Terms of the Game

Here are the terms (and abbreviations) you will need to become familiar with to play the Game of GrammaTecture and the Game of GrammaText. For more complete explanations, review the appropriate section in your Write Smart text.

Subject (S) — Capitalized: usually a Noun (N) or Pronoun (PN)

Verbs

• (AV) action verb — Capitalized

• (LV) linking verb — Capitalized

• (PV) passive verb — Capitalized

• (aux) auxiliary — sometimes referred to as a “helping” verb

Complement

A complement is a word (or group of words) that completes a subject-verb relationship (referred to in traditional grammar as “direct object,” “indirect object,” “predicate nominative,” or “predicate adjective”). For example: The last train will leave the station at midnight. (The complement is station.)

• (vc/o) — verb complement (acting as an object following an action verb; often referred to as the “direct” object)

• (sc) — subject complement (following a linking verb, relates back to the subject; often referred to as the “predicate nominative” or “predicate adjective”)

• (io) — iintermediate object (or intermediate complement) – a complement (object) that comes between an action verb and a vc/o (often referred to as the “indirect” object; see 2.2.3-A)

• (oc) — objective complement (complement that sometimes follows a vc/o; see 2.2.2-B)

Descriptive words, including nouns and pronouns that act as modifiers

• (adj) adjectives— describe (or modify) a noun or pronoun

• (sc/adj) adjectives — acting as subject complements

• (adv) adverbs— describe (or modify) a verb, adjective, or adverb

Verbals — taken from the principle parts of verbs (see 2.2.1-F), these are extremely useful verb forms that can act as descriptive words or nouns. Skilled professional writers and editors rely on these forms — commonly referred to as participles, gerunds, and infinitives — to keep their sentences moving.

•  participles — present participles (ending in -ing) or past participles (usually ending in d or n) that act as verbs or adjectives

As verb: The suspect was driving an SUV. (driving = AV)

As adjective: A driving rain ruined the picnic. (driving = pt/adj)

As verb: Sharon Aker has written several computer manuals. (written = AV)

As adjective: The judge required a written explanation. (written = pt/adj)

• gerunds — verb forms ending in -ing that act as nouns

As subject: Swimming is good exercise. (Swimming = gr/S)

As complement: I enjoy cooking. (cooking = gr-vc/o)

• infinitives — can act as subject, complement, adjective, or adverb

Examples:

• To fly was once a human dream.  (To fly is the subject = in/S.)

• She loves to travel. (The verb complement/object) is to travel = in-vc/o.)

• I needed time to think. (Here, to think describes time = in/adj.)

• Ketchup stains are hard to clean. (Here, to clean describes hard = in/adv.)

Connectives — key words that connect other words, phrases, or clauses

•  preposition (pp)

•  coordinating conjunction (cc)

•  subordinating conjunction (sbc) — do not confuse sbc (subordinating conjunction) with sc (subject complement)

•  relative pronoun (rp) — may act as a subject (rp/S), complement (rp-vc/o), or object of a preposition (rp/opp)

•  indefinite relative (ir)

•  conjunctive adverb (ca)

Appositives (appos) — parenthetic elements that restate or redefine a subject, complement, or object of a phrase (see 3.4.3).

Combinations — see 1.2; 2.2.1 (NOTE); 2.2.1-E and F

Clauses — see 2.4 and 3.2

Punctuation — standard professional punctuation practices in the North American publishing industry; see 3.1 to 3.4 and 11.1