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Conjunctions:
What is a Conjunction?
In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, phrases or clauses
together. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what
constitutes a "conjunction" should be defined for each language. In general, a conjunction
is an invariable grammatical particle, and it may or may not stand between the items it
conjoins.
The definition can also be extended to idiomatic phrases that behave as a unit with the
same function as a single-word conjunction (as well as, provided that, etc.).
You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following
example:
Coordinating conjunctions are conjunctions which connect two equal parts of a sentence.
The most common ones are and, or, but, and so which are used in the following ways:
and is used to join or add words together in the sentence They ate and drank,
or is used to show choice or possibilities as in the sentence “He will be here on Monday
or Tuesday”.
but is used to show opposite or conflicting ideas as in the sentence She is small but
strong.
Subordinating conjunctions connect two parts of a sentence that are not equal. For now,
you should know some of the more common subordinating conjunctions such as:
Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together. In the sentence
Both Jan and Meg are good swimmers, both . . .and are correlative conjunctions. The
most common correlative conjunctions are:
both . . .and
either . . . or
neither . . . nor
not only . . . but also
More on conjunctions here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_conjunction
http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/conjunct.html
http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/POS/pos8.htm
Being able to identify the subject and predicate of a sentence makes it so much easier to
construct grammatically correct sentences in English.
Every complete sentence contains two parts: a subject and a predicate. The subject is
what (or whom) the sentence is about, while the predicate tells something about the
subject. In the following sentences, the predicate is enclosed in braces ({}), while the
subject is highlighted.
Judy {runs}.
Judy and her dog {run on the beach every morning}.
To determine the subject of a sentence, first isolate the verb and then make a question by
placing "who?" or "what?" before it -- the answer is the subject.
The audience littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.
The verb in the above sentence is "littered." Who or what littered? The audience did.
"The audience" is the subject of the sentence. The predicate (which always includes the
verb) goes on to relate something about the subject: what about the audience? It "littered
the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn."
Every subject is built around one noun or pronoun (or more) that, when stripped of all the
words that modify it, is known as the simple subject. Consider the following example:
The subject is built around the noun "piece," with the other words of the subject -- "a"
and "of pepperoni pizza" -- modifying the noun. "Piece" is the simple subject.
See: http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/subjpred.html#subject
Subject Verb Agreement: Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need
plural verbs. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular
and, therefore, require singular verbs.
On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or
plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless
something else in the sentence determines its number. (Writers generally think of none as
meaning not any and will choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are working,"
but when something else makes us regard none as meaning not one, we want a singular
verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")
See: http://classroom.jc-schools.net/la/activities/verb-subjagree_files/v3_document.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/sv_agr.htm
3. Prepositions
A preposition is a word which shows relationships among other words in the sentence.
The relationships include direction, place, time, cause, manner and amount. In the
sentence “She went to the store”, to is a preposition which shows direction. In the
sentence “He came by bus”, by is a preposition which shows manner. In the sentence
“They will be here at three o'clock”, at is a preposition which shows time and in the
sentence “It is under the table”, under is a preposition which shows place.
A preposition always goes with a noun or pronoun which is called the object of the
preposition. The preposition is almost always before the noun or pronoun and that is why
it is called a preposition. The preposition and the object of the preposition together are
called a prepositional phrase. The following chart shows the prepositions, objects of the
preposition, and prepositional phrases of the sentences above
See http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/POS/pos7.htm
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word
or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.
A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to
the rest of the sentence as in the following examples:
The book is on the table.
The book is beneath the table.
The book is leaning against the table.
The book is beside the table.
She held the book over the table.
She read the book during class.
A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated
adjectives or adverbs. A prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an
adverb. The most common prepositions in English are "about," "above," "across," "after,"
"against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath,"
"beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for,"
"from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside,"
"over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under,"
"underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."
See http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/preposit.html
4. Tense
The English Tense System
The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses. In each lesson we look at
two aspects of the tense:
Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check
your understanding.
Present Tense
I do, do, I do
Future Tense
I will do
See: http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html