Tag: grammatical patterns glossary

A verb is generally described as a word that represents an action.  In many cases, verbs do indicate actions; words like “jump,” “fly,” “walk,” “scream,” “flirt,” and “stomp” are verbs.  However, some verbs contain no action at all in their meaning.  Verbs like “seem” “be,” and “believe” do not involve any movement or activity at all.  A better test of whether something is a verb or not is whether it can change its form to show that it agrees with a grammatical subject (e.g., I wonder,  she wonders; They are here, He is here; We help, he helps) and/or whether it can shift to show present or past time (e.g., He forgets, He forgot; We walk every day, We walked this morning).  A word that we call a verb in English must be able to change its form to show person (first person singular, third person singular, etc.) and time.*

Another feature of verbs is that they can combine with “not,” or with auxiliary forms plus “not,” to create negative statements.

I am tired!	I am not tired!/ I’m not tired.
I like cheese.	I do not like cheese./I don’t like cheese.
He runs every day.	He does not run every day./He doesn’t run every day.

Verbs also play a crucial part in sentences, as each sentence is composed of a subject element and a verb element.  The verb element always shows non-past or past time.

SUBJECT	VERB
They	left.
I	know.
She	is sleeping.
He	forgot	to return the book.
The man	borrowed	a lot of money.
The neighbors	have been	away for three weeks.
I	was having	a wonderful dream.

Modal auxiliaries (“can,” “must,” “will,” “may,” etc.) are sometimes called  “verbs” (i.e., “modal auxiliary verbs”) even though they do not change form. This is because, historically, they were more like ordinary verbs with past and non-past forms, and because they currently operate like ordinary auxiliary verbs in sentences (e.g., “I did go,” “I might go,” “I will go”). Furthermore, a sentence composed of just a subject and modal auxiliary is considered a full grammatical sentence just as the sentences above are.

SUBJECT	VERB
I	can.
She	might.
They	must.

Whether or not modal auxiliaries are technically verbs, they do function as major sentence elements the way that ordinary verbs and auxiliary verbs do.

*Some “irregular verbs” do not have a past tense form that looks different from the present tense form (e.g., “quit,” “put”), but every verb has a form with “s” that is used for the third person singular (e.g., “he works,” “she works,” “it works”) in standard English.

The terms “transitive” and “intransitive” refer to whether or not verbs are followed by a stated direct object in a sentence.  A verb functioning as a transitive verb will always have a direct object following it, as in these examples.

SUBJECT	VERB	DIRECT OBJECT
They	sell	books
He	loves	her
We	spent	a lot of money
They	watched	a movie
I	was having	a wonderful dream

Most verbs in English function transitively, but some, such as “ache” and “comply,” only function intransitively—we cannot say “It aches me” or “They complied it,” for example.  In addition, many verbs can function both transitively and intransitively.  For example, with the verb “hurt,” we can say both “I hurt my foot” (transitive) and “My foot hurts” (intransitive).  Often there is some difference in meaning or focus when the same verb has both transitive and intransitive meanings.  Compare “We waited for you for an hour” (intransitive) and “We waited dinner for you for an hour” (transitive).

Click here for further discussion of transitive versus intransitive verbs.

A pronoun is a word that functions as a noun and that can substitute for another noun or noun phrase in a sentence.  Pronouns tend to be short words like “I,” “we,” “him,” “she,” “that,” “it,” and “none,” but some pronouns are longer like “himself,” “something,” “neither,” and “everybody.”

When we first introduce a person or thing into a conversation or text, we tend to state the exact identity of what or whom we are talking about.  We might say “My aunt is in the hospital,” but if we want to continue talking about our aunt, we do not have to keep repeating “my aunt,” “my aunt,” “my aunt.”  Instead, we can just call her “she.”  Pronouns are particularly convenient when the thing they substitute for is very long as in, say, “the jar at the back of the refrigerator on the left next to the mustard.”  We can say that whole string of words just once and then call that particular jar “it” from then on.

Pronouns often substitute for specific nouns that are already mentioned or are about to be mentioned in a particular conversation or piece of text, but sometimes they stand for certain abstract, nominal ideas.  For example, the pronoun “nobody” in the sentence “Nobody in the room said a word,” refers to the idea of no person at all or no particular person.   The pronouns “everything,” “anyone,” “whatever,” “which,” and “nothing” are a few more examples of pronouns that are not used to substitute for particular things or people but are used to refer to abstract conceptions of people, places, and things.

