Parts of a Sentence

Punctuation Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Prepositions Frequently Confused Words

Punctuation

. Period ? Question Mark ! Exclamation Mark , Comma ' Apostrophe " Quotation Marks : Colon ; Semicolon - Dash - Hyphen

Period [.]
1. Use a period to show the end of a sentence. Hockey is a popular sport in Canada. The federal government is based in Ottawa. 2. Use a period after certain abbreviations. B.C. is the province located on the West Coast. Dr. Bethune was a Canadian who worked in China. The company is located at 888 Bay St. in Toronto. It is 4:00 p.m. in Halifax right now.

Question Mark [?]

Use a question mark at the end of a sentence to show a direct question. How many provinces are there in Canada? Note: do not use a question mark for indirect questions. The teacher asked the class a question. Do not ask me why.

Exclamation Mark [!]

Use an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence to show surprise or excitement. We won the Stanley Cup! The forest is on fire!

Comma [,]
1. Use a comma to show a pause in a sentence. Therefore, we should write a letter to the prime minister. 2. Use a comma with quotation marks to show what someone has said directly. "I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow." 3. Use commas for listing three or more different things. Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. are the three biggest provinces. 4. Use commas around relative clauses that add extra information to a sentence. Emily Carr, who was born in 1871, was a great painter.

Apostrophe [']
1. Use an apostrophe to show ownership of something. This is David's computer. These are the player's things. (Things that belong to the player) Note: For nouns in plural form, put the apostrophe at the end of the noun. These are the players' things. (Things that belong to the players) 2. Use an apostrophe to show letters that have been left out of a word. I don't know how to fix it.

Quotation Marks ["]

Use quotation marks to show what someone has said directly. The prime minister said, "We will win the election." "I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow."

Colon [:]
1. Use a colon to introduce a list of things. There are three positions in hockey: goalie, defence, and forward. 2. Use a colon to introduce a long quotation. The prime minister said: "We will fight. We will not give up. We will win the next election."

Semicolon [;]
1. Use a semicolon to join related sentences together. The festival is very popular; people from all over the world visit each year. 2. Use a semicolon in lists that already have commas. The three biggest cities in Canada are Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Vancouver, B.C.

Dash [-]
1. Use a dash before a phrase that summarizes the idea of a sentence. Mild, wet, and cloudy - these are the characteristics of weather in Vancouver. 2. Use a dash before and after a phrase or list that adds extra information in the middle of a sentence. The children - Pierre, Laura, and Ashley - went to the store. Most Canadians - but not all - voted in the last election. 3. Use a dash to show that someone has been interrupted when speaking. The woman said, "I want to ask - " when the earthquake began to shake the room.

Hyphen [-]
1. Use a hyphen to join two words that form one idea together. Sweet-smelling fire-resistant 2. Use a hyphen to join prefixes to words. Anti-Canadian non-contact 3. Use a hyphen when writing compound numbers. One-quarter twenty-three

Nouns
A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Every sentence must have a noun as its subject. Examples: The bear sleeps. Toronto is a city.

Types of Nouns
Proper

Nouns Common Nouns Collective nouns Countable nouns and Uncountable (or Mass) nouns

Proper Nouns
A proper noun is the name of a person, place or thing. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. Examples: Toronto Mr. Brown Sally

Common Nouns
A common noun is any noun that is not a proper noun. Common nouns are not capitalized. Examples: the city a leader this woman

Collective Nouns

a crowd a range of mountains a deck of cards a pile of books an anthology of poems a bunch of grapes a pack of wolves a swarm of bees a network of computers a host of golden daffodils

Forms of Nouns
Plural

Nouns Possessive Forms

Plural Forms
The plural form of a noun indicates more than one. The plural form is usually formed by adding an s or es. Examples: one week, two weeks a house, many houses one box, two boxes

Nouns that end in a consonant followed by a y are made plural by dropping the y and adding ies. Example: one country, two countries Nouns that end in a vowel followed by a y are made plural by adding s. Example: one toy, two toys Nouns that end in f or fe drop the f or fe and add ves. Example: one leaf, two leaves Certain irregular nouns have special plural forms. Examples: one foot, two feet a mouse, many mice

Possessive Forms
The possessive form of a noun indicates ownership or modifies another noun. The possessive form is usually formed by adding 's to the end of a noun. Examples: the player's equipment the woman's job Canada's government

Verbs
Verbs are words that are used to express an action. Every sentence must have a verb that shows what the subject is doing or explains what is going on. Examples: The bear sleeps. Toronto is a city.

