Writer's Inc (Simple Cards #9) Flashcards
adverb
a word that describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb; an adverb usually tells when, where, how, or how much
four categories of adverbs
time, place, manner, and degree
time adverb
an adverb that tells when, how often, and how long (e.g. today, daily, eternally)
place adverb
an adverb that tells where, to where, and from where (e.g. here, beyond, backward)
manner adverb
an adverb that often (but not always) ends in -ly and tells how something is done (e.g. precisely, smoothly, well)
degree adverb
an adverb that tells how much or how little (e.g. substantially, entirely, partly)
three forms of manner adverbs
positive, comparative, and superlative
positive form of manner adverb
an adverb that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb without comparing it to anyone or anything else (e.g. He spoke REMORSEFULLY.)
comparative form of manner adverb
an adverb that compares how two things are done (e.g. She spoke MORE REMORSEFULLY than he did.)
superlative form of manner adverb
an adverb that compares how three or more things are done (e.g. Andrew spoke with the MOST REMORSEFULLY said words of all.)
preposition
the first word (or group of words) in a prepositional phrase; it shows the relationship between its object (the first noun or pronoun that follows the preposition) and another word in the sentence (e.g. He stood BEHIND her. The cat crawled UNDER the house.)
prepositional phrase
a phrase that includes the preposition, the object of the preposition, and the modifiers of the object; a prepositional phrase functions as an adverb or as an adjective (e.g. Some people run AWAY FROM CATERPILLARS.)
conjunction
a word that connects individual words or groups of words
three types of conjunctions
coordinating, correlative, and subordinating
coordinating conjunction
a conjunction that connects a word to a word, a phrase to a phrase, or a clause to a clause; the words, phrases, or clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction are equal in importance or are of the same type (e.g. Mork AND Mindy; tacos OR chimichangas; I want to go to the party, BUT I am so tired.)
correlative conjunction
conjunctions used in pairs (e.g. NEITHER death NOR life; EITHER an orange OR an apple; BOTH Chile AND Argentina)
subordinating conjunction
A conjunction that connects two clauses that are not equally important, thereby showing the relationship between them. A subordinating conjunction connects a dependent clause to an independent clause in order to complete the meaning of the dependent clause. (e.g. A brown trout will study the bait BEFORE he eats it. [the clause ‘before he eats it’ is dependent; it depends on the rest of the sentence to complete its meaning])
interjection
a word or phrase that communicates strong emotion or surprise; punctuation (often a comma or an exclamation point) is used to set off an interjection from the rest of the sentence (e.g. DAMN! GOOD GRIEF! YIPES, I’ll go mad!
sentence
Something made up of one or more words that express a complete thought. A sentence begins with a capital letter and it ends with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point.
subject
the part of the sentence about which something is said (e.g. TINA GUO is Asian)
predicate
the part of the sentence that contains the verb and is the part of the sentence that says something about the subject or that shows action (Tina Guo IS ASIAN); also, direct objects are part of the predicate. e.g. He SHOT HER.)
simple subject
the subject without its modifiers (e.g. Most wildlife BIOLOGISTS disapprove of crossbreeding wolves and dogs.)
complete subject
the subject with all of its modifiers included (e.g. MOST WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS disapprove of crossbreeding wolves and dogs.)
compound subject
a subject that is composed of two or more simple subjects (e.g. Wise BREEDERS and OWNERS know that wolf-dog puppies can display unexpected, destructive behaviors.)
delayed subject
in sentences that begin with THERE or IT followed by a form of the “be” verb, the subject comes after the verb (e.g. There was NOTHING in the refrigerator. Where is my SANDWICH?)
simple predicate
the verb without its modifiers (e.g. One giant squid MEASURED nearly 60 feet long.)
complete predicate
the simple predicate with all its modifiers (e.g. One giant squid MEASURED NEARLY 60 FEET LONG.)
compound predicate
the predicate that is composed of two or more simple predicates (e.g. A squid GRASPS its prey with tentacles and BITES it with its beak.)
law of sentence fragments
Either the subject or the predicate may be missing from a sentence, but both must be clearly understood. (e.g. Question: Who is making supper? Answer: No one. [No one is the subject, the predicate ‘is making supper’ is understood even though it is missing])
sentence fragment
a sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence; as a complete sentence contains both a subject and a predicate, a fragment contains a subject OR a predicate
verb phrase
a phrase that consists of a main verb preceded by one or more helping verbs (e.g. The snow HAS BEEN FALLING for three straight days.)
verbal phrase
a phrase based on one of the three types of verbals
gerund phrase
a phrase that consists of a gerund and its modifiers; the whole phrase functions as a noun (e.g. SPOTTING THE TINY MOUSE was easy for the hawk.)
