Week1：Grammar Review

Grammar terminology matters because it allows us to communicate efficiently about language. Of course, it is not necessary to know the terminology to speak a language. We all learn our first languages without first learning what a verb and noun are. However, when we speak about grammar, especially in the context of writing, it helps if we can refer to grammar using precise vocabulary.

The parts of the sentence refers to the terminology for different pieces of sentences. The parts of sentences are not the same as parts of speech. For example, one sentence part is the subject. The subject of a sentence could be a noun, a pronoun, or even another sentence.

A phrase is a group of words that may have nouns or verbs, but there is no subject doing anything. A clause is a group of words that has a subject that is doing something. If the clause can stand by itself, and form a complete sentence, it is an independent clause. Dependent clauses have a subject doing something, but they have a subordinate conjunction at the beginning of the clause. That subordinate conjunction means that the clause can't stand by itself as a complete sentence. In other words, the dependent clause isdependent upon another clause--it can't make a complete sentence by itself.