Grammar Definitions Copyright, University of Ottawa and its licensors”

Question 1

verb

Answer 1

A verb or compound verb asserts something about the subject of the sentence and express actions, events, or states of being. The verb or compound verb is the critical element of the predicate of a sentence.

Question 2

predicate

Answer 2

a simple predicate, which is always the verb or verbs that link up with the subject.

Question 3

subject

Answer 3

Every subject is built around one noun or pronoun (or more) that, when stripped of all the words that modify it, is known as the simple subject.

Question 4

compound subject

Answer 4

a compound subject – a simple subject consisting of more than one noun or pronoun – as in these examples:

Team pennants, rock posters and family photographs covered the boy’s bedroom walls.

Question 5

compound predicate

Answer 5

a predicate that includes more than one verb pertaining to the same subject
(ex:)
Her uncle and she walked slowly through the Inuit art gallery and admired the powerful sculptures exhibited there.

Question 6

Every complete sentence

Answer 6

Every complete sentence contains two parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject is what (or whom) the sentence is about, while the predicate tells something about the subject.

To determine the subject of a sentence, first isolate the verb and then make a question by placing “who?” or “what?” before it – the answer is the subject. (example)

The audience littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.
The verb in the above sentence is “littered.” Who or what littered? The audience did. “The audience” is the subject of the sentence.

The predicate (which always includes the verb) goes on to relate something about the subject: what about the audience? It “littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.”

Question 7

Imperative sentence

Answer 7

Sentences that give a command or an order. They differ from conventional sentences in that their subject, which is always “you,” is understood rather than expressed.

Stand on your head. (“You” is understood before “stand.”)

Question 8

The parts of speech

Answer 8

eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the interjection.

Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used.

Question 9

Pronoun

Answer 9

A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like “he,” “which,” “none,” and “you” to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive.

Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.

Question 10

Personal pronoun

Answer 10

refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

Question 11

Subjective personal pronoun

Answer 11

A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are “I,” “you,” “she,” “he,” “it,” “we,” “you,” “they.”

Question 12

Objective personal pronouns

Answer 12

An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: “me,” “you,” “her,” “him,” “it,” “us,” “you,” and “them.”

Example: Seamus stole the selkie’s skin and forced her to live with him.
The objective personal pronoun “her” is the direct object of the verb “forced” and the objective personal pronoun “him” is the object of the preposition “with.”

Question 13

Objects

Answer 13

A verb may be followed by an object that completes the verb’s meaning. Two kinds of objects follow verbs: direct objects and indirect objects. To determine if a verb has a direct object, isolate the verb and make it into a question by placing “whom?” or “what?” after it. The answer, if there is one, is the direct object:
Direct Object
The advertising executive drove a flashy red Porsche.
Direct Object
Her secret admirer gave her a bouquet of flowers.

The second sentence above also contains an indirect object. An indirect object (which, like a direct object, is always a noun or pronoun) is, in a sense, the recipient of the direct object. To determine if a verb has an indirect object, isolate the verb and ask to whom?, to what?, for whom?, or for what? after it. The answer is the indirect object.

Not all verbs are followed by objects. Consider the verbs in the following sentences:

The guest speaker rose from her chair to protest.
After work, Randy usually jogs around the canal.

Question 14

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Answer 14

Verbs that take objects are known as transitive verbs. Verbs not followed by objects are called intransitive verbs.

Some verbs can be either transitive verbs or intransitive verbs, depending on the context:

Direct Object
I hope the Senators win the next game.
No Direct Object
Did we win?

Question 15

Transitive verbs

Answer 15

Depending on the type of object they take, verbs may be transitive, intransitive, or linking.

The meaning of a transitive verb is incomplete without a direct object, as in the following examples:

INCOMPLETE
The shelf holds.
COMPLETE
The shelf holds three books and a vase of flowers.
INCOMPLETE
The committee named.
COMPLETE
The committee named a new chairperson.
INCOMPLETE
The child broke.
COMPLETE
The child broke the plate.
Depending on the type of object they take, verbs may be transitive, intransitive, or linking.

Question 16

Intransitive verb

Answer 16

An intransitive verb, on the other hand, cannot take a direct object:

This plant has thrived on the south windowsill.
The compound verb “has thrived” is intransitive and takes no direct object in this sentence. The prepositional phrase “on the south windowsill” acts as an adverb describing where the plant thrives.

