Sentence structure
The leader of the sentence; the word that commits the action.
Subject
Fix this sentence: Baking in the kitchen I am in desperate need of water.
Baking in the kitchen, I am in desperate need of water.
The punctuation we use to separate items in a list.
A clause that can stand alone as a complete clause.
Independent clause
Which one is more precise: I made many pastries today VS I made 12 croissants this afternoon
I made 12 croissants this afternoon
Tells us what the subject is doing or is.
Predicate
Fix this sentence: I am studying I can't play with you.
I am studying; I can't play with you / I am studying, so I can't play with you.
Need to add an "s" to the end of its verb. If the verb ends in "y", the remove the "y" and replace with "i" + "es".
Third person singular nouns
A clause that CANNOT stand alone and is incomplete.
Dependent clause
Use commas to separate two or more ______ that independently modify the same noun.
Adjectives
The receiver of the actions from the subject.
Object
Fix this sentence: I ran quickly and my dog followed me.
I ran quickly, and my dog followed me.
Can be used in possessives and contractions.
Apostrophe
The name of the noun that a pronoun substitutes.
Antecedent
***DAILY DOUBLE: how many English questions are there on the SHSAT?
57
A complete sentence must have these TWO components.
Subject + Verb
Fix this sentence: My mom and I went grocery shopping; so I bought an expensive pair of shoes.
My mom and I went grocery shopping, so I bought an expensive pair of shoes.
This makes a clause inferior and reliant (aka dependent...).
Subordinating conjunctions
Relative clause that gives information ESSENTIAL to help the understanding of the noun in the sentence.
Restrictive relative clause
A phrase or clause placed awkwardly in a sentence so that it appears to modify or refer to an unintended word (ex: the OLD student's book VS the student's OLD book).
Misplaced modifier
Even if the sentence is complete in its structure, it is still incomplete if it lacks:
A complete idea
Fix this sentence: I hate this book, therefore I stopped reading.
I hate this book, so I stopped reading.
Used to combine words, phrases, or clauses.
Coordinating conjunctions
Relative clause that gives information NONESSENTIAL to help the understanding of the noun in the sentence.
Nonrestrictive relative clause
A phrase or clause not clearly or logically being placed next to the word it modifies (ex: Having finished dinner, the plate was emptied).
Dangling modifier