DEFINITIONS NOUNS A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. Whatever exists, we assume, can be named, and that name is a noun. A proper noun, which names a specific person, place, or thing (Carlos, Queen Marguerite, Middle East, Jerusalem, Malaysia, Presbyterianism, God, Spanish, Buddhism, the Republican Party), is almost always capitalized. A proper noun used as an addressed person's name is called anoun of address.Common nouns name everything else, things that usually are not capitalized. Examples man, mountain, state, ocean, country, building, cat, airline, house, ocean, Uncle Mike, bird, photograph, banana, eyes, light, sun, dog, suitcase, flowers, bed, cat, movie, train, country, book, phone, match, speaker, clock, pen, David, violin. SUBJECT The subject of a sentence up to the individual animal or thing that performs the action of the verb, while Verb. John speaks. In this example, the subject is John, it is who performs the action of speaking. a noun or pronoun partnered with a predicate verb.Identification of the subject of a sentence. - To identify the subject of a sentence ask who? / Who? or what? / What things? the verb of the sentence. The answer we get will be the Subject. Examples: The girls dance very well. To identify the subject will make the following question: Who dance very well? Response, and therefore subject: girls. Pencils fell Manolo. Wondering whatthings fall?. Response , and therefore subject: pencils. The large carstopped outside our house. Eatingis a pleasure. Dracula bites his victims on the neck. The verb "bites" describes the action Dracula takes. In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs.
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The subject of a sentence up to the individual animal or thing that performs the
action of the verb, while Verb. John speaks. In this example, the subject isJohn, it is who performs the action of speaking. a noun or pronoun partnered
with a predicate verb.
Identification of the subject of a sentence. - To identify the subject of a
sentence ask who? / Who? or what? / What things? the verb of the
sentence. The answer we get will be the Subject.
Examples: The girls dance very well. To identify the subject will make the
following question: Who dance very well? Response, and therefore subject:
Here the compound verb "will plant" describes an action that will take place inthe future.
ADJECTIVE
An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, orquantifying words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun whichit modifies.
An adjective is a word that serves to modify a noun or pronoun by describing,
identifying, orquantifying its specific characteristics. Essentially, the purpose of
an adjective is to answer the following questions:
How many are there?
What kind is it?
Which one is it?
Examples
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, and white are
adjectives because they describe the color of something.
Tall, short, fat, thin, pretty, and ugly are adjectives that can be used to
describe the physical characteristic of a person.
Zany, quirky, vivacious, exuberant, determined, diligent, and adaptable
are adjectives because they outline personality traits.
In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:
The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops.Mrs. Morrison papered her kitchen walls with hideous wall paper.The small boat foundered on the wine dark sea.The coal mines are dark and dank.
ADVERB
An adverb is a part of the sentence. It is a word that modifies verbs or anyother part of speech than a noun (modifying nouns andadjectives are themain determinants). Adverbs can modify verbs,adjectives (including numbers),clauses, sentences and other adverbs.Adverbs usually answer questions like how? , How? , When? Where? And towhat extent?
Hernan easily lifted the barbellHow did he lift the barbell?
The direct object of a verb is created, affected or altered by the action of a verb,
or appreciated or sensed by the subject of the verb.
EG: She closed the door. ('door' is directly affected by her action.)
A direct object will follow a transitive verb [a type of action verb]. Directobjects can be nouns, pronouns, phrases, or clauses. If you can identifythe subject and verb in a sentence, then finding the direct object—if one exists —is easy. Just remember this simple formula:
S U B J E C T + V E R B + what? or who? = D I R E C T O B J E C T
Here are examples of the formula in action:
Zippy and Maurice played soccer with a grapefruit pulled from a
backyard tree.
Zippy , Maurice = subjects; played = verb. Zippy and Mauriceplayed what? Soccer = direct object.
Zippy accidentally kicked Maurice in the shin.
Zippy = subject; kicked = verb. Zippy kicked who? Maurice = direct object.
Sometimes direct objects are single words like soccer and Maurice ; othertimes they are phrases or clauses. The formula nevertheless works the same.
Sylina hates biting her fingernails .
Sylina = subject; hates = verb. Sylina hates what? Biting her fingernails [a gerund phrase] = direct object.
Even worse, Sylina hates when Mom lectures her about hand
care .
Sylina = subject; hates = verb. Sylina hates what? When Mom lectures her about hand care [a subordinate clause] = direct object.
INDIRECT OBJECT
He indirect object of a verb is not directly affected by the action, but can either
receive the direct object or have the action done for them.
EG: She sent James the letter. ('letter' is the direct object as it is directly
affected by the action and 'James' is the indirect object as he receives the
letter.)
EG: They made him dinner. ('Dinner' is the direct object as it is created by the
action and 'him' is the indirect object as the dinner is made for him.)
These sentences can also be written as follows:
EG: She sent the letter to James.
EG: They made dinner for him.
