A Crash Course in

English Grammar
The Mrs. Denton Edition

The Eight Parts of

Speech

Noun
Pronoun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Interjection
Conjunction

The Noun
It is a person, place, thing, or idea
When it is proper, it is capitalized

The Pronoun
They are words that take the place of a
noun.
The noun they replace is called the
antecedent.
Jeremy brought his book to class.

Pronouns must agree with the antecedent

in number and gender.
For instance, you would not write: I like
Amber. He is a nice girl.

Types of Pronouns

Personal
Reflexive
Relative
Interrogative
Demonstrative
Indefinite

The Personal Pronoun

Refers to the one speaking (1st person), the one
spoken to (2nd person), and the one spoken about (3 rd
person)
1st person pronouns I, me, us, we, our, ours
2nd person pronouns- you, your, yours
3rd person pronouns- he, him, his, hers, it, its, they,
them, theirs
Example: I would like you to go with him.

Indefinite Pronoun
It is indefinite in number and gender. You do not
know who the antecedent specifically is.
They can be adjectives. If they are acting as
adjectives, you label them adjective instead of
pronoun.
Example:
Everyone can bring a treat to class tomorrow.
Will you bring each player a drink? (It is an adjective in
this sentence)

Demonstrative
Points out a person, a place, thing, or idea
(noun)
This, that, these, and those
Can also be adjectives if placed before a
noun. If they are adjectives, label them
adjective.
Example:
This is my favorite class.
I might bring this class a treat.

Reflexive
Refers to the subject and directs the
action of the verb back to the subject.
They can be first, second, or third person.
Examples:
I want to treat myself to a facial.
Juan likes to go by himself to the movies.

Relative
Introduces a subordinate clause (what is a
subordinate clause?)
That, which, who, whom, whose
Example:
I would like to go to the movie that starts at
10.
I read the book by the author who writes in
her pajamas.

Interrogative
Asks a question
Which? Whose? What? Whom?
Who?

The Verb
Action
Helping
Linking

The Helping Verb

What they look like

am, are, be, been, being, is, was, were

do, does, did
have, has, had
can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will,
would

What they do

They help the main verb

Linking Verb
They link the subject to something that either renames or
describes it.
They do not perform an action
Sense words (taste, smell, hear, look, etc) can be either linking
or action depending on what they are doing in the sentence.
Example:

The turkey tastes good. In this sentence, tastes is a linking

verb because it is not an action. The turkey is not tasting
something.

Action Verb
They show either physical (jump, run,
skip) or mental (dream, imagine,
think) action
Example: I tasted the turkey.

Action Verbs Can Be. . .

Transitive
Has a Direct Object
Example: I swam the marathon.

Intransitive
Does not have a Direct Object
Example: I swam well.

The Core Parts of the

Sentence

Subject
Simple Predicate
Direct Object
Indirect Object
Predicate Adjective
Predicate Nominative

What Is the Difference Between a

Part of Speech and a Part of the
Sentence?
A part of a sentence is a part of
speech that performs a specific role
in a sentence. For instance, a noun
can perform the role of a subject,
direct object, indirect object, or
predicate nominative.

Subjects
Location: At the beginning
Function: What the sentence is
about
Part of Speech: Nouns or Pronouns

Are All Nouns Subjects?

No!!!!! A noun can perform

many functions in a sentence, not

just the subject role.

Simple Predicate
Location: Usually after the subject
Function: What the subject is doing or
it connects the subject to something
that describes or renames it
Types: Linking and Action
Part of Speech: Verb

Practice
1. After the ballgame, Joe went to
the party.
2. When you set the table, you need to
be sure to include spoons.
3. Marsha likes to draw and paint.

Complements
What are they?
A word that comes after the verb and
completes either the meaning of the verb or
the subject
Two types
Subject complements that follow a linking verb and
complete the subject
Object complements that follow an action verb and
complete the verb

Object Complements
Follow ACTION VERBS!!!
Direct Objects follow an action verb and
answer whom? or what?
Indirect Objects come between an action
verb and a direct object and answer to
whom? to what? for whom? for what?
Ex. I sent Mrs. Richey an email.

Subject Complements
Follow LINKING VERBS!!
Predicate nominative Follows a linking verb
and RENAMES the subject
Ex. I am a teacher.

Predicate adjective Follows a linking verb

and DESCRIBES the subject
Ex. I am exhausted.

Practice
1. Sir Author Conan Doyle certainly gave readers
a wonderful gift when he created the character
of Sherlock Holmes.
2. Holmes is a master of the science of deduction.
3. He observes seemingly insignificant clues.
4. The Hound of the Baskervilles is an excellent
example of how Holmes solves a baffling
mystery.

The Phrase
What is it?
A group of related words
WITHOUT a subject and its verb
That acts as a part of speech

The Phrase
Prepositional
Verbal
Appositive

Prepositional Phrases
Role: Usually show location. They
add spice and specificity to
sentences.
Parts of speech: adjective or adverb

Adjective Prepositional
Phrases
Which one? Or What Kind?
Nouns or pronouns
Close to what they modify
Example: I want the book on the
bookshelf.

Adverbial Prepositional
Phrases
When? Where? How? To what
extent?
Adjective, Adverbs, Verbs
If it is at the beginning, it is adverb.
They can be anywhere, however.
Example: After the game, will you get
me some ice cream?

The Verbal Phrase

What is it?
A verb phrase that acts as a noun,
adjective, or adverb
There are two types we have learned
about:
Infinitive
Participial

The Participial Phrase

What is it?
A verbal phrase that begins with a
participle and acts like an adjective
Participles are either present (-ing) or
past (-ed) tense verbs
Example:
Running down the street, I tripped and fell.

Clues to help you find

participial phrases
Look for a verb that is not acting like the
predicate, that is not in the main part of
the sentence.
Look for COMMAS!!
Example:
I looked at the geese flying
overhead.
Cracking her gum, Arleta entered the
room.

The Infinitive Phrase

A verb phrase that begins with to that
acts like a noun, adjective, or adverb
Clue: Look for the to!
Trickyto can also start a prepositional
phrase.
Example:
To clean her room, Arleta had to
open the blinds.

Practice!! Find the verbals and label them

participial or infinitive
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

After school, I like to eat peanut butter

sandwiches.
During school, we hear the announcements read
by Coach Thames.
To be on time for school is an important skill.
Using a projector, we determined the degree of
the angle.
The final bell, ringing at 3:05, marks the end of
the school day.

The Clause
What is it?
A group of related words
WITH a subject and its verb
That acts like a part of speech

Two Main Types of

Clauses
The Independent Clause

Subject, verb, complete thought

Also known as a sentence
Example: I ate sushi.

The Subordinate Clause

Restrictive

Clue word: that

Example: I like that shirt you are wearing.

Nonrestrictive

Clue word: which

Example: The caterpillar, which will turn into a
butterfly soon, curled into a ball upon the leaf.

The Appositive
What is it?
A noun or noun phrase that follows
another noun or noun phrase and
renames it.

The Sentence

Types

Simple

One independent clause

Example: I like meat

Compound

Two or more independent clauses combined with

, conjunction
;
; subordinating conjunction,

Example: I like meat, but I will also eat ice cream.

Complex

An independent clause that contains a subordinate clause

Example: When I go to the store, I always buy cheese.

Compound-complex

Two or more joined independent clauses, at least one of which has a subordinate clause.
Example: When I go to the store, I always buy cheese, and I also try to get ground
meat.