infinitive phrase
a phrase that consists of an infinitive and its modifiers; the whole phrase functions either as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb (e.g. Please watch carefully TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE.)
participial phrase
a phrase that consists of a past or present participle and its modifiers (e.g. The raccoons, WARNED BY THE RUSTLING, took cover.)
prepositional phrase
a group of words beginning with a preposition and ending with a noun or a pronoun; prepositional phrases function mainly as adjectives and adverbs (e.g. Reach for that catnip ball BEHIND THE COUCH.)
appositive phrase
a phrase that follows a noun or a pronoun and renames it and consists of a noun and its modifiers; an appositive adds new information about the noun or pronoun it follows (e.g. The Trans-Siberian Railroad, THE WORLD’S LONGEST RAILWAY, stretches from Moscow to Vladivostok.)
absolute phrase
a phrase that consists of a noun and a participle (plus the participle’s object, if there is one, and any modifiers); an absolute phrase functions as an adjective that adds information to the entire sentence. Absolute phrases are always set off with commas. (e.g. ITS WHEELS CLATTEERING RHYTHMICALLY OVER THE RAILS, the train rolled into town. [wheels=noun, modified by present participle ‘clattering’; the entire phrase modifies the rest of the sentence: ‘the train rolled into town’])
clause
a group of related words that has both a subject and a predicate
independent clause
a clause that presents a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence (e.g. SPARROWS MAKE NESTS IN CATTLE BARNS so that they can stay warm during the winter.)
dependent clause
also called a subordinate clause; it is a clause that does not present a complete thought and cannot stand as a sentence. (e.g. Sparrows make nests in cattle barns SO THAT THEY CAN STAY WARM DURING THE WINTER.)
three types of dependent clauses
adverb, noun, and adjective
adverb clause
a clause used like an adverb to modify a verb, an adjective, or an adverb; adverb clauses begin with a subordinating conjunction (e.g. IF I STUDY HARD, I will pass this test [‘if I study hard’ modifies ‘will pass’])
noun clause
a clause used in place of a noun (e.g. She was saddened by WHAT SHE HAD READ.)
adjective clause
a clause that modifies a noun or a pronoun; (e.g. Tomorrow’s test, WHICH COVERS THE ENTIRE BOOK, is half essay and half short answers.)
declarative sentence
a sentence that makes statements; they tell us something about a person, a place, a thing, or an idea
interrogative sentence
a sentence that asks questions
imperative sentence
a sentence that makes commands; they often contain an understood subject (you)
exclamatory sentence
a sentence that communicates strong emotion or surprise
conditional sentence
a sentence that expresses wishes or conditions (an “if…then” statement)
simple sentence
a sentence that has only one independent clause, and no dependent clauses (e.g. My back aches.)
compound sentence
a sentence that consists of two independent clauses; the clauses must be joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon (e.g. I USUALLY DON’T MIND MISSING SCHOOL, but THIS IS NOT FUN.)
complex sentence
a sentence that contains one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses (e.g. Although my friends begged me, I chose not to go to the reunion. [dependent clause, independent clause])
compound-complex sentence
a sentence that contains two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses (e.g. Yes, I have a bad flu, and because I need to get well soon, I won’t think about school just yet. [“because I need to get well soon” is the dependent clause, sandwiched between two independent clauses])
loose sentence
a sentence that expresses the main thought near the beginning and adds explanatory material as needed (e.g. WE HAULED OUT THE BOXES OF FOOD AND SET UP THE CAMP STOVE, all the time battling the hot wind that would not stop, even when we screamed into the sky.)
balanced sentence
a sentence constructed so that it emphasizes a similarity or a contrast between two or more of its parts (words, phrases, or clauses) (e.g. The wind in our ears DROVE US CRAZY and PUSHED US ON.)
periodic sentence
a sentence that postpones the crucial or most surprising idea until the end (e.g. Following my mother’s repeated threats to ground me for life, I decided it was time to propose a compromise. [the part after the comma is the crucial idea])
cumulative sentence
a sentence that places the general idea in the middle of the sentence with modifying clause and phrases coming before and after (e.g. With careful thought, and extra attention to detail, I WROTE OUT MY PLAN FOR BEING A MODEL TEENAGER, a teen who cared about neatness and reliability.)
mean (mathematics)
another word for average
median (mathematics)
the middle number when a group of numbers is arranged in order
mode (mathematics)
the number or item occurring most frequently in a list of data
radius (mathematics)
the distance from the center of a circle to its circumference
diameter (mathematics)
the length of a straight line through the center of circle
