Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Nouns
2. Pronouns
3. Adjectives
4. Verbs, Verb Phrases, Verbals
5. Adverbs
6. Prepositions
7. Interjections
8. Conjunctions
➢ Subjects
➢ Predicates
➢ Clauses – independent and dependent
➢ Conjunctions used to form clauses
➢ Commas, Run-ons, and Fragments
➢ Practicing Skills
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1. NOUNS (n.)
Directions: Circle the nouns. Do not include any adjectives that modify the nouns.
4. Martha, please be careful with the silver platter and the crystal glasses.
7. Daniel hates Spanish food while his sister loves Japanese food.
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Common versus Proper
Common nouns name any person, place, thing, or idea. They are nonspecific.
Common nouns always begin with lowercase letters unless they begin a sentence.
Rebecca Motte was a great patriot. During the Revolutionary War, British soldiers seized
her mansion in South Carolina and set up defenses. General Harry Lee told Motte that the
Americans would have to burn her home to smoke out the enemy. Motte supported the plan
and was glad to help her country. She even supplied fire arrows and a bow for
the attack. The enemy raised the white flag, and the house was saved. That night, Motte
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Concrete versus Abstract
➢ Concrete nouns name something you can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch.
Examples: Monday, trip, happiness, bravery, freedom, name, date, time, thought
1. Martha is a beautiful name for a baby, but only time will tell if Martha will grow up to be a beautiful girl.
2. My aunt Sally believes that peace in the world is the most important thing.
4. Last summer I went to Disney World, and the heat was unbearable.
9. The music in the auditorium was so loud that my ears rang the next day.
10. Can you see the ice forming on the windows because of the cold?
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2. PRONOUNS (pro.)
Instead of repeating the same noun over and over again, we use pronouns to replace the noun.
John loves cake. John loves the icing the best. John especially loves ice cream cake.
In the example above, the pronoun he replaces the proper noun John. Therefore, he refers back to John.
Another example: Jim baked the cookies, but he did not clean the pans.
YOUR TURN:
Example 1: Shari ate two helpings, and she did not get sick.
Example 2: Bob threw the bat at Joe, but it didn’t hit him.
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TYPES OF PRONOUNS
Pronouns are categorized into different types depending on their roles in sentences.
Personal pronouns: I, me, you, it, he, him, she, her, we, us, they, them
Subject Pronouns
(Do-ers)
Subjective personal pronouns: he, she, I, you, we, they, it I, you, he, she, we, it, they
Object Pronouns
Objective personal pronouns: him, her, me, you, us, them, it (Receivers)
➢ Subjective personal pronouns are the only personal pronouns that can be subjects in a sentence.
This means that they “do” the action.
➢ Objective personal pronouns have things happen to them. They receive action.
They don’t “do” anything.
Examples: He gave the gift to her. Mom borrowed the list from us.
7. The class and (he, him) are competing for the title.
8. The teacher gave the class and (we, us) lots of homework.
10. Please don’t tell (she, her) about the broken glass.
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Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject:
*****The words ourself, themself, itselves, himselves, and herselves DO NOT EXIST.***
his, her, our, ours, their, theirs, hers, your, yours, my, mine, its
Examples: The book is mine. That is jacket is hers. Please get her jacket.
Examples: Whose book is that? Who called? For whom is that gift?
Examples: This is my essay. Please give these to him. Can you hand me that?
Indefinite Pronouns (those in the chart below) do not refer to a definite person or thing:
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Pronoun Agreement using the Indefinite Pronoun chart below
Indefinite Pronouns
Directions: Use the Indefinite Pronoun chart to select the correct matching pronoun.
➢ Circle each subject/antecedent in the sentence. Each antecedent is a pronoun from the Indefinite
Pronoun chart above.
➢ If the pronoun is in the singular column of the chart, you must circle the singular possessive pronoun
choice(s).
➢ If the pronoun is in the plural column of the chart, you must circle the plural possessive pronoun choice.
5. Someone in the corner gave a. (his/her) or (b. their) cell phone to me.
6. Several of the singers in the choir gave a. (his/her) or b. (their) best efforts.
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Pronouns and Antecedents
Directions: Circle ALL pronouns that you find. Then, draw an arrow from the pronoun to its antecedent.