The sound of the choir carried through the cathedral.
The verb “carried” is used intransitively in this sentence and takes no direct object. The prepositional phrase “through the cathedral” acts as an adverb describing where the sound carried.

The train from Montreal arrived four hours late.
The intransitive verb “arrived” takes no direct object, and the noun phrase “four hours late” acts as an adverb describing when the train arrived.

Since the company was pleasant and the coffee both plentiful and good, we lingered in the restaurant for several hours.
The verb “lingered” is used intransitively and takes no direct object. The prepositional phrase “in the restaurant for several hours” acts as an adverb modifying “lingered.”

The painting was hung on the south wall of the reception room.
The compound verb “was hung” is used intransitively and the sentence has no direct object. The prepositional phrase “on the south wall of the reception room” acts as a adverb describing where the paint hung.

Question 17

Transitive or intransitive ?

Answer 17

Many verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on their context in the sentence. In the following pairs of sentences, the first sentence uses the verb transitively and the second uses the same verb intransitively:

transitive
According to the instructions, we must leave this goo in our hair for twenty minutes.
In this example, the verb “leave” takes a direct object, the noun phrase “this goo.”

intransitive
We would like to stay longer, but we must leave.
In this example, the verb “leave” does not take a direct object.

transitive
The audience attentively watched the latest production of The Trojan Women.
In this example, the verb “watch” is used transitively and takes the noun phrase “the latest production of The Trojan Women” as a direct object.

intransitive
The cook watched while the new dishwasher surreptitiously picked up the fragments of the broken dish.
In this example, the verb “watched” is used intransitively and takes no direct object.

intransitive
The crowd moves across the field in an attempt to see the rock star get into her helicopter.
Here the verb “moves” is used as an intransitive verb and takes no direct object.

transitive
Every spring, William moves all boxes and trunks from one side of the attic to the other.
In this sentence “moves” is used as a transitive verb and takes the noun phrase “all the boxes and trunk” as a direct object.

Written by Heather MacFadyen

Question 18

infinitive form of a verb

Answer 18

The infinitive form of the verb consists of the word “to” followed by the base form of the verb: “to be,” “to serve,” “to chop,” etc.

Question 19

Adjective

Answer 19

An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. An adjective usually precedes(esp: follows) the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.

Question 20

Adverb

Answer 20

An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. An adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as “how,” “when,” “where,” “how much”.

While some adverbs can be identified by their characteristic “ly” suffix, most of them must be identified by untangling the grammatical relationships within the sentence or clause as a whole. Unlike an adjective, an adverb can be found in various places within the sentence.

Question 21

Preposition

Answer 21

A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.

A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples:

The book is on the table.
The book is beneath the table.
The book is leaning against the table.
The book is beside the table.
She held the book over the table.
She read the book during class.
In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in time.

Question 22

Interjection

Answer 22

An interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion. It is not grammatically related to any other part of the sentence.

You usually follow an interjection with an exclamation mark. Interjections are uncommon in formal academic prose, except in direct quotations.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are interjections:

Ouch, that hurt!
Oh no, I forgot that the exam was today.
Hey! Put that down!
I heard one guy say to another guy, “He has a new car, eh?”
I don’t know about you but, good lord, I think taxes are too high!

Question 23

Verb tenses

Answer 23

A verb indicates the time of an action, event or condition by changing its form. Through the use of a sequence of tenses in a sentence or in a paragraph, it is possible to indicate the complex temporal relationship of actions, events, and conditions

There are many ways of categorising the twelve possible verb tenses. The verb tenses may be categorised according to the time frame: past tenses, present tenses, and future tenses
.

Question 24

The 12 verb tenses by Timeo

Answer 24

Verb Tense: Time

The four past tenses are

the simple past ("I went")
the past progressive ("I was going")
the past perfect ("I had gone")
the past perfect progressive ("I had been going")
The four present tenses are

the simple present (“I go”)
the present progressive (“I am going”)
the present perfect (“I have gone”)
the present perfect progressive (“I have been going”)
Note that the present perfect and present perfect progressive are a present not past tenses – that idea is that the speaker is currently in the state of having gone or having been going.

The four future tenses are

the simple future (“I will go”)
the future progressive (“I will be going”)
the future perfect (“I will have gone”)
the future perfect progressive (“I will have been going”)qt

Question 25

Verb tense by Aspect

Answer 25

Verb tenses may also be categorised according to aspect. Aspect refers to the nature of the action described by the verb. There are three aspects: indefinite (or simple), complete (or perfect), continuing (or progressive).

