Grammar - Syntax Flashcards
Noun Phrase
A group of words, usually a noun in addition to a modifier (such as an adjective, adverb, or article) that functions just as a noun would.
Verb Phrase
Consists of a verb, or of a main verb following a modal or one or more auxiliaries.
Adjective Phrase
A phrase that’s headed by an adjective and provides context, clarity, or details that support that adjective.
Adverb Phrase
A group of words that acts as an adverb to modify the main clause of a sentence.
Prepositional Phrase
A group of words consisting of a preposition, its object, and any words that modify the object.
Subject
Functions Within The Clause
The person or thing (a noun or pronoun) that does the ‘action’.
Object
Functions Within The Clause
The thing/person that the action is done to.
Predicate
Functions Within The Clause
Describes the action but not the subject.
Complemement
Functions Within The Clause
Describes the subject and often follows a linking verb.
Adverbial
Functions Within The Clause
Modifies a verb, adjective, adverb, or a whole clause.
Coordination
Clauses
A method of combining independent clauses by using sentence connectors.
Subordination
Clauses
Uses conjunctions to connect one dependent clause to an independent clause, creating a complex sentence.
Fragment
Sentences
A sentence that is missing either its subject or its main verb.
Simple
Sentences
A sentence that is made up of just one independent clause.
Compound
Sentences
A sentence that connects two independent clauses, typically with a coordinating conjunction.
Complex
Sentences
A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Compound-Complex
Sentences
A sentence containing one or more dependent clauses and two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction or semicolon.
Declarative
Sentence Types
A sentence that makes a statement.
Imperative
Sentence Types
A sentence that expresses a direct command, request, invitation, warning, or instruction.
Interrogative
Sentence Types
A sentence that asks a question, typically to request information.
Exclamative
Sentence Types
A statement that expresses strong emotion.
SVO
Word Order
A sentence structure where the subject comes first, verb second, and the object third.
Modifiers in a Noun
A noun used attributively to modify or qualify another noun, gives specific details about the first noun.
Adverbials
A word or group of words that modifies a verb, an adjective, and adverb, or a whole clause.
Active Voice
A grammatical voice in which a subject performs the action described by its verb.
Passive Voice
When the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb.
Agentless Passives
A passive construction that does not include the agent by-phrase.
Antithesis
Syntactical Patterning
A type of parallelism where the contrasted element is opposite to the other element.
Listing
Syntactical Patterning
A list of items that are separated by commas, semi-colons or bullet points.
Parallelism
Syntactical Patterning
A parallel construction in which similar or repeated words, phrases, clauses, or sentence structure appear.
