English Grammar and Composition Reviewer
This reviewer covers core concepts in English grammar, focusing on parts of speech, sentence
structure, and effective writing techniques.
I. Parts of Speech
Understanding the role of each word in a sentence is fundamental to grammar.
● Noun: A person, place, thing, or idea. (e.g., student, London, book, freedom)
● Pronoun: Replaces a noun to avoid repetition. (e.g., he, she, it, they)
● Verb: An action or state of being. (e.g., run, is, think)
● Adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun. (e.g., happy, tall, blue)
● Adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs often end in -ly. (e.g.,
quickly, very, here)
● Preposition: Shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the
sentence. (e.g., on, in, under, with)
● Conjunction: Connects words, phrases, or clauses.
○ Coordinating Conjunctions connect equal parts of a sentence (For, And, Nor, But,
Or, Yet, So - a good mnemonic is FANBOYS).
○ Subordinating Conjunctions connect a dependent clause to an independent
clause. (e.g., because, although, since)
● Interjection: An abrupt remark or exclamation. (e.g., Oh! Wow!)
II. Sentence Structure
A sentence must contain a subject and a verb to be a complete thought.
● Subject: The person, place, or thing that the sentence is about.
● Predicate: The part of the sentence that contains the verb and provides information
about the subject.
● Clause: A group of words with a subject and a verb.
○ Independent Clause: A complete thought that can stand alone as a sentence.
○ Dependent (Subordinate) Clause: A group of words with a subject and a verb that
cannot stand alone. It relies on an independent clause to make sense.
There are four basic types of sentences based on their structure:
● Simple Sentence: Contains one independent clause. (e.g., The dog barked.)
● Compound Sentence: Contains two or more independent clauses joined by a
coordinating conjunction or a semicolon. (e.g., The dog barked, and the cat meowed.)
● Complex Sentence: Contains one independent clause and at least one dependent
clause. (e.g., Because the cat was scared, it ran away.)
● Compound-Complex Sentence: Contains two or more independent clauses and at least
one dependent clause. (e.g., When the dog barked, the cat ran away, and it hid under the
bed.)
III. Punctuation
Punctuation helps clarify the meaning of a sentence.
● Comma (,): Used to separate items in a list, to separate independent clauses joined by a
coordinating conjunction, and to set off introductory clauses or phrases.
● Semicolon (;): Used to connect two closely related independent clauses.
● Colon (:): Used to introduce a list, a quotation, or an explanation.
● Apostrophe ('): Used to show possession (e.g., the dog's toy) or to form a contraction
(e.g., don't).
● Period (.): Used to end a complete sentence.
● Question Mark (?): Used to end a direct question.
● Exclamation Point (!): Used to express strong emotion.
IV. Common Errors to Avoid
● Sentence Fragments: Incomplete sentences that lack a subject or a verb, or are a
dependent clause left to stand alone. (e.g., Running quickly down the street.)
● Run-on Sentences: Two or more independent clauses incorrectly joined without proper
punctuation or conjunctions.
○ Fused Sentence: Two independent clauses with no punctuation between them. (e.g.,
I love to read I also love to write.)
○ Comma Splice: Two independent clauses joined only by a comma. (e.g., I love to
read, I also love to write.)
● Subject-Verb Agreement: The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number
(singular or plural). (e.g., The dog barks. vs. The dogs bark.)
● Dangling Modifier: A modifier (phrase or clause) that doesn't clearly or logically modify
a word in the sentence. (e.g., Walking home, the moon appeared. - This incorrectly
suggests the moon was walking.)
