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  • The Word 'another' Is Not an Adjective
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    The Word ‘another’ Is Not an Adjective

    If I had to pick a single grammar topic to focus on for the rest of my life, I would likely choose determiners. I did not learn the term determiner until my junior year as an undergraduate when I took the linguistics class that inspired my subsequent study of all things linguistic. I have often […] More

  • Lies Your Grammar Teacher Told You: Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Determiners
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    Lies Your Grammar Teacher Told You: Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Determiners

    As I have written repeatedly, the line between grammatical forms is blurry at best, especially among lexical categories like noun, verb, and adjective. Grammatical form and grammatical function distinguish one word class from other. The lines between functional categories are typically much clearer than the lines between lexical categories. As closed classes that do not […] More

  • Not All Forms That Function as Adverbials Are Adverbs
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    Not All Forms That Function as Adverbials Are Adverbs

    The other day I read a tweet that made some claims about adverbs: “The -s in “unawares,” as in “they were caught unawares,” is completely distinct from the pluralizing -s. It’s an adverb suffix, and it’s also in “always” and “nowadays,” and in “nights,” “weekends,” etc., as in “they work nights/weekends.” #FunWithMorphology” The -s in […] More

  • The Appositive in English Grammar
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    The Appositive in English Grammar

    Appositives are words, phrases, and clauses that support another word, phrase, or clause by describing or modifying the other word, phrase, or clause. Although nouns and noun phrases most frequently function as appositive in sentences, three grammatical forms can perform the grammatical function of appositive in the English language. The three grammatical forms that can […] More

  • Intensive Pronouns in English Grammar
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    Intensive Pronouns in English Grammar

    Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns, noun phrases, and other grammatical forms. Intensive pronouns are pronouns that add emphasis to a statement. In English grammar, intensive pronouns are identical in form to reflexive pronouns. Unlike reflexive pronouns, however, intensive pronouns can be removed without altering the meaning or grammaticality of a sentence. […] More

  • Using Verbs and Verb Phrases as Appositives
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    Using Verbs and Verb Phrases as Appositives

    Verbs have traditionally been defined by notional grammars as “words that denote an action or a state of being.” A verb phrase is a grammatical structure that consists of a verb functioning as the head of the phrase plus any auxiliary verbs, particles, modifiers, complements, and objects. In grammar, an appositive is a word, phrase, […] More

  • English Noun Clauses
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    English Noun Clauses

    Noun clauses are independent, or subordinate, clauses that perform nominal functions. Clauses are grammatical structures that contain a subject and a predicate. Grammatical Forms Grammatical Forms of English Noun Clauses explains the internal structure of noun clauses in English. Forming Noun Clauses from Questions explains the formation of noun clauses from interrogative constructions. Grammatical Functions […] More

  • English Pronouns
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    English Pronouns

    Notional grammars define pronouns as “small words that take the place of nouns and other grammatical forms.” Pronoun is a subcategory of the larger category of noun. A pronoun phrase, which is a type of noun phrase, consists of a pronoun plus any modifiers. Grammatical Forms Types of Pronouns: Personal, Indefinite, Demonstrative, Interrogative, and Relative […] More

  • Nominal Functions of English Verbs and Verb Phrases
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    Nominal Functions of English Verbs and Verb Phrases

    Traditional grammars define verbs as “action or state of being words.” Verb phrases are phrases that consist of a verb plus any modifiers, complements, particles, and auxiliaries. In addition to five primary functions, English verbs and verb phrases also perform seven nominal functions in English grammar. Nominal functions are grammatical functions prototypically performed by nouns, […] More

  • Using Noun Clauses as Appositives
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    Using Noun Clauses as Appositives

    In grammar, a clause is a grammatical structure that consists of a subject and a predicate. A dependent or subordinate clause is a clause that cannot function independently as a complete sentence but that must appear with another independent or main clause. A noun clause is a type of dependent clause that performs a nominal […] More

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