Article
English has three articles:
•the - The "definite" article refers to specific objects.
•a, an - The "indefinite" articles refer to unspecified members of a class. The article "a" is used before a word starting with a consonant sound and "an" is used before a word starting with a vowel sound.
Examples:
"the mouse", "a mouse", "an orange mouse",
"an honor" (H is silent), "a horse" (H is aspirated).
Auxiliary Verb
Auxiliary verbs are used with other verbs to express moods or tense.
Common auxiliary verbs are:
will, would, may, might, shall, should, can, could, must
Examples:
"Mary will sing.",
"Mary can sing."
Consonants and Vowels
English uses 26 letters: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
AEIOU are vowels.
BCDFGHJKLMNPQRSTVWXYZ are consonants.
Interjections
Interjections express strong feeling or emotion and have no grammatical relation to any other word in a sentence.
Some common interjections are: Oh, Alas, Aha, Bah, Whew.
Examples:
"Aha! I found it!".
Monday, June 28, 2010
Glossary of English Grammatical Terms - 1
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This glossary provides definitions and examples of basic components of English grammar.
Action Verb
Action verbs specify the action performed by the subject.
Examples:
"John ran to the store."
"Mary swims very well."
Adjective
Adjectives modify nouns and have three forms or degrees:
* Positive - new
* Comparative - newer
* Superlative - newest
Adverbial Particle
Adverbial particles are prepositions that are considered part of the verb because they change the meaning of the verb. Some verbs allow one or more words between the verb and the particle.
Example:
"Turn off the lights.",
"Turn the lights off."
Adverb
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Example:
"Mary walks gracefully".
"She is very pretty".
Action Verb
Action verbs specify the action performed by the subject.
Examples:
"John ran to the store."
"Mary swims very well."
Adjective
Adjectives modify nouns and have three forms or degrees:
* Positive - new
* Comparative - newer
* Superlative - newest
Adverbial Particle
Adverbial particles are prepositions that are considered part of the verb because they change the meaning of the verb. Some verbs allow one or more words between the verb and the particle.
Example:
"Turn off the lights.",
"Turn the lights off."
Adverb
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Example:
"Mary walks gracefully".
"She is very pretty".
The Window (Author: Unknown)
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Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
Usage of "During, In and For"
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During, In and For
During means from the beginning to the end of a particular period of time.
It rained during the night.
There was not even a whisper during the whole service.
During can also be used to talk about things that happened continuously or several times between the beginning and the end of a period of time.
I used to visit him during my stay in Boston.
The baby woke up several times during the night.
During and For
During is used to say when something happens; for is used to say how long it lasts.
It rained for three hours.
It rained during the night.
I was sleeping during the service.
The service lasted for more than three hours.
I don't remember the exact date, but it was during the winter.
During and In
We use both during and in to say that something happens inside a particular period of time.
I woke up during/in the night.
It rained during/in the week.
We prefer during when we stress that we are talking about the whole of the period. In cannot be used like this.
There was not even a whisper during the whole service. (NOT … in the whole service.)
We were on holiday during the whole of May.
During means from the beginning to the end of a particular period of time.
It rained during the night.
There was not even a whisper during the whole service.
During can also be used to talk about things that happened continuously or several times between the beginning and the end of a period of time.
I used to visit him during my stay in Boston.
The baby woke up several times during the night.
During and For
During is used to say when something happens; for is used to say how long it lasts.
It rained for three hours.
It rained during the night.
I was sleeping during the service.
The service lasted for more than three hours.
I don't remember the exact date, but it was during the winter.
During and In
We use both during and in to say that something happens inside a particular period of time.
I woke up during/in the night.
It rained during/in the week.
We prefer during when we stress that we are talking about the whole of the period. In cannot be used like this.
There was not even a whisper during the whole service. (NOT … in the whole service.)
We were on holiday during the whole of May.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
What is a morphological process?
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Definition: A morphological process is a means of changing a stem to adjust its meaning to fit its syntactic and communicational context.
Here are some kinds of morphological processes:
1.What is affixation?
2.What is prefixation?
3.What is suffixation?
4.What is circumfixation?
5.What is infixation?
6.What is modification?
7.What is reduplication?
Note: The process suppletion, though not strictly morphological, typically encodes the same type of information as the above morphological processes. It is often discussed in conjunction with them.
Here are some kinds of morphological processes:
1.What is affixation?
2.What is prefixation?
3.What is suffixation?
4.What is circumfixation?
5.What is infixation?
6.What is modification?
7.What is reduplication?
Note: The process suppletion, though not strictly morphological, typically encodes the same type of information as the above morphological processes. It is often discussed in conjunction with them.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Morphemes
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Morphemes are what make up words.
Often, morphemes are thought of as words but that is not always true.
Some single morphemes are words while other words have two or more morphemes within them.
Morphemes are also thought of as syllables but this is incorrect. Many words have two or more syllables but only one morpheme.
Banana, apple, papaya, and nanny are just a few examples. On the other hand, many words have two morphemes and only one syllable; examples include cats, runs, and barked.
Definitions
morpheme: a combination of sounds that have a meaning. A morpheme does not necessarily have to be a word.
Example: the word cats has two morphemes.