Some pronouns may not have antecedents in the sentence.
Some sentences have multiple antecedents and multiple matching pronouns.
Example: Jess gave her book to him even though it was brand new.
1. The mechanic tried to patch the tire, but he could not repair it.
4. When Mrs. Alexander asked Charlie for the note, he gave it to her.
8. Mr. Johnson took the class for a field trip to his favorite store, but he forgot how to get to it.
10. The rabbit ran around the room and chased the dog, but he couldn’t catch him.
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Identifying pronouns
Directions: Circle all the pronouns. Refer back to the pronoun pages to help you find all pronouns. There is
definitely more than one pronoun in each sentence!
3. Liz asked her friend Mary which movie she would like to see.
4. Neither the Jets nor the Giants played well last week.
12. Please take that over there and hand one of these papers to each of them.
14. Yesterday, several of the students gathered at the park for a picnic with their coach.
15. Who decided not to invite them to the beach with us?
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3. ADJECTIVES (a.)
➢ Adjectives modify, or change, nouns or pronouns to make them more specific or exact.
Though many adjective come right before a noun or pronoun, predicate adjectives come after the verb as part of
the predicate of the sentence.
➢ An adjective tells what kind, how many, how much, or which one(s).
beautiful, empty, first, last, those, these, happy, short, flat, long
***Some of these words are pronouns, but pronouns can act like adjectives.
These books are mine. (The pronoun, these, is describing the noun, books.)
These are mine. (In this sentence, these is a pronoun because it is not describing anything.)
-ful, -ish, -able, -ible, -al, -ant, -ate, -ive, -like, -most, -y, -less, -ous, -some, -ic, -ant, -ient
Below are some examples of adjectives that are formed with the suffixes above:
joyful; oafish; selfish; comfortable; laughable; convertible; musical; passionate; descriptive; figurative;
childlike; topmost; happy; funny; careless; joyous; furious; wholesome; stoic; heroic; triumphant; patient
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Proper Adjectives
6. He is happy.
12. Most children enjoy fast-paced, adventurous rides at the amusement park.
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4. VERBS (v.)
➢ The verb tells what is happening in the sentence or helps make a statement about a subject.
➢ Verbs also have tense. Tense is the time expressed by a verb. The form of the verb tells when
something occurred.
Example of tense with the verb, to fly: fly, flew, will fly, flying, have flown, had flown.
➢ Verbs can act as action verbs or linking verbs, depending on the sentence.
ACTION VERBS are verbs that tell what a noun or a pronoun is doing. They tell physical or mental actions.
Jeff ordered a pizza. I wished on a star. The baby slept in her car seat.
LINKING VERBS are verbs that tell us about the state of being of a noun or pronoun. There is no action.
like, seems, remains, become, grow, stay, turn, sound, smell, feel, appear, look
Notice in the examples below how each verb is a link between the word on either side of it.
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Linking verbs can be used as action verbs as well:
4. He called the police because I told him about the burglar. ______________________
15. My anger became stronger as I watched him eat the last slice of pie. ______________________
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VERB PHRASE
➢ A helping/auxiliary verb helps the main verb express an action or make a statement.
Examples:
is, are, am, be, being, been, was, were, do, does, did,
has, have, had, shall, should, will, would, can, could, may, might, must
Examples:
1. The students were selling ticket two weeks in advance. were = helping, selling = action
The verb phrase is were selling.
2. Speed boats can be used in rescue operations. can be = helping, used = action
The verb phrase is can be used.
Directions: Circle the verb or verb phrase for each sentence. The parts of the verb phrase may be separated.
Remember to consult the notes above to find all helping verbs.
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VERBALS
➢ A verbal is something often used in a sentence. It is NOT the main verb of the sentence. It actually is
not used as verb at all.
➢ A verbal is a word that is formed from a verb but is used as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.
➢ There are different types of verbals. Some are called participles, and some are called infinitives.
➢ Participles end in -ing, - d, -ed, or -en.
➢ Infinitives are mostly written in the form “to _________” with the blank being followed by a verb.
Participles
The subject is Julie. The main verb is tripped. Running is used as an adverb.
The subject is We. The main verb is slipped. Frozen is used as an adjective.
