Syntax Flashcards
Subject
Person, place, thing or idea that the sentence is about
They are the main actor
Jane…
Object
This part of the clause provides extra information to the subject and verb. It can tell us extra information about the action
… the crowd
Predicate
This is the main verb and all other elements of the clause that come after the subject
…ran through the crowd
Phrases - Noun
This contains a noun or other related words that help describe the noun. They are typically modifiers or determiners
The dancing goat looked silly
Modifiers - Noun
a word mainly adjective or noun which contributes by adding or restricting to the noun
ie good family house
Determiners - Noun
modifies, describes, or introduces a noun
Indicate quantity
A, than, the
Can be used to clarify what a noun refers to (car)
Indicate quantity (4 wheels)
Phrases - Verb
Is a main verb plus any auxiliaries, related words or modifiers
She was tickling the cats tummy
The song was loudly played to the audience.
Phrases - Prepositional
Preposition and the object of the preposition and any modifiers. Usually start with a preposition and end in noun phrase
I will see you in the morning
After school I have soccer practice
Phrases - Adjective
A group of words acting as an adjective in a sentence and any modifiers
He wore a brightly coloured fuzzy red coat
Phrases - Adverb
Words that function as an adverb in the sentence, they modify a verb, adjective or another verb
The dog ran quickly
I frequently eat potato cakes
Clauses
Are a group of words containing a subject and a verb
My friend and I both have a dog
Independent Clause
That can stand on their own, they express a complete thought or idea without needing any extra information
Dependent Clause
Usually the supporting part of a sentence, they can not stand alone
Complement Clause
Set of words that is necessary to complete the meaning of a subject or predicate
Subject complement
Typically noun, adjective, prepositional or adverb phrases
My potato cake felt hot
Object complement
Come after an object, will contain a description of the object or be equivalent to the object
The comment made everyone feel awkward
Adverbial Clause
Provides extra information about a verb. Often with ‘where, when, how’
The cat was purring on my lap
Fragment
Incomplete sentences
Eat. Sleep. Rinse. Repeat
Not well
Simple Sentence
Made up of one independent clause with a single subject and predicate
My dog chased the ball
Compound Sentence
Sentence containing two or more independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions fanboys
The lightning flashed and the rain fell
Complex Sentence
Containing an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
When we got to the airport, the plane had gone
Compound-complex Sentence
Containing two or more independent clauses as well as at least one dependent clause
The lights were out and the house was in darkness because of the storm
Interrogative Sentence Type
Framed in the form of a question
Do you think it will rain today?
Declarative Sentence Type
Framed as a statement of fact
May not be true but it implies it is
To communicate information
It is raining outside
