Writer's Inc (Simple Cards #9)

Question 1

adverb

Answer 1

a word that describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb; an adverb usually tells when, where, how, or how much

Question 2

four categories of adverbs

Answer 2

time, place, manner, and degree

Question 3

time adverb

Answer 3

an adverb that tells when, how often, and how long (e.g. today, daily, eternally)

Question 4

place adverb

Answer 4

an adverb that tells where, to where, and from where (e.g. here, beyond, backward)

Question 5

manner adverb

Answer 5

an adverb that often (but not always) ends in -ly and tells how something is done (e.g. precisely, smoothly, well)

Question 6

degree adverb

Answer 6

an adverb that tells how much or how little (e.g. substantially, entirely, partly)

Question 7

three forms of manner adverbs

Answer 7

positive, comparative, and superlative

Question 8

positive form of manner adverb

Answer 8

an adverb that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb without comparing it to anyone or anything else (e.g. He spoke REMORSEFULLY.)

Question 9

comparative form of manner adverb

Answer 9

an adverb that compares how two things are done (e.g. She spoke MORE REMORSEFULLY than he did.)

Question 10

superlative form of manner adverb

Answer 10

an adverb that compares how three or more things are done (e.g. Andrew spoke with the MOST REMORSEFULLY said words of all.)

Question 11

preposition

Answer 11

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.)

Question 12

prepositional phrase

Answer 12

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.)

Question 13

conjunction

Answer 13

a word that connects individual words or groups of words

Question 14

three types of conjunctions

Answer 14

coordinating, correlative, and subordinating

Question 15

coordinating conjunction

Answer 15

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.)

Question 16

correlative conjunction

Answer 16

conjunctions used in pairs (e.g. NEITHER death NOR life; EITHER an orange OR an apple; BOTH Chile AND Argentina)

Question 17

subordinating conjunction

Answer 17

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])

Question 18

interjection

Answer 18

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!

Question 19

sentence

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

subject

Answer 20

the part of the sentence about which something is said (e.g. TINA GUO is Asian)

Question 21

predicate

Answer 21

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.)

Question 22

simple subject

Answer 22

the subject without its modifiers (e.g. Most wildlife BIOLOGISTS disapprove of crossbreeding wolves and dogs.)

Question 23

complete subject

Answer 23

the subject with all of its modifiers included (e.g. MOST WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS disapprove of crossbreeding wolves and dogs.)

Question 24

compound subject

Answer 24

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.)

Question 25

delayed subject

Answer 25

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?)

Question 26

simple predicate

Answer 26

the verb without its modifiers (e.g. One giant squid MEASURED nearly 60 feet long.)

Question 27

complete predicate

Answer 27

the simple predicate with all its modifiers (e.g. One giant squid MEASURED NEARLY 60 FEET LONG.)

Question 28

compound predicate

Answer 28

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.)

Question 29

law of sentence fragments

Answer 29

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])

Question 30

sentence fragment

Answer 30

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

Question 31

verb phrase

Answer 31

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.)

Question 32

verbal phrase

Answer 32

a phrase based on one of the three types of verbals

Question 33

gerund phrase

Answer 33

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.)

Question 34

infinitive phrase

Answer 34

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.)

Question 35

participial phrase

Answer 35

a phrase that consists of a past or present participle and its modifiers (e.g. The raccoons, WARNED BY THE RUSTLING, took cover.)

Question 36

prepositional phrase

Answer 36

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.)

Question 37

appositive phrase

Answer 37

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.)

Question 38

absolute phrase

Answer 38

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’])

Question 39

clause

Answer 39

a group of related words that has both a subject and a predicate

Question 40

independent clause

Answer 40

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.)

Question 41

dependent clause

Answer 41

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.)

Question 42

three types of dependent clauses

Answer 42

adverb, noun, and adjective

Question 43

adverb clause

Answer 43

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’])

Question 44

noun clause

Answer 44

a clause used in place of a noun (e.g. She was saddened by WHAT SHE HAD READ.)

Question 45

adjective clause

Answer 45

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.)

Question 46

declarative sentence

Answer 46

a sentence that makes statements; they tell us something about a person, a place, a thing, or an idea

Question 47

interrogative sentence

Answer 47

a sentence that asks questions

Question 48

imperative sentence

Answer 48

a sentence that makes commands; they often contain an understood subject (you)

Question 49

exclamatory sentence

Answer 49

a sentence that communicates strong emotion or surprise

Question 50

conditional sentence

Answer 50

a sentence that expresses wishes or conditions (an “if…then” statement)

Question 51

simple sentence

Answer 51

a sentence that has only one independent clause, and no dependent clauses (e.g. My back aches.)

Question 52

compound sentence

Answer 52

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.)

Question 53

complex sentence

Answer 53

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])

Question 54

compound-complex sentence

Answer 54

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])

Question 55

loose sentence

Answer 55

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.)

Question 56

balanced sentence

Answer 56

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.)

Question 57

periodic sentence

Answer 57

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])

Question 58

cumulative sentence

Answer 58

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.)

Question 59

mean (mathematics)

Answer 59

another word for average

Question 60

median (mathematics)

Answer 60

the middle number when a group of numbers is arranged in order

Question 61

mode (mathematics)

Answer 61

the number or item occurring most frequently in a list of data

Question 62

radius (mathematics)

Answer 62

the distance from the center of a circle to its circumference

Question 63

diameter (mathematics)

Answer 63

the length of a straight line through the center of circle