Infinitives
The subject is I. The main verb of the sentence is went. “To eat” is acting as a noun.
“To succeed” is the subject – the two words work together as a noun. The verb is “is”.
“To call” is a phrase that works as an adjective describing she. The verb is “is”.
“To dance” is an adverb describing what Joe was born to do. The verb is “born”.
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Practicing Verbs vs. Verbals
Directions: Circle the main noun or pronoun - the subject - of each sentence. Write the verb on the line.
Underline any verbals that you find. There may be more than one verbal per sentence.
7. Damaged and bruised from the fall, I crawled out of the ravine. _______________
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MEMORIZE THESE WORDS. THEY ARE IMPORTANT VERBS.
has
had
have
was
were
may
might
must
shall
should
can
could
will
would
is
am
are
be
being
been
do
does
did
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5. ADVERBS (adv.)
WHEN/TIME: always, usually, never, forever, now, then, later, soon, tomorrow
I went today.
Here is Lou.
TO WHAT EXTENT/DEGREE: too, very, so, more, least, quite, not, almost
It is so boring in here.
I am too tired.
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Adverbs can modify adjectives.
Her gown is too beautiful. (The adverb too describes the adjective, beautiful.)
Too tells “to what extent” the fire blazed and dangerously tells “how” the fire blazed.
➢ Adverbs may come before or after the word that they modify.
➢ When adverbs modify verb phrases, they often come in the middle of the phrase.
➢ For emphasis, sometimes a writer begins a sentence with an adverb, separating it from the word it
modifies.
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Adverb Practice
Directions:
A. Circle the adverbs in each sentence. Sentences may have more than one adverb.
B. Draw an arrow from the adverb to the word that it modifies.
C. On the line, write what question (How, When, Where, To What Degree) the adverb answers.
2. The chickens, Minnie, Mia, and Lucy, ate through the grass very greedily. ________________
3. The visiting duck had been waddling peacefully for weeks before. ________________
4. The duck was completely confused as to what these birds were doing. ________________
5. The duck loudly quacked for Ms. Steinberg to remove the chickens. ________________
8. Ms. Steinberg was saddened that the duck left, and she walked inside solemnly. ________________
9. The chickens did not even notice the duck was gone. ________________
10. Later, Ms. Steinberg was amazed to greet a new arrival, a skunk. ________________
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Adverb Practice
Directions:
A. Circle the adverb in each sentence.
B. Draw an arrow from the adverb to the word that it modifies.
6. People who feed squirrels frequently, like Ms. Steinberg, find that squirrels recognize them.
9. Some birds are completely yellow while some are red, blue or orange.
10. They can glide beautifully from a tree to the ground, and some like to come close to eat peanuts from the
deck.
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6. PREPOSITIONS (prep.)
Prepositions are words that show the relation of a noun or pronoun to some other word in a sentence.
Common Prepositions
aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, as, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside,
between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, in front of, inside, instead, into, like, near, next to, of,
off, on, out, out of, outside, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, unlike, until,
up, up to, upon, with, within, without
Examples:
The phrases are through the thick clouds and in the rainstorm.
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Directions: For each sentence, list three prepositions that could complete the sentence. Make sure that they
make sense. (Notice how different prepositions change the relationship between the words.)
3. My fishing tackle is ___________ the box; __________the box; __________ the box.
4. The scout crawled ____________ the fence; __________the fence; __________the fence.
5. I could hardly see the woman _______ the window; __________ the window; __________ the window.
Directions: Below are several groups of words that contain prepositional phrases.
Circle the prepositional phrase.
Directions: Underline the prepositional phrases in each sentence. Write the preposition on the line. Sentences
may have more than one phrase.
2. She is grateful to have many creatures that come to her yard. __________
3. She has seen fox and deer from her deck. __________
5. For fun, Ms. Steinberg likes to feed all the creatures. __________
6. The creatures must watch above their heads for signs of the hawks. __________
7. Ms. Steinberg also enjoys feeding the fish in her pond. __________
9. When it gets warmer, they come to the surface ready for food. __________
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ADVERBS vs. PREPOSITIONS
Examples:
The woman got off her horse. Off is a preposition because its object is horse.
The woman rode off. Off is an adverb. There is no object. Off tells where.
