| adjective |
a word that describes a noun or pronoun. In the sentence, "It was a hard test," the word "hard" is an adjective. It describes the noun "test." |
| adverb |
a word that describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb. Adverbs are also used to modify a whole sentence. |
| alliteration |
the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words in a phrase or sentence. |
| although |
"Although" is a word that we use to connect ideas in a sentence. We use "although" to join two ideas that are true but don't seem to agree with each other. "Although" is an important word, but we probably use "even though" more often when we talk. "Even though" is a little stronger, but it has the same meaning. |
| am |
"Am" is a form of the verb "be." "Am" is used when the subject of the sentence is "I," and it is used when you are talking about present time. |
| as well |
"As well" is another way to say "also" or "too." It usually comes at the end of a sentence. |
| be |
used to connect the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that describes it. [2/8 definitions] |
| but |
"But" is a word that connects two ideas in a sentence. When we use the word "but," the ideas that are connected don't agree with each other in some way. [1/2 definitions] |
| capital1 |
A capital is a large form of a letter. "T" is the capital for the letter "t." "C" is the capital for the letter "c." The first word of a sentence begins with a capital. [1/4 definitions] |
| clause |
a group of words that has a subject and a verb. Clauses can be part or all of a sentence. [1/2 definitions] |
| comma |
a punctuation mark (,). It is used to separate words, phrases, or other parts of a sentence or list, or to show a pause in speech. It is also used when writing numbers of one thousand or greater to mark off groups of three digits. |
| complex sentence |
a sentence made of a main or independent clause and one or more dependent or subordinate clauses. An example of a complex sentence is, "I went to the theater, which was very crowded with people." |
| compound1 |
having to do with a word made up of two or more parts, or a sentence made up of two or more main clauses. [1/6 definitions] |
| compound sentence |
a sentence made of two or more independent clauses. The sentences are joined by a conjunction or semicolon. "The sky darkened, and the wind howled" is a compound sentence. |
| condemn |
to order punishment to be given to; sentence or convict. [1/3 definitions] |
| context |
When people talk about the "context" of a word, they are talking about the words, phrases, and sentences that come before and after it. In general, the context of something is the setting or situation that surrounds a thing and helps give it its meaning. If you don't know a word in a sentence, the context can often help you figure out what the word means. The other words around it give clues that can help. |
| declarative sentence |
a sentence that makes a statement. There are many examples of declarative sentences, such as, "It is raining outside." |
| dictionary |
A dictionary is something that tells you the meaning of words and a lot of other things about them. It is a book that you can hold in your hands or something like a book that you can read on a computer or phone. A dictionary tells you what words mean, how to say them, how they are spelled, and how they are used in a sentence. |
| direct object |
the part of a sentence that shows the object, goal, or receiver of the action of a verb. "The ball" in "She kicked the ball" is a direct object. |
| exclamation point |
An exclamation point is a mark used in writing. People put it at the end of a sentence when it is telling someone to do something--like "Close the door!" or "Come here!" People also use it to give stronger feeling to what they are saying. For example, we might write "Ouch." to say that something hurts, but we often write "Ouch!" instead because it gives it a stronger feeling. An exclamation point is also called an "exclamation mark". |
| execution |
the following through of a death sentence. [1/3 definitions] |