Subject and Verb Agreement

Each verb must agree with the subject in number. Check your sentences carefully to make sure your verbs agree with your nouns. Examples: I study He / She/It studies You study They study Incorrect: We studies at the university. Correct: We study at the university.

Adjectives
Adjectives are words used to describe or modify nouns. They give the reader more information about a noun. Use adjectives to make your writing more interesting. Examples: a good essay our hard-working leader

Some adjectives can be used for comparing different things. Examples: Bombay is cold. Toronto is colder. Delhi is coldest. This book is good. That book is better. My book is the best.

Adverbs
Adverbs are words used to describe actions. They give additional information about when, how, and where something is happening. Use adverbs to make your writing more precise and interesting. She spoke yesterday. (when) She spoke quickly. (how) She spoke here. (where) Some adverbs are used to compare different actions. I can run fast. She can run faster. He can run the fastest. I spoke well. She spoke better. He spoke the best.

Prepositions

Prepositions are used before nouns to give additional information in a sentence. Usually, prepositions are used to show where something is located or when something happened.

Frequently Confused Words

accept, except advice, advise all ready, already buy, by choose, chose complement, compliment emigrate, immigrate it's, its loose, lose miner, minor past, passed principal, principle stationary, stationery than, then their, there, they're threw, through to, too, two weather, whether your, you're

accept, except Accept means "to receive". Example: Please accept my gift. Except means "not including". Example: I brought all the gifts except yours. advice, advise Advice is an "opinion about what should be done". Example: She gives good advice. Advise means "to recommend". Example: Please advise me on what to do.

affect, effect Affect means "to influence". Example: Do not let the loss affect you. An effect is "a result". Example: The loss did not have an effect on me. all ready, already All ready means "everything is ready". Example: We are all ready to move. Already means "previously". Example: We already moved our things yesterday.

buy, by Buy means "to purchase". Example: Please buy me a ticket. By means "beside". Example: The book is by the table. choose, chose Choose means "to select". Example: Today, I will choose a new house. Chose is the past tense of choose. Example: Yesterday, I chose a new house.

complement, compliment Complement means "to make complete". Example: This hat will complement my new dress. A compliment is something said in praise. Example: Thank you for the compliment about my dress. emigrate, immigrate Emigrate means "to leave one country to settle in another". Example: I intend to emigrate from Hong Kong. Immigrate means "to come to live in a new country". Example: I intend to immigrate to Canada.

it's It's is the short form of "it is". Example: It's in the dog house. Its is a pronoun that shows ownership or possession. Example: The dog has its own house. loose, lose Loose means "not tight". Example: My pants are loose. Lose means "to be defeated or no longer have". Example: I do not want to lose the game.

miner, minor A miner is a person who works in a mine. Example: My uncle is a miner. Minor is an adjective that means "unimportant". Example: This is a minor problem. A minor also refers to a person who is not yet an adult. Example: It is illegal for a minor to drink alcohol. past, passed Past means "gone by" or "history". Example: The car drove past my house. My past is very interesting. Passed is the past tense of pass. Example: We passed the truck earlier.

principal, principle A principal is the head of a school. Example: The principal spoke to us today. A principle is an important fact or law. Example: The principle of democracy is important to Canadians. stationary, stationery Stationary means to be "standing still". Example: Please remain stationary. Stationery means "writing materials". Example: They went to the store to buy some stationery.

than, then Than means "in comparison with". Example: He is bigger than me. Then means "next". Example: After going home, he then started his assignment. their, there, they're Their is a form of "they" that shows ownership. Example: Their flowers are on the table. There describes where something is. Example: The flowers are there on the table. They're is a short form of "they are". Example: They're going to buy flowers.

threw, through Threw is the past tense of throw. Example: He threw the ball over the fence. Through means from "end to end". Example: We drove through the tunnel. to, too, two To means "in the direction of". Example: He went to the store. Too means "also". Example: He went to the store, too. Two is a number. Example: Two of my friends went to the store.

weather, whether Weather means "conditions outdoors". Example: The weather is terrible. Whether is an expression of choice between two options. Example: I do not know whether I will stay home or go to school. your, you're Your is a form of "you" that shows ownership. Example: Your car is new. You're is a short form of "your are". Example: You're going to the store.