Grammar Skills Flashcards
Modeling
an instructional strategy in which the teacher demonstrates a concept or skill and students learn by observing
When a teacher encounters a difficult word in a text, she thinks aloud to model how she can use the context clues to discover the meaning.
Declarative Sentence
A sentence that makes a statement or gives an opinion.
I love my job.
Exclamatory Sentence
A sentence that expresses emotion. ex: Surprise! We won the game!
Compound Sentence
Two independent clauses joined by a comma and coordinating conjunction. ex: Dogs are mammals, but lizards are reptiles.
Prescriptive Grammar
grammar that follows the rules set forth by tradition and formal language
Interrogative Sentence
A sentence that asks a question ex: how long will it take to get there?
Transition Words
Phrases and words used to link sentences, paragraphs, and ideas together. ex- First, next, last, on the other hand
Present Perfect Tense
describes things that began in the past and continue to the present. ex- I haven’t seen you in such a long time! I have been working a lot.
Appositive Phrase
restates a preceding term by expanding upon it or explaining it in a qualifying statement between two commas. ex- New York City, the largest city in the United States, has a population of around 8.6 million people.
Coordinating Conjunction
connects two clauses. ex- for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Complex Sentence
An independent clause and a dependent clause
Since you’re going to the store, can you buy some milk?
Infinitive Phrase
Includes that infinitive (to + verb) and the additional words that serve as the object of modifiers in the phrase. ex- I want to eat the candy.
Compound-Complex Sentence
Two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. ex- While we are in town, we should stop at the hardware store, and you can buy a new hammer.
Future Perfect Tense
describes something that will be completed at some point in the future. ex-
By the end of the year, I will have saved enough money to buy a car!
Subordinating Conjunction
a conjunction used at the beginning of a subordinate clause. ex- because, although, even though, since
Simple Sentence
A sentence containing one subject and one verb, or one independent clause. ex-The dolphin lives in the ocean.
Phrase
a term of two or more words that convey an idea when used together
We were waiting for you.
Future Tense
describes things that have not yet happened. ex-I am going to meet some friends after work. I will call you later.
Past Perfect Tense
describes things that were completed before some point in the past. ex- I couldn’t see because I had lost my glasses.
Prepositional Phrase
a phrase that describes the relationship between a noun and a pronoun or another word in the sentence. ex- She sat in the seat in the middle.
Descriptive Grammar
grammatical rules and structures as they are spoken or written by everyday speakers. ex- “I seen him yesterday.”
Noun Phrase
a group of words that act as a noun in a sentence; includes a noun and words that modify the noun. ex- The red car is parked in the driveway.
Past Tense
describes things that have already happened. ex- I visited my parents last weekend.
Independent / Main Clause
clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence. ex- I went shopping last weekend.
Gerund Phrase
a type of appositional phrase that modifies a gerund (or verb+ing) and behaves like a noun. ex- Drinking water when it’s hot outside can prevent you from becoming dehydrated.
Present Tense
describes what is happening right now. ex- I am studying for an exam.
Dangling Modifiers
a grammatical error that occurs when the modifying phrase is missing the word it intends to describe
Participle Phrase
a phrase that modifies a participle - a term with a verb ending in “-ed” or “-ing” - to serve as an adjective. ex- Tired after a long walk, the dog slept in the corner.
Dependent / Subordinate Clause
clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction but cannot stand alone as a sentence even though it contains a subject and verb. ex- While we were shopping, she spent her whole paycheck.
Interjection
A very short sentence that conveys strong emotions. ex-Wow!
Think-Aloud
a teaching strategy in which a teacher states his/her thoughts aloud to demonstrate how the students should go about solving a problem or understanding a text. ex- Math teachers model thinking by reading a problem aloud and verbalizing figuring out what it is asking what needs to be done. Language arts teachers ask themselves questions about the text as they read aloud.
Misplaced Modifiers
a grammatical error that occurs when the modifying word or phrase is not placed next to the word it is describing
Verb Phrase
a type of appositional phrase that modifies a verb. ex- The baby was crawling on the floor.
