WebQuestA

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Absolute phrase a group of words modifying an entire sentence rather than a specific word of the sentence
Abstract nouns
note things that are unperceivable through the sentences (e.g., Government, compassion)

Active Voice

 express an idea in which the subject of the verb is the performer of the action
Adjective Clauses subordinate clauses--functioning as adjectives within a sentence; including a group of a subject and predicate
Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns
Adverb Clauses subordinate clauses containing subjects and predicates that function in sentences as adverbs
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, verbals, sentences--typically answering where, when, how; often ending in -ly
Agreement correspondence: between subjects and verbs and person, number; between pronouns and antecedents and number, gender
Antecedents words to which pronouns refer
Appositives nouns, noun phrases, or adjectives immediately following nouns or noun-like elements 
Articles definite (e.g., the) or indefinite (e.g., a, an)
Auxiliary helping verbs (e.g., been, could, had, might, shall, may) that accompany basic verbs, present, and past participles to form verb phrases

Basic Verb forms 

 basic verb forms are unaccompanied by auxiliary or modal verb forms (note infinitive forms of all)
Cardinal numbers numbers used as modifiers (i.e., adjectives); e.g., answering the question, "How many?"
Case pronoun classifications that note their function as subjects, objects, or possession 
Clauses groups of words including subjects and predicates (distinguish dependent and independent clauses)
Collective nouns words identifying an entire group (e.g., faculty, family, class, community, congregation) 
Comma splice a type of run-on sentence, two independent clauses (i.e., separate sentences) being incorrectly linked by a comma
Common nouns nouns that are not proper nouns and that name any, some, or all members of groups
Comparative form an adjective or adverb expressing greater quality of one person or thing to another (e.g., greater, more steadfastly)
Complement a word or phrase completing the meaning of another word; sentences may include subject or object complements (e.g., chairperson; power-cord; He found his cat to be his best friend)
Complete subjects include not only the simple subject but all their modifying words (e.g., notebook paper)
Complex sentence sentence including an independent and one or more dependent clauses
Compound adjective of any part of speech, a group of two or more words of a unit describing one noun or pronoun (A compound adjective appearing before the word it modifies is usually hyphenated--e.g., strawberry-banana shortcake)
Compound noun two or more words forming a new word or phrase that function as a single noun (e.g., power cord)
Compound prepositions phrases composed of prepositions and other words; functioning as other prepositions so as to connect nouns, pronouns, and noun-like elements to words of other sentences with which they share a relationship (e.g., instead of, except for, according to, in case of, in addition, regardless of, in front of, in behalf of)  
Compound sentence two independent clauses (i.e., sentences) joined by a coordinating conjunction
Compound subject more than one word, phrase, or clause working together as subjects of a single verb
Compound-complex sentence two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause that form a sentence
Concrete nouns naming that which is perceivable through the senses (e.g., desk, wall, scroll) 
Conditional verb forms auxiliary verbs would and could; describing that which would be true in visionary situations (e.g., He would be happy to visit Connecticut; they could at last fathom the infinite seas) 
Conjunctions (1) coordinating, (2) correlative, (3) subordinating conjunctions connect other words, phrases, and clauses 
Conjunctive adverb a word indicating a relationship between ideas but that does not connect one independent clause to another to form a complete sentence (e.g., henceforth, however, therefore, meanwhile)
Contraction the combination of two words (one word typically a pronoun) including an apostrophe that marks the position of one or more omitted letters (e.g., it's, can't, shouldn't)
Coordinate adjectives two or more simultaneously occurring adjectives that describe the same word and that can be reversed without an awkward effect (e.g., intriguing superficial substance)
Coordinating conjunctions words connecting other words, phrases, and clauses with similar importance (e.g., and, but, or, nor, yet, for, so)
Correlative conjunctions linking words, phrases, and clauses as paired linked words (e.g., neither...nor, either...or, not only...but also, both...and, whether...or)
Count nouns theoretically, words identifying countable things (e.g., penny, donut, house, year, age, cane)
