“Prepositions are not words to end sentences with” reads the joke commenting on a prescriptive grammar rule for prepositions. According to scholar G.O. Curme in his Parts of Speech and Accidence published in 1935, the traditional definition of a preposition is “a word that indicates a relation between the noun or pronoun it governs and another word, which may be [Read Full Article...]
I have discovered that distinguishing between grammatical form and grammatical function is surprisingly difficult for most grammar students to grasp. In my mind, grammatical form (what a word looks like) is clearly separate from grammatical function (what a word does). But, how can I more effectively explain this difference to the non-grammar nerd? Defining Form and Function All languages contain [Read Full Article...]
Subordinators Subordinators in English grammar are words including the function word that that introduce dependent or subordinate clauses including noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverb clauses. Function words perform definite grammatical functions but lack definite lexical meaning. Subordinator is a grammatical function. The grammatical form that can function as the subordinator in English grammar is the subordinating conjunction. The term [Read Full Article...]
Correlators Correlators in English grammar are function words that are the first word or words in pairs of conjunctions that also join or link two or more words, phrases, and clauses. Function words perform definite grammatical functions but lack definite lexical meaning. Correlator is a grammatical function. The grammatical form that can function as the correlator in English grammar is [Read Full Article...]
Coordinators Coordinators in English grammar are function words that join or link two or more words, phrases, and clauses. Function words perform definite grammatical functions but lack definite lexical meaning. Coordinator is a grammatical function. The grammatical form that can function as the coordinator in English grammar is the coordinating conjunction. The seven coordinating conjunctions in English are and, but, [Read Full Article...]
Particles Particles in English grammar are function words that express grammatical relationships with other words. Function words perform definite grammatical functions but lack definite lexical meaning. Particle is a grammatical function. The grammatical form that can function as the particle in English grammar is the preposition. The prepositions of phrasal verbs, quasi-modal verbs, and some determiners function as particles. References [Read Full Article...]
The Case of English Pronouns Of the following eight sentences, which contain grammatically possible uses of English pronouns? My husband and I went to the movies. Me and my husband went to the movies. Send the package to my husband and me. Send the package to my husband and I. The woman is she. The woman is her. His mother [Read Full Article...]
English Personal Pronouns Pronouns are small words that can take the place of nouns and noun phrases. Personal pronouns are pronouns that take the place of common and proper nouns. The English personal pronoun system includes four types of pronouns: subject pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns. Pronouns in English can perform five different grammatical subjects depending on [Read Full Article...]
Verb Phrase Complements Verb phrase complements in English grammar are words and phrases that complete the meaning of the verb phrase. Verb phrase complement is a grammatical function. The grammatical forms that can function as the verb phrase complement in English grammar are the prepositional phrase and the verb phrase. The preposition of a prepositional verb functions as a verb [Read Full Article...]
Adverb Phrase Modifiers Adverb phrase modifiers in English grammar are words and phrases that that modify or describe an adverb or adverb phrase. Adverb phrase modifier is a grammatical function. The grammatical form that can function as the adverb phrase modifier in English grammar is the adverb phrase. Adverb phrase modifiers are constituents of the adverb phrase. References Brinton, Laurel [Read Full Article...]