Handy Dandy Grammar Reference Sheet
1) Noun – word used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. (In a sentence, nouns (and pronouns) can be used in
various ways. S – subject, DO – direct object (RECEIVES THE ACTION FROM THE VERB), IO – indirect object, OP –
object of the preposition, PN – predicate nominative (renames the subject)).
Proper – particular person, place, or thing
Ex. James, White House, Red River
Common – not a particular person, place, or thing
Ex. woman, city, building
Abstract – a quality, characteristic or idea
Ex. beauty, love, courage
Collective – names a group
Ex. crowd, team, class
2) Articles (A)– a, an, the
3) Pronoun – a word used in place of a noun. (Pro)
Ex. Fishermen complained about the weather forecast. They said it had not warned them of the storm.
Personal Pronouns – I, me, you, he, she, it, we, us, they, them
Possessive Forms – my, mine, your, his, her, its, our, their
Relative/Interrogative – who, whom, which, whose, that
Demonstrative – this, these, that, those
Indefinite – all, any, anybody, anyone, both, each, either, everybody (one), few, many, most, neither,
nobody, no one, other, several, some, somebody (one), such
4) Adjective (ADJ)– word used to modify a noun or a pronoun.
What kind? – blue eyes, large city, brilliant student
Which one- this woman, that suggestion
How many? – several reasons, ten players
Predicate Adjective (PA) – separated from the word it modifies by a linking verb.
Ex. Debra is beautiful.
Ex. The stew tasted delicious.
5) Verb – word that expresses action or otherwise helps make a statement. (V)
Action physical – hit, play, move, run
Mental – think, know, imagine, believe
Linking – expresses a state or condition – links subject to the word that describes it (PA) or renames it (PN).
Ex.
The author is our guest (author and guest are the same person).
Jeffrey is talented. (talented describes Jeffrey)
Helping – helps the main verb express action or make a statement.
Ex. has played
should have played
6) Adverb (ADV) – a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
How – She drives carefully.
To what extent – She can almost drive How often - She drives daily.
When – She drives early in the morning. Where – She drives everywhere.
7)Preposition(Prep) – shows relationship of a noun to some other word in the sentence. Prepositions must take an
object (a noun or pronoun).
Ex. in the hall (in – preposition, hall – object of the preposition
under the trees (under – preposition, tree – object of the preposition)
Common Prepositions:
about
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
down
during
except
for
from
in
into
like
of
off
on
over
past
since
through
to
toward
under
until
up
upon
with
within
without
8) Conjunction (Conj) – a word that joins words or groups of words.
Ex. Bring your lunch and one dollar.
You must pass every subject and maintain a good average.
Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS):
for
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
Subordinating Conjunctions (common): after
provided
since
though
unless
although
until
because
when
before
where
if
while
9) Interjection – word that expresses emotion and has no grammatical relation to other words in the sentence.
(Usually used with an exclamation point).
Ex. Oh! My goodness! Ouch! Hurry!
VERBALS – verbals are forms of verbs that are used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. A verbal with modifiers or a
complement is a verbal phrase.
Participle – form of a verb that can act as an adjective. Can be past or present.
EX. Irma’s shining eyes betrayed her excitement. (Present)
The shattered window needs replacement. (Past)
Gerund – a form of a verb (ending in –ing) that is used as a noun.
EX. Reading is my favorite hobby.
Infinitive – form of a verb that appears with the word to and acts as a noun, adjective, or an adverb
EX. To explore an underground cave required experience and the right equipment.
BASIC SENTENCE PATTERNS
1) Subject, verb.
Ex. The audience wept.
2) Subject, verb, direct object.
Ex. The judge dismissed the jury.
3) Subject, verb, indirect object, direct object.
Ex. The man gave his sweetheart a necklace.
4) Subject, verb, predicate adjective.
Ex. The doctor was tired.
5) Subject, verb, predicate nominative.
Ex. Pablo Picasso was a great painter.
SENTENCE TYPES – There are four basic types of sentence structure:
Simple - Contains one independent clause and no subordinate clauses.
Ex. The wind chilled the tundra.
Compound - Contains two or more independent clauses but no subordinate clauses.
Ex.. The wind chilled the tundra, and the snow battered my face.
Complex - Contains one independent clause and at least one subordinate clause.
Ex. Because we thought there might be an avalanche, we decided to leave the mountain.
Compound/Complex - .Contains two or more independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause.
Ex. Because it is the coldest continent on Earth, Antarctica has no native population, and it holds the record for
the lowest temperature ever recorded -128.6 F.
Sentences Classified by Purpose
1) A declarative sentence is a sentence that makes a statement.
Ex. In 1945, the United Nations had fifty-one members.
2) An imperative sentence is a sentence that gives a command or makes a request.
Ex. Stop talking and open your books.
3) An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question.
Ex. Which book did you like most?
4) An exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses strong feeling.
Ex. How beautiful it is!!