AFPSAT Verbal Ability — Sentence Structure & PhrasesFlash Cards

What are the two essential parts of every sentence?

Subject and Predicate. The subject is usually a noun that shows who or what acts (the doer of the action). The predicate is usually a phrase that includes a verb telling something about the subject. Example: 'Joy laughs out loud' - 'Joy' is the subject, 'laughs out loud' is the predicate.

What is the difference between a simple subject and a complete subject?

Simple subject: The single word that is the subject without any modifiers. Complete subject: The subject with all its modifiers. Example: 'My kind American friend visited the Philippines' - Simple subject: 'friend', Complete subject: 'My kind American friend'

Define a compound subject and provide an example.

A compound subject is a combination of two or more simple subjects joined by coordinate conjunctions (and, or, nor) or correlative conjunctions. Example: 'The CEO's collection of speed cars and his newly acquired electric vehicles are on display' - compound subjects are 'collection' and 'vehicles'

What forms can a subject take in a sentence?

Subjects can be: 1) Nouns (Joy laughs), 2) Pronouns (She laughs), 3) Noun phrases (The lady in black arrived), 4) Gerunds (Cooking is fun), 5) Gerund phrases (Cooking with charcoal is enjoyable), 6) Infinitives (To see is to believe), 7) Noun clauses (Whoever believes will succeed)

What is a prepositional phrase and what are its two basic parts?

A prepositional phrase contains a preposition and a noun/pronoun. Two basic parts: 1) Preposition (for, in, of, etc.), 2) Object (noun or pronoun). Example: 'for my friend and me' - 'for' is the preposition, 'my friend and me' are the objects. Note: Use object pronouns (me, not I) after prepositions.

How do prepositional phrases affect subject-verb agreement?

Prepositional phrases create confusion by separating the true subject from the verb. The object of the preposition is NOT the subject. Example: 'The evaluation of the results reveals...' - 'evaluation' is the singular subject, not 'results'. Cross out prepositional phrases to find the true subject.

What is the difference between an adjective phrase and an adjectival phrase?

Adjective phrase: Contains an adjective as head word (extremely brown eyes). Adjectival phrase: Does not have adjectives as head word, usually starts with a preposition (in front of their house). Both modify nouns/pronouns but have different structures.

What are the four types of adverbial phrases and what questions do they answer?

1) Time (When?) - 'in an hour', 2) Place (Where?) - 'anywhere on campus', 3) Manner (How?) - 'in an angelic voice', 4) Reason (Why?) - 'to rest my eyes'. These phrases provide details about when, where, how, or why something happens.

What is a noun phrase and what functions can it serve in a sentence?

A noun phrase is formed by a noun and all its modifiers/determiners. Functions: Subject (The exuberant dancer amazed), Direct object (visited the tourist spots), Indirect object (gave her cousin), Subject complement (is an eloquent writer), Object complement (considered them heroes), Appositive (my former teacher), Object of preposition (of the heavy traffic)

Define a simple sentence and provide an example.

A simple sentence contains one independent clause with a subject and verb expressing a complete thought. Examples: 'Melissa loves to swim' (subject + verb + object), 'I understand' (subject + verb only). Despite being short, it must express a complete thought.

What characterizes a compound sentence?

A compound sentence has two independent clauses joined by a conjunction or semicolon. Each clause can stand alone as a simple sentence. Examples: 'Celine has a long to-do list but she chose to sleep instead' (conjunction), 'She overslept; she missed the deadline' (semicolon)

How do you identify a complex sentence?

A complex sentence has at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. The dependent clause cannot stand alone and often begins with subordinating conjunctions. Example: 'Although he finished his paper, Henry still needs to work on his diorama' - dependent clause followed by independent clause (note the comma)

What is a compound-complex sentence?

A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Example: 'Abby finished writing her thesis, but she failed the thesis defense even if she practiced for it for an entire week' - two independent clauses joined by 'but' plus one dependent clause 'even if...'

What is a run-on sentence and how is it formed?

A run-on sentence incorrectly joins two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation or conjunctions, often using only a comma. Example: 'I looked everywhere, I just could not find my phone' - two independent clauses incorrectly separated by a comma.

List four ways to correct a run-on sentence.

1) Use a period: 'The sun is scorching. Don't forget sunblock.' 2) Use a semicolon: 'The sun is scorching; don't forget sunblock.' 3) Use comma + coordinating conjunction: 'The sun is scorching, so don't forget sunblock.' 4) Use subordinating conjunction: 'Because the sun is scorching, don't forget sunblock.'

What is a sentence fragment?

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence where either the subject or predicate is missing, making it unable to express a complete thought. Example: 'Andy studied hard. Passed all his tests.' - 'Passed all his tests' lacks a subject and cannot stand alone.

What is parallel structure in sentences?

Parallel structure means elements performing the same function must be in the same grammatical form. Wrong: 'I like running, biking, and to hike' (mixing gerunds and infinitives). Correct: 'I like running, biking, and hiking' (all gerunds) or 'I like to run, to bike, and to hike' (all infinitives).

What is a misplaced modifier and how do you fix it?

A misplaced modifier is placed too far from the word it modifies, causing confusion. Wrong: 'Elijah cut himself while shaving badly' (what was done badly?). Correct: 'Elijah cut himself badly while shaving' (place modifier near the word it modifies).

What is a dangling modifier?

A dangling modifier occurs when the word being modified is not clearly stated in the sentence. Wrong: 'Walking along the highway, a cow passed by' (who was walking?). Correct: 'Walking along the highway, I saw a cow pass by' (clearly identify who was walking).

What are logical errors in sentence construction?

Logical errors occur when a sentence says something different from what was intended due to omitted words or faulty comparisons. Examples: 'Iya is as bright if not brighter than her sister' (missing 'as'), 'Our car is bigger than Lolo' (should be 'than Lolo's car'). These errors make comparisons unclear or illogical.

When analyzing sentence structure, how do you identify the headword in a noun phrase?

The headword is the most important noun in a noun phrase - the only obligatory part. Test by removing it: if the phrase becomes meaningless, you've found the headword. Example: 'the newly elected board chairman' - remove 'chairman' and the phrase becomes vague, so 'chairman' is the headword.

How do indefinite pronouns (some, any, none, all, most) affect subject-verb agreement with prepositional phrases?

These indefinite pronouns take their number (singular/plural) from the noun in the prepositional phrase that follows them. Examples: 'All of the cake is gone' (singular - cake), 'All of the students are here' (plural - students). The prepositional phrase determines whether the verb is singular or plural.

What is the difference between independent and dependent clauses?

Independent clause: Has subject and predicate, expresses complete thought, can stand alone ('Jenny feels irritated by the heat'). Dependent clause: Has subject and predicate but cannot express complete thought alone, needs additional information ('Walking under the sunlight' - who walks?).

How do you form adverbial phrases and what are their common formats?

Four common formats: 1) Prepositional phrase ('in the corner'), 2) Infinitive phrase ('to paint'), 3) Adverb with intensifier ('very clearly'), 4) Other formats ('a day later than expected', 'every week'). They answer when, where, how, why, or how often.