Syntax handbook Flashcards
the present participle form of a verb used as a noun (e.g., Lifting is difficult for him)
gerund
a verb requiring an object, such that the action or state of the subject carries over to the object
transitive verb
a type of noun referring to a tangible, physical entity (e.g. box, spoon)
concrete noun
a type of dependent clause that compares the information in the dependent clause with information presented in the independent clause; is introduced with the words than or as
comparative clause
an independent clause conjoined to another independent clause of equal weight and importance via a coordinating conjunction
coordinate clause
the recipient of an action in a clause or sentence
direct object
a verb form that is the bare stem of a verb preceded by to (e.g. I want to wait)
infinitive
a verb that does not require an object (e.g., he sleeps)
intransitive verb
this that these or those each of which identifies or highlights a particular antecedent; can function as a pronoun, as a limiting adjective, or as a determiner
demonstrative
a verb used as an auxiliary that can occur in a contracted form with the full meaning of the sentence still expressed (e.g., Jen will come—> Jen’ll come)
Contractible Auxiliary
a sentence type that informs by making a positive or negative statement or an assertion
declarative sentence
When do most children begin using pronouns?
During Brown’s stage I
a phrase that has an adjective as its head
adjective phrase
a verb tense that references actions or sates of being that will be or shall be completed before a particular time in the future; is formed by combining will have or shall have and the past participle form of a verb (e.g., Ian will have eaten by the time you get home)
future perfect tense
the noun to which a pronoun refers
antecedent
an auxiliary verb used to describe the intention and certainty of an action (e.g., can, could, might)
modal auxiliary
one of the determiners a, an, or the; is either definite (i.e. the) or indefinite (i.e., a, an).
article
a verb that is linked to or combined with a main verb to provide additional information about person, tense, or mood (e.g. “Timmy was hiding” or “She will help you”)
Auxillary Verb/ Helping Verb
a type of noun referring to an intangible, nonphysical entity; describes ideas, emotions, senses, and situations
abstract noun
a type of descriptive adjective that typically precedes the noun it modifies (the blue sky)
attributive adjective
During what stage are children adept at using simple sentence structure (subject + verb+ object)
Brown’s stage III, 31 months of age
a dependent clause that elaborates or specifies information about something named (a noun or pronoun) in the subject or object position; is typically introduced with a relative pronoun
Adjective clause/relative clause
a class of words that provides additional information about nouns, pronouns, and verbs; is generally either an adjective or an adverb
modifier
a type of noun that names a group acting as a unit
collective noun
a type of adverb that serves as a conjunction to connect two or more independent clauses (e.g., accordingly, hence, meanwhile).
adverbial conjunct/ conjunctive adverb
a noun referring to a general entity (e.g., cat, beauty, box)
common noun
a dependent clause that serves as the subject or object of a sentence; always contains a subject
finite clause/nominal clause/noun clause
the beneficiary of an action in a clause or sentence
indirect object
a sentence done in which the subject is acted upon (e.g., “the door was opened by John”
passive voice
a syntactic structure that contains subject and a predicate; is either independent (main) or dependent (subordinate)
clause
a verb tense that references actions or states of being that were started in the past and have recently been completed or are continuing up to the present time; is formed by combining have or has and the past participle of the verb (Ian has eaten)
Present perfect tense.
What pronouns are usually acquired earliest
I, me, my, it, mine, you
a be verb when it stands alone as a main verb and does not require an object (e.g., I am happy)
copula
a major sentence element following the subject slot that is made up of the verb and other constituents following it; describes the action, state, or condition that is stated, asked, ordered, or exclaimed by the use of a verb (e.g. Allison is sleeping)
predicate
a sentence in which the subject is the performer of an action (e.g. “Mary opened the letter”; these sentences generally follow a Subject+verb+ object or subject+verb+complement pattern
active voice
