What are the 8 parts of speech?

Noun (names a person, place, thing, or idea), Pronoun (takes the place of a noun), Verb (shows action or state of being), Adjective (modifies a noun or pronoun), Adverb (modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb), Preposition (shows relationship), Conjunction (joins words, phrases, or clauses), and Interjection (expresses strong feeling).

What are the 23 helping verbs?

The 23 helping verbs include forms of "be" (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been), forms of "have" (has, have, had), forms of "do" (do, does, did), and the modals (may, might, must, can, could, shall, should, will, would).

What are the four sentence types?

Simple: one independent clause ("The dog barked."). Compound: two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction ("The dog barked, and the cat hid."). Complex: one independent + at least one dependent clause ("When the bell rang, the students left."). Compound-Complex: two or more independent clauses plus at least one dependent clause.

What are the three pronoun cases?

Pronouns change form based on their job in the sentence — nominative (subject), objective (object), and possessive (ownership). The reference chart lists which pronouns belong to each case.

What are the basic sentence patterns in English?

Logic Stage students learn standard sentence patterns such as Subject-Verb (S-V), Subject-Verb-Direct Object (S-V-DO), Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object (S-V-IO-DO), Subject-Linking Verb-Predicate Noun (S-LV-PN), and Subject-Linking Verb-Predicate Adjective (S-LV-PA). The reference table shows the abbreviation, full pattern, example sentence, and diagram for each.

What upper-stage English topics are included?

Logic Stage students review 80 literature and composition items across plot, character, genre, literary devices, setting, point of view, narrative writing, expository writing, and persuasive writing. Rhetoric Stage students review 65 rhetoric items across appeals, canons, modes, style, fallacies, and argument structure.

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English Grammar and Rhetoric Reference

← Practice Drills

Logic Stage Literature & Composition (80 practice items)

Grammar now serves reading, structure, evidence, and clear paragraphs.

Plot Structure

10 items

Exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and conflict.

Key terms: Freytag's pyramid, internal conflict, person-vs-person conflict

Character

10 items

The terms students need for precise character analysis.

Key terms: protagonist, antagonist, foil, round, flat, static, dynamic

Genre

10 items

Major literary forms and the expectations that shape how a reader approaches them.

Key terms: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, epic, fable, tragedy, comedy

Literary Devices

10 items

Figurative and sound devices that help students name what a writer is doing.

Key terms: simile, metaphor, imagery, irony, symbolism, foreshadowing

Setting and Point of View

10 items

Time, place, mood, and the narrative lens through which a story is told.

Key terms: first person, second person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient

Narrative Writing

10 items

Story-based composition with sequence, scene, detail, and an arc.

Key terms: chronological order, sensory detail, dialogue, narrative arc

Expository Writing

10 items

Clear explanatory writing built from a controlling idea and organized support.

Key terms: thesis, topic sentence, supporting detail, compare-contrast, cause-effect

Persuasive Writing

10 items

Claims supported by reasons, evidence, counterargument, and a fitting call to action.

Key terms: claim, evidence, counterargument, rebuttal, call to action

Rhetoric Stage Rhetoric & Argument (65 practice items)

Composition now serves persuasion, style, ordered thought, and careful critique.

Three Appeals

10 items

Aristotle's core persuasive appeals and the difference between character, emotion, and reason.

Key terms: ethos, pathos, logos

Five Canons

10 items

The classical sequence for finding, arranging, styling, remembering, and delivering a speech.

Key terms: invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery

Three Rhetorical Modes

10 items

The public purposes of rhetoric in civic, legal, and ceremonial settings.

Key terms: deliberative, judicial, epideictic

Schemes and Tropes

12 items

Style terms that distinguish patterns of word order from turns of meaning.

Key terms: parallelism, antithesis, metaphor, irony

Appeal vs. Fallacy

13 items

How to recognize when a persuasive move becomes a faulty shortcut.

Key terms: ad hominem, straw man, false dilemma, appeal to pity

Argument Model

10 items

A practical model for analyzing claims and the support that makes them persuasive.