The three indefinite tenses, or simple tenses, describe an action but do not state whether the action is finished:

the simple past (“I went”)
the simple present (“I go”)
the simple future (“I will go”)
A verb in the indefinite aspect is used when the beginning or ending of an action, an event, or condition is unknown or unimportant to the meaning of the sentence. The indefinite aspect is also used to used to indicate an habitual or repeated action, event, or condition.

The three complete tenses, or perfect tenses, describe a finished action:

the past perfect (“I had gone”)
the present perfect (“I have gone”)
the future perfect (“I will have gone”)
A verb in the complete aspect indicates that the end of the action, event, or condition is known and the is used to emphasise the fact that the action is complete. The action may, however, be completed in the present, in the past or in the future.

The three incomplete tenses, or progressive tenses, describe an unfinished action:

the past progressive (“I was going”)
the present progressive (“I am going”)
the future progressive (“I will be going”)
A verb in the continuing aspect indicates that the action, event, or condition is ongoing in the present, the past or the future.

It is also possible to combine the complete tenses and the incomplete tenses, to describe an action which was in progress and then finished:

the past perfect progressive (“I had been going”)
the present perfect progressive (“I have been going”)
the future perfect progressive (“I will have been going”)

Question 26

Simple Present

Answer 26

The simple present is used to describe an action, an event, or condition that is occurring in the present, at the moment of speaking or writing. The simple present is used when the precise beginning or ending of a present action, event, or condition is unknown or is unimportant to the meaning of the sentence.

The simple present is used to express general truths such as scientific fact, as in the following sentences:

Rectangles have four sides.
The simple present is used to indicate a habitual action, event, or condition, as in the following sentences:

Leonard goes to The Jumping Horse Tavern every Thursday evening.
The simple present is also used when writing about works of art, as in the following sentence
The play ends with an epilogue spoken by the fool.

Question 27

The present progressive

Answer 27

While the simple present and the present progressive are sometimes used interchangeably, the present progressive emphasises the continuing nature of an act, event, or condition.
KPLA is broadcasting the hits of the 70s this evening.

Question 28

The present perfect

Answer 28

The present perfect tense is used to describe action that began in the past and continues into the present or has just been completed at the moment of utterance. The present perfect is often used to suggest that a past action still has an effect upon something happening in the present.
example:Donna has dreamt about frogs sitting in trees every night this week.
Here the action of dreaming has begun in the past and continues into the present.

Question 29

The present perfect progressive

Answer 29

Like the present perfect, the present perfect progressive is used to describe an action, event, or condition that has begun in the past and continues into the present. The present perfect progressive, however, is used to stress the on-going nature of that action, condition, or event.
Example:
They have been publishing this comic book for ten years.

Question 30

The simple past

Answer 30

The simple past is used to describe an action, an event, or condition that occurred in the past, sometime before the moment of speaking or writing.
example:
A flea jumped from the dog to the cat.

Question 31

The past progressive

Answer 31

The past progressive tense is used to described actions ongoing in the past. These actions often take place within a specific time frame. While actions referred to in the present progressive have some connection to the present, actions referred in the past progressive have no immediate or obvious connection to the present. The on-going actions took place and were completed at some point well before the time of speaking or writing.
example
Lena was telling a story about the exploits of a red cow when a tree branch broke the parlour window.

Question 32

The past perfect

Answer 32

The past perfect tense is used to refer to actions that took place and were completed in the past. The past perfect is often used to emphasise that one action, event or condition ended before another past action, event, or condition began.
example:
Miriam arrived at 5:00 p.m. but Mr. Whitaker had closed the store.

Question 33

The past perfect progressive

Answer 33

The past perfect progressive is used to indicate that a continuing action in the past began before another past action began or interrupted the first action.
example:
The chef’s assistant had been chopping vegetables for several minutes before he realized that he had minced his apron strings.

Question 34

The simple future

Answer 34

The simple future is used to refer to actions that will take place after the act of speaking or writing.
example:
They will meet us at the newest café in the market.

Question 35

The future progressive

Answer 35

The future progressive tense is used to describe actions ongoing in the future. The future progressive is used to refer to continuing action that will occur in the future.
example:
The glee club will be performing at the celebration of the town’s centenary.

