English Language Grammar and Syntax
The basics of grammar and syntax
- Created by: Shauni
- Created on: 15-05-12 22:08
Morphology:
The area of language study that deals with the formation of words from similar units called morphemes.
Morpheme:
The smallest unit of grammatical meaning. Morphemes can be words in their own right or combine with other morphemes to form lexical units.
Linguistic Rank Scale:
A system for showing the relationship between levels of language units. The movement from left to right indicates that a unit is structured from that which precedes it, for example clauses are structured from phrases.
Prescriptive Approach/ Attitude:
An approach that concentrates on how language ought to be structured (written or spoken) and sees alternative patterns or versions as deviant and inferior.
Descriptive Approach/ Attitude:
An approach to language study that focuses on actual language use.
Noun Phrases:
A group of words centred around a head noun.
Constituent Structure:
The key components of a phrase.
Pre-modification:
Modifying that occurs before the head noun.
Modifier:
A word, usually an adjective or a noun used attributively, that qualifies the sense of a noun. Adverbs of comment also act as modifiers, e.g. obviously.
Qualifier:
Further information to complete the phrase.
Post-modification:
A modifying phrase or lexical item that occurs after the head noun in a noun phrase.
Prepositional Phrase:
A phrase consisting of a preposition and an added noun phrase.
Main Verb:
The verb that details the main process in a verb phrase.
Auxiliary Verb:
A verb that supports or ‘helps’ another; it shows tense or modality.
Negating Particle:
A small item used to form negative construction, for example not.
Obligatory Component:
A necessary part of the verb phrase, that is the main verb.
Optional Component:
An additional part of the verb phrase that may be present, for example an extension or negating particle.
Primary Auxiliary:
Used to denote tense changes: ‘do’; ‘be’; ‘have’.
Modal Auxiliary Verb:
A verb that never appears on its own and is used to express possibility, probability, certainty, necessity or obligation: will; would; can; could; shall; should; may; might; must.
Semi-auxiliary:
A combination of a primary auxiliary and another verb part.
Catenative:
A verb that can attach to another to form a chain.
Actor:
The individual or entity responsible for the action.
Agency:
The responsibility for, or cause of, an action.
Adjectival Phrase:
A phrase with an adjective as its head, for example ‘very big’.
Adverbial Phrase:
A phrase with an adverb as its head, for example ‘very quickly’.
Clause:
A group of lexical items centred round a verb phrase.
Clause Patterns:
Patterns produced by writers using certain types of clause for impact and effect.
Double-object Construction:
A clause with a verb that has two objects: one direct and other indirect.
Direct Object:
An object directly affected by a verb process, for example in ‘I gave him the pen’, ‘pen’ is directly affected by the giving and is the direct object.
Indirect Object:
An object indirectly affected by a verb process, for example in ‘I gave him the pen’, ‘him’ is the indirect object.
Ditransitive Verb:
A verb that requires two objects to form a double-object construction.
Monotransitive Verb:
A verb that only requires one object.
Intransitive Verb:
A verb process such as ‘yawned’ or ‘slept’ that has no object.
Sentence Structures:
The kind of sentence(s) used by a writer for impact and effect.
Simple Sentence:
A sentence consisting of a single main clause.
Compound Sentence:
A sentence containing two or more main clauses, connected by coordinating conjunctions, or something just separated by punctuation (semicolon).
Coordinating Conjunctions:
Words such as and, but or that link clauses to form compound sentences
Complex Sentence:
A sentence containing a main clause with one or more subordinate or dependant clauses, often connected with a subordinating conjunction.
Main Clause:
A clause that can stand independently and make sense on its own.
Subordinate Clause:
A clause that is dependent on another to complete the full meaning of a sentence.
Subordinating Conjunctions:
Words such as because, although and while that link a main clause to a number of subordinate clauses in complex sentences.
Compound-complex Sentences:
A sentence containing at least two main clauses and at least one subordinate clause.
Utterance:
A group of spoken words, roughly equivalent to the sentence in written terms.
Active Voice:
Includes an actor or agent; verb phrase includes a finite present or past tense verb
Passive Verb:
Omits an actor or agent or includes the agent as part of the prepositional phrase after the verb.
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