Simple grammar cheat sheet

Grammar

Syntax

Parts of Speech

• categories for the role of a word in a sentence
• such as adjective, adverb, noun, verb, etc.
• many words can operate across or as different parts of speech
  • ex., an "attributive noun" acts as an adjective that modifies another noun ("dog food")

Modifier

• a word or set of words that "modify" or change, add to, qualify, or describe another word or another part of a sentence
• some parts of speech are modifiers:
  • adjective, adverb, article, determiner, preposition
• phrases and clauses can also act as modifiers

Sentence Parts

Subject

• a noun
• the actor
• i.e., the person place or thing that does the action
• in grammar, "subject" is in the sense of "to subject" or "to force into submission"
  • as in the "doer" of the sentence, the actor that causes the action
• also related to the word "subjective," which means "from the perspective of"

Verb

• word that expresses an action ("make") or existence ("be")
• infinitive = "to" + the verb , as in "to make"
  • infinitives express the action in general but not the action itself
  • infinitives can operate as nouns or adjectives
    • as in "I want to go" ("to go" = the object of the verb "want")

Predicate

• expresses what happens to the subject
• i.e., = the verb + the result or outcome of an action

Object

• the recipient of the action
  • i.e.,
• direct object
• indirect object

Sentence

• a grammatically complete thought
  • contains a subject & verb/predicate

Clause

• part of a sentence
• has a subject & verb

Independent clause

Phrase

• two or more words that
  • do not contain a subject & verb
  • form a distinct grammatical unit ("constituent")