Grammar Glossary
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A sentence structure where the subject performs the action expressed by the verb.
The cat chased the mouse. (The subject "cat" performs the action "chased")
A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, providing more information about its qualities, quantity, or state.
The beautiful garden has many colorful flowers.
A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, often describing how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
She speaks quickly and very clearly.
The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers back to in a sentence.
Sarah lost her keys. ("Sarah" is the antecedent of "her")
A punctuation mark (') used to indicate possession or the omission of letters in contractions.
John's book is on the table. It's raining today.
A word (a, an, the) that comes before a noun to indicate whether it is specific or general.
The book on the table is mine. I need a pen.
A helping verb (be, have, do, will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might, must) used with a main verb to form tenses, questions, or negatives.
She has finished her work. They are studying now.
The simplest form of a verb without any endings or modifications (infinitive without "to").
go, eat, write, speak
A group of words containing a subject and a predicate. Can be independent (complete thought) or dependent (incomplete thought).
Independent: She loves reading. Dependent: Because she loves reading.
Words that are commonly used together in a natural-sounding way.
make a decision, heavy rain, strong coffee
A punctuation mark (,) used to separate items in a list, clauses in a sentence, or to set off introductory elements.
I bought apples, oranges, and bananas. When I arrived, everyone was waiting.
A general name for a person, place, thing, or idea (not capitalized unless at the start of a sentence).
city, teacher, happiness, book
The form of an adjective or adverb used to compare two things.
bigger, more interesting, better, faster
A sentence made up of two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or semicolon.
I wanted to go, but it was raining. She studied hard; she passed the exam.
A sentence structure that expresses hypothetical situations and their consequences, typically using "if" clauses.
If it rains, we will stay home. (First conditional)
A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses (and, but, or, because, although, when, etc.).
I like tea and coffee. She studied hard, but she failed the exam.
A shortened form of a word or group of words created by omitting certain letters and replacing them with an apostrophe.
don't (do not), she's (she is), I've (I have)
A noun that can be counted and has both singular and plural forms.
one book, two books; a cat, three cats
The word "the," used to refer to a specific noun that is known to both the speaker and listener.
The book I mentioned yesterday is on the table.
A pronoun used to point to specific things (this, that, these, those).
This is my car. Those are expensive.
A clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and depends on an independent clause.
Because it was raining (incomplete). Because it was raining, we stayed home (complete).
The noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb.
She wrote a letter. (The letter receives the action of writing)
The exact words someone said, enclosed in quotation marks.
He said, "I am going to the store."
The omission of words from a sentence when the meaning is clear from context, or three dots (...) indicating omitted text.
She can play the piano, and he [can play] the guitar. The sentence continues...
A verb tense used to describe an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
This time tomorrow, I will be flying to Paris.
A verb tense used to describe an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
By next year, I will have graduated from university.
A verb tense used to describe actions that will happen in the future.
I will call you tomorrow. She will arrive at 3 PM.
The -ing form of a verb used as a noun.
Swimming is good exercise. I enjoy reading.
Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations.
lead (metal) vs. lead (to guide); tear (rip) vs. tear (crying)
Words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.
their/there/they're, to/too/two, write/right
A phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words alone.
It's raining cats and dogs. (It's raining heavily)
A verb form used to give commands, instructions, or make requests.
Close the door. Please sit down. Don't touch that!
The words "a" or "an," used before singular countable nouns when referring to something general or mentioned for the first time.
I need a pen. She is an engineer.
A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence with a subject and predicate.
She loves reading. They went to the park.
The noun or pronoun that receives the direct object, often answering "to whom" or "for whom."
She gave me a book. ("me" is the indirect object, "book" is the direct object)
The base form of a verb, usually preceded by "to."
to go, to eat, to write, to speak
A word or phrase that expresses strong emotion and is often followed by an exclamation mark.
Wow! Oh no! Ouch! Hey!
A verb that does not follow the regular pattern of adding -ed to form past tense and past participle.
go/went/gone, eat/ate/eaten, write/wrote/written
A verb that connects the subject to a subject complement, describing the subject rather than showing action.
She is happy. The soup tastes delicious. He became a doctor.
An auxiliary verb (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) that expresses possibility, ability, permission, or obligation.
