Grammar Cards

Question 1

What is a noun?

Answer 1

A noun is a word for a
person, place or thing.

Question 2

What is a verb?

Answer 2

A verb is an action or being word.

Question 3

What is a pronoun?

Answer 3

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun.

Example: he, she, we, I, you, it, they, them, her, him, his, my, etc.

Question 4

What is a subject?

Answer 4

A subject is who or what is acting or being in the sentence.

Question 5

1. What does an adjective describe?

2. What does an adverb describe?

Answer 5

1. An adjective describes a noun.

2. An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

Question 6

In addition to starting with a capital letter and ending with punctuation, what three things must a proper sentence have?

Answer 6

A subject, a verb, and a complete thought.

Question 7

When do you capitalize north, south, east, and west?

Answer 7

You capitalize north, south, east and west when indicating a region.
You do not capitalize them when indicating a direction.

Question 8

Do you capitalize seasons?

Answer 8

No, you do not capitalize seasons.

Question 9

When do you capitalize a family name, such as Mom, Dad, Aunt, or Grandmother?

Answer 9

You capitalize a family name when it does not come after a pronoun and could be replaced with the person’s name.

Question 10

What is an independent clause? Give an example.

Answer 10

And independent clause can stand on its own as a sentence.

Example: The sun rises in the east. I like to read.

Question 11

What is a dependent clause? Give an example.

Answer 11

A dependent clause contains a subject and verb but indicates more to come. I does not express a complete thought and cannot be a sentence on its own.
Example: When the sun rises. Because I like to read.

Question 12

What are the four sentence types?

Answer 12

The four sentence types are:
statement (declarative),
question (interrogative),
command (imperative), and
exclamation (exclamatory).

Question 13

What can a comma and a coordinating conjunction join together?

Answer 13

A comma and a coordinating conjunction can join together two independent clauses.

Question 14

What is a simple sentence? Give an example.

Answer 14

A simple sentence is a sentence with one independent clause and no dependent clauses.
Example: The birds sing.

Question 15

1. What is the acronym for remembering coordinating conjunctions?
2. What are the seven coordinating conjunctions?

Answer 15

1. The acronym for remembering coordinating conjunctions is FANBOYS.
2. The seven coordinating conjunctions are FOR, AND, NOR, BUT, OR, YET and SO.

Question 16

What is a compound sentence? Give an example.

Answer 16

A compound sentence is a sentence with two or more independent clauses.
Ex: The birds sing, so I open the window.

Question 17

What is a complex sentence? Give an example.

Answer 17

A complex sentence is a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Ex: When the birds sing, I open my window.

Question 18

What are the four sentence structures?

Answer 18

The four sentence structures are:

Simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.

Question 19

What does a dependent clause often start with?

Answer 19

A dependent clause often starts with a subordinating conjunction.

Question 20

Sing “The Subordinating Conjunction Song” to give examples of some subordinating conjunctions.

Answer 20

To the tune of “Jingle Bells”

After, as
Before, if
Until, since, although
While, when, unless, until, so, that,
Even though, because

There are over 50

Question 21

What is a preposition?

Answer 21

A preposition links words in a sentence, usually by showing position in time or space. Words such as ABOVE, BELOW, AFTER, and DURING are prepositions. The most common prepositions are ON, OF, IN AT, TO, BY, FOR, FROM, and WITH.

Question 22

Sing “The Preposition Song” to give examples of some prepositions.

Answer 22

(To the tune of “ABC” song.)

Behind, beside, below, by -
into, onto, over, like
inside, outside, underneath -
before after, in between
above, around, on, up, down - 
during, within, to in, to

(There are over 100)

Question 23

When you add a subordinating conjunction to an independent clause, it turns the clause into a __________ because it ______________________.

Answer 23

When you add a subordinating conjunction to an independent clause, it turns the clause into a dependent clause because it indicates more to come and is no longer a complete sentence.

Question 24

Do you use a comma when attaching a dependent clause to an independent clause?

Answer 24

Yes, use a comma when a dependent clause is BEFORE and independent clause.
No, do not use a comma when a dependent clause is AFTER an independent clause.

Question 25

What is a run-on sentence?

Answer 25

A run-on sentence happens when two independent clauses are joined as one sentence without the appropriate conjunction and/or punctuation.

Question 26

What are the two ways you can properly combine two independent clauses into one sentence?

Answer 26

1. Add a comma and a coordinating conjunction between the two clauses.
2. Add only a semicolon between the two clauses. (Do not include a coordinating conjunction.)

Question 27

What are three ways to fix a run-on sentence?

Answer 27

You can fix a run-on sentence in these ways:
1. Use a period between the independent clauses to create two sentences. “Mom is kind. I love her.”
2. Use a semicolon between independent clauses that contain closely related ideas.
“Mom is kind; I love her.”
3. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction
between the two clauses.
“Mom is kind, and I love her.”

Question 28

What two things should you NOT do when connecting two independent clauses with a semicolon?

Answer 28

When connecting two independent clauses
with a semicolon, these are two things to not do:
1. Do not use a coordinating conjunction.
2. Do not capitalize the first
letter of the second independent clause
(unless it’s the word “I” or a proper noun).

Question 29

What is an interjection?

Answer 29

An interjection is a word or short phrase
used in informal writing that shows
a short burst of feeling.
Examples: WOW! HEY! and OH!

Question 30

What is a comma splice?

Answer 30

A comma splice is the incorrect use of a comma to join together two independent clauses.
Example: “Mom is kind, I love her.”

Question 31

What is a direct object?

Answer 31

A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb in a sentence.
Example: In the sentence “I hug Mom,”
MOM is the direct object.

Question 32

What are three ways to fix

a comma splice?

Answer 32

You can fix a comma splice in these ways:
1. Use a period between the independent clauses to create two sentences. “Mom is kind. I love her.”
2. Use a semicolon between independent clauses that contain closely related ideas.
“Mom is kind; I love her.”
3. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction
between the two clauses.
“Mom is kind, and I love her.”