Pronouns are also used, sometimes, when the thing or person being referred to is obvious from the context. One might see someone on the bus who is smiling broadly to himself and comment to your friend, “Well, he looks happy!”

A preposition is a word that makes a connection or shows a relationship between a noun (or something functioning as a noun) and the element that comes before it in a particular sentence.  When we say, “the milk in the refrigerator,” the word “in” is a preposition coming directly before the noun “refrigerator,” and it tells us the relationship between the milk and the refrigerator.  That relationship is “in,” not “on,” “near,” “with,” “behind,” etc.  Prepositions are called “prepositions” because their position in a sentence is the position just before (“pre-“) a noun (or noun phrase).  Prepositions play an extremely important role in the connecting of elements in a sentence.

Prepositions often connect nouns with preceding nouns (“the chairs in the living room”; “the meeting at noon”; “the saddle on the horse”), but they also connect nouns with other types of (preceding) elements in the sentence.  When a preposition connects a noun with a preceding noun, the preposition often shows a logical relationship between the noun following the preposition and the noun coming before the preposition. (The speaker just chooses the preposition that makes sense.)  Sometimes, however, especially when the preceding element is a verb or adjective, the preposition serves equally or principally as a simple connector between nouns and those (preceding) elements of a sentence rather than as a clear signal of a certain type of relationship between the elements.  (Of course, to the native speaker, the reason to use a certain preposition may seem somewhat clear or just a little subtle, but to the non-native speaker, the choice may not be clear at all.)

She was happy with her gift.   (ADJECTIVE + PREPOSITION + NOUN)

They were happy in their decision.   (ADJECTIVE + PREPOSITION + NOUN)

He apologized for his offense.  (VERB + PREPOSITION + NOUN)

This pattern is similar to that one.  (ADJECTIVE + PREPOSITION + NOUN)

In sentences like the above, the element that precedes the preposition controls the choice of the preposition. For example, the use of the word “similar” requires that the preposition “to” be used to link it with the next element.  The meaning of the preposition as an individual word can be a factor in its being the correct choice, but sometimes the choice is entirely limited by the grammar.  In other words, sometimes we have to use a certain preposition after a certain word because that is what the grammar rule for that particular word dictates.  We do not say, for example, “I’m proud with you,” we say “I’m proud of you.”  It is the rule for using the word “proud” that decides that the preposition “of” must be used before the upcoming noun.

Some words allow more than one preposition to follow them.  For example, we can say “She was happy with her gift,” and we can also say “She was happy about her gift.”  However, the choice of preposition makes a difference to the meaning of the sentence.  (“She was happy with her gift” sounds as if she has received her gift and she likes it.  “She was happy about her gift” sounds as if the idea of the gift is a happy thing for her whether she has received the gift yet or not, or whether the gift is even something that is real.) In the case of “happy,” the grammar restricts the following prepositions to either “with” or “about,” but the speaker’s intended meaning determines the final choice.

A noun is a type of word in a language. A word that is a noun is always a thing or a person (or things or persons). When we use the word “thing” here, we mean things like chairs, lamps, and rocks, but we also mean “things” like animals, places, feelings, conditions, and actions.  An action can certainly be a thing. If someone says “I like rollerblading,” the action of rollerblading is a thing; it’s a thing that this person likes. The following are some more examples of words that are nouns:  sweetness, flying, anger, seashell, Central Park, kangaroo, perfume, pride, doctor, boredom, Mom, Uncle Ted, cheese, internet, backpacking, thought, heat, patience, navigation.

It’s important to know what type of thing in the world that a noun can represent, but it is equally important to know what a noun can do in a sentence. One way a noun can function is as the subject of a sentence or a clause:

seashell: The seashell floated away. [seashell = SUBJECT]

Central Park: Central Park offers some nice trails. [Central Park = SUBJECT]

flying: Flying is more convenient than taking the bus. [Flying = SUBJECT]

patience: Patience is something we could all use more of. [Patience = SUBJECT]

A noun can also function as a direct object in a sentence or clause:

seashell: I found a beautiful seashell on the beach. [seashell = DIRECT OBJECT]

Central Park: I love Central Park. [Central Park = DIRECT OBJECT]

flying: She teaches flying. [flying = DIRECT OBJECT]

