal rank.
Colons
Should be used to herald something that is to immediately follow an independent clause.
Should follow the salutation of a formal letter. EX: To whom it may concern:
Hyphens
Used to divide a ward at the end of a line when it is necessary for stylistic purposes and the entire word will not fit on one line.
To spell-out compound numbers if they function as adjectives.
Parenthesis
Used to enclose supplementary or explanatory material that interrupts the main sentence.
