TEAS 7 · English and Language Usage · 6 min read · Open lesson
Parts of Speech and Sentence Structure
- Distinguish between adjectives and adverbs, applying correct rules for sensory verbs, linking verbs, degrees of comparison, and negative words.
- Identify transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, direct objects, indirect objects, and subject complements while using appropriate subjective and objective pronoun cases.
- Analyze the four basic sentence structures and recognize common grammatical errors, including sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and comma splices.
Modifiers: Adjectives and Adverbs
Modifiers clarify and add detail to other elements in a sentence. An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun. To locate or confirm an adjective, determine whether the word answers one of four specific questions about the noun or pronoun: 'Which one?', 'What kind?', 'How many?', or 'Whose?'. In contrast, an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs answer the questions 'How?', 'When?', 'Where?', 'Why?', or 'To what extent?'.
Many adverbs end in the suffix '-ly', but not all adverbs follow this pattern. It is equally important to recognize that some words ending in '-ly' are actually adjectives rather than adverbs. Common examples include 'friendly', 'elderly', and 'lovely', each of which modifies nouns or pronouns. You must always examine how a word functions within its specific sentence rather than relying entirely on its ending.
Choosing between adjective and adverb forms requires careful attention to the type of verb involved. Action verbs are modified by adverbs to describe the manner of the action. In contrast, a linking verb connects the subject to a subject complement, such as a predicate adjective or a predicate noun or pronoun. Sensory verbs such as 'taste', 'smell', 'look', and 'feel' require adjectives when describing the state of the subject. For instance, 'bad' is an adjective that correctly follows linking verbs to describe a condition or feeling, whereas 'badly' is an adverb that modifies action verbs. Similarly, 'good' is an adjective that modifies nouns or pronouns. The word 'well' typically functions as an adverb, but it functions as an adjective when describing health.
Modifiers also express degrees of comparison and negative conditions. Comparative adjectives and adverbs compare two entities, typically using the suffix '-er' or the word 'more'. Superlative adjectives and adverbs compare three or more entities, typically using the suffix '-est' or the word 'most'. When expressing negative ideas in standard English, avoid pairing 'hardly,' 'barely,' or 'scarcely' with another negative when you intend a single negative meaning.
| Modifier Type | Elements Modified | Questions Answered | Key Rules and Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective | Nouns and pronouns | Which one? What kind? How many? Whose? | Follows linking verbs; includes words like 'friendly', 'elderly', 'lovely', 'good', and health-related 'well'. |
| Adverb | Verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs | How? When? Where? Why? To what extent? | Often ends in '-ly'; modifies action verbs to show manner; includes 'badly' and standard uses of 'well'. |
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Explore mode tells you each word's part of speech. Quiz mode asks you to find one.
Verbs, Complements, and Objects
Verbs carry the primary action or state of being in a clause, and their classification dictates how the rest of the predicate is structured. A transitive verb takes a direct object in a given sentence. The direct object receives the action of a transitive action verb, answering the question 'What?' or 'Whom?' directly after the verb. In contrast, intransitive verbs do not take direct objects.
Linking verbs function differently from transitive action verbs because they do not involve an action transferring to an object. Instead, a linking verb connects the subject to a subject complement rather than taking a direct object. A predicate nominative is a specific type of subject complement: it follows a linking verb to rename the subject, functioning distinctly from a direct object. Another type of subject complement is a predicate adjective, which follows a linking verb to describe the subject.
Sentences with transitive verbs can also include an indirect object. An indirect object names the person or thing that receives or benefits from the direct object, typically answering 'To whom?', 'To what?', 'For whom?', or 'For what?'. An indirect object can only appear in a sentence that also contains a direct object. In standard sentence structure, the indirect object is placed between the action verb and the direct object. A noun or pronoun preceded by a preposition like 'to' or 'for' is the object of a preposition, not an indirect object.
Pronoun selection depends on whether the pronoun acts as a subject or an object. Personal pronouns serving as direct objects must take the objective case, such as 'me', 'him', 'her', 'us', or 'them'. Personal pronouns serving as indirect objects must also take the objective case. Subjective case pronouns such as 'I', 'he', 'she', 'we', and 'they' cannot function as direct or indirect objects.
