A-Z List of Grammatical & Linguistic Terms

Grammar and literacy glossary: A to C

A–C | D–I | J–Q | R–S | T–Z

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Active Voice

In a sentence with active voice, the subject does the action.

Example:

• The cat chased the mouse.
• The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).

Adjective

An adjective is a word that describes a noun.

Example: The fluffy (adjective) cat.

The fluffy cat slept on the couch.

Adverb

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It tells us how, when, where, or how often something happens.

Example: She ran quickly (adverb).

She ran quickly to catch the bus.

Adverbial

An adverbial is a word or a group of words that acts like an adverb. It adds more information about the verb.

Example: She ran to the store (adverbial phrase).

She ran to the store in a hurry.

Alphabetic Code

The alphabetic code refers to the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they represent.

Example: The letter "A" represents the sound /a/ as in "apple."

Ambiguity

Ambiguity happens when a word or sentence can have more than one meaning.

Example: "I saw a bat."

This could mean a flying animal or a baseball bat.

Antonym

An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word.

Example: Hot and cold are antonyms.

Hot and cold

Apostrophe

An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to show possession or to form contractions.

Example: Sara's book (possession), can't (contraction for cannot).

Sara's book is on the table.

She can't go to the party.

Article

An article is a word that comes before a noun. There are three articles: a, an, and the.

Example: A cat, an apple, the dog.

A cat climbed the tree.

Blending

Blending is putting sounds together to make a word.

Example: /c/ /a/ /t/ blend together to form "cat."

/b/ /a/ /t/ blend to make "bat."

Book Bands

Book bands are a way to categorize books by their difficulty level. Each color represents a different level.

Example: A book with a red band might be easier to read than a book with a blue band.

Brackets

Brackets are punctuation marks used to add extra information in a sentence.

Example: The cat (which was very fluffy) slept on the couch.

The cat [which was very fluffy] slept on the couch.

Bullet Points

Bullet points are used to list items clearly.

Example:

Apples

Bananas

Oranges

Clause

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb. It can be a complete sentence or part of a sentence.

Example: "She ran" is a clause.

She ran because she was late.

Cohesion

Cohesion means making sure that all parts of your writing fit together well. It's like glue that holds your ideas together.

Example: Using words like "first," "then," and "finally" to connect your ideas.

First, we went to the park. Then, we had ice cream. Finally, we went home.

Cohesive Device

A cohesive device is a word or phrase that helps link sentences and ideas together to make writing flow better.

Example: Words like "and," "but," "so," and "because."

I wanted to go swimming, but it started to rain.

Colon :

A colon is a punctuation mark used to introduce a list, a quote, or more information.

Example: There are three things I need: a pencil, a notebook, and an eraser.

She said: "Let's go!"

Colour-coded

Colour-coding is using different colors to organize or highlight information.

Example: Using green for verbs, blue for nouns, and red for adjectives in a sentence.

In the sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," you might color "fox" blue and "quick" red.

Comma ,

A comma is a punctuation mark used to separate parts of a sentence, like items in a list or clauses.

Example: I need to buy apples, bananas, and oranges.

When it started to rain, we went inside.

Command

A command is a sentence that tells someone to do something.

Example: "Sit down."

Please close the door.

Compound

A compound word is made up of two or more smaller words that are joined together to make a new word.

Example: "Sun" + "flower" = "Sunflower."

The playground was fun.

Comprehension

Comprehension is understanding what you read or hear.

Example: After reading a story, you can answer questions about it to show comprehension.

She read the book and understood the story.

Conjunction

A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence.

Example: "And," "but," and "or."

I wanted to play outside, but it was raining.

Dash –

A dash is a punctuation mark used to show a break in a sentence or to add extra information.

Example: I found my old toy – the one I thought I lost.

She was excited – even thrilled – about her birthday party.

Decodable Books

Decodable books are books that use words kids can sound out using the phonics rules they've learned.

Example: A book that uses simple words like "cat," "dog," and "run."

The cat sat on the mat.

Decoding

Decoding is the process of sounding out words by using knowledge of letter sounds and patterns.

Example: Figuring out that the letters "c-a-t" spell "cat."

When you see the word "dog," you say each sound: /d/ /o/ /g/.

Determiner

A determiner is a word that comes before a noun to show which specific thing you are talking about.

Example: Words like "the," "a," "this," and "my."

The dog barked.

A cat is on the roof.

This book is mine.

My friend is here.

Digraph

A digraph is a combination of two letters that make one sound.

Example: "ch" in "chip," "sh" in "ship."

The word "fish" has a digraph "sh."

Direct Speech

Direct speech is when you write exactly what someone says, using quotation marks.

Example: She said, "I love ice cream."

"Let's play outside," said John.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that makes it hard for some people to read and spell.

