This document provides a glossary of 70 English basic concepts with definitions and examples. It covers parts of speech like nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. It also defines types of sentences, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and other grammar rules. The glossary is intended as a reference for students learning English concepts.

1. Escuela de Educación Continua
English Basic Concepts Glossary
Preparado por
José L.Hernández, enero 2012
Diseñador Instruccional

2. Este manual es propiedad del Campus Virtual de la Escuela de
Educación Continua de la Universidad Metropolitana. El mismo
no puede ser reproducido parcial ni totalmente sin la autorización
expresa del Decano Asociado del Campus Virtual de la Escuela
de Educación Continua de la
Universidad Metropolitana.
Escuela de Educación Continua de UMET, enero 2012

4. Basic Concepts - English
1. Declarative Sentence: makes a statement, expresses a fact. Ends with a period. (.)
Ex. The computer stores data.
2. Interrogative Sentence: asks a question and ends with a question mark. (?)
Ex. Does it know your phone number?
Is Puerto Rico an island?
3. Exclamatory Sentence: expresses a strong feeling or emotion. Ends with an exclamation
mark ( ! )
Ex. That’s great!
What a beautiful sunset!
4. Imperative Sentence: Makes a request or a command. Ends with a period ( . ) or an
exclamation mark ( ! )
Ex. Print it for me.
Please, be quiet.
Shut up!
5. Simple Sentence: Contains an independent clause.
Ex. People develop strange hobbies.
6. Complex Sentence: Contains an independent clause plus one subordinate clause. (who,
which, because, although, while, when)
Ex. Melanie, who wants to become a marine biologist, won a prize at the
school’s science fair.
7. Compound Sentence: Contains at least two independent clauses often joined by: (and, but,
or, nor, yet, so, for)
Ex. A word processor can improve the efficiency of an office, but it is a
costly piece of equipment.
9. Compound Complex: Contains at least two independent clauses plus at least one
subordinate clause.

5. Ex. A word processor can improve the efficiency of an office but some
people prefer typewriters because they are reluctant to change.
10. A direct object tells who or what receives the action.
11. An indirect object tells to or for whom or what the action is done.
12. The indirect object comes before the direct object.
Ex. John kissed Ana.
D.O.
Sandra sent a letter.
D.O.
Sandra sent John a letter.
I.O. D.O.
IV. Passive and Active Voice:
13. A verb is in the active voice when the subject of a sentence performs the action of the
verb.
14. When the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb, the verb is then in the
passive voice.
Ex. Lola ate the vanilla pudding. (active)
The vanilla pudding was eaten by Lola. (passive)
15. Sentence Word Order:
A sentence is composed of a subject, verb and complement.
The subject in a sentence indicates the person, thing of idea spoken about.
The verb indicates action or non action.
The complement explains the action, state, or function of the subject.
Ex. David gave Rebecca a kiss at her cheeks.
Subj. V. I.O. D.O. Preposiotional
Phrase
Complements
16. Adjectives: Describe nouns or pronouns. They are used to indicate size, color, and they
limit quantities and express qualities. Adjectives also establish degrees of comparison.

6. Example: Juan bought a large house. (Size)
I rented two boats last Sunday. (Quantity)
My sister has a beautiful house. (Quality)
17. Positive Degree: establish equality between two units.
Example: Manuel is as tall as Joe.
18. Comparative Degree: compare two units to an unequal degree.
Example: Manuel is taller than Joe.
19. Adjectives of more than one syllable:
More (adjective) than
Example: Manuel is more handsome than Joe.
20. Superlative Degree: compare more than two units to an unequal degree.
Example: Manuel is the tallest in the family.
21. Adjective of more than one syllable:
The most (adjective)
Example: Manuel is the most handsome in the family.
22. Adverbs: modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. They explain how or to what
degree. Adverbs that indicate manner end in ___ly.
23. A is used with singular nouns before a consonant sound.
Example: a book a union a car
24. AN is used with singular nouns before a vowel sound.
Example: an orange an igloo an honest man
25. The is a definite article. It is used in the following instances:
26. Interjections: These are expressions of emotion unrelated grammatically to the rest of
the sentence.
27) Conjunctions: They are used in the sentence as connections.

