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Indirect Objects and Objective Complements
Start by looking at the main action to discern what the direct object is. The indirect object does not receive the action, but is related to the direct object. Furthermore, the objective complement is displayed where the direct object...
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Basic English Grammar - The Simple Past Tense #1
Listen to a few sentences describing the actions of the person shown. The sentences are then written in the past-tense for you to see and identify the simple past-tense verbs. Regular and irregular verbs are then defined with sentences...
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More on Restrictive Elements and Punctuation
Continue your look at restrictive and non-restrictive clauses and the use of commas with Yossarian the Grammarian. Non-restrictive means that no new information is being added to your sentence, therefore commas are necessary.
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Basic English Grammar - The Simple Past Tense #4
Practice forming questions and pronouncing them correctly in part four of Basic English Grammar - The Simple Past Tense. Questions are formed based on the subject and the object from part three. Scrambled sentences are given to put in...
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Infinitive Phrases
Yossarian the Grammarian describes the infinitive as either an adjective, adverb, or noun. A sentence is given for each example on the whiteboard, comparing the infinitive to other adjectives, adverbs, and nouns so that the function of...
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Basic English Grammar - The Simple Past Tense #2
In part two of "Basic English Grammar - The Simple Past Tense," the reason to use simple past tense is explained more thoroughly. The same video from part one is shown with questions focusing on the reason the past tense is used....
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Basic English Grammar - The Simple Past Tense #3
Part three of Basic English Grammar concentrates on asking questions in the simple past tense. A review using a different scenario covers types of past tense verbs, asking learners to fill in the correct form of the verb in various...
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The Preposition and Prepositional Phrase
Clarify what a preposition truly is. Prepositions come before some noun (object of the preposition) and together with that noun, to make prepositional phrases. The phrases work as adjectives or adverbs, more like a single word. Yossarian...
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Halt! Whom Goes There? - Pronoun Case, Continued
Pronoun cases are continued, focusing on the times to use who or whom. As long as you know what part of speech each is functioning as, there is no longer any confusion. Yossarian the Grammarian adeptly explains this concept.
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Subordinate Clauses
A subordinate clause, or dependent clause, has a subject-verb combination but it cannot stand on its own because it is an incomplete thought that does not make sense. Yossarian the Grammarian explains that each clause can function like a...
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Gerunds and Gerund Phrases
The gerund is described as just like the present participle by Yossarian the Grammarian. Look for the -ing ending to discover where the gerund is in the sentence.
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Active Voice and Passive Voice
Identify the subject of the verb and the agent (whatever is doing the action), and you will be able to discern if your sentence is written in the active or passive voice. Yossarian the Grammarian demonstrates by writing examples of each...
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Copulative Verbs and Subjective Complements
Copulative verbs, also known as linking verbs, "link" subjective complements and the original noun, basically renaming the noun. The copulative verb acts like an equal sign. Follow Yossarian the Grammarian as he explains several sentence...
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The Nominal Phrase
A nominal phrase consists of two verbs that function as a noun, according to Yossarian the Grammarian. He explains various parts of speech in two sentence examples written on a whiteboard.
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Coordinating Conjunctions and Comma Splices
Use the mnemonic FANBOYS in order to avoid comma splices by connecting nouns and independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions. Yossarian the Grammarian gives sentence examples that included coordinating conjunctions.
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Transitive Verbs and Direct Objects
Yossarian the Grammarian shows us that transitive verbs have a direct object, while intransitive verbs do not. Sentences are written out to illustrate his point.
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What Adjectives Are
Review the definition of an adjective. Adjectives modify nouns, and Yossarian the Grammarian shows the three questions adjectives answer: Which one? What kind of? and How many?
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Participial Phrases and Participles as Adjectives
Participles can be part of a verb phrase (participial phrase) or act as an adjective. Yossarian the Grammarian demonstrates how the verb "to wear" functions differently in various sentences.
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Punctuation Basics - Restrictive and Non-Restrictive
Commas have many different functions: they combine items in a list, set off nonrestrictive clauses, and more. The restrictive clause is comprehensively covered by Yossarian the Grammarian.