Example: Someone with dyslexia might find it tricky to read words or letters in the right order.

Sam has dyslexia, so he gets extra help with reading.

Ellipsis

An ellipsis is a series of three dots (…) used to show that something is left out or to create a pause.

Example: I was thinking… maybe we could go to the park.

She started to speak, but then…

Exception Words

Exception words are words that don't follow the usual spelling or phonics rules.

Example: Words like "one," "friend," and "school."

The word "one" sounds like it should be spelled "won."

Exclamation

An exclamation is a sentence that shows strong feeling or surprise.

Example: Wow! That's amazing!

Look out!

Exclamation Mark !

An exclamation mark is a punctuation mark used at the end of a sentence to show excitement, surprise, or strong feeling.

Example: Watch out!

We won the game!

Fred Talk

Definition: Fred Talk is a way of sounding out words by saying each sound separately before blending them together. It's a technique often used in phonics lessons.

Example: For the word "cat," you say /c/ /a/ /t/ and then blend it to say "cat."

Fred Talk helps you read new words by breaking them down into sounds.

Fronted Adverbials

A fronted adverbial is a word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence that describes how, when, or where something happens.

Example: "After the game, we went for ice cream."

Before the sun rose, the birds started singing.

Full Stop .

A full stop is a punctuation mark used at the end of a sentence to show that it is complete.

Example: She likes to play soccer.

The dog is sleeping.

Future

The future tense is used to talk about things that will happen.

Example: "I will go to the park tomorrow."

She will start school next week.

Group Reading

Group reading is when a small group of children read the same book together with a teacher or adult to help them.

Example: The teacher reads a page, and then the children take turns reading aloud.

Group reading helps everyone learn and understand the story better.

Guided Reading

Guided reading is when a teacher works with a small group of children to read a book that is just right for their reading level.

Example: The teacher asks questions about the book to help children think about what they are reading.

Guided reading helps kids become better readers by giving them support.

High Frequency Words

High frequency words are words that appear very often in reading and writing.

Example: Words like "the," "and," "is," "it," and "to."

High frequency words are important because you see them a lot.

Home Books

Home books are books that children take home from school to read with their family.

Example: Each week, you might bring home a new book to read with your parents.

Home books help kids practice reading outside of school.

Homograph

A homograph is a word that is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning and sometimes a different pronunciation.

Example: "Tear" (a drop of water from your eye) and "tear" (to rip something).

The wind can blow (moving air) or you can blow (puff out air) a balloon.

Homophone

A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning and spelling.

Example: "Two," "to," and "too."

I want to go too. (meaning also)

Hyphen –

A hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words together or to split a word at the end of a line.

Example: "Well-known" and "mother-in-law."

A five-year-old child is starting school.

Individual Reading

Definition: Individual reading is when a child reads a book by themselves.

Example: Each day, you choose a book to read quietly at your desk.

Individual reading helps you practice reading on your own.

Inflection

Inflection is when the end of a word changes to show tense, number, or comparison.

Example: Adding "s" to make "cat" into "cats" or "ed" to make "play" into "played."

The word "running" has an inflection added to "run."

Information Books

Information books are books that give you facts about different subjects.

Example: A book about space, animals, or history.

Information books help you learn new things.

Inverted Commas “ ”

Inverted commas (also called quotation marks) are punctuation marks used to show the exact words someone says.

Example: She said, “I love pizza.”

“Let’s go to the park,” said Tom.

Levelled Books

Levelled books are books organized by their difficulty level to help children find books that are just right for their reading ability.

Example: A level 1 book might be easier to read than a level 5 book.

Levelled books help you improve your reading step by step.

Modal Verb

A modal verb is a type of verb that shows possibility, ability, permission, or obligation.

Example: Can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must.

I can swim.

You should do your homework.

Morphology

Morphology is the study of how words are formed and how they relate to each other.

Example: Understanding that "happy" becomes "happier" or "happiness" with different endings.

Knowing that "un" can be added to "happy" to make "unhappy."

Mnemonics

Mnemonics are memory aids that help you remember information.

Example: Using the phrase “Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit” to remember the lines of the treble clef in music (E, G, B, D, F).

"My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles" helps you remember the order of the planets.

Non-fiction

Non-fiction books are books that give true information and facts.

Example: A book about dinosaurs, a biography of a famous person, or a book about how plants grow.

Non-fiction books help you learn about real things.

Noun

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Example: Cat, school, apple, happiness.

The dog barked loudly.

Noun Phrase

A noun phrase is a group of words that work together to name and describe a person, place, thing, or idea.

Example: The big, brown dog.

A shiny, red apple is on the table.

Object

An object is the part of a sentence that receives the action of the verb.

Example: "The dog (subject) chased (verb) the ball (object)."

She read the book.