7. 28) Nouns: words that name a person, place, thing, idea, events, feelings, sports, and fields
of study.
29) Proper Nouns: names a particular person, place, or thing. They are always capitalized.
Examples: Maria United States
San Juan Canada
30) Common Nouns: names any person, place or thing
Examples: boy pencils
country desk
31) Concrete Nouns: names things that can be perceived with the five senses. (tactile,
olfatory, auditory, visual, and gustatory).
Examples: ice-cream bracelet
book telephone
32) Abstract Nouns: identify concepts or ideas.
Examples: freedom love
Justice hate
33) Countable Nouns: refer to nouns that can be counted.
Examples: pencils students
chairs books
34) Non-countable nouns: refer to mass, liquids or gases.
Examples: water sand
oxygen milk
35) Collective: identify objects that act as one unit. They are often considered singular
Examples: jury committee
group band
36) Compound: two or more nouns that function as one unit.
Examples: baseball high school
sister-in-law notebook

8. 37) General rule: most nouns form the plural by adding –s.
Example: girl - girls
window – windows
38) ES rule: nouns ending in s, ss, sh, ch, z, or x form the plural by adding es.
Example: bus – buses
church – churches
39) Consontant + y: nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant, form that plural by
changing y to i and adding es.
Example: story – stories
lady – ladies
40) Vowel + y: nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel form the plural by adding s.
Example: boy – boys
toy – toys
41) Vowel + o: nouns ending in o preceded by a vowel, form the plural by adding s.
Example: radio – radios
patio – patios
42) Consonant + o: nouns ending in o preceded by a consonant add es to form the plural.
(Except in musical terms)
Example: tomato – tomatoes
hero – heroes
Exception: piano – pianos
solo – solos
43) F or FE rule: nouns ending in F or FE change to VES to form the plural.
Example: leaf – leaves
shelf – shelves
life – lives
Exceptions: sheriff – sheriffs
staff – staffs
roof – roofs
belief – beliefs
safe – safes
chief – chiefs

9. 44) Compound nouns: they form the plural in the first word when separated by a hyphen.
Compound nouns written as one word or as two separate words form the plural in the last
word.
Example: mother-in-law – mothers-in-law
brother-in-law – brothers-in-law
birdhouse – birdhouses
high school – high schools
45) Irregular Plural Forms:
Examples: child – children mouse – mice
man – men goose – geese
woman – women foot – feet
ox – oxen tooth – teeth
Some nouns keep the same form in both singular and plural.
Examples: fish, sheep, Chinese, deer, series, salmon, moose, trout, fowl
46) Prepositions: Short words that relate a noun or a pronoun to some words in a
sentence.
47) Pronouns: Words that substitute a noun.
48) Subject Pronouns: substitute the subject of a sentence.
49) Object Pronouns: substitute a direct object or an object of a preposition.
50) Possessive Pronouns: substitute possessive nouns in a sentence.
51) Indefinite pronouns: these pronouns do not refer to definite persons or things. They
may be singular, plural or both. Pronouns which are always singular must be used with
singular verbs. Pronouns that are always plural must be used with plural verbs.
Pronouns that can be either singular or plural, take the verb according to the antecedent.
52) Interrogative Pronouns: They are used at the beginning of a sentence to ask a
question.
53) Relative Pronouns: they join a dependent clause to the main clause.
54) Reflexive Pronouns: show that the object of the action is the same as the performer.
They are the following.
55) Demonstrative Pronouns: to show something.

10. 56) Context Clues: These are words (that you know the meaning of) around the words
you are reading, that help you determine the meaning of the new word.
57) Synonyms: Words with the same or nearly the same meaning.
58) Antonyms: Words with opposite.
59) Cognates: Words that are spelled alike or almost alike, sound alike and have the same
meaning in English and Spanish. False cognate, then, are words that sound alike, but do
not have the same meaning.
60) Inference: You draw conclusions or deduct from the information given.
61) Transitional devices: Establish a bridge between two ideas. They also help the reader
to find out the kinds of developmental paragraphs in an essay.
62) Prefixes and suffixes:
 A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a base word or word
root. Ex. discover (prefix)
 A suffix is a word part added to the end of a base word or word root. Ex.
speechless (suffix)
63) Analogies: expresses an agreement of likeness between things in some
circumstances. This relationship is between the meaning and or the usage of English
words, and is usually offered as a sentence written in an abbreviated form.
64) Future Tense: Indicates an action that will happen sometime in the future.There are
two ways to form the future tense.
65) Past Perfect: Indicates an action that took place in the past before another past action.
The auxiliary verb had and the past participle form of the verb is used to form this
verb tense.
66) Present Perfect: Indicates an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past or
an action that was repeated several times in the past. The auxiliary verbs have and
have and the past participle form of the verb are used to form this verb tense
67) Present Progressive: Indicates an action that is happening at the moment of speaking.
(Now, right now, at present, at this moment).
68) Past Progressive: Indicates an action that was going on when another action took
place.
69) Simple Past: Indicates an action that already happened. For the past tense regular
and irregular verbs are used. (See a list of irregular verbs at the end of this section).

11. 70) Simple Present: Indicate an action that is habitual or customary. The basic form and
S form of the verb is used with this verb tense.