Grammatical names and functions - SS3 English Lesson Note

Grammatical names

Grammatical names are the labels given to the different parts of speech in a sentence. For example, the word "dog" is a noun, the word "walks" is a verb, and the word "quickly" is an adverb.

Grammatical functions

Grammatical functions describe the role that a word or phrase plays in a sentence. The grammatical function of a word or phrase is determined by its relationship to other words in the sentence. For example, the word "dog" in the sentence "The dog walks quickly" is the subject of the sentence, while the word "quickly" is an adverbial modifier of the verb "walks."

Adverbial clauses

Adverbial clauses are clauses that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They typically begin with subordinating conjunctions, such as "when," "where," "why," "how," and "to what extent."

Examples of adverbial clauses

Here are some examples of adverbial clauses and their functions:

1. When I finish my homework, I will go to the store. The adverbial clause "when I finish my homework" modifies the verb "will go." It tells us when the action of the verb will take place.

2. I will go to the store where I bought my shoes. The adverbial clause "where I bought my shoes" modifies the noun phrase "the store." It tells us which store the speaker is referring to.

3. I will go to the store quickly because I am in a hurry. The adverbial clause "because I am in a hurry" modifies the adverb "quickly." It tells us why the speaker is going to the store quickly.

How to identify adverbial clauses

To identify adverbial clauses in a reading passage, you can look for the following:

Subordinating conjunctions: These are words that introduce adverbial clauses, such as "when," "where," "why," "how," and "to what extent."

Markers: These are words that signal the beginning or end of an adverbial clause, such as "since," "although," "as long as," and "in order to."

Punctuation: Adverbial clauses are often set off from the main clause by commas or semicolons.