Grammar Cheat Sheet - KEEP IN NOTEBOOK Identifying Parts of Speech Noun Verb

Grammar Cheat Sheet KEEP IN NOTEBOOK
Identifying Parts of Speech

Noun
Who?
What?
Verb
What is the action?
State of Being?
Adjective
What kind?
How many?
Which one?
Adverb
When?
Where?
How?
Why?
Comma Use
1. Between two sentences that are joined
with a Coordinating Conjunction:
(FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
The seniors planned a parade for
homecoming, but the rain prevented it from
taking place.
2. After long (more than 3 words)
introductory stuff at the start of a sentence.
After long hours of hard work, the students felt
disappointed and frustrated.
3. To separate unnecessary stuff (not
essential) from the rest of the sentence.
Jerry, the class president, asked the principal
if the parade could be rescheduled.
4. After each item in a series.
Jerry promised the principal good weather,
full student participation, and sponsor
supervision for the parade.
Pronoun- Antecedent Agreement
1. Pronouns must agree in number and
gender with their antecedents (what they
refer to).
Each of the girls puts her stuff into the car.
2. Use a singular pronoun to refer to
anybody, anyone, anything, each, either,
everybody, everyone, everything, neither,
nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody,
someone, or something.
Neither of the girls brought her umbrella.
3. Use a plural pronoun to refer to
both, few, many, and several.
Both of the girls brought their umbrellas.
Singular Pronouns; I, me, him, his, he, her,
she, it, her, him
Plural Pronouns: we, us, them, they, their
Grammar Cheat Sheet for Read the Net and English -... https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rTKlM2_Jfi8hb...
1 of 9 Tuesday 22 April 2014 10:19 PM
Subject Verb Agreement
1. Singular subjects take singular verbs;
singular verbs usually end in s.
Examples: is, has, was
2. Plural subjects take plural verb; plural
verbs do no usually end in s.
Examples: are, have, were
3. If there is a phrase or clause between the
subject and the verb, ignore it! Scratch it
out if you have to. Also, as well as, together
with, and in addition to are compound
prepositions, so their objects are not
subjects.
Example:
The woman with all the dogs walks down my
street.
4. These words are sometimes used as
subjects and are always singular: anybody,
anyone, anything, each, either, everybody,
everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no
one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, and
something.
Example:
Everybody knows Mr. Jones.
5. These words are sometimes used as
subjects and are always plural: both, few,
many, and several.
Example:
Both are in question.
6. When the compound subjects are joined
by or or nor, look at the subject that is
closest to the verb to determine whether the
verb is singular or plural.
Example:
The books or the pen is in the drawer.
7. In the sentences that begin with There
and Here, the subjects follow the verb.
Example:
There are many questions.
8. When two or more nouns are connected
with and use a plural verb.
Example:
She and her friends are at the fair.
Fragments and Run-ons
Fragment A group of words that is missing a subject or verb or that does
not express a complete thought.
If you have a Saint Bernard.
Run-On/Fused
Sentence
Two or more complete sentences run together as one.
The United States has fifty states each one has a governor.
Comma Splice Two completed sentences joined together incorrectly with a
comma.
The United States has fifty states, each one has a governor.
Complete Sentence A group of words with a subject and verb that expresses a
complete thought and can stand alone.
If you have a Saint Bernard, you should have a large yard.
Active and Passive Voice
Active Voice The subject does the action.
Example:
The boy threw the ball.
Passive Voice The subject receives the
action.
Example:
The ball was thrown by the boy.
Recognizing Passive Voice:
To be verb (is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been,
being) + Past Participle (The past participle typically ends in "-ed." Some exceptions to the
"-ed" rule are words like paid and driven).
Examples:
The words were written.
The documents were requested.
The man was beaten.
Punctuation Rules
Semi-Colons
1. Connect two or more related sentences with semi-colons:
Mary ate toasted bad chicken; she got sick.
2. Simplify a series:
Ben likes big, green apples; smallish, sweet Florida oranges; and toasted, salted
almonds.
3. Use a semi-colon in front of a conjunctive adverb followed by a comma.
James Baldwin wrote many essays; however, he is probably more famous for his
novels.
Common conjunctive adverbs: however, consequently, therefore
Quotation Marks