Key terms: claim, grounds, warrant, backing, qualifier, rebuttal

8 Parts of Speech (Grammar Stage)

NounNames a person, place, thing, or ideadog, Texas, happiness, teacher

PronounTakes the place of a nounhe, she, it, they, we, who

VerbShows action or state of beingrun, is, think, become

AdjectiveModifies a noun or pronountall, blue, three, this

AdverbModifies a verb, adjective, or another adverbquickly, very, never, here

PrepositionShows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another wordin, on, at, through, between

ConjunctionJoins words, phrases, or clausesand, but, or, because, although

InterjectionExpresses strong feeling or emotionWow! Oh! Ouch! Hey!

Preposition List (53) (Grammar Stage)

aboutaboveacrossafteragainstalongamidamongaroundatatopbeforebehindbelowbeneathbesidebetweenbeyondbutbyconcerningdownduringexceptforfromininsideintolikenearofoffonontooutoutsideoverpastregardingsincethroughthroughouttotowardunderunderneathuntilupuponwithwithinwithout

23 Helping Verbs (Helping & Linking Verbs)

Forms of "be" (also linking verbs):

amareiswaswerebebeingbeen

All 23 helping verbs:

amareiswaswerebebeingbeenhavehashaddodoesdidshallwillshouldwouldmaymightmustcancould

Pronoun Cases (Pronouns & Usage)

Pronoun cases by type
Case	Use	Pronouns
Nominative	Used as the subject of a sentence	I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they
Objective	Used as the object of a verb or preposition	me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them
Possessive	Shows ownership (stands alone, not before a noun)	mine, yours, his, hers, (not used), ours, yours, theirs
Possessive Adjective	Shows ownership (before a noun)	my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their
Reflexive	Refers back to the subject	myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Sentence Patterns (Logic Stage)

S-VISubject-Verb Intransitive

The simplest sentence pattern. The subject performs an action using an intransitive verb (no direct object needed).

Example: "Birds fly."

Birds | fly

S-VT-DOSubject-Verb Transitive-Direct Object

The subject performs an action on something using a transitive verb with a direct object.

Example: "The dog chased the cat."

dog | chased | cat

S-LV-PNSubject-Linking Verb-Predicate Nominative

A linking verb connects the subject to a predicate nominative (noun that renames the subject).

Example: "She is a teacher."

She | is \ teacher

S-LV-PASubject-Linking Verb-Predicate Adjective

A linking verb connects the subject to a predicate adjective (adjective that describes the subject).

Example: "The sky is blue."

sky | is \ blue

S-VT-IO-DOSubject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object

The subject gives/shows/tells something to someone.

Example: "Mom gave me a cookie."

Mom | gave | cookie (me = indirect object)

S-VT-DO-OCNSubject-Verb Transitive-Direct Object-Object Complement Noun

The subject performs an action on a direct object; a noun renames or identifies the direct object.

Example: "Jesus calls himself Master."

Jesus | calls | himself \ Master

S-VT-DO-OCASubject-Verb Transitive-Direct Object-Object Complement Adjective

The subject performs an action on a direct object; an adjective describes the direct object.

Example: "Jesus calls himself holy."

Jesus | calls | himself \ holy

Verb Tenses (Verb Forms)

Verb tenses, formation, and examples
Tense	Formation	Example
Simple Present	base form (add -s for 3rd person singular)	I walk
Simple Past	add -ed (or irregular form)	I walked
Simple Future	will + base form (shall is formal/archaic)	I will walk
Present Progressive	am/is/are + -ing	I am walking
Past Progressive	was/were + -ing	I was walking
Future Progressive	will be + -ing	I will be walking
Present Perfect	has/have + past participle	I have walked
Past Perfect	had + past participle	I had walked
Future Perfect	will have + past participle	I will have walked
Present Perfect Progressive	has/have been + -ing	I have been walking
Past Perfect Progressive	had been + -ing	I had been walking
Future Perfect Progressive	will have been + -ing	I will have been walking

Irregular Verbs (47) (Verb Forms)

Irregular verbs: present, simple past, and past participle
Present	Simple Past	Past Participle
be	was/were	been
beat	beat	beaten
begin	began	begun
break	broke	broken
bring	brought	brought
buy	bought	bought
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
fly	flew	flown
forget	forgot	forgotten
freeze	froze	frozen
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grow	grew	grown
have	had	had
hide	hid	hidden
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
lie	lay	lain
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
see	saw	seen
set	set	set
shake	shook	shaken
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
speak	spoke	spoken
steal	stole	stolen
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
think	thought	thought
throw	threw	thrown
wear	wore	worn
write	wrote	written

Adverb Questions (Modifiers)

How?

