Glossary of Grammatical Terms
There are hundreds of words about words but, thankfully, most of them we
don't all need to know. But a few are very helpful and well worth learning.
Here is a list of essential grammatical terms.
Categories of words
With the exception of a, an, and the (which are called articles), every English word fits into
one of eight categories. The two most important categories are nouns and verbs.
Category
Nouns
Description
A noun names a person, place, thing, idea, or quality. A proper
noun names a particular person, place, or thing.
Nouns >
Proper nouns >
Pronouns
A pronoun stands in place of a noun (to save us having to repeat
the noun). The noun represented by the pronoun is referred to as the
pronoun's antecedent. In the example below, the noun Tim is the
antecedent of the pronouns who, his, he, and him.
Pronouns >
Adjectives
The cat sat on the mat under Mary's bed.
A verb names an action (write, dream, run) or state of being (be,
appear, feel).
Verbs >
Adverbs
that house, the large house, one house
A preposition shows the relationship of a noun (or pronoun) to
something else. It tells us where, when, or how something has
happened.
Prepositions >
Verbs
Tim, who always washes his hands before he
eats, knows cleanliness is good for him.
An adjective describes a noun (or pronoun). It specifies which noun,
qualifies what kind of noun, or limits how many nouns we are talking
about.
Adjectives >
Prepositions
the girl, the house, the truth, the beauty
Paris, Mary, July, the United Nations
As I opened the door I knew I was home.
An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. When
modifying a verb it tells us where, when, how, or why the action has
occurred. With many notable exceptions (like well), adverbs usually
end in -ly.
Adverbs >
he ran quickly, she was really well liked, the
package arrived early
Conjunctions
A conjunction joins (or illustrates the relationship between) words,
phrases and clauses.
Conjunctions >
Interjections
you and me, these but not those
Interjections are exclamations, yes-no answers, or pauses.
Interjections >
Wow! Hey! yes, no, um, ah
Don't be confused by words that appear to belong to multiple categories. Many
words belong to two, three, or even more categories. (At a stretch, what fits six!?)
Multiple
categories >
the ship (noun), to ship (verb)
Names For Groups Of Words
Letters form words, which form phrases, which form clauses, which form sentences,
which form paragraphs, and so on.
Group
Phrases
Description
Phrases are made up of one or more words. The term is used to group
words by their function.
Phrases >
Clauses
Clauses must include a subject (usually a noun or noun phrase) and a
verb.
Clause >
Sentences
The fireman [noun phrase] quickly climbs [verb
phrase] the ladder [noun phrase].
The fireman [subject] quickly climbs [verb] the
ladder.
Sentences are made up of one or more clauses.
Sentence >
The fireman quickly climbs the ladder [first clause]
and [conjunction] [he] steps onto the roof [second
clause].
Names for the roles of words and
phrases
English is what some linguists call an SVO language. SVO stands for subject-verb-object
and, in a nutshell, this describes the structure of our language.
Role
Subject
Description
English clauses usually start with the subject: the person or thing acting
or being.
Subjects >
Verb
John runs. The fireman climbs the ladder. Mary
gives her keys to Peter. The car is red.
Next comes the verb: the action (write, dream, run) or state of being
(be, appear, feel).
Verbs >
Object
John runs. The fireman climbs the ladder. Mary
gives her keys to Peter. The car is red.
Last is the object (also called the verb complement). A direct object
is a person or thing directly affected by the verb.
Direct object >
Mary gives her keys to Peter.
An indirect object is a person or thing affected by a direct object.
Indirect object >
Mary gives her keys to Peter.
Verbs that describe a state of being (like be, appear), don't require an
object. Instead, the object position is occupied by a subject
complement that tells us more about the subject. And some verbs (like
run, sleep) can stand alone.
No object >
Subject
complement >
John runs.
The car is red.
Don't be confused by one-word sentences (like Stop! or No.). To save us writing or
speaking unnecessary words, English allows us to imply words.
One-word
sentences >
[You] Stop!
No [I won't stop].
Adapted from www.usingenglish.com/glossary.html
LATTC Writing Center
Rev. March 1, 2009
Title V Funded