Glossary-S

A sentence fragment is a incomplete sentence punctuated as a complete sentence.

Example of a sentence fragment:

While watching the movie.

A simple sentence has a single independent clause and NO dependent clauses.

Example of a simple sentence:

James went to the store.

Slang refers to words with a comical or exaggerated meaning that are used in extremely informal contexts.

Examples of slang include:

Used in business, education, and government, Standard English is appropriate in all situations and does not include words derived from slang and colloquial language.

A stanza divides a poem into different sections. Usually, a line space exists between each stanza. (See also couplet, triplet, and quatrain.)

Example of a stanza:

The whiskey on your breath

Could make a small boy dizzy

But I hung on like death:

Such waltzing is not easy (Theodore Roethke, My Papa's Waltz, verses 1-4)

Strong verbs express the main action of the sentence, and its use avoids verb phrases combined with either nouns or adverbs.

Examples of strong verbs:

The owner walked his dog.

This quote refers to William Shakespeare's Hamlet.