Writer's Inc (Simple Cards #8)

Question 1

proper noun

Answer 1

a noun that names a particular person, place, thing, or idea; they are always capitalized

Question 2

common noun

Answer 2

a noun that does not name a particular person, place, thing, or idea; they are not capitalized

Question 3

concrete noun

Answer 3

a noun that names a thing that is tangible (can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted)

Question 4

abstract noun

Answer 4

a noun that names an idea, a condition, or a feeling–in other words, something that cannot be touched, smelled, tasted, seen, or heard

Question 5

collective noun

Answer 5

a noun that names a group or a unit

Question 6

number of a noun or pronoun

Answer 6

an indication that a noun or pronoun is either singular or plural (e.g. cat vs cats; I vs we)

Question 7

gender of a noun or pronoun

Answer 7

an indication that a noun is male, female, neuter, or indefinite (e.g. boy, girl, table, doctor [nouns]; he, she, it, anybody [pronouns])

Question 8

case of a noun or pronoun

Answer 8

something that shows how nouns or pronouns are related to other words used with them

Question 9

nominative case

Answer 9

a case where the noun/pronoun is the subject of the clause (e.g. David is white. I am black.)

Question 10

possessive case

Answer 10

a case where the noun/pronoun shows possession or ownership (David’s car is white. My computer is black.)

Question 11

objective case

Answer 11

a case where the noun/pronoun can be a direct object, indirect object, or an object of the preposition (John sued David. Desmond hated THEM. [them=pronoun])

Question 12

pronoun

Answer 12

a word used in place of a noun

Question 13

antecedent

Answer 13

the noun that the pronoun refers to or replaces

Question 14

personal pronoun

Answer 14

a pronoun that can take the place of any noun (e.g. he, she, it, etc.)

Question 15

reflexive pronoun

Answer 15

a pronoun formed by adding -self or -selves to a personal pronoun (e.g. myself, themselves)

Question 16

intensive pronoun

Answer 16

a reflexive pronoun that intensifies, or emphasizes, the noun or pronoun it refers to (e.g. Leo himself taught his children to invest.)

Question 17

relative pronoun

Answer 17

relates an adjective clause to the noun or pronoun it modifies (e.g. The dance, WHICH we had looked forward to for weeks, was cancelled. {WHICH = pronoun})

Question 18

indefinite pronoun

Answer 18

a pronoun that refers to an unnamed or unknown people or things (e.g. somebody, everybody, nobody)

Question 19

interrogative pronoun

Answer 19

a pronoun that asks a question (e.g. who, what)

Question 20

demonstrative pronoun

Answer 20

a pronoun that points out people, places, or things without naming them (e.g. THOSE ought to be thrown out. [THOSE=pronoun])

Question 21

person of a pronoun

Answer 21

an indication about whether the person, place, thing, or idea represented by the pronoun is speaking, is spoken to, or is spoken about; there are three persons: first person, second person, and third person

Question 22

first person (pronoun)

Answer 22

a pronoun used in place of the name of the speaker or speakers (e.g. I, we)

Question 23

second person (pronoun)

Answer 23

a pronoun that names the person or persons spoken to (e.g. you)

Question 24

third person (pronoun)

Answer 24

a pronoun that names the person or thing spoken about (e.g. he, she, it)

Question 25

verb

Answer 25

a word that expresses action (e.g. run, carried, declared) or state of being (e.g. is, are, seemed)

Question 26

noun

Answer 26

a word that names something: a person, place, thing, or idea

Question 27

linking verb

Answer 27

a verb that links the subject to a noun or an adjective in the predicate (He WAS smart.)

Question 28

auxiliary verb

Answer 28

also called helping verbs; they are verbs used to form some of the tenses, the mood, and the voice of the main verb (e.g. The pie WAS eaten by the dog. [was is auxiliary verb indicating passive voice])

Question 29

intransitive verb

Answer 29

A verb that communicates an action that is complete in itself; it does not need an object to receive the action. (e.g. He jumped.)

Question 30

transitive verb

Answer 30

An action verb that needs an object to complete the meaning. (e.g. The city council PASSED a strict noise ordinance. [just saying 'The city council passed' is obviously incomplete]

Question 31

basic fact about transitive and intransitive verbs

Answer 31

Some verbs are intransitive, some are transitive, and some are both.

