TEW ch. 13 Flashcards
Nouns
Are people (Brad), places (Saint John, New Brunswick), and things (desk), but nouns also include qualities (honour), and concepts or ideas (terabytes).
Proper nouns
A name; usually begins with a capital letter Bob; Lambton College
Common noun
Refers to a general group; is not capitalized. dog; orange; air
Concrete nouns
A physical object or something experienced with the senses. house; cement; lamp
Abstract noun
Concept, idea, or abstraction. Wi-Fi; terabyte; charitable
Count noun
Items that can be counted; often written with an –s or –es Sometimes the word forms change.
Sometimes require a number to indicate the amount because the form does not change. boat/boats; cat/cats
person/people; child/children
one shrimp/five shrimp; one moose/10 moose
Non-count noun
Items that can’t be counted, such as liquids Can be singular or plural air. (molecules of air, not airs); water (drops/bottles/glasses of water, not waters) scissors; mail
Collective noun
Groups that can be identified as either singular or plural; if the individuals in the group are acting as one unit, use the singular verb; if they are acting separately, use a plural verb. jury; staff; team
Subject-verb agreement
with collective nouns can be challenging. Consider these sentences (the verb is underlined):
The jury is unanimous.
The jury members have decided one verdict and are acting together, so is is used. The jury are divided in their opinions. Because the members cannot agree, they are treated as individuals; therefore, are is used.
Pronouns
which replace nouns, make the sentence much clearer. Pronouns can be found at the beginning of sentences (subject pronouns) or near the end of a sentence (object pronouns). They can indicate ownership (possessive pronouns) or refer to the person already discussed (reflexive pronouns).
Indefinite pronouns
such as everybody, someone, and each, are often used to indicate people in general
Verbs
As children, we learn that verbs are action words. These include run, jump, drive, eat, feel (physically), and sing. Some verbs are still actions, but they can’t be seen, such as think, imagine, and suggest. However, some verbs are states of being (e.g., hope, love, and feel [emotionally]).
Linking verbs
Verbs also link the subject of a sentence to a description of it. ie. is
Helping/auxiliary verb
Sometimes verbs are composed of more than one word. The most common helping verbs are forms of to be (am, are, is, was, were, will be, etc.) and to have (have, has, had, etc.).
The model verb
A modal verb is placed before the main verb to express necessity, obligation, possibility, or probability. These modal verbs are can, could, may, might, ought to, shall, should, will, and would.
Adjective
modifies, or describes, a noun or a pronoun. It can come before or after the noun or pronoun and be more than one word. An adjective answers the following questions: Which? What kind? How many?
Articles
(a, an, and the) and determiners (such as this and her) also act as adjectives.
Can nouns be adjectives
Nouns can also become adjectives when they are used to modify other nouns.
The CN Tower was the world’s highest free-standing structure for many years.
CN is normally a noun—as in CN is a prosperous company—but is an adjective in this sentence because it tells us which tower. World’s modifies the noun structure and is thus also an adjective here.
Adverbs
An adverb describes verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, and even complete sentences. Adverbs often end in –ly, such as really, quickly, and sharply. They answer these questions: When? Where? Why? How? To what degree? How much?
Conjunctive adverbs
Some adverbs can also act as conjunctions to connect two independent clauses or two complete thoughts. ie. however.
Preposition
a small word or short phrase that often refers to place or time, such as before, after, between, in front, except, and over. It joins the noun or pronoun that follows to the rest of the sentence. Prepositions introduce prepositional phrases, which function as adjectives or adverbs depending on what part of speech they modify. A prepositional phrase never contains the simple subject of the sentence.
Conjunction
a word or phrase that connects words, phrases, and clauses of equal or unequal weight or importance. In other words, conjunctions can join two complete thoughts, an incomplete thought and a complete thought, or groups of words.
Coordinating conjunction
joins equal units—word to word, phrase to phrase, clause to clause. An important use of these words is to join independent clauses in compound sentences. For, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so (collectively known as FANBOYS) are coordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunction
joins unequal units. You can join a dependent clause (meaning that the thought is unclear unless you join it to a complete one) to an independent clause (a complete thought).