The indirect object is often used right before a direct object and does not followa preposition, as illustrated in the phrases above .An indirect object precedesthe direct object and tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is doneand who is receiving the direct object. There must be a direct object to have anindirect object. Indirect objects are usually found with verbs of giving orcommunicating like give, bring, tell, show, take, or offer . An indirect object is
always a noun or pronoun which is not part of a prepositional phrase.If apreposition is used, then the word becomes the object of that preposition, as inthe following, where to and for are prepositions and man and yourself are theirobjects.
Indirect objects are usually nouns or pronouns. Only verbs havedirectobjects can have indirect objects. The indirect object comes between the verband direct object.
We will make an offer to the man. Get a job for yourself.
Serve the old lady dinner. "Serve [dinner] to whom? To the old lady."
Example: She gave me the report.
(Who received the report? Me.)
I never give you my pillow,I only send you invitations,And in the middle of the celebrations I break down."
We will make the man the man
Carol made a bookcase for her brother. I handed the dictionary toher.When used after prepositions, these words are not indirect objects. Theyare objects of prepositions.
A verb can have an indirect object compound.
Dan and Grandmother handed me the packages.The following verbs and their synonyms are indirect objects
The linking verb is followed by a noun or adjective functioning as a subjectivecomplement.
smell taste look feel seem become appear grow
A verb that functions chiefly as a connection between a subject and a predicate
complement . Verbs come in all shapes and sizes. Some show action and some
do not. Some describe or rename the subject in the sentence. Verbs that
describe or rename the subject are called linking verbs.
What are linking verbs?
Another way to define linking verbs is that linking verbs do not express action
but connect the subject and verb to more information. Some words can function
both as a linking verb and an action verb as you will see in some of thesentences below.
Examples of linking verbs
Michael is a football fan.
Is isn‘t something that Michael can actually do. Instead, it connects the subject,
Michael to more information about him, that he really enjoys playing or watching
the ball. So in this sentence is is a linking verb.
The dogs are barking angrily at the cat.Are isn‘t something dogs can do. Are connects the subject, dogs, to information
about them, that they are mad at the cat.
Tomas always feels tired when he stays up playing video games all night.
Feels connects the subject, Thomas, to his state of being, tired.
Learning to speak a new language seems impossibly hard at first.
Seems connects the subject, a new language, with something said about it, that
it‘s difficulty can be deceiving at first.
One handy little trick is to see if you can substitute is , and , or are and see if thesentence still makes sense. If it does then you‘re dealing with a linking verb. If it
doesn‘t make sense after the substitution, then it‘s an action verb. Here are a
few examples of this trick in action:
Stella tasted anchovy pizza for the first time.
Stella is anchovy pizza? Of course not! So in this case, tasted is an action verb
and expresses something Stella is doing.
The anchovy pizza tasted delicious.
The anchovy pizza is delicious? Some people think so! Sense tasted can be
replaced with is , the verb tasted is a linking verb in this sentence.
I smelled the cookies baking as soon as I walked in the door.
I am the cookies? Not me. Smell, in this case is acting as an action verb.
The cookies smell divine.
The cookies are divine? Absolutely! Have one! Smell is a linking verb in the
above sentence.
When Karen felt the slimy fish, she dropped it immediately.
Karen is the slimy fish? Of course not! Again, here we‘re dealing with an action
verb.
Felt is something Karen is doing.
(Ex.: be, appear, seem, become )
I became a feminist as an alternative to becoming a masochist
he future will be better tomorrow
ACTION VERB
The action verb may be either transitive (take a direct object) or intransitive (nottake a direct object).
see jump embrace write imagine buy plummet think etc.
Terms used to identify various parts of each sentence pattern include thefollowing:
NP = noun phrase
This abbreviation refers to a headword noun and its modifiers ("nounphrase") functioning as a subject, direct object, indirect object, subjectivecomplement, or objective complement.
NP1, NP2, NP3, etc. = designations for different noun phrase functions
Numbers in sequential order are used with each NP to designate itsdifference from or similarity to other NPs before and after it.
ADV/TP = adverbial of time or place ADJ = adjective
Explode ! Scream ! Sneeze ! Type ! Kick ! What are these words doing? They areexpressing action, something that a person, animal, force of nature, or thingcan do . As a result, we call these words action verbs . Look at the examplesbelow:
In the library and at church, Michele giggles inappropriately.Giggling is something that Michele can do .
Because of the spicy Jamaican pepper, David reached for his glass of iced
tea.
Reaching is something that David can do —happily, if his mouth is on fire.
Carlos watched pretty women in skimpy bikinis parading on the beach.
Watching is something that Carlos can do .
The alarm clock buzzed like an angry bumblebee.
Buzzing is something that the alarm clock can do .
The coffee maker gurgled on the kitchen counter.
Gurgling is something that the coffee maker can do .
If you are unsure whether a sentence contains an action verb or not, look at
every word in the sentence and ask yourself, "Can a person or thing do this?"
HERE IS A LITTLE STORY TO HELP YOU LEARN ABOUT ACTION VERBS.
Anna Action/Verb jumped from bed on Monday. She ran to the breakfast table,
doing three cartwheels on the way.
"Anna, you are too active!" said Mrs. Action/Verb."So?" Anna replied as she leapt out the door.