1. Quotation marks are used for the titles of chapters in books, poems in books, articles in
magazines, episodes of a television show, or song titles from a CD.
My favorite poem is To An Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman..
2. Periods and commas go inside quotation marks.
3. Use quotation marks to set off direct quotations.
"When will you be here?" he asked.
4. Use quotation marks to indicate words used ironically, with reservations, or in some
unusual way.
The great march of "progress" has left millions impoverished and hungry.
Hypens
1. Use with two or more words acting as a single modifier for a noun.
He is an all-around athlete. The thirteen-year-old boy was too young to drive.
Dash
1. Serves as a strong comma.
The boys Jim, John, and Jeff left the party early.
Colon
1. Use to introduce series, lists, examples.
The Daily news contains four sections: news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.
2. Use between hour and minute and chapter and verse.
Genesis 1:18 5:30pm
3. Used to introduce long quotations.
Capitalization
1. Capitalize North, South, East, and West when contained in the name of a place, but not
when used for giving directions.
We are planning a trip to South America.
I am going to visit my friends in east Arkansas.
2. Capitalize names of specific events and periods of time in history, but do NOT capitalize
centuries.
I went to the National Council of Teachers of English Conference last week.
We studied the Middle Ages in history last week.
It was one of the greatest disasters of the twentieth century.
3. Do not capitalize seasons, but do capitalize holidays.
I love skiing in winter. I went skiing for Christmas.
4. Capitalize countries, languages, and nationalities.
This is an expensive French wine. Do you speak Russian? The Germans are
responsible for starting World War II.
5. Capitalize the first word in a quote.
The teacher said, Study tonight because my tests are hard!
6. Capitalize the first word in each line of poetry (unless you are e.e. cummings!)
7. Capitalize titles that come before names, but not after.
Principal Randy Rutherford made a statement to the press. Randy Rutherford is the
principal of Bryant High School.
Recognizing Clauses
Adjective Clause
1. It is a dependent clause that modifies a noun and can provide essential or non-essential
information.
Not essential examples:
The desk in the corner, which is covered in books, is mine.
The bank robber, who is from a neighboring town, got away with over $10,000.
Essential examples:
The package that arrived this morning is on the desk.
The person who robbed the bank is from a neighboring town.
2. Relative pronouns are used to introduce an adjective clause: who, whom, whose, which,
that, when, and where.
Adverb Clause
1. It is a dependent clause that answer the following questions: Where? When? Why? What
caused this? What was the reason for doing this? Why is this unexpected? Under what
conditions?
2. Adverb clause are introduced by subordinate coordinating conjunctions: after, before,
until, while, because, since, as, so that, in order that, if, unless, whether, though, although, even
though, where
Examples:
Wherever there are computers, there is Microsoft software.
I didn't call her because I'm shy.
Although Jay has a Master's degree, he works as a store clerk.
If you save your money, you will be able to go to college.
The examples answer the questions: Where? What caused this? Why is this unexpected?
Under what conditions?
Noun Clause
1. It is a dependent clause that can be used as a noun or pronoun.
2. The following words begin a noun clause: that, who, whomever, what, whoever, whatever,
whom, if, how, what, where, whether, whose, that, when, which.
Examples:
What you now see is a painting by Vincent Van Gogh.
Now I understand what must be done.
Mr. Jones is valuable for what he knows about history.
What you see is what you get.
3. The noun clause can act as the subject of the sentence, the direct object, the object of the
preposition, or a predicate noun.
Phrases
Prepositional Phrase
1. Begins with a preposition and ends with an object which is always a noun or pronoun.
2. Prepositional phrases begin with words like: to, around, under, over, like, as, at, in, on,
since, behind, for, with, outside, etc.
Examples:
Take your feet off the desk and put them on the floor.
3. Prepositional phrases are either adjective or adverb phrases. Adjective phrases answer
the questions: Which ones? And what kinds?
Example:
I met the woman in the red dress last week. (Which one?)
4. Adverb phrases are prepositional phrases that tell how, when, where, how much, and
why.
Example:
Will you please take me to school? (where)
Since you were late, you missed the lesson. (why?)