Around and inside are used as adverbs. They modify the verbs walked and went.
The bear walked around the yard and then went inside the cabin.
Around and inside are used as prepositions. Their objects are yard and cabin.
1. In the story, the boy fell off and was washed ashore. ____________ __________
2. The island was greatly feared by all sailors who passed by. ____________ __________
4. He looked for several hours and then he gave up. ____________ __________
5. A man with a revolver in his hand answered the door. ____________ __________
6. I went inside and was amazed by the mess I saw. ____________ __________
7. The boy wished he could get out, but he was stuck inside the box. ____________ __________
10. The ship went under, but we managed to get into a lifeboat. __________ __________
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Verbals vs. Prepositions
Directions: Decide if the underlined phrase is a verbal or a prepositional phrase. Look back to the verb section
if necessary. Write your answer on the line.
Directions: Decide if the underlined word is a noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, or preposition.
7. I had to get a new one because the old one had a broken screen. _______________
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7. INTERJECTIONS (interj.)
aha, my, hey, hurray, ouch, rats, wow, yikes, yippee, well, oops, oh, eek, goodness, gosh, oh my
5. “_________!” I shouted.
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8. CONJUNCTIONS (conj.)
Coordinating conjunctions
Subordinating Conjunctions
after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though, because, before, even though, how, if, in
order, that, since, so that, than, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, while
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SUBJECTS, PREDICATES, CLAUSES
➢ A subject can ONLY be a noun or pronoun. A subject is who or what the sentence is about.
➢ A predicate MUST include a verb. It may also include other words that relate to the verb.
An INDEPENDENT CLAUSE is a subject and predicate that expresses a complete thought. In other words, it
is a complete sentence.
Examples:
Because I was only ten, I could not reach above the refrigerator.
dependent clause independent clause
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INDEPENDENT CLAUSES
Independent clauses consist of a subject and a verb and express a complete thought.
They are independent because they do not need “help” to express a complete thought.
When you join two independent clauses together using one of the FANBOYS, there must be a comma before
the conjunction.
Example 1:
Example 2:
Two independent clauses joined: Jim ran quickly, but Jane walked slowly.
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DEPENDENT CLAUSES
➢ A dependent clause consists of a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought because it
begins with a subordinating conjunction.
➢ A dependent clause needs to be joined to an independent clause in order to express a complete thought.
➢ Dependent clauses either being a sentence and are then followed by and independent clause, OR they
follow an independent clause. When you have a dependent clause, there MUST BE an independent
clause either before or after it. Otherwise, you have a fragment.
Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent, or subordinating, clauses that cannot stand alone.
These clauses create fragments unless they are “finished” by adding another clause to them to complete the
thought.
This is a dependent clause because it has a subject, Jim, and a verb, ran. HOWEVER, it is dependent on
another clause to complete the thought because it begins with the subordinating conjunction “While.”
Example of two clauses joined together: While Jim ran, he listened to music.
The second clause, he listened to music, tells us what Jim did while running.
If you begin a sentence with a subordinating conjunction, you must have a comma after the first thought is
completed.
No comma is necessary because the subordinating conjunction is in between the two clauses.
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Practicing Finding Conjunctions
Directions: Circle the conjunctions in the following sentences. There may be more than one conjunction in a
sentence.
4. Lou forgot to write down the message because he was in the middle of dinner.
5. If you’re going to wear that shirt, please take the tag off.
6. Because we are friends, I will drive you to the party, but you owe me a ride next time.
8. There are too many kids in this class and not enough desks.
9. It’s either in the drawer or on the table since I was in the kitchen when I lost it.
10. I forgot to lock the door after you left, yet luckily nothing was taken.
Practicing Finding Simple Subjects and Simple Predicates (verbs or verb phrases)
Directions: Circle the subject(s) of each sentence. Underline the verb or verb phrase for each.
8. Before the beach, we mopped the floor and vacuumed the house.
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Practice Discerning Among Phrases, Independent Clauses, and Dependent Clauses
Practice Discerning Among Independent Clauses, Dependent Clauses, and Prepositional Phrases
Directions: Decide if the underlined section is an independent clause, dependent clause, or prepositional
phrase. Write the answer on the line.
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