Nouns� A noun is a person, place, thing or idea.
� A common noun is a general person, place, or thing.
� A proper noun refers to a
particular person, place, or
thing and is usually capitalized.
Chapter 1 ・ Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives ・ p. 3
thing and is usually capitalized.
lizard
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Collective Nouns� A collective noun refers to a group made
up of several elements.
Chapter 1 ・ Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives ・ p. 4
A herd of cows.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Articles
� Three little words a, an, and the, are called articlesor determiners. When you see one of these words, you know that a noun is about to pop up before your very eyes.
A tick, an aardvark, and a wart.
Chapter 1 ・ Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives ・ p. 5
A tick, an aardvark, and a wart.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Pronoun� A pronoun is a word that takes the place of
one or more nouns.
Semore is an unusual child. Yesterday,
he shaved his head with his father’s
electric razor. Then he carefully braided
Chapter 1 ・ Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives ・ p. 12
electric razor. Then he carefully braided
the hairs on his legs and arms.
On his face, he applied a rub-on
tattoo of a small warthog.
Semore’s parents hope
that he is simply going
through a phase.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Adjectives
� Adjectives are words that modify, describe, or add detail to nouns and pronouns.
� Adjectives help the reader visualize what the author writes.
Chapter 1 ・ Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives ・ p. 16
The rat, gigantic, crazy-eyed and straggly, bared its sharp,
pointed fangs and devoured the cheese.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Adjectives Answer Questions
� Adjectives answer four questions
about nouns and pronouns:
1. What kind?
2. How many?
3. Which one?
Chapter 1 ・ Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives ・ p. 16
The rat, gigantic, crazy-eyed and
straggly, bared its sharp, pointed fangs
and devoured the cheese.
3. Which one?
4. How much?
Can you match the adjectives to
answer each question?
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Proper Adjectives
� Some adjectives are formed using proper nouns, and
they’re called…proper adjectives.
What other proper adjectives
do you know?
Chapter 1 ・ Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives ・ p. 18
do you know?
Except for the African killer
bees and South American
ants, Thadeus enjoyed his
camping trip.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Action Verbs
� Action verbs show action.
Sometimes you can’t see the
action even though it’s
happening, as with to think or to
know.
Chapter 2 ・ Verbs and Adverbs ・ p. 25
know.
What verbs can you use to tell
what she’s doing?
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Linking Verbs� Boring linking verbs connect, or “link” the subject of a sentence to
a word that follows it and refers back to the subject. The most common linking verbs are the forms of to be.
Fluffy’s hairball is hefty.
Chapter 2 ・ Verbs and Adverbs ・ p. 27
Fluffy’s hairball is hefty.
“Is” links the subject, hairball, to
the adjective, hefty.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Verb Phrase
� A verb phrase consists of
one or more helping
verbs followed by a main
verb. These verbs join
together to act as one
Chapter 2 ・ Verbs and Adverbs ・ p. 31
together to act as one
verb.
Bozo is making balloon marsupials for the children.
Is-helping verb, making-main verb, is making-verb phrase.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Adverbs� An adverb is a single word that
modifies, adds details or describes
verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
� Adverbs answer where, when,
how, to what extent.
Chapter 2 ・ Verbs and Adverbs ・ p. 35
how, to what extent.
What question do these adverbs answer?
Studies convincingly demonstrate that
electric rollers greatly stimulate brain
cells and dramatically increase IQ’s.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Prepositions� A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a
noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence.
� Some prepositions are made up of two or more words. These are compound prepositions.
If you have a squirrel and a log in a sentence, what can
their relationship be?
Chapter 3 ・ Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections ・ p. 41
their relationship be?
The squirrel is on the log.
The squirrel is next to the log.
Where else can the squirrel be?
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Prepositional Phrase
� A prepositional phrase always begins
with a preposition and ends with a
noun or pronoun. This noun or
pronoun is called the “object of the
preposition.”
Chapter 3 ・ Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections ・ p. 43
preposition.”
What is the object of the preposition in this sentence?
All of a sudden, Reginald discovered he was wedged under the
leathery, large, yet amiable pachyderm.The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Conjunctions
� Conjunctions are connecting
words that join words or groups
of words together.
� A coordinating conjunction is a
single word: and, but, or.
Chapter 3 ・ Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections ・ p. 50
single word: and, but, or.
� Correlative conjunctions are
words that come in pairs: either I
or, neither I nor.
FANBOYS
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Interjections
� Interjections are words that
express emotion and are
usually set off from the rest
of the sentence
by an exclamation
Chapter 3 ・ Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections ・ p. 54
by an exclamation
point or a comma,
if you’re not too
excited.