You must study. She can swim. They might come.
A word, phrase, or clause that provides description or additional information about another word.
The very tall man walked slowly. (Both "very tall" and "slowly" are modifiers)
A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
teacher, London, happiness, book, freedom
A dependent clause that functions as a noun in a sentence.
What she said surprised me. I don't know where he went.
The noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb or follows a preposition.
She kicked the ball. (direct object) He gave her a gift. (indirect object)
A verb form that can function as an adjective. Present participles end in -ing; past participles often end in -ed, -en, -d, -t, or -n.
The running water. A broken window. The excited children.
A sentence structure where the subject receives the action rather than performing it.
The mouse was chased by the cat. (The subject "mouse" receives the action)
A verb tense used to describe an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past.
I was studying at 8 PM last night. They were playing football.
A verb tense used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past.
She had finished her homework before dinner. I had already left when he arrived.
A verb tense used to describe completed actions in the past.
I walked to school yesterday. She visited Paris last year.
A pronoun that refers to specific people or things (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
She is my friend. They went to the store.
A verb combined with a preposition or adverb (or both) that creates a meaning different from the original verb.
give up (quit), look after (take care of), put off (postpone)
A group of words that work together but do not contain both a subject and a verb.
in the morning, very carefully, the big red house
A form that shows ownership or relationship.
John's book, my car, their house, yours
The part of a sentence that contains the verb and tells something about the subject.
The cat [slept on the couch]. She [runs every morning].
A group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
un- (unhappy), re- (rewrite), pre- (preview), dis- (disagree)
A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence.
in, on, at, by, with, from, to, under, over
A verb tense used to describe an action happening now or around the present time.
I am studying now. She is working on a project.
A verb tense used to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present, or has present relevance.
I have lived here for five years. She has just arrived.
A verb tense used to describe habitual actions, general truths, or permanent situations.
I work every day. The sun rises in the east. She speaks three languages.
A word that replaces a noun to avoid repetition.
he, she, it, they, we, you, who, which, that
The specific name of a particular person, place, or thing, always capitalized.
London, Sarah, Microsoft, Amazon River, Monday
A word or phrase that indicates quantity (how much or how many).
some, many, few, much, little, all, several, enough
A short question added to the end of a statement to ask for confirmation.
You like pizza, don't you? She can swim, can't she?
A pronoun that refers back to the subject of the sentence (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves).
She taught herself to play guitar. I hurt myself.
A verb that forms its past tense and past participle by adding -ed.
walk/walked/walked, play/played/played, study/studied/studied
A type of dependent clause that modifies a noun, usually beginning with a relative pronoun (who, which, that, whose, where, when).
The book that I bought is interesting. The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
A pronoun used to introduce a relative clause (who, whom, whose, which, that).
The student who studied hard passed the exam.
Reporting what someone said without using their exact words (also called indirect speech).
Direct: He said, "I am tired." Reported: He said that he was tired.
A punctuation mark (;) used to connect two independent clauses or separate items in a complex list.
I love reading; it relaxes me. She bought apples, which were red; oranges, which were sweet; and bananas.
A group of words that expresses a complete thought and contains at least a subject and a predicate.
The cat sleeps. She is studying grammar.
The person, place, thing, or idea that performs the action or is described in a sentence.
[The dog] barked loudly. [She] is a teacher.
The rule that subjects and verbs must agree in number (singular subject takes singular verb; plural subject takes plural verb).
She walks (singular). They walk (plural).
A verb mood used to express wishes, suggestions, demands, or hypothetical situations.
I suggest that he study harder. If I were rich, I would travel.
A group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or grammatical function.
-ly (quickly), -ness (happiness), -able (readable), -tion (creation)
The form of an adjective or adverb used to compare three or more things, indicating the highest degree.
biggest, most interesting, best, fastest
The form of a verb that indicates the time of an action or state (past, present, or future).
I walk (present), I walked (past), I will walk (future)
A verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning.
She bought a car. (The verb "bought" requires the object "a car")
A noun that cannot be counted individually and has no plural form.
water, information, advice, furniture, money
A word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being.
run, think, become, exist, have
The form of a verb that shows whether the subject performs the action (active) or receives it (passive).
Active: The dog bit the man. Passive: The man was bitten by the dog.
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