Grammar for high school admissions tests

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

Sentence construction[edit | edit source]

sentence[edit | edit source]

  • = a grammatically complete thought
    • contains a finite verb
    • makes a complete thought
      • I am happy.
  • note: commands or "imperative" verbs are finite verbs, even if the subject is unstated (it is assumed)
    • ex.:
      • Go home!
      • = [you] Go home!
  • this concept will note be on a high school admissions test, but it may be on a college admissions test

finite verb[edit | edit source]

  • verb that has a subject
  • finite verbs form the predicate
    • predicate = the verb and its direct modifiers and objects

non-finite verb[edit | edit source]

  • verb that does not have a subject
  • non-finite verbs include
    • present participle adjective: That boring class is tedious
    • gerund (present participle as a noun): Cooking is a good skill to have
    • past participle adjective: The comedian left the audience
  • non-finite verbs act as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns
    • they DO NOT directly indicate an action by someone or something
    • however, they indicate a sense of an action

clause[edit | edit source]

phrase[edit | edit source]

sentence parts[edit | edit source]

predicate[edit | edit source]

  • the verb and its direct modifiers, objects and complements
  • finite verbs form the basis of a predicate

subject[edit | edit source]

  • the actor or doer of a sentence
  • a subject ALWAYS has a finite verb that matches to it
    • The kid wins v. The kids won
      • kid = singular; "wins" = singular verb conjugation
      • kids = plural; "win" = plural verb conjugation
Singular Plural
First person I win We win
Second person You win You (pural) win
Third person He/She/It wins They win

complement[edit | edit source]

  • adds additional information to a subject, verb, or object
  • complements can be adjectives, adverbs or nouns, as well as phrases
  • ex:
  • "complement" means to "go along with," "coordinate with"

object[edit | edit source]

  • the recipient of an action
    • She hit the ball
  • note that complements are similar, but add information and are not the result of the verb's action

direct object[edit | edit source]

  • the direct recipient of the action
  • a verb

indirect object[edit | edit source]

  • a noun that is the indirect recipient of an action
    • ex. I gave the dog a bone
      • the bone is what "I gave" (result of the action, thus direct object)
      • the dog is the secondary effect or recipient of the verb (indirect object)
  • to test:
    • if the object can be restated with "to" or "for" after the direct object, it is an indirect object:
      • The teacher taught the class grammar
      • = The teacher taught grammar to the class

note on objects of non-finite verbs[edit | edit source]

  • non-finite verbs do not have subjects, but they can have objects
  • high school placement tests will not student comprehension of this concept
  • ex:
School provides students an education
subject verb direct object indirect object
school provides education [for] students

ex:

Attending school provides students an education
subject object of gerund verb direct object indirect object
Attending school provides education [for] students
note: "attending" may also be seen as a present participle adjective modifier of the subject "school"

Complement[edit | edit source]

Complement[edit | edit source]

Verbs[edit | edit source]

Subject-verb matching[edit | edit source]

conjugation[edit | edit source]

  • finite verbs match the subject case

tense[edit | edit source]

  • finite verbs match the subject case

Parallel verb tense[edit | edit source]

  • if a sentence contains two tenses, it is likely incorrect
    • ex. HSPT test 1 no.

Punctuation[edit | edit source]

apostrophe[edit | edit source]

does 3 things:

1. create possessives

Owen's parents

2. create contractions

Can't, won't, it's

it's v its

they're v their

3. (less commonly) indicate plurality > ex. "1960's"

Comma[edit | edit source]

does 6 things:

1. combine independent clauses (IC) with coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)

  • rule

2. combine phrases or DC w/ IC

3. create lists

4. set up quotation

(first word of the equation is capitalized)

5. set aside parenthetical information (appositives, relative clauses, etc.)

ex. "Steve, my neighbor, is not very nice."

  "Steve, who is my neibhbro, is not very nice"

6. separate dates and place names

proper noun capitalization[edit | edit source]

quotation marks[edit | edit source]

do 3 things:

1. quotations

2. indicate sarcasm

personal pronoun subjective & objective case[edit | edit source]

in compound objects, remove the first noun and test the pronoun

> Steve and I went to the park.

> Steve and me went to the park

me went to the park = wrong

> She gave Joey and me a bad grade.

> She gave Joey and I a bad grade

remove "joey"

she gave I a bad grade = wrong

personal pronouns and prepositions[edit | edit source]

>  prepositions create a prep phrase

> prep prhase contains a

> preoposition + an object

Between you and I, grammar sucks.  x b/c I = subjective

Between you and me, grammar sucks.

The car stopped right in front of the dog and he.

The car stopped right in front of the dog and him.

attributive nouns[edit | edit source]

nouns that act like adjectives (but are not adjectives)

dog food

wine glass

class government

dog, wine, class = nouns, but they are modifying the 2nd noun .. giving them an "attribute"

the attributive noun is ALWAYS SINGULAR .. bc it's acting like an adjective (which don't change pluraity)

> dog food not dogs food

attributive noun is ALWAYS next to the noun it modifies

big dog bone.

dog big bone  x

-------

cumulative v. coordinate adjectives[edit | edit source]

cumulative adjectives = no comma

the 1st adjective modifies the 2nd adj + the noun

expensive small gift

= expensive [small gift]

small expensive gift

= small [expensive gift]

coordinate adjectives

= uses a comma

big, red balloon

if you can swtich them, or put "and" in between them, it uses a comma (coordinate)

=

big and red balloon = ok

red, big balloon = ok

may v. please[edit | edit source]

  • Please pass the salt = ok
  • May you pass the sale = x
  • please = asking permission
  • may = instruction/command

lie v. lay:[edit | edit source]

  • lie = to put oneself down
  • lay = to put an object down
  • past tense
  • lie >> lay
  • participle lain/lied/lying
  • lay > laid
  • participle: laid/laying

irregular past participles[edit | edit source]

go

  • simple past (preterite) = went

participle : gone

perfect tenses use the participle!

past perfect : have/has gone

present perfect: had gone

future perfect: will have gone