Infinitive Phrase
1. It is a verb form that usually begins with the word to and is used as a noun, adjective,
or an adverb. Often confused with prepositional phrases because of the word to, but an
infinitive does not have an object.
Examples:
I love to play field hockey. (Infinitive)
You should come to my next field hockey game. (prepositional phrase)
More Examples of infinitives:
to dance, to study, to become
Appositive Phrase and appositives
1. An appositive is a noun or pronoun that identifies or explains another noun or pronoun in
the sentence.
Examples:
My older sister, Sarah, works at the mall after school.
Sarah, my older sister, works at the mall after school.
2. Appositives and appositive phrases may or may not need commas. If an appositive
contains information that is necessary to understand the meaning of the sentence, no
commas are needed.
Example:
The popular US president John F Kennedy was known for his eloquent and
inspirational speeches. (essential)
John Kennedy, the popular US president, was known for his eloquent and inspirational
speeches. (not essential)
Participle Phrase
1. A verb form (past or present) functioning like an adjective.
2. Present participles end in ing
Example:
Swimming for his life, John was chased by the shark.
3. Past participles end in -n, -t, or en.
Blinded by the light, Sarah walked down the road.
4. When a participial phrase comes a the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma.
When it comes in the middle of a sentence, it only needs commas if the information is not
essential (like appositive phrases).
Example:
The child swimming in the lake is my younger brother. (essential)
My brother, swimming in the lake, turns seven next month. (not essential)
Gerund
1. It is a verb form that functions as a noun. Usually created by adding ing.
Example:
Walking in the moonlight is a romantic way to end a date.
2. Do not confuse ing participles with gerunds. Participles are adjectives and modify
nouns. Gerunds act like nouns and are essential to the sentence, so they do not require a
comma.
Example:
Finding a job was not going to be easy. (gerund)
Looking for a job, Sue spent the day filling out applications. (participle)
Principal Parts of a Verb
Principal Parts
1. Four parts: present, present participle, past, past participle
Example:
Present walk
Present Participle walking
Past walked
Past Participle (has, had, have) walked
2. Irregular verbs:
Present see
Present Participle am seeing
Past saw
Past Participle (has, had, have) seen
Confusing verbs
1. Lay means to put or to place.
Present lay
Present Participle laying
Past laid
Past Participle (has, had, have) laid
Example:
Will you lay that package on the table for me?
Those books have been laying on your floor for a month!
2. Lie means to rest or to recline or to remain in a lying position
Example:
When I get home, I am going to lie down on the couch.
My children had lain down on the floor to watch the tv when the phone rang.
Verb Tense Consistency
1. Do not shift from one tense to another if the time frame for each action or state is the
same.
Example:
Incorrect:
I got home late and Mom fusses at me for not calling to let her know where I will be.
past tense, present tense, future tense
Correct:
I got home late and Mom fussed at me for not calling to let her know where I had been.
Past tense, past tense, past perfect tense
Who/Whom
1. Use the he/him method to decide which word is correct
he = who
him = whom
Example Who/Whom wrote the letter?
He wrote the letter. OR Him wrote the letter. So Who is correct.
Example For who/whom should I vote?
Should I vote for he? OR Should I vote for him? So Whom is correct.
Predicate Adjective
An adjective that follows a linking verb and tells us something about the subject.
Example Elizabeth is beautiful.
Predicate nominative
Noun that follows a linking verb and tells us what the subject is
Example Dr. Varner is the acting president of the university.
Direct object and object complement
Direct object receives the action of the sentence, and the object complement renames or
describes the direct object.
Example They named their daughter Mary.
Daughter is the direct object because it receives the action.
Mary is the object complement because it renames daughter.
Indirect object
Identifies to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed.
Example - The teacher gave his students A's.
The indirect object is students and the direct object is As.

Grammar Cheat Sheet - KEEP IN NOTEBOOK Identifying Parts of Speech Noun Verb

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Grammar Cheat Sheet KEEP IN NOTEBOOK

Identifying Parts of Speech

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