She raced her friend, Donna Direct-Object, all the way to school. But
shecouldn't sit still. Ms. Sentence, the teacher, tapped her ruler on her desk
andsaid, "Anna, SIT STILL!"
"Yes, ma'am," Anna said as she picked up her pencil.
When the class lined up for Art, Patrick Pronoun whispered, "You'd
betterstop being so active. You'll get into trouble." But Anna was seeing how
long she could hop on one foot and not trip over Donna.
The Art teacher, Mrs. Preposition, was showing the class how to draw
snowflakes when Anna tipped over in her chair. Then she did five somersaults
right into a table. Anna got a bruise on her forehead and had to go to the nurse.
Then Mr. Noun, the principal, wrote a note home to Anna's parents. And
can you guess what Mr. and Mrs. Action/Verb decided? No gymnastics, Anna's
favorite class, for a week!
So Anna learned to do flips only in gymnastics and to learn in school
instead
TRANSITIVE / INTRANSITIVE VERBSE
AND INTRANSITIVE ACTION
There are two types of action verbs: transitive and intransitive. A transitive verbfollowed by an object that receives the action of the verb. Examples ofTransitive action verbs: I cleaned the windows yesterday. I took my baby to theclinic. We hunt rabbitsYou pushed the bag. ("bag" is the direct object of "pushed") An intransitive verbconveys an action but is not followed by an object. Examples of intransitiveaction verbs: The girl criedquietly.' He runs' or 'it falls'
An intransitive verb has two characteristics. First, it is an action verb, expressing a doable activity like arrive , go , lie , sneeze , sit , die , etc. Second,unlike a transitive verb, it will not have a direct objectreceiving the action.
Here are some examples of intransitive verbs:Huffing and puffing, we arrived at the classroom door with onlyseven seconds to spare.Arrived = intransitive verb.James went to the campus cafe for a steaming bowl of squideyeball stew.Went = intransitive verb.To escape the midday sun, the cats lie in the shade under our cars.Lie = intransitive verb.
Around fresh ground pepper, Sheryl sneezes with violence.Sneezes = intransitive verb.In the evenings, Glenda sits on the front porch to admire herimmaculate lawn.Sits = intransitive verb.Flipped on its back, the beetle that Clara soaked withinsecticide dies under the refrigerator.Dies = intransitive verb.
I hate you. ("you" is the direct object of "hate")I gave you the doll. ("doll" is the direct object, and "you" is the non-prepositional
John traded his apple and Jane's orange with her. ("his apple and Jane'sorange" is the object of "traded", but "with her" is not)I ate the pie. ("pie" is an object of "ate")I tried on the shoes. ("shoes" is an object of "tried")The meaning of a transitive verb is incomplete without a direct object, as in the
following examples:INCOMPLETE The shelf holds.COMPLETE The shelf holds three books and a vase of flowers.INCOMPLETE The committee named.COMPLETE The committee named a new chairperson.INCOMPLETE The child broke.
COMPLETE The child broke the plate.
VERB PRHASE
Sometimes a verb is composed of two or more words. This type of verb iscalled verb phrase or verb phrase in Spanish.
An example of Verbal Phrase or Verb Phrase in English The most important verb in a verb phrase is called the mainverbor main verb. In the sentences above, the main
verbs were sailedand sailing. The other verbs arecalled verbs or helping verbsassistants.
V
ER
B
P
H
R
A
S
E Main verb
The main verb tense states the action of the subject. The
main verb can be the only verb in the sentence, but the main
verb can also be used with an auxiliary verb or a verb
Support Auxiliary: forms of do. Followed by a base a base form
Passive: forms of be, followed by – ed participle
Progressive: forms of be, followed by – ing participle
Perfect, forms of have, followed by –ed participle
Remember that a prepositional phrase will never contain the subject of a
sentence.
Sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logicalsubject of
a verb. Don't fall for that trick! You will never find a subject in a prepositional
phrase. Look at this example:
Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-
style squid eyeball stew.
Cookbooks do indeed contain recipes. In this sentence, however,cookbooks is
part of the prepositional phrase of these cookbooks .Neither —whatever a
neither is—is the subject for the verb contains .
Neither is singular, so you need the singular form of the verb,contains . If
you incorrectly identified cookbooks as the subject, you might write contain ,
the plural form, and thus commit a subject-verb agreement error.
Some prepositions—such as along with and in addition to —indicate "more tocome." They will make you think that you have a plural subject when in fact you
don't. Don't fall for that trick either! Read this example:
Tommy, along with the other students , breathed a sigh of relief
when Mrs. Markham announced that she was postponing the due
date for the research essay.
Logically, more than one student is happy with the news. But Tommy is the only
subject of the verb breathed . His classmates count in the real world, but in thesentence, they don't matter, locked as they are in the prepositional phrase.
Phrases
NP: Noun Phrase
The dog, a kind man
VP: Verb Phrase
Work hard, play basketball
PP: Prepositional Phrase
In the house, above the table
AP: Adjective Phrase
Very small, quite certain
The girl with blue eyes called me and brough a flowe r