English Grammar Flashcards
What does each subject area have?
It’s own way of using language.
What lies at the heart of what we do with language?
Meaning and shared meaning.
What actually is gossip?
The means by which people keep in touch with the values of their community.
What is a concrete noun?
Anything we can taste, touch, see, smell or hear. Anything that can be physically experienced by the senses.
What are the 2 types of Concrete nouns?
Common and proper
What is a proper noun?
They refer to a specific person, thing or place. They need a capital letter!
What is a common noun?
They refer to a kind of person, thing or place. Don’t need capital letters!
What is a collective noun?
Refers to a group of objects - team, flock. They are singular!
What is an abstract noun?
Cannot be physically experienced by the senses. Action, quality, feeling or idea.
A noun is a -
Naming word
A plural noun refers to -
More than one person or thing
A singular noun refers to
Just one person or thing
What is a verb?
Doing word
Without a verb -
A sentence does not make sense.
What sort of verb does a sentence need to make sense?
A working verb -
Alex to hear the instructions.
Alex heard the instructions.
What is ‘the infinitive’?
The base form of a verb.
To run
To hear
What does a sentence need in order to make sense?
A subject as well as a working verb.
What is the subject of the sentence?
The who or the what
A singular subject must have -
A singular verb
A plural subject must have a
Plural verb
What is the object of the verb?
‘Whom’ in - ‘who’ did ‘what’ to ‘whom’?
SUBJECT VERB OBJECT
What is an intransitive verb?
A verb that only needs a subject (no object needed)
Some verbs must have an object because they don’t make sense without one. What are these called?
Transitive verbs
Sue collects postage stamps - for example
Many verbs can be both -
Transitive and intransitive
What are the verb tenses?
Past, Present and future
Do verbs always have to be one word?
No - the can be streams of words known as phrasal verbs.
What do adjectives do?
Modify or describe nouns or pronouns
What are the 4 forms of adjectives?
Basic
Participle
Comparative
Superlative
What is a basic adjective?
Used to add more information - opinion or fact.
What is a participle adjective?
End in -ed to describe a quality: bored at school.
End in -ing to describe a feeling: boy found school boring.
Order of multiple adjectives?
Opinion adjectives precede factual adjectives!
What are comparative adjectives?
Compare two things.
Add -er or -ier
What are superlative adjectives?
Compare more than two things.
Add -est or -iest
What is the main function of conjunctions?
Link words, phrases and clauses.
Coordinating Conjunctions?
Join equal sentence elements.
FANBOYS
Conjunctive adverbs?
Join independent clauses together and demonstrate relationships
Consequently, in other words, otherwise, finally etc
When do you use a ; (semicolon)?
Before the conjunctive adverb and a comma afterwards.
The main cause was overcrowding; furthermore, the inquiry found this was not the first incident of this kind.
Subordinating conjunctions?
Make one clause dependent on the other.
After, although, as, because, how, until etc
When the dependent clause is first what needs to happen?
A comma needs to be used.
While the narrative suggests a level of imperial complacency, it is well-documented that Kipling’s personal opinions were ambivalent.
Correlative conjunctions?
Join equivalent or parallel elements.
Both…and, either…or, not only…but also, whether…or etc
What does a preposition do?
Demonstrates relationship of object to sentence.
What does a prepositional phrase do?
Function as an adjective or adverb.
What are determiners?
They show what a noun refers to.
They make a general reference specific.
Definite article =
Indefinite article =
The
A or An
Determiners usually come before -
A noun
Determiners include -
Articles
Adjectives (possessive - his my its) (demonstrative - this those whichever) (quantifying - any all both)
Numerals and Ordinal Numbers
Affects VS Effects?
Affects is a verb
Effects is a plural noun
What is the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs?
Transitive takes one or more objects.
Intransitive does not have objects.
What is a participle?
A form of a verb used in a sentence to modify a noun or noun phrase.
What verb tense?
Has/have
Perfect
What verb tense?
Had
Past perfect
What verb tense?
-ing
Continuous
What verb tense?
Will
Future
Nouns name …
All things, including things we can’t physically experience with the senses.
