Also see serial comma.Ĭomparative - the form of an adjective that indicates a relationship between two nouns, usually in combination with the word than. The comma introduces a break into the sentence, and proper use of commas is critical to the flow of a sentence, and especially one containing complex elements or ideas. For example, 'Three foods were available for purchase: bagels, fruit, and muffins.'Ĭomma (,) - ( punctuation mark) a symbol used within a sentence to separate clauses or items in a list or to offset nonrestrictive relative clauses or appositives, among other uses. Also called helping verbs.Ĭolon (:) - ( punctuation mark) a symbol used within a sentence to introduce a list or a related clause. Common auxiliary verbs in English include will, have, do, can, could, and should.

Also called a noun adjunct.Īuxiliary verb - a second verb that adds some new meaning to a standard verb (e.g., emphasis, mood, change in tense). Articles can precede other adjectives (e.g., ' a popular method').Īttributive noun - a noun that is placed directly in front of another noun for use as an adjective (e.g., ' plane tickets').

Adverbs frequently end in '-ly,' but not always.Īntecedent - a noun, phrase, or element of a sentence mentioned earlier to which a pronoun refers.Īpostrophe (') - ( punctuation mark) a symbol that stands in for omitted characters (as in a contraction) marks the possessive form or, in rare cases, creates a plural form.Īppositive - a noun or noun phrase placed next to another noun to further identify or clarify it ('Neil Armstrong, the first American to walk on the moon, was born in Ohio').Īrticle - a specialized adjective that indicates something definite ( the) or indefinite ( a or an). Click on a letter below to jump to that section.Ī B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZĪdjective - (part of speech) a word that describes or qualifies a noun (such as new or rapid).Īdverb - (part of speech) a word that describes or qualifies a verb (such as quickly, very, or never).

The glossary will expand as we continue publishing our series of tips. Welcome to our glossary of grammar! Here, you will find definitions for the key grammatical terms used in our articles and resources about academic writing.

What part of speech is the word but