Language and Grammar - Middle School

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. active voice
    when the subject of a sentence performs the action
  2. adjectival
    of or relating to or functioning as an adjective
  3. adjective
    the word class that qualifies nouns
  4. adverb
    a word that modifies something other than a noun
  5. adverbial
    of or relating to or functioning as an adverb
  6. affix
    a linguistic element added to a word
  7. agree
    show grammatical compatibility
  8. agreement
    in grammar, the correspondence between two words
  9. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
  10. analogy
    drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
  11. antecedent
    the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
  12. antonym
    a word that expresses an opposite meaning
  13. apostrophe
    a mark used to indicate the omission of one or more letters
  14. audience
    the part of the general public interested in something
  15. auxiliary verb
    a verb that combines with another verb in a verb phrase to help form tense, mood, voice, or condition of the verb it combines with
  16. bold
    a typeface with thick heavy lines
  17. bracket
    either of two punctuation marks used to enclose text
  18. capitalization
    the use of uppercase letters
  19. capitalize
    write in large alphabetic characters
  20. clause
    an expression including a subject and predicate
  21. cognate
    a word deriving from the same root as another word
  22. colon
    a punctuation mark used after a word introducing a series
  23. comma
    a punctuation mark (,) indicating the separation of elements
  24. comparative
    the form of an adjective or adverb with "more" or "-er"
  25. complex sentence
    a sentence composed of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause
  26. compound sentence
    a sentence composed of at least two coordinate independent clauses
  27. concise
    expressing much in few words
  28. conjunction
    a function word that serves to conjoin words or phrases
  29. connotation
    an idea that is implied or suggested
  30. context
    discourse that surrounds and helps explain a word or passage
  31. contraction
    a word made by leaving out letters of a word or words
  32. coordinating conjunction
    a conjunction (like `and' or `or') that connects two identically constructed grammatical constituents
  33. dangling modifier
    a word or phrase unclearly or illogically describing a noun
  34. dash
    a punctuation mark used between words or to mark a break
  35. denotation
    the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression
  36. dependent clause
    a section in a complex sentence that cannot stand alone
  37. derivation
    an explanation of the historical origins of a word or phrase
  38. dialect
    the usage or vocabulary characteristic of a group of people
  39. dialogue
    a conversation between two persons
  40. dictionary
    a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words
  41. direct object
    the object that receives the direct action of the verb
  42. direct quotation
    a report of the exact words used in a discourse
  43. double negative
    an affirmative constructed from two negatives
  44. ellipsis
    a mark indicating that words have been omitted
  45. figurative
    not literal
  46. figure of speech
    language used in a nonliteral sense
  47. first person
    pronouns and verbs used to refer to the speaker
  48. formal
    adhering to traditional standards of correctness
  49. formatting
    the organization of information according to preset specifications (usually for computer processing)
  50. function
    what something is used for
  51. future tense
    a verb tense that expresses actions or states in the future
  52. gender
    a grammatical category governing agreement
  53. gerund
    a noun formed from a verb
  54. glossary
    an alphabetical list of technical terms in a field
  55. grammar
    the branch of linguistics that deals with sentence structure
  56. homograph
    one of two words spelled the same way that differ in meaning
  57. homonym
    a word pronounced or spelled the same with another meaning
  58. homophone
    a word pronounced the same with another meaning or spelling
  59. hyphen
    a punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a word
  60. idiom
    expression whose meaning cannot be inferred from its words
  61. imperative
    a grammatical mood that expresses a command or exhortation
  62. independent clause
    a section in a complex sentence that can stand alone
  63. indicative
    a mood that represents the act or state as an objective fact
  64. indirect object
    the object that is the recipient or beneficiary of the action of the verb
  65. infinitive
    the uninflected form of the verb
  66. informal
    having the simple or familiar structure of everyday language
  67. interjection
    an abrupt emphatic exclamation expressing emotion
  68. interrogative
    a sentence of inquiry that asks for a reply
  69. linking verb
    an equating verb (such as `be' or `become') that links the subject with the complement of a sentence
  70. main clause
    a section in a complex sentence that can stand alone
  71. misplaced modifier
    a word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g., `when young' in `when young, circuses appeal to all of us'
  72. modifier
    a content word that qualifies the meaning of a noun or verb
  73. modify
