Grammar

Grammar

• "grammar" is from the Greek "art of letters"

• Note: "punctuation" is a sub-category of "grammar" <<tbd structure for separate punctuation entry or not

See:

• List of word parts of speech & their grammar rules for list of commonly used words, their parts of speech categories, and the rules governing their use
• Parts of Speech for grammar and usage rules on word categories
• Punctuation
• SAT Writing

See also:

• category:linguistics
  • etymology (word origin)
  • semantics (individual word meaning)
  • syntax (word choice, combinations and context)
• homographs include:
  • • homophones, homonyms & heteronyms

• Note on abbreviations
  • IC = "independent clause"
  • DC = "dependent clause"
  • SV = "subject + verb"
  • SVO = "subject + verb + object"
  • CB = College Board
    • all practice tests referenced or excerpted here are from the [College Board Official Practice Test Suite]

Sentence

• a complete and grammatically correct thought that contains at a minimum a subject (or an implied subject) and a verb
  • i.e., "I shop." = a complete sentence and thought.
  • "Go!" = the subject, usually, "you" is implied
    • this form of a command is called an "imperative" or "exclamatory" sentence.
• sentence complexity is created around the core Subject Verb Object by adding:
  • clauses
  • modifiers
  • phrases
  • prepositions, etc.

categories of sentence purposes

• declarative sentence
  • = a statement or "declaration" of fact or firm opinion
  • ex. "I need to eat now."
• exclamatory sentence

= a statement of urgency or emotion

• • also called an "exclamation"
  • ex. "That really hurt!"
• interrogative sentence
  • = or a question or a request
  • ex. "Is it raining?"
  • includes rhetorical questions, such as "Why does it have to rain now?" (which may also be delcarative
• imperative sentence
  • = a or command
  • may also be an exclamatory statement
  • ex., "Get to work!"

Grammar lesson plans

• Understanding sentence cores & how to build out ideas into complex sentences
  • students are to write a series of three or four simple statements of fact.
    • such as,
      • I like dogs.
      • I have a dog.
      • My dog's name is Dudu.
      • Dudu is fun to play with.
    • students are then to combine these thoughts two at a time by employing sentence parts such as pronouns, conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions, such as:
      • "Since I like dogs, I have one."
      • "My dog's name is Dudu, and she is fun to play with"
    • then combine those sentences/ ideas into a single, complex sentence:
      • • Since I like dogs, I have one named Dudu who is fun to play with"
• Language and the law:
• Create courtroom scenario in which precision or imprecision in words, syntax, and grammar would change the outcome of the case
  • such as the classic example of leading a witness, "Did you see the glass?" (as opposed to, "Did you see any glass?")
  • Legal Writing Teaching Assistant: The Law Student's Guide to Good Writing (kentlaw.edu) from Chicago-Kent College of Law, by Prof. Marc Grinker
  • Prof. Grinker reviews grammar and writing from a legal perspective
  • offers examples of the need for precision in language and downfalls of poor usage and incorrect grammar

complement or requisite phrase

• a word, phrase or clause that is necessary, or required, to complete an idea or sentence
  • complements are not separated from the main clause by punctuation

conjunction

• conjunctions combine or coordinate words and phrases (clauses)
• see parts of speech

The 7 coordinating conjunctions

Alphab. list	FANBOYS list
and	F	for
but	A	and
for	N	nor
or	B	but
nor	O	or
so	Y	yet
yet	S	so

coordinating conjunctions

• = combine independent clauses (clauses that can stand as sentences on their own)

subordinating conjunctions

• = conjunctions that "subordinate" or turn an independent clause into a subordinate clause, i.e., a sentence that cannot stand on its own
• = create a need for additional information and sets up or adds to the information that follows in the dominant or main clause
  • ex.: "The dog played with his toy every day until it wore out" can be phrased using a subordinating conjunction, as per:
  • "Until it wore out, the dog played with his toy every day."
    • "Until it wore out" is not a complete sentence or thought

Click EXPAND for partial list of subordinating conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions

after	although	as	as if	as long as
as much as	as soon as	as though	because	before
even	even if	even though	if	if only
if then	if when	inasmuch	just as	lest
now	now that	now when	once	provided
provided that	rather than	since	so that	supposing
than	that	though	till	unless
until	when	whenever	where	whereas
where if	wherever	whether	which	while
who	whoever	why

• see
  • [Conjunction (grammar) (wiki)]

Introductory clauses & phrases

introductory clause

• provides information or context to set up a dominant clause
• = a dependent clause (does not stand as a complete sentence)
• usually begin with a subordinating conjunction
  • ex. "If you want to do well on the test, use the study guide"

Modifiers, qualifiers & intensifiers

Modifiers

• modifiers change or add or "modify" the meaning of a word or sentence
• modifiers provide or extent additional meaning to the reader
• types of modifiers
  • adjectives
  • prepositions
    • prepositional phrases
  • adverbs
  • verbs as modifiers
    • participle phrase
• other
  • adjective clause
  • infinitive phrase
  • adverbial clause
  • absolute phrase
  • Nouns as modifiers

Qualifiers

• qualifiers limit, or "qualify," the meaning of a word
• types of qualifiers:

>> to do

Intensifiers

• enhance or strengthen the meaning of a word
  • (opposite of qualifiers which limit the meaning of a word)
• intensifiers are adverbs (which modify verbs and adjectives), such as "he ran very fast" or "he was very late"
• intensifiers can also act as adjectives in order to intensify an noun,
  • as in "a total lie"
• types of intensifiers:
  • positive intensifiers:
    • very, extremely, absolutely, greatly, totally, highly, particularly, seriously, etc.
  • negative intensifiers:
    • never, at all, dangerously, never, etc.
  • intensifiers that can be both positive or negative:
    • awfully, completely

Sources for modifiers, qualifiers & intensifiers

• Modifiers (Walden.edu)]
• Modifiers Intensifiers, Qualifiers (My English Teacher)]
• [Intensifiers (Britishcouncil.org)]
• [Intensifier (Grammar-Monster.com)]
• for Parts of Speech entry on "Very" (s4s wiki)

Sentence Diagramming

• diagraming sentences means identifying every part of speech of the words in a sentence
• See Parts of Speech
• see Using Nouns and Noun Phrases as Object Complements
  • {https://parentingpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2013-03-09-Using-Nouns-and-Noun-Phrases-as-Object-Complements-1.jpg]