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Reference: Using writing tools

Grammatik uses the following notations to identify parts of speech or parts of a sentence.

Notation in Grammatik

Grammatical term

third-person present verb

The following sentences use the third-person present-tense verb form:

"She brushes her hair."

"Does it sing?"

Punctuation clarifies the meaning of a phrase or statement. Examples:

question mark (?)

An abbreviation is a shortened version of a word. For example, "etc." is an abbreviation of "etcetera."

An adjective modifies a noun. Example: a "good" book.

An adverb modifies a verb or an adjective. Examples:

a "very" good book

An auxiliary verb is a form of "be," "have," or "do." Examples:

A base verb is the form of a verb that comes after "to" in an infinitive, or after a modal (such as "would").

comparative/superlative

The comparative and superlative forms of adjectives or adverbs indicate a degree of comparison. Examples:

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. Examples:

the book "and" the pen

I want to leave "because" it is late.

A determiner is a type of adjective. Examples:

A direct object receives the action. Example: Bob opened "the box."

An interjection is an exclamation. Examples:

indirect object

indirect object

An indirect object tells "to whom" or "for whom" the action of the sentence occurs. Examples:

Bob gave "her" an apple.

I sent "him" a postcard.

split infinitive

A split infinitive is a verb in its infinitive form (to be, to run) that is split by intervening modifiers. For example, in the split infinitive "to boldly go," the adverb "boldly" splits the infinitive "to go."

A main clause is complete in meaning without any other sentence component. Examples:

Let’s have the picnic today unless it rains. (Main clause: "Let’s have the picnic today")

When not in school, children play. (Main clause: "children play")

A modal is a type of auxiliary verb. Examples:

A number expresses a quantity. Examples:

phrasal preposition

A phrasal preposition is a preposition that belongs to, but is separated from, a verb phrase. Example: put the book "down."

A plural noun is the plural form of a noun. Examples:

possessive noun

A possessive noun shows ownership. It is used as an adjective to modify another noun. Examples:

"students’" cars

past participle

A past participle is a past-tense verb form. Example: The note was "written" in ink.

prepositional phrase

A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and its object, plus any modifiers. Prepositional phrases function as adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. Example: We came back "for the second show."

present participle

A present participle is a verb form that can function as part of a verb phrase or as an adjective. It is usually created by adding "ing" to the base verb. Examples:

He is "writing" a book.

She is "going" to bed.

The lawyers presented "closing" arguments.

A pronoun takes the place of a noun. Examples:

The past tense expresses actions that have already occurred. Examples:

He "wrote" the book.

We "went" to the store.

relative clause

relative clause

A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that acts like an adjective, describing the noun or pronoun that precedes it. A relative clause usually begins with a relative pronoun, such as "who," "whom," or "what." Example: The employees "who worked diligently" were rewarded.

relative pronoun

A relative pronoun introduces a subordinate clause and links it with an independent clause. Examples: The noise "that" scared you was made by the boy "who" lives next door.

A singular noun is the name of one person, place, thing, or idea. Examples:

The subject of a clause performs an action. A subject can be one word or several. Examples:

"The cats" meowed.

"All the children and their mothers" took naps.

subordinate clause

subordinate clause

A subordinate clause, which is also called a dependent clause cannot stand alone. It depends on another clause to complete its meaning. Example: We will have the meeting today, "because everyone is here."

A that-clause is a specialized subordinate clause starting with "that." Example: We were sure "that you would pay us."

verb or verb phrase

verb or verb phrase

A verb or verb phrase shows action. Verbs can contain one word or several words, but Grammatik uses "verb phrase" when the verb consists of more than one word. Examples:

A wh-clause is a specialized subordinate clause starting with "when," "how," "why," or "where." A wh-clause can serve as a noun, an adverb, or an adjective. Examples:

We knew "where she would go."

I will tell you "when I go."

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