Question 36

The future perfect

Answer 36

The future perfect is used to refer to an action that will be completed sometime in the future before another action takes place.
examples:
The surgeon will have operated on 6 patients before she attends a luncheon meeting.
In this sentence, the act of operating (“will have operated”) takes place in the future sometime before the act of attending (“attends”).

The plumber and his assistant will have soldered all the new joins in pipes before they leave for the next job.
Here, the plumbers’ act of soldering (“will have soldered”) will precede the act of leaving (“leave”).

Question 37

The future perfect progressive

Answer 37

The future perfect progressive tense is used to indicate a continuing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. This tense is rarely used.
example:
I will have been studying Greek for three years by the end of this term.

Question 38

The Verbals

Answer 38

A verbal is a noun or adjective formed from a verb. Writers sometimes make mistakes by using a verbal in place of a verb, and in very formal writing, by confusing different types of verbals. This section covers three different verbals: the participle (which acts as an adjective), the gerund (which acts as a noun), and the infinitive (which also acts as a noun).

The fundamental difference between verbals and other nouns and adjectives is that verbals can take their own objects, even though they are no longer verbs:

Question 39

the gerund

Answer 39

Gerund (adding ‘‘ing’’)
Building a house is complicated.
In this example, the noun phrase “a house” is the direct object of the verbal “building”, even though “building” is a noun rather than a verb.
A gerund is a noun formed from a verb. To make a gerund, you add “-ing” to the verb, just as with a present participle. The fundamental difference is that a gerund is a noun, while a participle is an adjective:

gerund
I enjoy running. (“Running” is a noun acting as the direct object of the verb “enjoy.”)
participle
Stay away from running water. (“Running” is an adjective modifying the noun “water.”)

Question 40

the participle

Answer 40

A participle is an adjective formed from a verb. To make a present participle, you add “-ing” to the verb, sometimes doubling the final consonant:

“think” becomes “thinking”
“fall” becomes “falling”
“run” becomes “running”
The second type of participle, the past participle, is a little more complicated, since not all verbs form the past tense regularly. The following are all past participles:

the sunken ship
a ruined city
a misspelled word

Question 41

the past participle

Answer 41

The second type of participle, the past participle, is a little more complicated, since not all verbs form the past tense regularly. The following are all past participles:

the sunken ship
a ruined city
a misspelled word
Note that only transitive verbs can use their past participles as adjectives, and that unlike other verbals, past participles do not take objects (unless they are part of a compound verb).
The second type of participle, the past participle, is a little more complicated, since not all verbs form the past tense regularly. The following are all past participles:

the sunken ship
a ruined city
a misspelled word
Note that only transitive verbs can use their past participles as adjectives, and that unlike other verbals, past participles do not take objects (unless they are part of a compound verb).

Question 42

Using verbals

Answer 42

There are two common problems that come up when writers use verbals. The first is that since verbals look like verbs, they sometimes cause students to write fragmentary sentences:

[WRONG] Oh, to find true love!
[WRONG] Jimmy, swimming the most important race of his life.
The second problem is a very fine point, which most editors and some teachers no longer enforce. Although they look the same, gerunds and present participles are different parts of speech, and need to be treated differently. For example, consider the following two sentences:

I admire the woman finishing the report.
I admire the woman’s finishing the report.
In the first example, “finishing” is a participle modifying the noun “woman”: in other words, the writer admires the woman, not what she is doing; in the second example, “finishing” is a gerund, modified by the possessive noun “woman’s”: in other words, the writer admires not the woman herself but the fact that she is finishing the report.

Question 43

Subject compliment

Answer 43

In addition to the transitive verb and the intransitive verb, there is a third kind of verb called a linking verb. The word (or phrase) which follows a linking verb is called not an object, but a subject complement.

The most common linking verb is “be.” Other linking verbs are “become,” “seem,” “appear,” “feel,” “grow,” “look,” “smell,” “taste,” and “sound,” among others. Note that some of these are sometimes linking verbs, sometimes transitive verbs, or sometimes intransitive verbs, depending on how you use them:

Linking verb with subject complement
He was a radiologist before he became a full-time yoga instructor.
Linking verb with subject complement
Your homemade chili smells delicious.
Transitive verb with direct object
I can’t smell anything with this terrible cold.
Intransitive verb with no object
The interior of the beautiful new Buick smells strongly of fish.
Note that a subject complement can be either a noun (“radiologist”, “instructor”) or an adjective (“delicious”).