Question 32

direct object

Answer 32

Something that receives the action of a transitive verb directly from the subject; without it, the transitive verb's meaning is incomplete. (e.g. The city council passed a strict noise ORDINANCE. [ordinance = direct object, city council = subject, passed = transitive verb])

Question 33

indirect object

Answer 33

Something that also receives the action of a transitive verb, but indirectly. An indirect object names the person to whom or for whom something is done. It can also name the thing to what or for what something is done. (e.g. Then he showed US his best tricks. [US=indirect object, tricks=direct object])

Question 34

verbal

Answer 34

a word that is derived from a verb but acts as another part of speech; there are three types of verbals: gerund, infinitive, and participle

Question 35

gerund

Answer 35

a verb form that ends in -ing and is used as a noun (e.g. swimming, running)

Question 36

infinitive

Answer 36

a verb form that is usually introduced by to; the infinitive may be used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb (e.g. to swim)

Question 37

participle

Answer 37

a verb form ending in -ing or -ed that acts as an adjective (e.g. rising sun, boiled water)

Question 38

voice of a verb

Answer 38

an indication of whether the subject is acting or being acted upon

Question 39

active voice

Answer 39

voice that indicates that the subject of the verb is, has been, or will be doing something (e.g. Lou HOLDS the world record. [Lou is doing something, he's holding a world record.])

Question 40

passive voice

Answer 40

voice that indicates that the subject of the verb is being, has been, or will be acted upon (e.g. The world record was held by Lou. [The world record is the subject, and it's being acted upon by Lou, who is holding it.])

Question 41

number of a verb

Answer 41

an indication that the verb is singular or plural (e.g. One large island FLOATS off Italy's toe. [floats=singular form of verb]; Five small islands FLOAT inside Michigan's thumb. [float=plural form of verb])

Question 42

subject-verb agreement

Answer 42

a grammatical rule that states: if a subject is singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is plural, its verb must also be plural.

Question 43

person of a verb

Answer 43

an indication that the subject of the verb is first, second, or third person (e.g. [singular] I sniff; you sniff, he sniffs; [plural] we sniff, you sniff, they sniff)

Question 44

tense

Answer 44

an indication of time; each verb has three principal parts: the present, the past, and the past participle; all six tenses are formed from these three principal parts

Question 45

present tense

Answer 45

tense that expresses action that is happening at the present time, or action that happens continually or regularly

Question 46

past tense

Answer 46

tense that expresses action that is completed at a particular time in the past

Question 47

future tense

Answer 47

tense that expresses action that will take place in the future

Question 48

present perfect tense

Answer 48

tense that expresses action that began in the past but continues in the present or is completed in the present

Question 49

past perfect tense

Answer 49

tense that expresses an action in the past that occurs before another past action

Question 50

future perfect tense

Answer 50

tense that expresses action that will begin in the future and be completed by a specific time in the future

Question 51

past participle

Answer 51

the form of a verb, typically ending in -ed in English, which is used in forming perfect and passive tenses and sometimes as an adjective (e.g. looked in 'have you looked?', lost in 'lost property')

Question 52

mood of a verb

Answer 52

an indication of the tone or attitude with which a statement is made

Question 53

indicative mood

Answer 53

a mood used to state a fact or ask a question

Question 54

imperative mood

Answer 54

a mood used to give a command

Question 55

subjunctive mood

Answer 55

a mood used to express wishes, suggestions, or desires

Question 56

conditional mood (non-English)

Answer 56

a grammatical mood used in conditional sentences to express a proposition whose validity is dependent on some condition (e.g. Turkish)

Question 57

hypothetical mood (non-English)

Answer 57

a grammatical mood found in some languages (e.g. Lakota) which indicates that while a statement is not actually true, it could easily have been

Question 58

adjective

Answer 58

a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

Question 59

article

Answer 59

A special type of adjective; English has two articles: "the" and "a/an". The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call THE the definite article and A/AN the indefinite article.

Question 60

proper adjective

Answer 60

an adjective created from a proper noun; it is capitalized (e.g. Canadians winters are harsh. [Canadian is a proper adjective, modifying winter])

Question 61

predicate adjective

Answer 61

an adjective that follows a form of the "be" verb (or other linking verb) and describes the subject (e.g. David is WHITE.)

Question 62

three forms of adjectives

Answer 62

Adjectives have three forms: positive, comparative, and superlative.

Question 63

positive form

Answer 63

an adjective that describes a noun or a pronoun without comparing it to anyone or anything else (e.g. A giraffe's neck is LONG. He is HELPFUL. A cracked tooth is PAINFUL.)

Question 64

comparative form

Answer 64

an adjective that compares two persons, places, things, or ideas (e.g. The second game was LONGER than the first. She is even MORE HELPFUL than he. A root canal is LESS PAINFUL than a cracked tooth.)

Question 65

superlative form

Answer 65

an adjective that compares three or more persons, places, things, or ideas (e.g. The third game was the LONGEST of all. Google is the MOST HELPFUL resource. A routine dental cleaning is the LEAST PAINFUL dental option.)