A noun can also function as an indirect object:

seashell: I gave my seashell some polish. [seashell = INDIRECT OBJECT]

Central Park: We give Central Park high marks for beauty. [Central Park = INDIRECT OBJECT]

Uncle Ted: The army awarded Uncle Ted a medal. [Uncle Ted = INDIRECT OBJECT]

There are thousands of words that a dictionary designates as nouns in English, but other chunks of language can function in noun-like ways in a sentence. That is, they can function as subjects or objects. For example, pronouns (e.g., “I,” “they,” “him,” “us,” “something”) function as subjects and objects in a sentence, and verbs in the gerund form (e.g., “helping,” “running,” “laughing”) can function in these noun-like ways as well.  Verbs in the infinitive form with “to” can sometimes function like nouns also, but not in as many ways as gerunds.

They live downtown. [Pronoun “they” as SUBJECT]

She brought them more paper. [Pronoun “she” as SUBJECT. Pronoun “them” as INDIRECT OBJECT]

I saw him at the library. [Pronoun “I” as SUBJECT. Pronoun “him” as DIRECT OBJECT]

Getting to the airport on time could be difficult. [Gerund phrase “Getting to the airport on time” as SUBJECT]

I enjoyed seeing the play the other night. [Gerund phrase “seeing the play” as DIRECT OBJECT]

To get a good education is something worth striving for. [Infinitive phrase “To get a good education” as SUBJECT]

I need to get a car. [Infinitive phrase “to get a car” as DIRECT OBJECT]

When a verb is called “intransitive,” it means that no stated object follows it. It would be an error in English to say “I’m waiting you” because the verb “wait” is an intransitive verb.  The term “intransitive” contrasts with the term “transitive.”  When used in a sentence, a transitive verb is always followed by some noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that is its object. Many verbs can be used both transitively (with an object) or intransitively (without an object).  The verb “walk,” for example, is often used intransitively, as in “She’s walking,” but it can also be used transitively, as in “She’s walking the dog.”  Click here for further discussion of transitive versus intransitive verbs.

Intransitive verbs do not figure in as many different types of constructions as transitive verbs,* but some intransitive verbs can be followed by infinitives, as in “Would you care to sit down?”  Intransitive verbs are sometimes followed by nothing at all, as in the sentences “He’s sleeping,” “I hesitated,” “She waited,” and “They apologized.”  But very often they are followed by other things, such as adverbs, adverbials (i.e., phrases or clauses that function like adverbs), or by prepositional phrases as in the following examples.

He’s sleeping soundly. [soundly = adverb]

I hesitated when I saw her looking so upset. [when I saw her looking so upset = adverbial clause]

She waited for you = [for you = prepositional phrase]

They apologized for making a disturbance. [for making a disturbance = prepositional phrase]

*To view the most common patterns that transitive and intransitive verbs follow in English, see the Grammatical Patterns feature in our Advanced Dictionary. It can be found under Search Tools in the blue toolbar.

A conjunction is a type of word that connects individual words or parts of sentences.  Some common conjunctions are “so,” “and,” “or,” “but,” “because,” “when,” and “that.”  The word “and” is an obvious connector because the meaning indicates that one thing is added (or connected) to another thing:  “cars and trucks,” “I went to the store and bought some milk.”  Although most conjunctions have a meaning that we can easily describe—“because” introduces a reason, “so” introduces a result, “but” introduces a contrasting idea— the type of connection that conjunctions make is fundamentally grammatical, tying together things like nouns with nouns, verbs with verbs, clauses with clauses.

cheese and crackers	[NOUN + NOUN]
this chair or that chair	[NOUN + NOUN]
They came and went.	[VERB + VERB]
He ran but fell.	[VERB + VERB]
I was tired, so I went to bed early.	[CLAUSE + CLAUSE]
She said that she was hungry.	[CLAUSE + CLAUSE]
I don’t know if he’s ready yet.	[CLAUSE + CLAUSE]
She waved when she saw us.	[CLAUSE + CLAUSE]

Verbs like “do” and “have” are some of the verbs in English that can function as auxiliary verbs. If we say “Do you like shrimp?” or “I don’t like shrimp,” we are using “do” as an auxiliary verb.  In these sentences, the main verb is “like.”  It carries the major part of the meaning we are expressing.  The function of “do” in these sentences is grammatical.  It allows us to form a question or a negative (in combination with the word “not”). It also passes on to the listener the information that we are talking about the present time and not the past.  An auxiliary verb, therefore, is a verb that combines with a main verb and conveys additional, mainly grammatical, information.  The three regular auxiliaries that are used in English are “do,” “have,” and “be.”  In the following sentences, you can see these verbs operating as auxiliaries.

