English Grammatical Terms On the assumption that the reader can speak correct English but is unfamiliar with formal grammar, the technical terms will not be strictly denned but briefly described and followed by illustrative examples where appropriate. These terms are gathered together thematically under three headings — Sentence Elements, Parts of Speech, and Finite Verb Forms — and then followed by an alphabetical list of other common terms that do not fit under these headings. NB: These notes are about English Grammar: the grammar of Sanskrit is rather different — do not confuse the two. The purpose of these notes is to briefly illustrate the technical terms and concepts of English grammar, which may be used to demonstrate similar or contrasting concepts in Sanskrit grammar. 1. Sentence Elements A sentence comprises one or more of five elements, each of which may comprise one or more words: (a) Subject: (S) in English grammar this is considered the main element or focus of the sentence, and the rest of the sentence (the predicate) is considered to be a statement about the subject. It expresses the agent of an active verb. For example: Jack and Jill (S) went up the hill (predicate). (b) Verb: (V) this expresses the activity of the sentence; it agrees with the subject in person and number. It is the most essential word, and every grammatically complete sentence must have one explicitly stated: even the subject may be implied, as in the command 'Run!'. For example: The children (S) are playing (V). (c) Object: There are two types: (i) Direct Object: (0<j) expresses that which is directly acted upon by the verb; (ii) Indirect Object: (O;) is the recipient or beneficiary of the activity. She (S) gave (V) the food (O d ) to the dog (O;). He (S) built (V) the dog (O;) a kennel (O d ). (d) Complement: This completes the sense expressed by the verb. There are two types: (i) Subject Complement: (C s ) used with intransitive verbs, or transitive verbs in the passive voice, expressing an attribute of the subject; (ii) Object Complement: (C ) used with transitive verbs in the active voice and expressing an attribute of the direct object of the sentence. Love (S) is (V) blind (C s ). The judge (S) set (V) the prisoner (O d ) free (C ). He (S) became (V) a doctor (C s ). They (S) elected (V) him (O d ) chairman (C ). (e) Adverbial: (A) these express a wide range of meaning (time, place, manner, etc.) related to the activity of the sentence as a whole. Unlike the other elements, there may be several of these in one simple sentence. Again (A) it (S) rained (V) steadily (A) all day (A).
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