Write a sentence about this picture using an interjection.
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Sentences
� A sentence is a group of words that
expresses a complete idea.
� “Wannabe” sentences that are half-
thoughts are just fragments.
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 55
Fragment:
hanging from the chandelier
Sentence:
Gramma is hanging from the
chandelier by her toes again.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Subject
� The person, place, thing or idea that’s the main focus of a
sentence is called the subject. Sometimes the subject can
be more than one word.
What’s the subject
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 56
What’s the subject
of this sentence?
On bad hair days, Matilda, a
fashionable young lady, wears colorful,
eye-catching shower caps to hide her
trussed up tresses.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Compound Subject� A sentence about more than one person, place, thing or
idea has a compound subject.
Who are the subjects
of this sentence?
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 62
of this sentence?
Ernie, Prudence, their
goldfish and dog Spot chew
bubblegum.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Predicates
� Every sentence needs a predicate, a verb. A simple
predicate is just the verb, a complete predicate is the
verb and all the words and phrases that go with it.
� A predicate tells what the subject is doing or what’s
being said about it.
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 63
being said about it.
Ramona reads mystery stories by
the light of her ponderous firefly.
What is the simple predicate?
What is the complete predicate?
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Complements� Sometimes a subject and predicate need a word to fully
complete the meaning of a sentence. This word is called
a complement.
What word completes
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 65
What word completes
the sentence?
This word is the
complement.
Fido found a bone.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Direct Objects� A direct object is always a noun or
pronoun that comes after the action verb. It receives the action of the verb, so ask whom or what after the verb to find the direct object.
Whom or what did
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 66
Whom or what did
Thadeus compliment?
Thadeus complimented
Nadine on her new
Tyrannosaurus earrings.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Indirect Objects� Some sentences have indirect objects.
An indirect object comes before the
direct object and is always a noun or
pronoun. Find the direct object and then
ask to whom, for whom, to what or for
what about the direct object to find the
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 68
what about the direct object to find the
indirect object.
Find the direct objects in this sentence.
Wyonna taught her hamster and
garden snake a song and tap
dance from a hit Broadway show.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Predicate Nominative and Adjective
� Subject complements only come after linking verbs. There are two types. The predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb. A predicate adjective is an adjective following the linking verb.
Which sentence has a predicate nominative and which sentence has
a predicate adjective?
Chapter 4 ・ Parts of the Sentence: Subject, Predicate, and Complement ・ p. 69
Gromer’s best friend is his pet eggplant.
The hair on Puddington’s
three headed cat looks straggly.The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Participle
� A participle is a form of verb, but it functions as an
adjective. A present participle always ends in “ing,”
a past participle generally ends in “ed”.
What is the participle in this sentence?
Is it a present or past
Chapter 5 ・ Dazed by Phrases? ・ p. 81
Is it a present or past
participle?
Peabody observed the
octopus swimming in
the aquarium.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Gerund� A gerund is a form of verb that acts like a noun in a
sentence. A gerund ends in -ing and can be one word or more than one word, a gerund phrase. Gerunds can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects
of the preposition or predicate nominatives!
Chapter 5 ・ Dazed by Phrases? ・ p. 84
Rhonda won first place in the
rodeo for riding a rodent.
This gerund phrase functions
as a/an (fill in the blank…)
_____________.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Infinitives� An infinitive is usually the word to, followed by a verb.
What’s the infinitive in this sentence?
Chapter 5 ・ Dazed by Phrases? ・ p. 85
To avoid calling attention to himself, Rutherford sometime wears
a paper sack over his head.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Clauses� A clause contains
two important elements: a subject and a verb.
� An independent clause can be a sentence all by itself, and a dependent clause isn’t a
Chapter 6 ・ Eliminating Clause-trophobia ・ p. 89
dependent clause isn’t a sentence, it’s a fragment.
� Every sentence must have one independent clause, and some sentences have two.
Dependent=Sentence Fragment.Write a dependent and independent clause.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Adjective Clauses
� An adjective clause acts like an adjective. An adjective
clause is essential or restrictive if it’s necessary to
identify the noun or pronoun it modifies in a sentence.
A nonessential or nonrestrictive adjective clause just
adds extra information.
Chapter 6 ・ Eliminating Clause-trophobia ・ p. 92
adds extra information.
Which adjective clause is essential?
Which one is nonessential?
Tadpoles that swallow marbles sink when they try to swim.
