NGSA English key terms

A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea, such as teacher, city, book, or freedom. Nouns can be singular or plural and often follow articles like a, an, or the.

A word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being, such as run, become, or seem. Verbs change form to show tense and must agree with their subject.

A word that describes or limits a noun or pronoun, answering questions like what kind, which one, or how many. Examples include blue, careful, and several.

A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, often telling how, when, where, or to what degree. Examples include quickly, very, and yesterday.

A word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase, such as he, they, it, or someone. Pronouns must refer clearly to a noun, called the antecedent, so readers know who or what is meant.

The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers back to. In the sentence 'Maya lost her keys,' Maya is the antecedent of her. An unclear antecedent makes a sentence confusing.

The part of a sentence that names who or what performs the action or is being described. In 'The old bridge collapsed,' the subject is 'the old bridge.'

The part of a sentence that says something about the subject, usually containing the verb and its objects or complements. In 'The dog barked loudly,' the predicate is 'barked loudly.'

A group of words containing a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a dependent clause cannot and must attach to an independent clause.

A group of related words that functions as a unit but lacks a subject and verb working together as a clause does. Examples include 'in the morning' and 'the tall building.'

A clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence, such as 'She finished the report.' Two independent clauses joined without proper punctuation create a run-on.

A clause that cannot stand alone because it begins with a subordinating word such as because, although, or when. It must be attached to an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

An incomplete sentence that is missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought, often appearing as a dependent clause or phrase punctuated as a sentence.

Two or more independent clauses joined without correct punctuation or a conjunction. It can be fixed with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.

An error in which two independent clauses are joined by only a comma. It can be corrected with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions like and, but, and or join equal parts, while subordinating conjunctions like because and although introduce dependent clauses.

A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word, often indicating place, time, or direction. Examples include in, on, under, before, and between.

A word, phrase, or clause that describes or limits another word. A misplaced modifier sits too far from the word it describes, creating confusion about what is being modified.

A descriptive phrase that does not clearly attach to the word it is meant to describe, often because the intended subject is missing. 'Walking home, the rain began' dangles because rain cannot walk.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

A singular noun that names a group of people or things, such as team, family, or committee. In American English these usually take singular verbs when the group acts as one unit.

The form of a verb that shows when an action occurs, such as past, present, or future. Consistent tense keeps a sentence or paragraph clear about its timeline.

A verb form used as an adjective or to build verb tenses. Present participles end in -ing, and past participles often end in -ed, -en, or -t.

The form of a pronoun that shows its job in a sentence. Subjective case pronouns like I and he act as subjects, while objective case pronouns like me and him act as objects.

The form of an adjective or adverb used to compare two things, usually made by adding -er or using more, as in taller or more careful. Three or more things require the superlative form.

Information in nearby words or sentences that helps a reader figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Types include definition, example, contrast, and cause-and-effect clues.

A word that has nearly the same meaning as another word, such as happy and glad. Synonyms are rarely identical in tone, so choosing the right one depends on context.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as hot and cold. Antonyms often appear as contrast clues that help readers infer an unfamiliar word's meaning.

The emotional or cultural association a word carries beyond its literal meaning. 'Thrifty' and 'stingy' describe similar behavior but carry very different connotations.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, separate from any emotional associations. Denotation is what a word directly names, while connotation is how that word feels to readers.

A word part attached to the beginning of a base word that changes its meaning, such as un- in unhappy or pre- in preview. Knowing common prefixes helps readers decode unfamiliar words.

A word part attached to the end of a base word that changes its meaning or part of speech, such as -less in hopeless or -tion in creation.

The core part of a word that carries its basic meaning and can stand alone or combine with prefixes and suffixes. For example, 'view' is the root of preview and review.

The central point a passage makes about its topic. It is often stated in a topic sentence but may be implied, and every supporting detail should relate to it.

A fact, example, or reason that explains, proves, or develops the main idea of a passage. Strong supporting details are specific and directly relevant to the central point.

A logical conclusion a reader draws by combining evidence in a text with background knowledge. Inferences are not stated directly but must be supported by clues in the passage.

A sentence, usually near the start of a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main idea and signals what the rest of the paragraph will explain or support.

A brief restatement of a text's main points in the reader's own words. A good summary includes the central idea and key details while leaving out minor examples and repetition.

A restatement of someone else's idea in your own words while keeping the original meaning. Paraphrasing differs from quoting because it does not copy the exact wording.

A punctuation mark used to separate items in a list, set off introductory or nonessential information, and join an independent clause to a coordinating conjunction. It marks a brief pause.

A punctuation mark that joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates items in a complex list. It signals a stronger pause than a comma but weaker than a period.

A punctuation mark that introduces a list, an explanation, or a quotation after a complete clause. It directs the reader's attention to what follows and should not follow a verb or preposition.

A punctuation mark used to form possessives, as in the dog's bowl, and contractions, as in don't. It is also used to show that letters have been omitted.

A shortened form of two words combined with an apostrophe, such as can't for cannot or they're for they are. Its sound-alike counterpart, like their, is a common spelling trap.

A word form that shows ownership. Singular nouns add an apostrophe and -s, plural nouns ending in -s add only an apostrophe, and possessive pronouns like its and theirs take no apostrophe.

One of two or more words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings, such as their, there, and they're, or to, too, and two.

The use of uppercase letters for proper nouns, the first word of a sentence, and the pronoun I. Titles before names and the main words in headings are also capitalized.

A noun that names a specific person, place, organization, or title and is capitalized, such as Maya, Chicago, or Tuesday. Common nouns name general categories and stay lowercase.

A pronoun problem in which a pronoun could refer to more than one noun in the sentence, leaving readers unsure of the meaning. Replacing the pronoun with a noun usually fixes it.

A word or phrase that connects ideas and shows how sentences or paragraphs relate, such as however, therefore, or in addition. Transitions guide readers through the logic of a text.

The quality of writing in which ideas are clearly connected and flow logically from one to the next. Coherence depends on clear organization, transitions, and consistent focus.