Grammar Basics Review
The eight parts of speech:
Noun – names a person, place, thing, or idea
Verb – expresses action or state of being
Adjective – modifies or describes a noun or pronoun
Adverb – modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb
Pronoun – used in place of one or more noun or pronouns
Preposition - shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to some other
word in a sentence
7. Conjunction - joins words or groups of words (phrases or clauses)
8. Interjection - expresses emotion and has no grammatical relation to the rest of
the sentence
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Diction: The choice and use (or style) of words and phrases in speech or writing.
Syntax: The arrangement of words and phrases in a language.
Grammatical and Rhetorical Sentence Types:
Grammatical:
Simple: A single independent clause with one subject, verb and object.
Tom hit the ball. Judy ran a mile. Mr. Baker taught the class.
Compound: Two independent clauses sometimes linked together by a conjunction.
I like ice cream, but she likes cake. We were going to run; we decided to walk.
Complex: A sentence of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
Although it is warm, she wore her coat to the dance. I didn’t wear a coat because
it was hot outside.
Compound-Complex: A sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one
dependent clause.
She wore a coat because she was cold, but the weatherman predicted a storm.
Although I enjoy shopping (DEP), I haven't been to the mall in two weeks (IND),
and I am broke (IND)!
Four Rhetorical Sentence Types (relating to style):
Loose: a sentence formatted where the main clause is expressed first, followed by
dependent clauses and phrases.
I knew I had found a friend in the woman, who herself was a lonely soul, never
having known the love of man or child. (Emma Goldman)
Periodic: a sentence where ideas occur chronologically with the climax at the end of the
sentence.
In spite of heavy snow and cold temperatures, the game continued.
Parallel: a sentence using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have
the same level of importance.
Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
Balanced: a sentence where ideas are organized symmetrically with complementary or
opposite ideas on either side.
Ask not what your country do for you but what you can dog for your country.
* A balanced structure sentence is a balanced sentence that employs parallel structure of
approximately the same length and importance. In constructing sentences with parallel
structure, think of the two parallel elements as figures on a seesaw, and the connecting
word or phrase as the fulcrum, then check whether the elements on either side of the
fulcrum are equally balanced
Four Rhetorical Types of Sentences (relating to function):
1. Declarative: a simple statement of fact, belief, or opinion
I am tired. The test was difficult. Paul is my favorite Beatle.
2. Interrogative: a direct question
Is it soup yet? Do you like professional wrestling? Can Susie play?
3. Imperative: a command
Open the door. Fetch me a cold beer. Light my cigar. Gimme fifty pushups.
4. Exclamatory: any of the above amplified
I hate foosball! He did what?! Do it right now! Gimme a break!