Tadpoles, which are smaller than rhinos, become bloated when they swallow cantaloupes.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Adverb Clauses
� An adverb clause is a type of dependent clause that
functions as an adverb. Adverb clauses usually begin
with subordinating conjunctions.
What’s the subordinating conjunction in the adverb clause?
Chapter 6 ・ Eliminating Clause-trophobia ・ p. 97
Binky’s mother was
upset because Binky
brought home a
tarantula for a pet.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Simple Sentence� A simple sentence has only
one independent clause.
� A compound sentence has two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
Chapter 6 ・ Eliminating Clause-trophobia ・ p. 103
What type of sentence
is this? How do you
know?
Sally’s feet fit her new sandals, but her
toenails are too long.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Complex Sentence� A complex sentence consists of
one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.
� A compound-complex sentence contains at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
What type of sentence is this?
Chapter 6 ・ Eliminating Clause-trophobia ・ p. 105
What type of sentence is this?
How do you know?
Salvador thought that he was becoming
a werewolf, but he discovered that he was
simply suffering from a glandular disorder.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Run-On Sentence
� Sometimes sentences run
together because they’ve
missed a period. These are
called…run-on sentences.
Chapter 7 ・ Fragments and Run-Ons ・ p. 119
Where should the period go?
Aunt Tallulah talks to her tulips she also
puts party hats on her petunias.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Subject-Verb Agreement
� A verb, like a noun or pronoun, can be singular or plural. You need to put the right verb with the right subject. This is called subject-verb agreement.
Chapter 8 ・ Subject-Verb Agreement ・ p. 125
Wrong: Ludwig’s earlobes is long.
Right: Ludwig’s earlobes are long.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Antecedent� An antecedent is the word to which a pronoun refers.
� Pronouns and their antecedents have to agree.
Chapter 9 ・ Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement ・ p. 133
Wrong: The children brushed his teeth.
Right: The children brushed their teeth.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Pronoun Cases
� Case is the form of
a pronoun that
shows how the
pronoun is used in
the sentence.
Chapter 10 ・ Some Special Pronoun Predicaments ・ p. 141
the sentence.
“I signed up for advanced snake charming,” said Astor, “but my
instructor told me that I needed to find another pastime.”
I=subject Me=direct object My=shows possession
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Possessive and Objective Case
� In the possessive case, pronouns show possession.
In the objective case, pronouns can be a direct object,
and indirect object or an object of the preposition.
Which sentence uses the possessive case and which one uses the objective case?
Chapter 10 ・ Some Special Pronoun Predicaments ・ p. 142
which one uses the objective case?
Wilbur gave his frogs three warts.
Benevolent Mr. Brittlebone gives his
kidney stones to the neighborhood kids to
use as marbles.The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Four Parts of a Verb
� Every verb has four principal parts: present, present participle, past, and past participle.
Chapter 11 ・ Tense About Verbs? ・ p. 157
An ample worm wiggled out of
Latimer’s apple.
Present - Wiggle
Present Participle- (is) wiggling
Past - wiggled
Past Participle - (has) wiggled
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Verb Tenses
� Every verb has six tenses
to help show time: present,
past, future, present
perfect, past perfect, future
perfect.
Chapter 11 ・ Tense About Verbs? ・ p. 162
Present - Dee dreams about bucktoothed ducks.
Past - Dee dreamed about bucktoothed ducks last night.
Future - Dee will dream about bucktoothed ducks.
Present perfect - Dee has dreamed about bucktoothed duck many nights.
Past perfect - Dee had dreamed about ducks twelve times by morning.
Future perfect - Dee will begin dreaming about ducks tonight and she will
have dreamed (or dreamt) about thousands of her feathery friends by morning.
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Verb Moods� Verbs are used to express moods.
� Verbs have three moods:
• Indicative mood -expresses statements or questions of fact
• Imperative mood -expresses a command
Chapter 11 ・ Tense About Verbs? ・ p. 178
expresses a command or request
• Subjunctive mood -expresses speculation and contrary-to-fact statements
What mood does this
sentence express?
Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup.The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
Degrees of Comparison
� Adverbs and adjectives have three degrees of comparison:
• Positive - the base form of an adverb or adjective
• Comparative - used when two things are being compared
• Superlative - used to compare two or more things
Chapter 12 ・ More Adverb and Adjective Tips and Tidbits ・ p. 185
Compared to Hannelore’s
and Hilegarde’s heels,
Heidi’s heels are the highest.
Positive: high
Comparative: higher
Superlative: highest
The Giggly Guide to Grammar 2008 Cathy Campbell. All rights reserved. www.discoverwriting.com・For classroom use only.
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