Dangling participial phrase a participial phrase modifying a word that does not appear in the same sentence as the participial phrase (e.g., Pacing her steps homeward, the dock again appeared--Pacing her steps homeward, she saw the dock again appear.)
Declarative sentence sentences that form statements
Definite article the
Demonstrative pronoun pointing out people and things: this, that, these, those
Dependent clauses unable to stand alone as sentences, these groups of words contain subjects and predicates
Direct object identifying the person, thing, or idea that is directly acted upon by the action expressed by a verb
Double negative usage of two negative words when one is redundant (e.g., They haven't been paid no money)--a double negative may imply no negative at all
Exclamatory Sentence expressing emotions and resolving with an exclamation mark
Feminine gender classification of pronouns and a few nouns that refer only to females (the usage of she to refer to female animals or objects such as a nation or ship may fluctuate by community or dialect)
Finite Verb any verb functioning as the main verb of a sentence
Fused Sentence a type of run-on sentence--two sentences that are not punctuated; consequently, they are incorrectly joined  
Future Tense a verb form that describes a condition or action that will occur after the time that it is described (e.g., will be reading)
Gender the classification of pronouns and some nouns 
Gerunds verb forms ending in -ing which are used as nouns
Imperative mood, sentence the manner of expressing action of a verb that is implemented to effect commands, requests; sentences that  order or command (Knock down that piņata.)
Indefinite articles a and an
Indefinite pronouns referring to unspecified people or things, these pronouns end in -thing, -one, and -body
Independent clauses groups of words consisting of subjects and predicates, and that can function alone as sentences
Indicative mood the manner of common sentences that express the action of a verb used to state facts or ask questions
Indirect objects objects of verbs that can be changed into phrases beginning with the prepositions to and for when their place is exchanged with the direct object
Infinitive  the basic form of a verb preceded by the word to (e.g. to review, to encounter, to foreshadow)
Intensive pronouns of identical form as reflexive pronouns, they intensify or emphasize a noun or pronoun in the same sentence, referring back to the pronoun that they complement (e.g., They retrieved the satellite themselves.)
Interjections of a class of words expressing emotions and that are unrelated grammatically to the sentences in which they appear (e.g., oh, hey, woe)
Interrogative pronouns pronouns that assist in the formation of a question (Who aroused the media's attention?) That, a relative but not interrogative pronoun, is not like all other relative and interrogative pronouns which are identical in form.  
Interrogative sentences sentences that pose questions
Intransitive verbs verbs that describe actions but that require no direct object or complement
Irregular verbs following no standard verb pattern of conjugation or inflection, these verbs are frequently memorized  (sang, sung, thought)
Linking verbs describing conditions rather than actions; the "to be" forms (i.e., am, is, are) are not followed by objects but by subject complements--words, phrases, or clauses--that rename or describe subjects (He's short-winded.)
Main verb describes an action or condition with reference to a specific subject
Masculine gender the classification of pronouns and some nouns that refer exclusively to males
Mass nouns words  that identify things that are uncountable (e.g., sand, affection, electrons, neutrons, protons)
Modal auxiliaries auxiliary verbs (can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, and would, e.g.) that accompany basic forms of other verbs to express writer attitudes toward their writing
Modifiers describing or limiting words through specificity, adjectives and adverbs as well as phrases formed thereby
Mood verbs that are used to indicate an individual's attitude toward that which he/she is speaking or writing
Negatives words compelling "a lack of" (e.g., no, not, neither, nor, never, none, no one, nothing, barely, hardly, and scarcely)
Neuter classification of a word that specifies no gender
Nonrestrictive clauses groups of words consisting of subjects and predicates that provide details about the words that they modify, details that are not essential to identify--these clauses are separated from the main sentence by commas
Noun clauses subordinate clauses functioning as nouns, they are evident in sentences as subjects, objects, and complements
Noun phrases groups of words functioning in sentences as a single noun and that contain no verbs; common noun phrases include a noun and its modifiers