Clauses and Sentence Structures
A clause is a grammatical unit containing both a subject and a predicate. Clauses are divided into two fundamental types: independent and dependent. An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a complete sentence. A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Dependent clauses may be introduced by subordinating conjunctions, relative pronouns, or relative adverbs. For example, relative pronouns such as 'who', 'whom', 'whose', 'which', and 'that' introduce adjective clauses. An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.
A simple sentence consists of exactly one independent clause and no dependent clauses. A simple sentence can contain compound subjects or compound predicates while remaining simple, provided it maintains only a single independent clause structure. A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses and no dependent clauses. Independent clauses in a compound sentence can be connected by a comma and a coordinating conjunction, or they can be connected by a semicolon without a conjunction. The seven coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.
A complex sentence consists of exactly one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Common subordinating conjunctions that introduce dependent clauses in complex sentences include 'although', 'because', 'since', 'if', and 'while'. Punctuation in complex sentences depends on the position of the dependent clause. When an introductory adverbial dependent clause precedes an independent clause, a comma generally follows the dependent clause. When a dependent adverbial clause follows an independent clause, a comma is usually unnecessary, though one may be used for contrast or clarity.
The fourth structure is the compound-complex sentence. A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. This structure blends multiple complete thoughts with additional modifying clauses to convey detailed relationships between ideas.
Sentence Errors and Punctuation
Maintaining structural integrity requires avoiding three frequent sentence errors: fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. A sentence fragment is an incomplete grammatical structure lacking an independent clause. A fragment cannot stand alone as a complete sentence, even if it contains a subject and a verb, as seen with isolated dependent clauses.
A run-on sentence incorrectly fuses two independent clauses without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions. This happens when two complete thoughts are written back-to-back with no boundary to guide the reader. A closely related error is the comma splice. A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined with only a comma and no coordinating conjunction.
To repair run-on sentences and comma splices, writers can employ proper coordination or separation. Independent clauses can be linked by a comma followed by one of the seven coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), or they can be joined by a semicolon without a conjunction.
Writers may also join independent clauses using transitional words known as conjunctive adverbs. When a conjunctive adverb such as 'however' or 'therefore' connects two independent clauses in one sentence, it typically follows a semicolon and is followed by a comma. Using a simple comma before a conjunctive adverb without a semicolon creates a comma splice.
Common mistakes
- Treating words ending in '-ly' like 'friendly', 'elderly', and 'lovely' as adverbs instead of recognizing them as adjectives.
- Using a subjective pronoun like 'I', 'he', 'she', 'we', or 'they' as a direct or indirect object instead of an objective pronoun like 'me', 'him', 'her', 'us', or 'them'.
- Creating a comma splice by joining two independent clauses with only a comma, rather than adding a coordinating conjunction or using a semicolon.
- Pairing 'hardly,' 'barely,' or 'scarcely' with an additional negative word when only a single negative meaning is intended.
Summary
- Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, answering 'Which one?', 'What kind?', 'How many?', or 'Whose?', while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or adverbs, answering 'How?', 'When?', 'Where?', 'Why?', or 'To what extent?'.
- Linking verbs and sensory verbs like 'taste', 'smell', 'look', and 'feel' take adjectives as subject complements, whereas action verbs take adverbs to describe manner.
- Direct objects receive the action of transitive verbs; indirect objects sit between the verb and direct object, appearing only when a direct object is present.
- Objective case pronouns ('me', 'him', 'her', 'us', 'them') must be used for direct and indirect objects, while subjective pronouns cannot serve as objects.
- Sentences are classified as simple (one independent clause), compound (two or more independent clauses), complex (one independent and at least one dependent clause), or compound-complex (at least two independent and at least one dependent clause).
- Run-ons fuse independent clauses without punctuation, comma splices join them with only a comma, and conjunctive adverbs connecting independent clauses require a preceding semicolon and a following comma.
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