Paragraph

A paragraph is a group of sentences that talk about one main idea. It starts on a new line and is usually indented.

Example:

My favorite animal is the dog. Dogs are very friendly and loyal. They can also be trained to do tricks. I have a dog named Max who loves to play fetch.

Parenthesis

Parenthesis (or parentheses) are punctuation marks used to add extra information to a sentence. The information is not essential to the main point.

Example:

My friend (who loves ice cream) is coming over today.

We visited the museum (it was huge) last weekend.

Passive Voice

In passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of doing it. The object of the action becomes the focus.

Example: "The ball (object) was kicked (verb) by the boy (subject)."

The cake was eaten by the kids.

Phoneme

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word.

Example: The word "cat" has three phonemes: /c/, /a/, and /t/.

The word "ship" has three phonemes: /sh/, /i/, /p/.

Phonic Books

Phonic books are books designed to help children practice phonics by using simple words that follow phonics rules.

Example: A book with words like "cat," "dog," and "hat" to help kids practice the sounds of the letters.

Phonic books help you learn to read by sounding out words.

Phonics

Phonics is a method of teaching reading by learning the sounds that letters make and blending them together to read words.

Example: Knowing that "c" sounds like /k/ and "a" sounds like /a/ can help you read the word "cat."

Phonics helps you decode new words.

Phrase

A phrase is a group of words that work together but do not form a complete sentence.

Example: "Under the bed" is a phrase.

"In the morning" is a phrase.

Picture Books

Picture books are books that use lots of pictures to tell a story or give information, usually for younger children.

Example: A book with colorful illustrations and a simple story like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

Picture books are fun to read because they have lots of pictures.

Plural

Plural means more than one. You usually make a noun plural by adding "s" or "es."

Example: "Cats" is the plural of "cat."

"Buses" is the plural of "bus."

Prefix

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.

Example: Adding "un" to "happy" makes "unhappy."

"Re" + "play" = "Replay."

Preposition

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. It often tells where or when.

Example: "In," "on," "under," "before," and "after."

The book is on the table.

We will go to the park after lunch.

Progressive

The progressive tense shows an ongoing action. It is formed using "to be" and the "-ing" form of the verb.

Example: "She is running" (present progressive), "He was reading" (past progressive).

They are playing soccer.

Pronoun

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.

Example: "He," "she," "it," "they," and "we."

Lisa has a cat. She loves her cat.

The students are here. They are learning.

Punctuation

Punctuation is the use of marks in writing to separate sentences and clarify meaning.

Example: Periods (.), commas (,), question marks (?), and exclamation marks (!).

She likes pizza. Do you?

Wow! That’s amazing.

Pure Sounds

Pure sounds are the precise sounds of letters or combinations of letters without adding extra sounds.

Example: The sound of the letter "m" is /m/, not "muh."

When saying the sound of "s," it should be a hissing /s/, not "suh."

Question

A question is a sentence that asks for information and usually requires an answer.

Example: What is your favorite color?

How old are you?

Question Mark ?

A question mark is a punctuation mark used at the end of a question.

Example: Where are we going?

Did you finish your homework?

Quiet Reading

Quiet reading is when you read a book silently to yourself without talking.

Example: During quiet reading time, you sit at your desk and read a book.

Quiet reading helps you focus on the story.

Read at Home/Take Home

Read at Home or Take Home refers to books that children bring home from school to read with their family.

Example: You take a book from the school library to read at home each week.

Reading at home helps you practice and enjoy books with your family.

Reading Age

Reading age is a measure of a child's reading ability compared to the average reading level of children at the same age.

Example: If you have a reading age of 8, you read at the level of an average 8-year-old.

Your reading age can help teachers choose the right books for you.

Reading Fluency

Reading fluency is the ability to read text smoothly, accurately, and with expression.

Example: When you can read a story out loud without stopping and with the right emotions, you have good reading fluency.

Practicing reading helps improve your fluency.

Reading Recovery

Reading Recovery is a program that helps children who are having difficulty learning to read. It provides extra support to improve their reading skills.

Example: A teacher works one-on-one with a student to help them become a better reader.

Reading Recovery helps you catch up if you are struggling with reading.

Reading Stamina

Reading stamina is the ability to read for a longer period without losing focus or getting tired.

Example: Being able to read a chapter book for 30 minutes without getting distracted.

Building reading stamina helps you enjoy books for longer times.

Relative Clause

A relative clause is a part of a sentence that adds extra information about a noun and usually starts with words like "who," "which," or "that."

Example: The boy who is wearing a red hat is my brother.

The book that I borrowed from the library is very interesting.

Root Word

A root word is the main part of a word that gives it its basic meaning. Other parts can be added to change its meaning.

Example: "Happy" is the root word of "happiness" and "unhappy."

