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Noun Function 4 - Object of Verbal Phrase

Transitive verbs—those that can directly pick up a noun and stick it to a sentence—can appear as phrases, specifically as infinitive phrases (to win the game) or as present-participial phrases (winning the game). Well, notice that even in phrase ...

Noun Function 5 - Indirect Object

Here’s a function of the noun we skipped over in our general overview above. Look at the following example. Then we’ll discuss the nature of the indirect object.5. Indirect ObjectOnce again, one sentence shows all 10 functions: The professor, Joh...

Noun Functions 1-5 - Verb Dependent

Take a look at the first five noun functions:1. subject of the verb 2. complement of to be or a linking verb 3. direct object of a transitive verb 4. object of a verbal phrase 5. indirect object secondarily affected by the verbAnything stand out?What...

Noun Function 6 - Object of the Preposition

We’ll learn more about this function in the Grammar.com section on prepositions.  (Click here for the beginning of that discussion.) A preposition has one major role in the language: to stick a noun onto the sentence. That noun is the object of th...

Noun Functions 1-6 - Dependent Nouns

Noun Functions - Dependent on Verbs and PrepositionsA noun has a hard time jumping up on the back of a sentence without some help. It turns to the verb for its first five functions, to the preposition for its sixth. Its remaining functions do show so...

Noun Function 7 - Noun Appositives

Now let’s look at some noun structures that can hang directly on sentences all by themselves without prepositions or verbs. We’ll visit the final four functions:7. Noun Appositives 8. Noun Modifiers 9. Noun Adverbs 10. Noun AbsolutesLet’s start...

Noun Function 8 - Noun Modifiers

Nouns often modify other nouns, as in noun modifier or sentence structure. We have thousands of terms where a first noun modifies an ensuing noun: hotdog bun football game college course chair legs and many more Here’s our sentence, this time s...

Noun Function 9 - Noun Adverbs

Words we think of as nouns often act like adverbs.9. Noun AdverbsOur model sentence shows a noun adverb: The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, hi...

Noun Function 10 - Noun Absolutes

And now we reach the end of the list and find one of the most potent structures the English language makes available to aspiring writers.But before visiting noun absolutes, let’s review. Here’s the list of the 10 functions of nouns. Notice that F...

A Summary of the 10 Functions of Nouns

Here they are again—the 10 functions of nouns.1. Subjects of Sentences The professor, John Smith, is the noun expert, so yesterday he gave the class his views on the importance of learning to write papers clearly, his students feverishly taking not...

Nouns - Definition, Overview, and Lists of Examples

WelcomeWhat's a noun?Below you’ll find links to our discussion on nouns. We recommend that you start with the first topic,Nouns - Words That Name. At the bottom of each page, you’ll find links to “Next” and to “Previous.” So start with th...

Group Nouns - Singular or Plural

Committee Do or Committee Does? Finally, some nouns that look singular might be treated as plural. Words such as group, team, majority, and many others are called collective nouns or group nouns.Are these words singular or plural? That is, when you u...

Noun Function 3 - Direct Object of Transitive Verb

In the Grammar.com section on verbs, we’ll discuss transitive verbs, those that can pick up nouns. (Click here for the beginning of that discussion.) The noun it sticks to the sentence is called the direct object.You’ll recall this function fr...

Noun Function 4 - Object of Verbal Phrase

Transitive verbs—those that can directly pick up a noun and stick it to a sentence—can appear as phrases, specifically as infinitive phrases (to win the game) or as present-participial phrases (winning the game). Well, notice that even in phrase ...

Verbs - Definition, Overview, and Lists of Examples

WelcomeBelow you’ll find links to our discussion on the most important word in the English language—verbs. We recommend that you start with the first topic,Verbs - Words that Do or Are. At the bottom of each page, you’ll find links to “Next...

Verbs - Words That Do or Are

In this section, we’ll explore the most important word in the English language: the verb. If you want to develop a powerful writing style, you must learn what verbs do in our language.Why?The most important word in the English language is the verb....

Main Verbs - Four Kinds

We can first divide all main verbs into two broad categories: action verbs and no-action verbs. Thousands reside in the action-verb group, only a handful in the no-action group. Each of these groups further subdivides into two additional groups:Actio...

Action Verbs

When Amber and Igor were grunting all those nouns that named people, animals, and things, they also noticed that people did things: Animals moved around, made noises, and ate stuff; and tangible things could move and affect other things. They noticed...

Transitive Verbs

Verbs with ObjectsAs Amber and Igor became grammatically aware, Amber noticed that action verbs came in two models. One described someone (the subject) doing something (the verb) to someone or something (the direct object). Thus: The spear (subject) ...

Transitive and Intransitive

The trick question we used above to determine whether a verb is transitive will always nail a verb as transitive or intransitive: Can I [verb] somebody or something? If yes, the verb is transitive. If no, the verb is intransitive.Naturally enough, so...

No-Action Verbs

Recall that we’ve divided all verbs into two groups—action verbs and no-action verbs. The action verbs consist of two kinds: transitive and intransitive. Transitive verbs have direct objects. Intransitive verbs don’t.The no-action category also...

Verb "To Be"

To Be or Not To BeThe eBook Developing a Powerful Writing Style thoroughly discusses the problem of overusing the verb to be. We urge you to read it. When you do, notice that the chapter on the verb to be does not contain the verb to be at all in mor...

Linking Verbs

In point of fact, the verb to be is also a linking verb. But I prefer to put be in a category all by itself and then treat linking verbs separately. We learned above that the verb to be can connect a grammatical subject to a noun (predicate noun) (Ma...

Auxiliary Verbs - Called “Helping Verbs”

Some people refer to auxiliary verbs as helping verbs.The main verbs we use in the English language break down into the four major verb types:1. action transitive verbs 2. action intransitive verbs 3. the verb to be 4. linking verbsWhen we conjugate ...

Five Kinds of Verbs - An Overview

F. Scott Fitzgerald is quoted as saying, “All fine prose is based on the verbs carrying the sentence.”Let’s look back and make certain we all understand the five kinds of verbs. Broadly, we have two groups of main verbs, action and no-action, w...