    add a qualifying word to a constituent
  74. mood
    verb inflections that express how the action is conceived
  75. nonrestrictive clause
    a subordinate clause that does not limit or restrict the meaning of the noun phrase it modifies
  76. noun
    a content word referring to a person, place, thing or action
  77. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
  78. number
    the grammatical category that counts the entities involved
  79. object
    (grammar) a noun or noun equivalent that is acted upon
  80. omission
    leaving out or passing over something
  81. paragraph
    one of several distinct subdivisions of a text
  82. parenthesis
    a punctuation mark used to enclose textual material
  83. parenthetical
    expression in punctuation marks enclosing textual material
  84. participle
    a form of the verb used as an adjective
  85. part of speech
    a class of words distinguished by its function in a sentence
  86. passive voice
    when the subject of a sentence is a recipient of the action
  87. past tense
    a verb tense that expresses actions or states in the past
  88. perfect tense
    a tense of verbs used in describing action that has been completed (sometimes regarded as perfective aspect)
  89. person
    a grammatical category according to discourse role
  90. phrase
    an expression consisting of one or more words
  91. plural
    of a grammatical category referring to two or more items
  92. possessive
    the case expressing ownership
  93. predicate
    the constituent of a sentence containing the verb
  94. prefix
    an affix that is added in front of the word
  95. preposition
    a word before a noun or pronoun connecting to another word
  96. prepositional phrase
    a phrase beginning with a preposition
  97. present tense
    a verb tense that expresses actions or states at the time of speaking
  98. progressive tense
    a tense of verbs used in describing action that is on-going
  99. pronoun
    a function word that is used in place of a noun
  100. pronunciation
    the way a word or a language is customarily spoken
  101. proper noun
    a word that denotes a particular person, place, or thing
  102. punctuate
    insert marks to clarify meaning
  103. punctuation
    a symbol that helps one read and understand written text
  104. punctuation mark
    a symbol that helps one read and understand written text
  105. quotation
    a passage or expression that is cited
  106. quotation mark
    a punctuation mark showing that words were said or written by someone else
  107. redundant
    repeating the same sense in different words
  108. reference
    a publication noted as a source of information
  109. relative pronoun
    a pronoun (as `that' or `which' or `who') that introduces a relative clause referring to some antecedent
  110. root
    the form of a word after all affixes are removed
  111. run-on sentence
    an ungrammatical sentence in which two or more independent clauses are conjoined without a conjunction
  112. second person
    pronouns and verbs that refer to the person being addressed
  113. semicolon
    a punctuation mark used to connect independent clauses
  114. sentence
    a string of words satisfying grammatical rules of a language
  115. sentence structure
    the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences
  116. set off
    direct attention to, as if by means of contrast
  117. simple sentence
    a sentence having no coordinate clauses or subordinate clauses
  118. singular
    of a grammatical category referring to just one item
  119. slang
    informal language that is inappropriate for formal occasions
  120. spell-checker
    an electronic dictionary in a word processor that can be used to catch misspelled words
  121. statement
    a message that is declared
  122. structure
    the building of something and the arrangement of its parts
  123. style
    a mode of expression typical of a person, group, or period
  124. subject
    one of the two main constituents of a sentence
  125. subjunctive
    a mood that represents an act as contingent or hypothetical
  126. subordinate clause
    a section in a complex sentence that cannot stand alone
  127. subordinating conjunction
    a conjunction that introduces a dependent clause
  128. suffix
    a linguistic element that is added at the end of the word
  129. superlative
    the form of a word denoting the greatest degree or extent
  130. synonym
    a word that expresses the same or similar meaning
  131. tense
    a category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
  132. thesaurus
    a book containing a classified list of synonyms
  133. third person
    pronouns referring to people besides the speaker or listener
  134. tone
    a quality that reveals the attitudes of the author
  135. transition
    a passage or word that connects a topic to one that follows
  136. underline
    draw a line or lines underneath to call attention to
  137. usage
    the customary manner in which language is spoken or written
  138. vague
    not clearly understood or expressed
  139. verb
    a word denoting an action, occurrence, or state of existence
  140. vernacular
    the everyday speech of the people
  141. voice
    a means by which something is expressed or communicated
  142. wordiness
    boring verbosity
  143. wordy
    using or containing too many words
Created on Wed Jan 25 15:46:30 EST 2017 (updated Wed Mar 29 15:43:52 EDT 2017)

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