She sang beautifully.

When?

He arrived yesterday.

Where?

They played outside.

To what extent?

She is very tall.

Sentence Types (Sentence Structure)

Simple

One independent clause

"The dog barked."

Compound

Two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction

"The dog barked, and the cat hid."

Complex

One independent clause + at least one dependent clause

"When the bell rang, the students left."

Compound-Complex

Two or more independent clauses + at least one dependent clause

"When the bell rang, the students left, and the teacher cleaned up."

Saddling up for the quest…

English Grammar and Rhetoric Reference

← Practice Drills

Logic Stage Literature & Composition (80 practice items)

Grammar now serves reading, structure, evidence, and clear paragraphs.

Plot Structure

10 items

Exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and conflict.

Key terms: Freytag's pyramid, internal conflict, person-vs-person conflict

Character

10 items

The terms students need for precise character analysis.

Key terms: protagonist, antagonist, foil, round, flat, static, dynamic

Genre

10 items

Major literary forms and the expectations that shape how a reader approaches them.

Key terms: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, epic, fable, tragedy, comedy

Literary Devices

10 items

Figurative and sound devices that help students name what a writer is doing.

Key terms: simile, metaphor, imagery, irony, symbolism, foreshadowing

Setting and Point of View

10 items

Time, place, mood, and the narrative lens through which a story is told.

Key terms: first person, second person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient

Narrative Writing

10 items

Story-based composition with sequence, scene, detail, and an arc.

Key terms: chronological order, sensory detail, dialogue, narrative arc

Expository Writing

10 items

Clear explanatory writing built from a controlling idea and organized support.

Key terms: thesis, topic sentence, supporting detail, compare-contrast, cause-effect

Persuasive Writing

10 items

Claims supported by reasons, evidence, counterargument, and a fitting call to action.

Key terms: claim, evidence, counterargument, rebuttal, call to action

Rhetoric Stage Rhetoric & Argument (65 practice items)

Composition now serves persuasion, style, ordered thought, and careful critique.

Three Appeals

10 items

Aristotle's core persuasive appeals and the difference between character, emotion, and reason.

Key terms: ethos, pathos, logos

Five Canons

10 items

The classical sequence for finding, arranging, styling, remembering, and delivering a speech.

Key terms: invention, arrangement, style, memory, delivery

Three Rhetorical Modes

10 items

The public purposes of rhetoric in civic, legal, and ceremonial settings.

Key terms: deliberative, judicial, epideictic

Schemes and Tropes

12 items

Style terms that distinguish patterns of word order from turns of meaning.

Key terms: parallelism, antithesis, metaphor, irony

Appeal vs. Fallacy

13 items

How to recognize when a persuasive move becomes a faulty shortcut.

Key terms: ad hominem, straw man, false dilemma, appeal to pity

Argument Model

10 items

A practical model for analyzing claims and the support that makes them persuasive.

Key terms: claim, grounds, warrant, backing, qualifier, rebuttal

8 Parts of Speech (Grammar Stage)

NounNames a person, place, thing, or ideadog, Texas, happiness, teacher

PronounTakes the place of a nounhe, she, it, they, we, who

VerbShows action or state of beingrun, is, think, become

AdjectiveModifies a noun or pronountall, blue, three, this

AdverbModifies a verb, adjective, or another adverbquickly, very, never, here

PrepositionShows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another wordin, on, at, through, between

ConjunctionJoins words, phrases, or clausesand, but, or, because, although

InterjectionExpresses strong feeling or emotionWow! Oh! Ouch! Hey!

