The Grammar and Punctuation Glossary

Acronym - abbreviations formed from a name or phrase. Sometimes the abbreviation can form a word in itself. For example, BASIC refers to Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.

Adjective - a word whose main role is to modify a noun or pronoun, giving more detail information about the noun or pronoun. For example, "The big dog ran down the street." The word big is the adjective describing dog.

Adverb - any word used to modify any part of language other than the noun. Adverbs usually answers questions such as how? when? or where?

Antonym - any word meaning the opposite of another word. For example, soft is the antonym for hard.

Apostrophe - a punctuation mark used to mark the omission in one or more letters or assist in possessives in pronouns or nouns.

Colon - punctuation mark used when joining two independent clauses without a conjunction.

Comma - punctuation mark used to separate a dependent clause from the independent clause.

Compound Sentence - two independent clauses joined together to form one sentence.

Conjunction - a word that joins two parts of a sentence. For example, words such as and, but, nor, for, or would be used in a sentence to join another idea.

Conjunctive Adverb - word or words that connects two clauses. They show cause and effect. Their typical use is to provide transitions from one idea to another.

Declarative Sentence - a statement that ends in a period or exclamation point that states an idea. It does not ask a question nor gives a command.                

Direct Object - noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb or provides action.

Direct Quotation - statement from another individual or source usually used to support facts relating to a given topic.

Ellipsis - a series of marks, typically three periods in a row, used to indicate a pause in a speech, thought, or at the end of a sentence.

Exclamation - an interjection or act of exclaiming when used as a noun.

Exclamation Point - punctuation mark that indicates strong feelings or intended to show astonishment.

Fragment - incomplete or unfinished part of a sentence that never finishes the thought or idea of the sentence.

Homograph - a word that is spelled the same as another word but differs in meaning and sometimes punctuation.

Homophone - words that sound alike but have completely different meanings.

Hyphen - punctuation mark used to join words and also separate syllables which spaces should not be between the words or the hyphen except when using a suspended hyphen.

Indent - to cut or notch. To set in from a margin. Usually this relates to the first sentence in a given paragraph.

Linking Verb - word that connects the subject of the verb to other information about the subject and they do not express action.

Negative - word that can be used as an adjective, noun, verb or adverb. Usually meaning to deny or indicate denial.      

Noun - word used to name a person, place, thing or abstract idea.

Paragraph - two or more sentences dealing with a particular idea or subject.

Period - punctuation mark placed at the end of a sentence statement after giving a complete thought of the subject or idea.

Phrase - group of words operating as one in a given sentence to complete an idea.

Plural Noun - nouns that express more than one person, place, thing or abstract idea.

Possessive Noun - these words show possession. They are nouns used as adjectives to modify a noun or pronoun.

Predicate - one of two main parts of a sentence which modifies the subject.

Preposition - words used to connect nouns, phrases, and pronouns in a given sentence.

Pronoun - word used to replace a noun or pronoun. For example, the name Michael could be converted to "he."

Proper Noun - noun that is the name of a specific object, place, or individual.

Question Mark - also known as an interrogation point is a punctuation mark that comes at the end of an interrogative sentence that replaces the period mark.

Quotation Mark - punctuation marks used in pairs to set off a phrase or a word.

Run-On Sentence - sentence where two or more independent clauses are joined together without proper ending punctuation.                   

Semicolon - punctuation mark used to connect two independent clauses into one sentence.

Sentence - words grouped together to express a statement, question, exclamation, request or command that completes an idea.                     

Subject - one of two main constituents of a clause which the other constituent is the predicate. Usually the subject is a noun that comes in the beginning of a sentence. 

Synonym - word having nearly the same meaning as another word or words.

Tense - words that express the mood or voice and also expresses the time at which a verb occurs.

Verb - word that usually states action or state of being in a given sentence.