Grammar: Syntax - A-Level Language Terms

Where accent looks at the distinctive pronunciation features of speakers, ______ looks at the distinctive grammar, syntax and vocabulary that marks a speaker’s regional, personal or social identity.

• subject

• predicate

• dialect

• phrase

Refers to the noun phrase or pronoun which is the actor of the verb within a clause. For example, in the sentence, ‘The wind howled all night,’ the wind is the _______.

• object

• modification

• clause

• subject

Refers to the noun phrase or pronoun which is governed or affected by the verb within a clause. There are three types of ______ in English.

• declarative

• predicate

• subject

• object

When the object is directly affected by the verb. For example, ‘The cat caught the fish’

• indirect object

• direct object

• object of proposition

• predicate

When the object receives the action of a verb. For example, ‘She gave me a new book’

• direct object

• indirect object

• object of preposition

• phrase

When the noun or noun phrase is governed by or linked with a preposition. For example, ‘They walked to the shop in silence’.

• object of preposition

• direct object

• co-ordination

• indirect object

The part of the sentence which contains the verb and offers information about the subject. For example, in the sentence ‘I moved quietly,’ moved quietly is the ____________.

• predicate

• object

• subject

• exclamatory

Refers to a group of words that function as a single syntactical unit. For example, in the sentence, ‘The grey cat sat on the mat,’ the ________ ‘The grey cat’ acts as a single unit. ______ are identified by their main head word.

• phrase

• clause

• sentence

• active voice

A phrase where the head word is a noun, usually structured as determiner + noun e.g. The dog

• noun phrase

• modified noun phrase

• adjective phrase

• verb phrase

A noun phrase which includes an adjective e.g. The huge dog

• verb phrase

• noun phrase

• adverbial phrase

• modified noun phrase