Grammar in Use - Study Notes

The system of rules that governs how words are arranged and used in a language.

The study of language, its structure and how we use it to communicate.

A basic unit of meaning in a language. It is the smallest part of a sentence that can stand alone and convey meaning.

The study of how words are formed.

The study of the way words are combined to form sentences, phrases, and clauses.

The study of how meaning is created in language.

The study of how language is used in social contexts.

The structure and organization of a language.

The smallest meaningful unit in a language. It can be a word, or a part of a word that carries meaning.

The collection of all the words used in a particular language. It's essentially a dictionary.

A type of grammar that focuses on rules and correctness. It dictates how language should be used.

A relative clause that refers to an entire sentence, meaning it can stand on its own.

A relative clause where the relative pronoun (e.g., who, which, that) is omitted but understood.

A relative clause formed from a restrictive clause and uses a non-finite verb form like a participle.

A noun phrase that includes more than one noun, usually with modifiers.

Describes nouns that can be individually counted (e.g., books, chairs).

A phrase with a noun as its core, describing a person, place, or thing, and can be expanded by adding words or phrases before or after the noun.

A noun that is capitalized, referring to specific people, places, or names. They don't usually have plural forms and often use determiners.

Words that substitute for nouns, representing people, places, or things. They can refer to things already mentioned or understood.

A previous word or phrase in text to which the pronoun makes a reference.

One pronoun representing an entire class or group of things. For example, 'one' could represent all people.

Nouns that can have plural and singular forms, like "book" and "books". There are two types: Count nouns (countable) and Mass nouns (not countable).

Words that come before the noun in a noun phrase. They narrow down or specify the noun. Examples: 'the', 'a', 'this', 'my', 'some', 'all', 'twice', 'not quite".

The most common type of determiner, which includes articles, demonstratives, possessives, interrogatives, and quantifiers.

Words that come after the noun in a noun phrase, providing additional information or modification. Example: 'complements', 'modifiers', 'peripheral dependents".

A clause that introduces a complete thought within a noun phrase, adding information to a noun. It's usually introduced by a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, that...).

A phrase that contains a verb as its head, with potential pre-head elements like auxiliaries and post-head elements like complements.

A verb that expresses tense (past or present) and number (singular or plural).

A verb that does not specifically express tense or number. It often depends on another verb for these features.

Words that add details about time, aspect (how the action happens), voice (active/passive), and modality (possibility, ability, obligation).

The most common auxiliaries that help express tenses and ask questions: be, have, do.

Words that show possibility, obligation, ability, or permission: can, will, should, may, must.

The grammatical feature that shows the time of an event, like past, present, or future.

The way a situation is viewed: as a complete event or ongoing process. In English, there are two main aspects: perfect (complete) and progressive (ongoing).

An aspect that shows an ongoing action or state, formed with 'be + ing-Form of the verb'.

A type of verb that describes a state or condition that is generally not considered an action. These verbs usually don't take the progressive aspect.

A grammatical concept that expresses the speaker's attitude towards the truth or likelihood of the statement.

Words that express modality, such as can, could, must, should, may, might, will, would.

Adverbs and phrases that express the speaker's attitude towards the statement, often expressing certainty, possibility, or obligation.

Clauses that express the speaker's attitude towards the statement. They typically involve verbs like 'seem' or 'consider' and often include the speaker's opinion.

Modal verbs that consist of a single word and function to express remoteness, politeness, or certainty.

Modal expressions that consist of more than one word, often involving 'be' or 'have'. These can have a more nuanced or specific meaning compared to central modals.

Modality that expresses the speaker's deductions about the truth or likelihood of a statement.

Modality that expresses the speaker's requirements, obligations, or permissions related to an action.

Modality that focuses on the subject's abilities or characteristics, rather than the objective truth or likelihood of a statement.

A linguistic strategy to reduce the strength of a claim by using language that expresses uncertainty or caution.

A verb form that expresses a hypothetical situation in a formal context. It often occurs after words like 'advise', 'ask', 'suggest'.

A type of subordinate clause that expresses a condition for something to happen. It is typically introduced by 'if' and often uses the past tense.

A type of phrase headed by an adjective, which can be modified or complemented by other words or phrases. It describes a noun or pronoun.

A phrase headed by a preposition, which typically combines with a noun phrase to provide information about location, time, or other relationships.