Writing Skills

Glossary

Word type   Definition  


Noun   A noun names a person, place, idea or thing. >> more


Verb   A verb is a word or a group of words which express ‘being’ or ‘doing’. >> more


Pronoun   A pronoun is a word that refers to someone or something that has already been mentioned. >> more


Adjective   An adjective is a word that describes a noun. >> more


Adverb   An adverb is a word that tells us when, where or how something happens. There are many types of adverbs with different functions. >> more

 

 

Punctuation mark   Use  


Full stop
.		   Use:
  1. at the end of a sentence which is a statement
  2. after initials in names
  3. after some abbreviations
 >> more


Comma
,		   Use:
  1. to separate items in a list
  2. to separate less important information (a word, phrase or dependent clause) from the rest of the sentence
 >> more


Semi-colon
;		   Use:
  1. to show that two short sentences are closely connected
  2. to separate longer items in a list, especially if the listed items have a verb
>> more


Colon
:		   Use:
  1. to show that information which follows is closely linked
  2. to show that an explanatory list follows
 >> more


Apostrophe
’		   Use:
  1. to show that letters have been removed from a word (used only for informal English, not academic English)
  2. to show that something belongs to somebody or something else
 >> more


Quotation marks
‘... ’    “... ”		   Use:
  1. to quote direct speech
  2. to show you are making a direct quote from someone else’s work
  3. to show you are using a word in a special way
 >> more


Hyphen
-		   Use:
  1. to link closely connected words so they make a compound word
  2. to add co-, ex-, non- to a word
  3. to write some fractions and numbers in words
  4. to write a single letter before a word
  5. to divide words that are too long to fit on one line
 >> more

 

 

Sentences and their parts   Definition  


Subject and verb  

Subject:

The subject is the person (who) or the thing (what) a clause or sentence is about. It may be one word or a group of words.

Verb:

A word or group of words which are ‘doing’ or ‘being’ words.

>> Verb

 >> more


Phrases  

A phrase is a group of words that belong together because of their meaning.

A phrase does not have a subject or a verb. 		>> more


Clauses  

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb, and usually some more information.

 >> more


Simple sentences   A simple sentence is a group of words which has a subject and a verb. It makes one independent clause. >> more

 

Instruction words and their meaning   Meaning  


Account for   give reasons for; make clear why something happens
Analyse   look at in close detail to find main points and important features
Comment on   point out and describe the main issues, and give responses, based on what issues have been uncovered – avoid using ‘I think, I believe’
Critically evaluate   weigh up arguments for and against something, assess the strength of arguments on both sides and decide which opinions, theories, models or arguments are strongest
Define   clearly state or explain the meaning of
Describe   say what something is like, how it is
Discuss   consider something from different points of view, arguments for and against and then consider the implications
Evaluate   assess the importance or usefulness of something, using evidence
Examine   look at carefully and in detail and consider the implications
Explain   make clear why something happens, and give reasons for
How far   see ‘To What Extent’
Identify   point out and describe
Illustrate   give examples to support your arguments
Outline   give a short description of the main points
Suggest   mention ideas for consideration, propose
To what extent   consider how far something is or may not be true
What factors   what are the circumstances or conditions that contribute to something
Why   for what reasons or with what purpose