Grammar Test Reviewto be used with

Study Guide Worksheet

ebrazele@echs.orgTutorial schedule: Mondays at ECHS

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at Heritage K8, room 5 (building 1875)

Topic One: Sentence types

There are four types of sentences in the English language.

They are:

Declarative: A statement which always ends with a period.

Interrogative: A question, which always ends with a question mark.

Imperative: A command or request, which may end with either a period or an exclamation mark.

Exclamatory: Expresses strong feeling. Always ends with an exclamation mark.

Sentence Type Examples

Declarative

Many of the examples in the grammar book come from Johnny Tremain.

The Liberty Bell is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

We will take a grammar test next week.

Hector told his brother to bring him a pencil.

Notice that declarative sentences always end with a period. They are a simple statement, and do not express strong emotion. They can be any length, and about any topic.

Sentence Type Example

Interrogative

Is Johnny Tremain your favorite book?

Did you take out the trash yet?

What is your favorite color?

Notice that interrogative sentences are always questions. They always end with a question mark.

Remember, if a witness is being interrogated by the police, they are being questioned. An interrogative is a question.

Sentence Examples

Imperative

Bring me a pencil.

Get out of here!

Please try harder.

Do not open that box!

Notice that imperative sentences are always a command or request. The subject of an imperative is the understood you. If you can not find the subject of a sentence like this, it is most likely an imperative.

For example, if the first sentence, “Bring me a pencil,” we know the predicate (action) is the word “bring”. The subject of the sentence is the person or thing performing the action. In this sentence, it is not clear who will be bringing the pencil. That is because the command is directed at you. You are the subject, even though it is not clearly stated. This is called the understood you. If you see a sentence where the understood you is the subject, it is an imperative.

Sentence Example

Exclamatory

I won the lottery!

The house is on fire!

That dog is salsa dancing!

Notice that exclamatory statements always end with an exclamation mark. They show strong emotion. They do not give a command or request.

Capitalization

Capital letters are needed for the following:

•The pronoun I •Proper names of people, places, or things (Proper nouns) - for example, Boston Harbor, Mr. Jones, Main Street, Regal Cinemas•The first word of a quotation (not a citation)•The first and last words of a title•All verbs in a title•Prepositions longer than five letters in a title•All nouns in a title

Simple Subject and Simple PredicateRemember, when asked to diagram simple subject and simple predicate, you must use the t-chart template as shown below.

Subject Predicate

If you fail to use this template, you will not receive credit for your work!

Subject: Who or what the sentence is about.

Predicate: The action taken by the subject (the verb).

When confused, look for the predicate first. The predicate is the action. Then decide who or what is performing that action. That will be your subject.

Remember, many sentences have direct objects in addition to subjects. Direct objects receive the action, while a subject performs the action.

Abstract and Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns: Name a person, place, or thing that you can touch, smell, hear, taste, or see. Remember, I could ask you to go outside and touch the concrete.

Abstract nouns: Name an idea or concept that can’t be touched, seen, smelled, heard, or tasted. Remember, I can’t ask you to touch the abstract.

Concrete Nouns Abstract Nouns

table joy

shoe Wednesday

student time

flower anger

air weekend

water Christmas

Cell phone belief

Fragments, run-ons, and complete sentences

Complete sentence: Complete sentences express a complete thought, and have both a subject and a predicate.

Fragment: A sentence fragment expresses an incomplete thought. It may be missing either the subject or the predicate. If the sentence can’t be broken into two smaller sentences (each with its own subject and predicate), it is a fragment.

Run – On: A run on sentence expresses two or more thoughts, and lacks the appropriate linking words or punctuation. If a sentence could be broken into two smaller sentences (and each of those sentences must have their own subject and predicate), then it is a run-on.

Important reminder!!!!

When asked to “make a complete sentence from a fragment”, you MUST write out the entire sentence. You will NOT receive credit for writing a few words accompanied by ellipses.

For example, if the fragment is, “Trying to make homemade pizza,” your response should be something like, “I am trying to make homemade pizza.” I will not accept answers such as, “I am…”. You need to demonstrate your ability to write a full, grammatically correct sentence.

The present tense refers to an action which is happening right now. When the subject is singular, we add an s to the verb. Do not add an s to the verb if the singular subject is either I or you. For example:

Roosters crow. The rooster crows.I pack. He packs.We vote. She votes.

Present tense verbs

If the verb ends in s, x, z, ch, or sh, we add -es to the verb if the subject is singular. If the subject is plural, the verb remains the same. For example:

We clash. The militia clashes.Bees buzz. A bee buzzes.

Seamstresses patch. A seamstress patches.

The future tense refers to an action which has not yet occurred. The future tense is normally formed with the helping verbs shall or will. With the pronouns I an we, the use of shall is used in formal writing. For example:

He will serve. We shall serve.They will vote. They shall vote.You will smile. They will smile.

Past tense verbs represent an action which already occurred. Normally, in order to modify a verb to represent past tense, you just add the –ed suffix. For example:

JumpedHelpedCookeddanced

When a verb is a single syllable word which ends with a vowel followed by a single consonant, you will usually double the consonant before adding the –ed. For example:

flap becomes flapped lag becomes lagged

drag becomes dragged

masculine feminine indefinite neuter

grandfather grandmother grandparent pizzabrother sister sibling shoestallion mare horse chairrooster hen chicken bicycleCoach Brose Ms. Brazele teacher staplerOscar Henrietta student nest

Noun GendersIn grammar, there are four genders: masculine, feminine, indefinite, and

neuter.

Indefinite vs. Neuter Nouns

Indefinite nouns represent people or animals which have a gender, but the word itself doesn’t specify what the gender is. For example, if I said “grandparent”, I’m referring to a person who has a gender, but you would not know if that person was male or female.

Neuter nouns represent objects which have no biological gender. For example, even though a dress may belong to a girl, it is an object and has no biological gender of its own.