Nouns including both proper and common names, people, places, objects, and abstract ideas
Number classification of words according to the number of their reference (Do they refer to one or more person or thing?)
Object case the class of pronouns that may be used as objects of verbs or prepositions (e.g., us)
Object complements words (nouns or adjectives) following direct objects and providing additional information that identifies them,  (e.g., The people elected the President their leader.)
Objects of prepositions the nouns, pronouns, or noun-like word or words that complete a prepositional phrase
Ordinal numbers Numbers functioning as adjectives that refer to the numbered place within a series (e.g., fourth, first, second) 
Parallel items in a list or in a pair that are similar or the very same in grammatical form (He's asked about bleeding and dying)
Parts of speech categories into which words are divided according to their functions within a sentence: nouns, articles, pronouns, verbs, verbals, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections
Passive voice a way of expressing an idea in which the target or agent of the action is the subject of the verb (e.g., The nation was hit quite hard by the hurricane.)
Past participles verb forms succeed the auxiliary have in verb phrases such as have fulfilled; regular verb conjugations include past participles and past  tense forms that are identical (basic forms plus the -d or -ed ending)--they function as parts of verb phrases or adjectives within sentences
Past tense a verb form describing an action or condition that precedes the time through which it is referred; indicating the past tense by adding -ed, it is the basic form for all persons and both numbers
Perfect tenses verb forms describing how events of the present, past, or future continue to be relevant at a later  time; also used to describe events that began in the past and continue into the present: (Satellites have been orbiting this planet since I was young.) Past perfect: The meteorite had already fallen in the desert when the laborer found it.  Future perfect: It will have reappeared by early morning.
Person the distinction between speaker (first person), the person or people spoken to (second person), and the person or people of reference (third person); most languages identify this: first, second, and third person
Personal pronouns pronouns referring to specific people or things, expressed through different forms to identify differences in person, number, gender, and case (e.g., I, our, her)
Phrases combinations of words belonging together because they express a single idea
Possessive case the class of nouns and pronouns showing possession (e.g., Danny's, the mothers',  ours)
Predicate including the verb and other words (objects, complements, and modifiers) that complete its meaning, this part of the sentence refers to the subject; the subject, predicate, and their components exclusively form each sentence. 
Predicate adjective an adjective that functions as a subject complement; describing the subject of a linking verb that the predicate adjective succeeds
Prepositional phrase the combination of a preposition, noun, pronoun or noun-like word(s) that follow it and any apparent modifiers
Prepositions words connecting nouns, pronouns, and noun-like word(s) to other words so as to indicate relationships
Present participles appearing as parts of verb phrases or as adjectives in sentences, these basic verb forms end in -ing (e.g., [was or were] pacing, racing, tracking, etc.)
Present tense describing a concurrent action; an action taking place at the same time during which it is described; also used to indicate a future time, to describe habitual actions, to tell general truths, to write about books, movies, and other narratives so as to tell vivid stories (e.g., tracks, reports, walks, writes, etc.)
Principal parts verb parts including the basic form, the past form, and the past participle; knowledge of these forms is essential to the creation of all other verb forms.
Progressive  a verb form that emphasizes an event being described and that is in progress; combining with auxiliary verbs be, have, and will, as well as the present participle (ending in -ing); e.g., am contemplating, was contemplating, will be contemplating, have been contemplating, had been contemplating, sill have  been contemplating
Pronouns Seven kinds: Personal (i.e., I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them), Reflexive (myself, herself, yourself, themselves), Relative (who, whose, whom, which, that), Possessive (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs), Interrogative (What? Who? Which? Whom? Whose?), Indefinite (all, any, none, some, each, everyone, anyone, nobody, something), Demonstrative (this, that, these, those)--words replacing nouns in sentences
Proper adjectives adjectives formed from proper nouns (e.g., Chinese, Spanish, American, etc.) that are commonly capitalized
