A plain-language glossary of the grammar terms every writer runs into, each with a definition and an example sentence. Search it, or switch to Test yourself to check what sticks.
When the subject directly causes the action of the verb rather than having the action done to it.
Example: Jamal delivered the news to his family that he was a new dad.
A descriptive word that describes nouns and pronouns, showing their attribute or qualification. It can sit directly in front of the word it modifies or follow a state of being verb.
Example: The old man struggled with his parcels until the young man helped him.
A word that describes verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. It answers how, how often, when, where, to what extent, and why, and often ends in -ly.
Example: The child slowly woke up after a long nap.
A phrase that works as an adverb in a sentence, doing the same job as a single adverb but counted as an entire phrase.
Example: As quickly as possible, please turn in your worksheets.
A noun that a pronoun refers to. Antecedents and their pronouns must agree in gender and number.
Example: The teacher gave his books to the student to take back to the classroom.
A phrase or noun that sits next to another noun to rename it or give more detail. It is typically set apart by dashes, commas, or parentheses and adds emphasis without changing the meaning.
Example: George Washington, America's first president, resigned his position after serving two terms.
The words a, an, and the, which are adjectives that limit the application of nouns. The is the definite article; a and an are indefinite articles.
Example: An apple fell from the tree in the orchard.
Helping verbs. Forms of to be, to do, and to have that are paired with other verbs to change the tense, mood, or voice.
Example: The children had spoken to their parents about the playdate.
A phrase that contains a verb or verb phrase. It can be a complete sentence or part of one; a clause that is not a complete sentence is a subordinate clause.
Example: She finally admitted that she wasn't a huge fan of rap music.
A noun that refers to a group of items or people but is treated as a singular term.
Example: The team cheered its quarterback on to victory.
A noun that refers to a generic item. It does not require a capital letter.
Example: Cats and dogs make good pets.
A word or group of words that follows a verb to complete the sentence. After a state of being verb it is a predicate nominative or predicate adjective; after an action verb it is an indirect or direct object.
Example: The snow is pretty.
A part of speech that connects words, phrases, and clauses, including coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. It is needed to make a compound sentence unless a semicolon is used.
Example: Coffee and cream are a perfect breakfast beverage combination.
A connection of two words using an apostrophe, typically including a verb, such as it's for it is or don't for do not.
Example: Toddlers don't listen to warnings well and need to be carefully watched.
A pronoun that points out a specific item. Common examples are this, that, these, and those.
Example: This is the longest time I have spent studying for a test.
A group of words that contains a verb but cannot stand on its own.
Example: The man was arrested after he robbed the store.
A word that follows an action verb and receives the action of the verb.
Example: The family tied their shoes tightly before heading out on a hike.
A verb form that shows something that will happen later and has not yet begun. These verbs often include will or shall.
Example: Santa Clause will come only after all of the children are in bed and asleep.
A verb with an -ing ending that is used as a noun.
Example: Baking is a favorite pastime of the two girls.
An article that points to an indefinite item. The two indefinite articles are a and an.
Example: A stray cat ran across the street in front of my car.
A state of being verb that links a subject to the predicate nominative or predicate adjective.
Example: The stranger was her uncle.
A pronoun that does not refer to any specific person or thing. Examples include something, everyone, anyone, and anything.
Example: Anything you choose is fine by me.
A clause that can stand on its own. It can be a full sentence or be joined to a sentence using a conjunction.
Example: Waiting for her car's oil change was boring, so Sandra brought a book to read to fill the time.
In a sentence that has a direct object, the person or thing that is receiving the action. It often answers to whom? or to what?
Example: She offered him the gift.
An abrupt addition to a sentence that demonstrates emotion or feeling. It can stand alone as a separate sentence.
Example: Wow! That sure was a surprising end to the football game.
A verb that does not require a direct object to complete the sentence.
Example: They jumped high.
A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. It is often the subject of the sentence and can be common or proper, count or mass.
Example: The dog ran quickly into its house.
A construction in which the verb acts upon the subject. It is considered the weaker form and regular verbs require helping verbs to become passive.
Example: The book was read by the book club.
A verb form made by adding -ed. It must connect to a helping verb or be used as an adjective and cannot stand alone.
Example: She has completed her graduate degree program.
A verb form that shows the action happened in the past.
Example: The owner tossed the ball, and his dog ran quickly to fetch it.
Pronouns used to replace the name of a person. These include I, you, he, she, we, it, they, me, him, her, us, and them.
Example: Dr. Johnson was not afraid of the flu because he received his flu shot.
The possessive version of a pronoun, such as their, his, and her.
Example: Their grandparents planned a week long visit for the holidays.
A phrase that starts with a preposition. These phrases typically operate as adjective phrases or adverbial phrases.
Example: The dog in my neighbor's yard barked ferociously.
A verb with -ing added, used as an adjective or a continuous verb tense. Continuous verbs show action that is in the process of happening.
Example: The circus is coming to town.
A verb form that shows the action is happening right now.
Example: The earth rotates once every 24 hours.
A word that takes the place of a noun or noun phrase. Common pronouns include he, she, they, us, we, I, it, and you.
Example: He explored the mountainside while waiting for his friends to arrive at the campsite.
A word that introduces a clause, including which, that, whose, whoever, whomever, who, and whom.
Example: The brook, which was trickling behind their house, served as a habitat for several creatures.
A pronoun that ends in -self or -selves, such as himself or themselves.
Example: He set aside some money to give himself a gift too.
A phrase that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Example: Since the weather is snowy, we will have indoor recess.
An adjective or adverb expressing the highest degree of a quality.
Example: He was the kindest friend I had ever known.
A verb that requires an object to make sense. Without an object, the sentence does not complete a thought.
Example: I caught the fly ball at my first baseball game.
A word that describes an action, state, or occurrence. Verbs are typically divided into action verbs and state of being verbs.
Example: The man's inflection gave away his nationality.
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