Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives Flashcards
Nouns - Verbs
Nouns can be made from verbs and many of these represent actions or the results of actions
Example: removal comes from remove; discussion comes from discuss
Nouns - Qualities
Most nouns made from adjectives
Examples: cleanliness, fluidity
Sometimes, an adjective with a “the” in front can function as a noun. Example: The rich love these nice cars.
Proper Nouns
Spelled with capital letters
Examples: Tuesday, Afghanistan
Compound Nouns
Nouns that contain more than one word
Examples: case study, dog collar, post office
Some compound nouns are hyphenated (e.g. nail-biter, attorney-at-law)
Some compound nouns are melded into one word (e.g. landlord, bookkeeper)
First noun becomes an adjective, second noun stays a noun. Examples:
- kitchen sink = a kind of sink
- love poem = a kind of poem
- dog collar = a kind of collar
Collective Nouns
Refers to a group composed of multiple members
Examples: administration, jury, society
Generally singular on the GMAT
Example: The jury is taking a recess; the members of the jury are eating lunch.
Uncountable Nouns
Examples: tea, water
Use “amount” for something you can’t count (e.g. A great amount of kindness.)
Use “less” for something you can’t count (e.g. I have less stress this term than last.”)
Countable Nouns
Most plural forms add an -s: one pencil, two pencils, seven pencils
Use “number” for something you can count (e.g. A great number of friends.)
Use “fewer” for something you can count (e.g. The express lane is only for people with 10 items of fewer). Can also use “many,” “few,” “more,” and “fewer.”
Subject Pronouns
Used as the subjects of sentences or clauses
Perform actions, represented by verbs
Examples:
- He ate.
- The rain fell as they continued practicing.
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Object Pronouns
Serve as the object of a verb
Examples:
- The boss gave her a raise.
- What do you think of it?
- Give this to her.
- I see through them.
Me, you, him, her, it , us, you, them
Ownership Pronouns
Examples:
- The car is hers.
- The dog loves its chew toy.
Mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
Reflexive Pronouns
Formed by adding -self to the end of possessive pronouns or adjectives and are used to reflect back on the noun
Example: The executives rewarded themselves with bonuses.
Itself, themselves, herself
Use a reflexive pronoun when the person doing the action and the person receiving the action are the same
Examples:
- He hit himself on the head.
- The dog groomed itself.
Interrogative Pronouns
Can be used to ask questions and also introduce modifiers
Who, whom, whose, which
Demonstrative Pronouns
Used to point out, or to demonstrate, a specific thing
Examples:
- Are those my shoes?
- That is my car right over there.
This, that, these, those
Indefinite Pronouns
V important on GMAT
Take place of nouns, but do not refer to specific people, places, or things
Example: Everyone has an inherent sense of justice.
Most indefinite pronouns are singular
Most commonly used are the “-ones” (everyone, someone, etc), each, and either
If the pronoun ends with -one, -thing, -body (anybody, everyone, something, etc), it’s singular
Antecedent
Word or group of words that a pronoun refers to
Not all pronouns have antecedents:
- An indefinite pronoun such as anyone will not have an antecedent
- Pronoun you is often used without an antecedent, but you won’t see this on SC
- In a few circumstances, the pronoun “it” doesn’t need an antecedent, as in “It was raining.” The word “it” is acting as a placeholder for a general state of being or idea, not a specific noun.
Need to match pronouns with antecedents in the same sentence
