SPECIAL VOCABULARY USED TO DISCUSS ELEMENTS OF GRAMMAR
Grade 6 New Vocabulary:
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Ambiguous antecedent: when it is unclear what the pronoun of an antecedent
is referring to (e.g. referring to more than one pronoun)
Antecedent: preceding in time or order, a preceding occurrence or cause or
event; the referent of an anaphor, a phrase or clause that is referred to by an
anaphoric pronoun
Case: a set of circumstances or conditions
Comma: a punctuation mark used to indicate the separation of elements within
the grammatical structure of a sentence
Dash: hyphen: a punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word
or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line
of text
Grammar: the study of the classes of words, their inflections, and their
functions and relations in the sentence
Inappropriate shifts: when the author’s writing changes its direction suddenly
which confuses the audience
Intensive pronoun: use of the reflexive pronouns, myself, yourself, himself,
herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, to add emphasis to a statement
Nonrestrictive elements: a word, phrase, or clause that provides added
information to a sentence but does not limit or restrict the element it modifies
(usually set off with commas)
Objective: something that one’s efforts or actions are intended to attain or
accomplish (purpose, goal, target, etc.)
Parentheses: either or both of a pair of signs () used in writing to mark off an
interjected explanatory or qualifying remark
Parenthetical elements: any sentence element that interrupts the forward
movement of a clause, set off from the clause it interrupts by parenthetical
punctuation (e.g. commas, dashes and parentheses)
Possessive: showing ownership or control
Pronoun number: pronouns may either be singular or plural, and must agree in
number with the original noun
Pronouns: words used as replacements or substitutes for nouns and noun
phrases (I, you, he, this, who, what)
Proper case: the way that capitalization is used within a sentence
Punctuation: the marks used to clarify meaning by indicating separation of
words into sentences, clauses, and phrases
Strategies to improve expression: ways in which an individual can make his or
her writing clearer, more fluent, etc.
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Subjective: relating to properties or specific conditions of the mind as
distinguished from general or universal experience
Usage: the way in which words and phrases are actually used
Vague pronoun: when a pronoun lacks a clear and explicit antecedent; occurs
when a pronoun refers to a word that is only implied, not stated
Variations: deviance the English grammar, vocabulary and spelling which are
accepted as the norm
Grade 7 Vocabulary:
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Clause: an expression including a subject and predicate but not constituting a
complete sentence
Comma: a punctuation mark (,) used to indicate the separation of elements
within the grammatical structure of a sentence
Complex Sentence: a sentence containing one or more dependent clauses in
addition to the main clause, as When the bell rings(dependent
clause), walkout (main clause)
Compound Sentence: a sentence containing two or more coordinate
independent clauses, usually joined by one or more conjunctions, but no
dependent clause, as The lightning flashed(independent
clause) and (conjunction) the rain fell (independent clause)
Compound-Complex Sentence: a sentence having two or more coordinate
independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses, as The lightning
flashed (independent clause) and the rain fell(independent clause) as he entered
the house (dependent clause)
Coordinate Adjectives: two or more adjectives that independently modify a
noun. In contrast to cumulative adjectives, coordinate adjectives can be put in
different order and still make sense. Coordinate adjectives as separated by a
comma, as Thetall (coordinate adjective), dark (coordinate adjective), and
handsome (coordinate adjective) stranger walked into the restaurant
Dangling Modifier/ Misplaced Modifier: a word or phrase apparently
modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence, as When
young (dangling modifier), circuses appeal to all of us
Phrase: a sequence of two or more words arranged in a grammatical
construction and acting as a unit in a sentence, as The woman with the red
umbrella (phrase) dropped her purse
Simple Sentence: a sentence having only one clause, as I saw her yesterday
Grade 8 VOCABULARY
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Active voice: where the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of
the verb is performing the action or causing the happening denoted by the verb;
“The boy threw the ball” uses the active voice.
Conditional Mood: the form of the verb used in conditional sentences to refer
to a hypothetical state of affairs, or an uncertain event that is contingent on
another set of circumstances. This mood is thus similar to the subjunctive
mood, although languages that have distinct verb forms for the two use them in
distinct ways. If it rains [condition], (then) the picnic will be cancelled
[consequence].
Dash: a punctuation mark; It is similar in appearance to a hyphen, but longer
and used differently. The most common versions of the dash are the en dash (–)
and the em dash (—).
Ellipsis: the narrative device of omitting a portion of the sequence of events,
allowing the reader to fill in the narrative gaps.
Gerund: the verbal form ending in -ing, conveying the meaning of the verb but
used as a noun
Infinitives: the name or base form of the verb with to. Infinitives can be used as
a noun: His objective was to hit the ball over the fence.
Indicative Mood: the mood of a verb used in ordinary factual or objective
statements
Imperative Mood: a mood that expresses an intention to influence the listener's
behavior
Interrogative Mood: grammatical mood used for asking questions by inflecting
the main verb
Mood: verb inflections that express how the action or state is conceived by the
speaker.
Omission: something left out, not done, neglected
Participles: words derived from a verb and used as an adjective or a noun
Passive Voice: the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the
verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb; “The
ball was thrown by the boy” uses the passive voice
Subjunctive Mood: a verb mood typically used in dependent clauses to express
a wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not
yet occurred
Verb Voice: of a verb describes the relationship between the action (or state)
that the verb expresses and the participants identified by its arguments (subject,
object, etc.).
Verbals: are words formed from verbs that often express action: these include
infinitives, gerunds, and participles.