There are rules for using nouns as…
singulars and plurals, and none of these rules includes the use of the apostrophe.
Nouns are both the…
Subject and object of sentences.
What is wrong with saying the 1980’s?
Should be 1980s. Possessive apostrophe should not be used.
What does a pronoun do?
It substitutes for a noun.
Who VS Whom
He VS Him
What adjectives are determiners?
possessive - his my its
demonstrative - this those whichever quantifying - any all both
What functions as an adjective or an adverb?
Prepositional phrase
Flock, herd, group
Collective nouns
FANBOYS =
Coordinating conjunctions
What are the 8 parts of speech?
NVAAAPPC Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Articles Pronouns Prepositions Connectives
What are we supposed to call conjunctions now?
Connectives
What are the 3 types of pronouns?
Personal
Possessive
Interrogative
What’s the rule for making a word ending in f into its plural form?
Change the f to v and add es.
Self turns into selves
1st person singular - subject
I
1st person singular - object
Me
1st person plural - subject
We
1st person plural - object
Us
2nd person
Singular + Plural
Subject + object
You
Youse is not a word!!!
3rd person singular - subject
He/she/it
3rd person singular - object
Him/her/it
3rd person plural - subject
They
3rd person plural - object
Them
Change to emphatic pronouns We or us You or your They or them Thee She or her He or him It
Ourselves Yourselves Themselves Thyself Herself Himself Itself
Which is correct?
Us (three) will do it.
We (three) will do it.
We three will do it.
Which is correct?
You are a better student than me (am).
You are a better student than I (am).
The bottom one!
Possessive pronouns
Never have apostrophes!!!
Yours/his/theirs/hers
Everyone actors or actresses and actors?
Everyone actors cos we don’t use sexist language anymore.
When we have a vague reference, such as a person, we use they, their and them - 3rd person plural form of the possessive pronoun.
If a person wants to change THEIR mind THEY have every right to do so if it suits THEM.
Who, whom and what are …
Interrogative pronouns
To avoid sexism mankind should be…
Humankind
Pronouns always refer to a…
Noun
I
1st person singular - subject
Me
1st person singular - object
We
1st person plural - subject
Us
1st person plural - object
You
2nd person
You remains the same in singular and plural forms. That does not stop people from saying youse, but they are quite incorrect when they do this.
He/she/it
3rd person singular - subject
Him/her/it
3rd person singular - object
They
3rd person plural - subject
Them
3rd person plural - object
What are the two uses of the apostrophe.
1 - to form contractions
2 - to show possession in a noun
Apostrophe showing possession -
The apostrophe must not interfere with …
The spelling of a noun.
It is a punctuation mark added after the original form of the noun.
They refer to a kind of person, thing or place. Don’t need capital letters!
What is a common noun?
They refer to a specific person, thing or place. They need a capital letter!
What is a proper noun?
Refers to a group of objects - team, flock. They are singular!
What is a collective noun?
Cannot be physically experienced by the senses. Action, quality, feeling or idea.
What is an abstract noun?
A sentence does not make sense without what?
A verb
What is the base form of a verb?
To run
To hear
‘The infinitive’
Helping Verbs (a.k.a Auxiliary Verbs) - What are these?
They are verbs that always accompany an action or linking verb in a sentence.
What is an action verb?
A verb that can have different endings. played, playing etc
What does it mean that a verb can be ‘inflected’?
It means it’s an action verb and can have different endings.
Why are inflected verbs called ‘participles’?
Because they often need to follow a linking or helping verb to be complete.
Linking verbs are most commonly what?
Different forms of the verb “to be”: am, is, are (present tense) was, were (past tense)
What is a linking verb also called?
Copula
What is a helping verb also called?
Auxiliary verb
What is an auxiliary verb also called?
Helping verb
The helping verb’s role is to do what?
To change the main verb’s modality or tense (time frame)
Peter should do his homework.
Should = what?
Do = what?
Should = modal verb Do = Primary auxiliary verb
- to turn up, 2. to put up with, 3. to get by
What are these examples of?
Phrasal verbs
FANBOYS are examples of what?
Coordinating conjunctions
What do coordinating conjunctions do?
They join clauses.
