Grammatical Structure & Syntax Recognition Flashcards

In the sentence 'The book that I borrowed was fascinating,' what grammatical role does 'that I borrowed' play?

Answer: Adjective clause modifying 'book'

The relative clause 'that I borrowed' modifies the noun 'book,' making it an adjective (relative) clause.

Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement with a collective noun?

Answer: The committee has reached its decision.

In American English, collective nouns like 'committee' typically take singular verbs when acting as a unit.

Identify the grammatical function of 'quickly' in: 'She quickly finished the assignment.'

Answer: Adverb modifying 'finished'

'Quickly' is an adverb that modifies the verb 'finished,' describing how the action was performed.

What is the term for a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence?

Answer: Dependent clause

A dependent (subordinate) clause lacks the ability to stand alone because it begins with a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun.

In the sentence 'Running fast, he missed the bus,' what is 'Running fast'?

Answer: Participial phrase modifying 'he'

The participial phrase 'Running fast' functions as an adjective modifying the subject 'he.'

Which option correctly identifies the underlined part: 'She gave **him** the report.'

Answer: Indirect object

'Him' is the indirect object—the person to whom or for whom the direct object ('the report') is given.

What syntactic structure is illustrated by: 'Either the manager or the employees are responsible'?

Answer: Correlative conjunction with proximate agreement

With 'either…or,' the verb agrees with the closer subject ('employees'), illustrating proximate (nearest-noun) agreement.