"Play" is the root word of "playing" and "playful."

Segmenting

Segmenting is the process of breaking a word down into its individual sounds.

Example: Breaking the word "cat" into /c/ /a/ /t/.

When you spell a word, you often segment it first to hear all the sounds.

Semicolon ;

A semicolon is a punctuation mark used to connect closely related ideas in a sentence or to separate items in a complex list.

Example: I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight.

We visited London, England; Paris, France; and Rome, Italy.

Sentence

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. It starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark.

Example: The dog barked.

What is your name?

Shared Reading

Shared reading is when a teacher or adult reads a book with a group of children, often stopping to discuss the story and ask questions.

Example: The teacher reads a story aloud while showing the pictures to the class.

During shared reading, everyone can see the words and pictures and follow along.

Sight Words

Sight words are common words that children are encouraged to recognize without having to sound them out.

Example: Words like "the," "and," "you," and "said."

Knowing sight words helps you read more quickly and easily.

Singular

Singular means there is only one of something.

Example: "Cat" is singular, meaning one cat.

A singular noun like "dog" refers to one dog.

Sound Talk

Sound talk is breaking a word into its individual sounds and saying them out loud.

Example: Saying "c-a-t" for "cat."

Using sound talk helps you figure out how to spell words.

Sounding Out

Sounding out is using your knowledge of letter sounds to read or write a word.

Example: You sound out "dog" by saying /d/ /o/ /g/.

Sounding out words helps you read new words by hearing each sound.

SPaG

SPaG stands for Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar. It's about learning the rules for how words are written and sentences are formed.

Example:

• Practicing SPaG helps you write correctly.
• Good SPaG skills help you write sentences that make sense.

Statement

A statement is a sentence that tells something. It ends with a full stop.

Example: The sky is blue.

• She loves ice cream.

Story Time

Story time is a time when an adult reads a story to children.

Example: The teacher reads a book to the class every day during story time.

• Story time is fun because you get to listen to exciting stories.

Subject

The subject is the part of a sentence that tells who or what the sentence is about. It's usually the person or thing doing the action.

Example: In the sentence "The cat slept," "The cat" is the subject.

• The subject of "John is running" is "John."

Subjunctive

The subjunctive is a verb form used to talk about things that are not certain, like wishes, suggestions, or imaginary situations.

Example: "If I were a superhero, I would fly." (Instead of "If I was a superhero...")

• "I wish it were sunny."

Subordinate Clause

A subordinate clause is a part of a sentence that adds extra information but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Example: "When it started to rain, we went inside."

• "Because he was tired, he went to bed early."

Suffix

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or form a different word.

Example: Adding "ed" to "jump" makes "jumped."

• Adding "ful" to "hope" makes "hopeful."

Syllable

A syllable is a part of a word that contains a single vowel sound and is pronounced as a unit.

Example: The word "apple" has two syllables: ap-ple.

• The word "butterfly" has three syllables: but-ter-fly.

Synonym

A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.

Example: "Big" is a synonym for "large."

• "Happy" is a synonym for "joyful."

Synthesising Sounds

Synthesising sounds means blending individual sounds together to make a whole word.

Example: Blending the sounds /c/, /a/, /t/ to say "cat."

• Synthesising sounds helps you read words by putting the sounds together.

Synthetic Phonics

Synthetic phonics is a method of teaching reading by helping children learn how to convert letters into sounds and then blend the sounds to form words.

Example: Learning that the letters "s," "a," "t" make the sounds /s/, /a/, /t/ and blending them to read "sat."

• In synthetic phonics, you learn to read by combining letter sounds to make words.

Tense

Tense tells us when an action happens—past, present, or future.

Example:

• Past tense: "She walked to school." (She did it before now.)
• Present tense: "She walks to school." (She is doing it now.)
• Future tense: "She will walk to school." (She will do it later.)

Tricky Words

Tricky words are words that are difficult to spell or read because they do not follow the usual phonics rules.

Example: Words like "said," "friend," and "because."

• "Said" is tricky because you can't sound it out easily.

Verb

A verb is a word that describes an action, something you do, or a state of being.

Example: "Run," "jump," "eat," and "is."

• She runs fast.
• He is happy.

Vowel

A vowel is a letter that represents a speech sound made with your mouth open. In English, the vowels are A, E, I, O, U (and sometimes Y).

Example:

• In the word "cat," "a" is the vowel.
• In the word "eat," both "e" and "a" are vowels.

Word Family

A word family is a group of words that have a common feature or pattern. They usually have the same ending and help you see how words are related.

Example:

• The "-at" word family includes "cat," "bat," "hat," and "rat."
• The "-ing" word family includes "sing," "ring," "wing," and "king."

These explanations and examples should help kids understand these grammar terms easily.