Parts of Speech
This part of speech serves as the core "actor" or "target" in a sentence, naming a person, place, thing, or abstract ideas
What is a noun?
This essential sentence core element tells you who or what is performing the primary action.
What is the subject? or What is a simple subject?
This structural building block is a group of words that lacks either a subject, a predicate, or both.
What is a phrase?
This type of clause expresses a complete thought, can stand completely alone as a sentence, and acts as your main baseline.
What is an independent clause?
This type of sentence consists of exactly one independent clause packed with modifiers, proving that length does not equal complexity.
What is a simple sentence?
In the sentence "Ponyboy looked ahead," this word is the past-tense action verb.
What is looked?
This part of a sentence is the action or state of being of the subject, always filled by a verb.
What is the predicate?
This group of words contains both a subject and a predicate, acting as the baseline unit of syntax.
What is a clause?
This type of clause starts with a subordinating conjunction, leaving the reader hanging without a complete thought.
What is a dependent clause (or subordinate clause)?
This type of sentence joins two equal independent clauses using a comma and a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon.
What is a compound sentence?
These words act as "describers," hanging directly off of nouns on a diagram baseline to add details.
What are adjectives?
To find this structural target, you state the subject and action verb, and then ask the question "What?" or "Who?"
What is a direct object?
In the phrase "through his mind," the structural unit is classified as this type of modifying package.
What is a prepositional phrase?
Acronyms like FANBOYS represent this specific type of conjunction used to join two equal independent clauses.
What are coordinating conjunctions?
This type of sentence is engineered by connecting exactly one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
What is a complex sentence?
This specific class of words steps into the exact same structural roles as a noun to lower redundancy and keep writing from sounding repetitive.
What is a pronoun?
This item acts like an equal sign (=), using a slanted diagram line (\) to point description back to a subject after a linking verb.
What is a subject complement (or predicate noun/adjective)?
The phrase "Sitting at his desk" is this specific type of PSSA target verbal phrase acting as a modifier.
What is a participial phrase?
Acronyms like AAAWWUBBIS represent this type of conjunction used to create a dependent clause.
What are subordinating conjunctions?
This highly advanced structural choice requires a writer to manage at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
What is a compound-complex sentence?
In a TDA essay, words like "however," "furthermore," and "consequently" are this specific class of adverbs used to glue sentences together.
What are conjunctive adverbs?
In the baseline string "Jonas gave the community an explanation," this structural job is held by the word community
What is an indirect object?
This specific error occurs when a modifier package is placed incorrectly, making it sound like it modifies the wrong noun.
What is a misplaced modifier?
In the sentence "Because the evidence was clear, the author made a strong claim," this specific group of words is the dependent clause.
What is "Because the evidence was clear"?
This is the exact structural classification of the following sentence: "Jonas left the community, and he fled into the wilderness because he wanted to save Gabe."
What is a compound-complex sentence?