I was taking a shower when they arrived.   [BE]

He had been to that restaurant once before.   [HAVE]

They did not report the accident to the police.   [DO]

Some auxiliary verbs in English color the meaning of the main verb in certain ways. These auxiliaries are called “modal auxiliary verbs” or “modal auxiliaries” and they add to the meaning of the main verb ideas such as ability (e.g., “I can fix that”), potential (e.g., “You could be a star someday”), future time (e.g., “Winter will be here soon”), requirement (e.g., “Everyone must sign in”), and advisability (“They should do more exercise”).  For more information on these types of auxiliaries see MODAL AUXILIARY.

An adverb is a type of word that adds information to the meaning of verbs, adjectives, adverbs, phrases, or to whole statements. For example, if someone says “I ate quickly,” the adverb “quickly” gives the listener more specific information about the eating–it was quick. This is an example of an adverb modifying a verb. When adverbs modify verbs, they give information about how something is done, how often it is done, where it is done, or when it is done. Words like “tonight,” “never,” “often,” “here,” “there,” “fast,” “accidentally,” “easily,” and “cleverly” are some of the many adverbs in English that are used to give more information about things people do and things that happen.

Below are a few more examples of how adverbs modify verbs. The adverbs in these examples are in italics. Notice how adverbs sometimes precede and sometimes follow verbs.

went downtown / swims beautifully / thinks clearly 

always forgets / usually happens / seriously believed

climbed up /walked far / sat straight / left early 

whistled twice / blew hard / hurts terribly

Another important function of adverbs is to modify adjectives; that is, adverbs can expand on or intensify the meaning expressed by adjectives. For example, instead of saying just “This chili is spicy” (with just the adjective “spicy”), one can add an adverb to intensify or otherwise refine that meaning. For example, one can say something like “This chili is very spicy,” “This chili is mildly spicy,” “This chili is unusually spicy,” or “This chili is amazingly spicy.”

Adverbs can also be used to modify other adverbs, so, for example, we can say just “She sang badly,” or we could say something like “She sang really badly” or “She sang extremely badly.”

Many adverbs end in “-ly,” like “mildly,” “quickly,” “really,” and “accidentally,” and most adjectives can be made into adverbs by the addition of “-ly” (e.g., “nice” > “nicely”; “sloppy” > “sloppily”; “neat” > “neatly”).  However, many common adverbs, particularly those that are related to the idea of when, where, or how often something is done, do not end in “-ly.”  For example, the adverbs “yesterday,” tomorrow,” “often,” “always,” “never,” “sometimes,” “here,” “there,” “once,” and “twice” do not end in “-ly.”

Adverbs have greater freedom than any other part of speech to occupy different positions in a sentence. We can say:

The car drove down the street slowly.

or

The car drove slowly down the street.

or

The car slowly drove down the street.

or

Slowly, the car drove down the street.

Of course, there are some differences in emphasis and in formality of tone when the position of the adverb is moved, but it can be seen from these sentences that adverbs have a fair amount of grammatical freedom.

Besides giving information about verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech, adverbs give information about phrases or entire statements.  For example, if we say “Fortunately, we had just enough time to make the bus,” the adverb “fortunately” gives information concerning the whole statement about having enough time to make the bus.  It tells the listener that it was lucky that that happened.  These types of adverbs actually describe the attitude or point of view of the speaker concerning his or her statement.

Often, adverbs make a comment on what was just said and describe how it links to what is just about to be said. The adverb “however” is an example.  When someone uses “however,” it means that what they are about to say contrasts or is in contradiction with what they just said a moment before (e.g., “The house is old and needs a few repairs; however, it’s in generally good condition and will probably sell at a good price.”) The adverb “therefore” is another of this type of adverb.  It is used to introduce a statement that tells the result or consequence of what was stated just before (e.g., “We do not know all the facts yet; therefore, we should postpone making any judgments.”)  These types of adverbs are often called “conjunctive adverbs” or “sentence adverbs.”