Preposition List (53) (Grammar Stage)

23 Helping Verbs (Helping & Linking Verbs)

Forms of "be" (also linking verbs):

amareiswaswerebebeingbeen

All 23 helping verbs:

amareiswaswerebebeingbeenhavehashaddodoesdidshallwillshouldwouldmaymightmustcancould

Pronoun Cases (Pronouns & Usage)

Pronoun cases by type
Case	Use	Pronouns
Nominative	Used as the subject of a sentence	I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they
Objective	Used as the object of a verb or preposition	me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them
Possessive	Shows ownership (stands alone, not before a noun)	mine, yours, his, hers, (not used), ours, yours, theirs
Possessive Adjective	Shows ownership (before a noun)	my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their
Reflexive	Refers back to the subject	myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Sentence Patterns (Logic Stage)

S-VISubject-Verb Intransitive

The simplest sentence pattern. The subject performs an action using an intransitive verb (no direct object needed).

Example: "Birds fly."

Birds | fly

S-VT-DOSubject-Verb Transitive-Direct Object

The subject performs an action on something using a transitive verb with a direct object.

Example: "The dog chased the cat."

dog | chased | cat

S-LV-PNSubject-Linking Verb-Predicate Nominative

A linking verb connects the subject to a predicate nominative (noun that renames the subject).

Example: "She is a teacher."

She | is \ teacher

S-LV-PASubject-Linking Verb-Predicate Adjective

A linking verb connects the subject to a predicate adjective (adjective that describes the subject).

Example: "The sky is blue."

sky | is \ blue

S-VT-IO-DOSubject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object

The subject gives/shows/tells something to someone.

Example: "Mom gave me a cookie."

Mom | gave | cookie (me = indirect object)

S-VT-DO-OCNSubject-Verb Transitive-Direct Object-Object Complement Noun

The subject performs an action on a direct object; a noun renames or identifies the direct object.

Example: "Jesus calls himself Master."

Jesus | calls | himself \ Master

S-VT-DO-OCASubject-Verb Transitive-Direct Object-Object Complement Adjective

The subject performs an action on a direct object; an adjective describes the direct object.

Example: "Jesus calls himself holy."

Jesus | calls | himself \ holy

Verb Tenses (Verb Forms)

Verb tenses, formation, and examples
Tense	Formation	Example
Simple Present	base form (add -s for 3rd person singular)	I walk
Simple Past	add -ed (or irregular form)	I walked
Simple Future	will + base form (shall is formal/archaic)	I will walk
Present Progressive	am/is/are + -ing	I am walking
Past Progressive	was/were + -ing	I was walking
Future Progressive	will be + -ing	I will be walking
Present Perfect	has/have + past participle	I have walked
Past Perfect	had + past participle	I had walked
Future Perfect	will have + past participle	I will have walked
Present Perfect Progressive	has/have been + -ing	I have been walking
Past Perfect Progressive	had been + -ing	I had been walking
Future Perfect Progressive	will have been + -ing	I will have been walking

Irregular Verbs (47) (Verb Forms)

Irregular verbs: present, simple past, and past participle
Present	Simple Past	Past Participle
be	was/were	been
beat	beat	beaten
begin	began	begun
break	broke	broken
bring	brought	brought
buy	bought	bought
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
fly	flew	flown
forget	forgot	forgotten
freeze	froze	frozen
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grow	grew	grown
have	had	had
hide	hid	hidden
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
lie	lay	lain
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
see	saw	seen
set	set	set
shake	shook	shaken
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
speak	spoke	spoken
steal	stole	stolen
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
think	thought	thought
throw	threw	thrown
wear	wore	worn
write	wrote	written

Adverb Questions (Modifiers)

How?

She sang beautifully.

When?

He arrived yesterday.

Where?

They played outside.

To what extent?

She is very tall.

Sentence Types (Sentence Structure)

Simple

One independent clause

"The dog barked."

Compound

Two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction

"The dog barked, and the cat hid."

Complex

One independent clause + at least one dependent clause

"When the bell rang, the students left."

Compound-Complex

Two or more independent clauses + at least one dependent clause

"When the bell rang, the students left, and the teacher cleaned up."