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clause |
A clause is something in grammar. A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb that goes with it. A clause can be a whole sentence, or it can be one part of a sentence. Some sentences have many clauses. In the sentence "I had a bad dream because my brother told me something scary," there are two clauses connected by the word "because." "I had a bad dream" is the first clause, and "my brother told me something scary" is the second clause. The subject in the first clause is "I," and the verb is "had." The subject in the second clause is "my brother," and the verb is "told." |
even |
Sometimes we use even when something is surprising or the opposite of what someone might expect. If you say "Even my little brother can play this game," we understand that it is a surprising thing that he can play it. Maybe it's not surprising that other people can play it, but the fact that your little brother can also play it means that the game must be very simple. [1/11 definitions] |
go1 |
If a road goes from my house to your house, it means that the road reaches from my house to your house. [1/14 definitions] |
indefinite article |
either of the articles "a" or "an" in English grammar. These articles do not restrict the noun to a particular person, place or thing. In the sentence, "A dog ran into my yard," the indefinite article "a" is used to show that it could have been any dog, and that a particular dog is not being named. |
infinitive |
An infinitive is something in grammar. An infinitive is the simple form of a verb that often has the word "to" in front of it. "To go," to run," to forget" are phrases that show infinitives. An infinitive has no subject and does not show the time of an action. Words like "went," "ran," and "forgot," for example, are not infinitives because they show past time. These would also not be used without some subject like "we" "they," "I," or "my mom." |
internet |
When we say "my internet," we mean the connection that our own computer has to the internet, or a service that allows us to get on the internet. [1/2 definitions] |
introduce |
When you introduce people, you help them begin to know each other. Let's say you introduce your teacher to your mother. You might say something like "Mrs. Garcia. This is my mom." Then you might say "Mom, this is my teacher, Mrs. Garcia." [1/3 definitions] |
its |
"Its" is a word like "my," "his," or "her." We use these words when we are talking about something that belongs to a person or thing or is a part of a person or thing. When you are talking about a dog and you say "its tail," you are talking about the tail that is part of that dog. |
my |
You use "my" when you talk about something that belongs to you. If you say "my dog," you mean the dog that belongs to you, the person who is speaking. |
myself |
used to emphasize "me" or "I." [1/3 definitions] |
nonsense |
Nonsense is something you say or do that is silly or has no meaning that anyone can understand. A sentence like "A banana ate my brother's pajamas" is nonsense. Sometimes we use nonsense for fun. [1/2 definitions] |
object |
a noun or noun phrase that receives the action of a verb in a sentence. In the sentence, "I forgot my bag," the noun "bag" is the object. [1/7 definitions] |
own |
If you say "my own," you mean the thing or things that belong to you. If you say "her own," you mean the thing or things that belong to her. If you say "their own," you mean the thing or things that belong to them. [1/4 definitions] |
past participle |
a participle that either indicates a completed action or past state, such as "broken" in "I have broken my arm," or serves as an adjective, as "broken" in "a broken toy." |
place |
When we say "my place," we usually mean "my home." "My place" is the place where I live. "Your place" is the place where you live. [1/13 definitions] |
pronoun |
A pronoun is a kind of word in a sentence. Words like "she," "him," "it," "something," and "those" are pronouns. We use pronouns when we don't know or don't need to say the exact name of a thing or person. For example, instead of saying "my brother" or the name of your brother, you might say "he" or "him." Instead of saying "the trees" or "the books" you might say "they" or "them." |
refer |
If you refer to your grandfather as "Grandpa Jim," it means you call him "Grandpa Jim." If a teacher refers to the kids in her class as "my pupils," it means she calls them her "pupils." Some other teachers might refer to the kids they teach as "my kids" or "my students." [1/5 definitions] |
sentence |
A sentence is a group of words that tells a complete idea. In grammar, a sentence always has two parts. One is the subject part, and the other is the verb part. The subject tells us who or what we are talking about, and the verb tells us things like what the subject does or did. "My sister" is not a sentence, and "walks like a duck" is not a sentence, but "My sister walks like a duck" is a sentence because it has a subject part, "my sister," AND a verb part, "walks like a duck." [1/3 definitions] |
set |
When you set a goal, you create a goal. You say to yourself, "This is my goal now. This is what I'm going to do." [1/17 definitions] |
subject |
A subject is one of the main parts of a sentence. A subject can be one word or more. In the sentence "My dad told me a joke," the subject is "my dad." "My dad" is the subject because it is "my dad" who does the action of telling the joke. In the sentence "The red house on the corner is my house," the subject is "the red house on the corner." It is the subject because it is what the rest of the sentence is describing. [1/10 definitions] |
sweetheart |
my dear one (used as a term of affection). [1/3 definitions] |
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