Grammar Basics
What is a noun?
A person, place, thing, or idea.
What part of speech describes a noun?
An Adjective
What is a simple sentence?
A sentence that has one independent clause.
What punctuation mark ends a declarative sentence?
A period.
What is a run-on sentence?
A sentence that incorrectly combines two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation.
Name one rule for using commas in a series.
Use commas to separate items in a list of three or more.
What is an adverb?
A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
Define a compound sentence.
A sentence that has at least two independent clauses joined by a conjunction.
When would you use a comma before "and"?
When it connects two independent clauses.
What is subject-verb agreement?
The subject and verb must agree in number (singular or plural).
What is a verb?
A word that expresses an action or state of being.
Give an example of a preposition.
In, on, at, between, etc.
What is a complex sentence?
A sentence that has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
What punctuation is used to show possession?
An apostrophe.
Give an example of a commonly confused homophone pair.
"Their" and "there."
Identify the subject in the sentence: "The dog barks loudly."
The dog.
What is a pronoun?
A word that takes the place of a noun.
Identify the dependent clause in the sentence: "Although it was raining, we went outside."
Although it was raining.
How do quotation marks function in a sentence?
They indicate that someone is speaking.
What is a fragment?
An incomplete sentence that lacks a subject or a verb.
What are conjunctions used for?
To connect words, phrases, or clauses.
How do interjections function in a sentence?
They express strong emotions or sudden bursts of feeling.
What is the purpose of using varied sentence structure?
To make writing more interesting and engaging.
What is the purpose of a semicolon?
To connect closely related independent clauses.
How can you avoid dangling modifiers?
By ensuring the modifier is placed next to the word it describes.