Proper nouns naming specific members of a group, proper nouns are always capitalized (e.g., Californian, American, etc.)
Reciprocals include the pronouns each other and one another as they express mutual feelings or actions
Reflexive pronouns functioning as objects when subjects perform the action of verbs as they are also acted upon--simultaneously reflecting the subject, e.g., They helped themselves (themselves is a reflexive pronoun); may appear in prepositional phrases as they refer to people or things of earlier reference: The Bard wrote by himself.
Regular verbs all the forms being predictable through the basic known form; interrogate is a regular verb 
Relative clause a kind of dependent clause beginning with a relative pronouns (e.g., who, which or that), and that may function in a sentence as a noun or adjective
Relative pronoun incorporating one kind of dependent clause (a relative clause) into a sentence; relative pronouns include who, whom, whose, whoever, that, which, what, whatever, and whichever
Restrictive clauses clauses providing information required to identify the nouns or noun substitutes that they modify; they are not set off by commas from the sentences in which they are implemented
Run-on sentence two sentences incorrectly punctuated as a single sentence
Sentence the basic unit of grammar; each written sentence opens with a capital letter and closes with an end mark (i.e., a period, question mark); containing subjects (referring to someone or something) and predicates that refer tho their subjects--a sentence expresses a complete idea
Sentence fragment appearing to be a sentence that excludes a vital sentential element such as a main verb, a subject, or a subject and a verb; when a dependent (subordinate) clause stands alone, it also is known as a sentence fragment
Sequence of tenses referring to the time relationships between verbs that should reflect the order in which the events described by the verbs occurred
Simple sentence a sentence formed by a single independent clause
Simple subject the noun at the heart of a noun phrase that forms the subject of a sentence
Split infinitive an infinitive in which to and the basic form of the verb are divided by one or more words
Subject refers to a person, place, or thing; typically evident in the first part of a sentence; the subject is the answer to "Who?" or "What?"
Subject Case the class of pronouns that may be serve as subjects (e.g., I, we, she, he, it, they)
Subject complement a word or phrase following a linking verb and renaming or describing its subject--may be a noun, pronoun, or an adjective: e.g., The President was first a Senator. Senator is a subject complement.
Subjunctive mood the manner of expressing the action of a verb to indicate desires, requests, or suggestions; also indicating visionary or hypothetical conditions (also known as conditions contrary to fact); the present subjective verb remains in its basic form; the past subjunctive verb is identical to the past tense form. (e.g., If I were wealthy, I would live in Paris. [were is in the subjunctive mood]; I would live in Paris if I had the opportunity. [would is in the conditional form; had is in the subjunctive form]
Subordinate clauses dependent clauses joined to main (independent) clauses that mutually form complex sentences; subordinate pronouns begin subordinate clauses 
Subordinating conjunctions Connecting clauses and indicating that one of two clauses is more important than the other, they include after, because, if, since, unless, and while; they appear in the beginning or the middle of a sentence
Superlative form an adjective or adverb (e.g., grandest or most futilely) indicating that one person or thing represents more of some quality than two or more others
Tenses verb forms indicating actins that take place either in general or in relation to other actions; the present tense, the future tense, and the conditional tense are examples of tenses
Transitive verbs verbs requiring direct objects to complete their meanings
Verb phrases closely related groups of verb forms that function in sentences in the same manner as single verbs
Verbals derived from verbs, they are word(s) that function in sentences as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs--infinitives, gerunds, and participles
Verbs words identifying actions (physical and mental) and conditions
Voice

a way of expressing an idea that indicates whether a subject is acting or is acted upon

          Handouts that will benefit students: www.chompchomp.com

One would express gratitude to Professor Elene Sandorff and the late Charles Darling, PhD, for permitting our use of their web through Capital Community College; Hartford, Connecticut.

          Sources that are recommended toward expository skills:

                        Rosetta Stone Poem, Literature Review      

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