Cat is a morpheme, and s is a morpheme. Every morpheme is either a base or an affix. An affix can be either a prefix or a suffix. Cat is the base morpheme, and s is a suffix.
affix: a morpheme that comes at the beginning (prefix) or the ending (suffix) of a base morpheme. Note: An affix usually is a morpheme that cannot stand alone. Examples: -ful, -ly, -ity, -ness. A few exceptions are able, like, and less.
base: a morpheme that gives a word its meaning. The base morpheme cat gives the word cats its meaning: a particular type of animal.
prefix: an affix that comes before a base morpheme. The in in the word inspect is a prefix.
suffix: an affix that comes after a base morpheme. The s in cats is a suffix.
free morpheme: a morpheme that can stand alone as a word without another morpheme. It does not need anything attached to it to make a word. Cat is a free morpheme.
bound morpheme: a sound or a combination of sounds that cannot stand alone as a word. The s in cats is a bound morpheme, and it does not have any meaning without the free morpheme cat.
inflectional morpheme: this morpheme can only be a suffix. The s in cats is an inflectional morpheme. An inflectional morpheme creates a change in the function of the word. Example: the d in invited indicates past tense. English has only seven inflectional morphemes: -s (plural) and -s (possessive) are noun inflections; -s ( 3rd-person singular), -ed ( past tense), -en (past participle), and -ing ( present participle) are verb inflections; -er (comparative) and -est (superlative) are adjective and adverb inflections.
derivational morpheme: this type of morpheme changes the meaning of the word or the part of speech or both. Derivational morphemes often create new words. Example: the prefix and derivational morpheme un added to invited changes the meaning of the word.
allomorphs: different phonetic forms or variations of a morpheme. Example: The final morphemes in the following words are pronounced differently, but they all indicate plurality: dogs, cats, and horses.
homonyms: morphemes that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Examples: bear (an animal) and bear (to carry), plain (simple) and plain ( a level area of land).
homophones: morphemes that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings. Examples: bear, bare; plain, plane; cite, sight, site.
by Kirsten Mills Edited by Mark Canada, Ph.D.
Often, morphemes are thought of as words but that is not always true.
Some single morphemes are words while other words have two or more morphemes within them.
Morphemes are also thought of as syllables but this is incorrect. Many words have two or more syllables but only one morpheme.
Banana, apple, papaya, and nanny are just a few examples. On the other hand, many words have two morphemes and only one syllable; examples include cats, runs, and barked.
Definitions
morpheme: a combination of sounds that have a meaning. A morpheme does not necessarily have to be a word.
Example: the word cats has two morphemes.
Cat is a morpheme, and s is a morpheme. Every morpheme is either a base or an affix. An affix can be either a prefix or a suffix. Cat is the base morpheme, and s is a suffix.
affix: a morpheme that comes at the beginning (prefix) or the ending (suffix) of a base morpheme. Note: An affix usually is a morpheme that cannot stand alone. Examples: -ful, -ly, -ity, -ness. A few exceptions are able, like, and less.
base: a morpheme that gives a word its meaning. The base morpheme cat gives the word cats its meaning: a particular type of animal.
prefix: an affix that comes before a base morpheme. The in in the word inspect is a prefix.
suffix: an affix that comes after a base morpheme. The s in cats is a suffix.
free morpheme: a morpheme that can stand alone as a word without another morpheme. It does not need anything attached to it to make a word. Cat is a free morpheme.
bound morpheme: a sound or a combination of sounds that cannot stand alone as a word. The s in cats is a bound morpheme, and it does not have any meaning without the free morpheme cat.
inflectional morpheme: this morpheme can only be a suffix. The s in cats is an inflectional morpheme. An inflectional morpheme creates a change in the function of the word. Example: the d in invited indicates past tense. English has only seven inflectional morphemes: -s (plural) and -s (possessive) are noun inflections; -s ( 3rd-person singular), -ed ( past tense), -en (past participle), and -ing ( present participle) are verb inflections; -er (comparative) and -est (superlative) are adjective and adverb inflections.
derivational morpheme: this type of morpheme changes the meaning of the word or the part of speech or both. Derivational morphemes often create new words. Example: the prefix and derivational morpheme un added to invited changes the meaning of the word.
allomorphs: different phonetic forms or variations of a morpheme. Example: The final morphemes in the following words are pronounced differently, but they all indicate plurality: dogs, cats, and horses.
homonyms: morphemes that are spelled the same but have different meanings. Examples: bear (an animal) and bear (to carry), plain (simple) and plain ( a level area of land).
homophones: morphemes that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings. Examples: bear, bare; plain, plane; cite, sight, site.
by Kirsten Mills Edited by Mark Canada, Ph.D.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
What is Morphology and Morpheme?
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Morphology is a field of linguistics focused on the study of the forms and formation of words in a language.
A morpheme is the smallest indivisible unit of a language that retains meaning. The rules of morphology within a language tend to be relatively regular, so that if one sees the noun morphemes for the first time, for example, one can deduce that it is likely related to the word morpheme.
A morpheme is the smallest indivisible unit of a language that retains meaning. The rules of morphology within a language tend to be relatively regular, so that if one sees the noun morphemes for the first time, for example, one can deduce that it is likely related to the word morpheme.
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