Grammar Glossary
Adjective | A word or phrase which is added or linked to a noun to modify it. It may come before or after the noun: the red dress / the dress was red. There are different sorts of adjective.
number – six, three, hundreds |
Adverb |
A word or phrase which describes or modifies a verb. There are different sorts of adverb. manner – happily, lazily, angrily, slowly |
Clause | Distinct part of a sentence including a verb. There are different types.
main - the main clause makes sense on its own. E.g. I’ll phone you when I have some news. |
Conjunction | A word used to link sentences or clauses. There are different types.
cause – because, therefore |
Contraction | Words which are shortened. E.g. Do not – don’t, should have – should’ve. |
Embedding |
Placing a clause within a sentence rather than adding a conjunction. |
Imperative | A sentence which requests action. The verb is at the beginning of the sentence. E.g. Get me a drink. |
Metaphor | Where the writer writes about something as if it were really something else. E.g. She has the heart of a lion. His belt was a snake curling round his waist. |
Noun |
A word that names a thing or a feeling. They can be singular and plural. There are four main types of noun. proper – a specifically named place or person – John, London common – non-specific – man, dog, shop collective – a group – flock, crowd, army abstract – a concept or idea – love, justice, sympathy |
Person | A text may be written in the first person – I said, I am the second person – you said, you are the third person – she said, they are |
Phrase |
Two or more words which act as one unit. noun – the dog, a black catverb – he ran slowly, she has been talking for ages adverbial – expands the verb telling the reader how, when or where – I will be home as soon as possible, she lives along the lane. adjectival – a phrase used as an adjective – the girl with the long hair lives near us. |
Preposition | A word describing the relationship between two nouns, two pronouns or a noun and a pronoun.The cat sat on the mat.They dived into the water.Underneath the bed a spider crawled. |
Pronoun |
A word used instead of a noun. This helps improve writing by reducing repetition. E.g. Peter is a good reader. Peter reads each day. becomes Peter is a good reader. He reads each day. There are different types of pronoun. demonstrative – that, these, this, those indefinite – any, some, each, many interrogative – who, whose, which, what personal – I, me, we us reflexive – myself, himself, itself reciprocal – each other, one another |
Simile | Comparing the subject to something else. E.g. She sings like a bird. John is as strong as an ox. |
Verb |
A word or group of words which name an action or a state of being. Verbs may be in different tenses. past – I ate, I have eaten present – I am eating, I eat future – I will be eating Verbs can be active or passive. Active – The dog bit Ben. Passive – Ben was bitten by the dog. |
Voice |
This refers to how the writer develops the relationship between the subject of the writing and the actions. active voice – the writer uses active verbs to make it clear who carries out particular actions, E.g. I decided that… passive – the writer does not specify who carries out particular actions. E.g. It was decided that… |