The Modal Helping Verb!

The Modal Helping Verb is another faithful sidekick to The Verb, and this helpful Verb Team member has the power to modify the Main Verb in order to help a sentence express possibility, necessity, or expectation.

Here’s an example:

I may spare your planet.

The main verb of this sentence, “spare,” is being assisted by a modal helping verb, “may,” to help it express possibility.

Without the aid of the modal helping verb, “may,” the main verb of this sentence would only be able to express a basic state of action, “I spare.”

But with the modal helping verb’s assistance, the main verb, “spare,” can make the shift into expressing the possibility of the action, “I may spare.”

The chart below is a list of modal helping verbs and how they’re used to help the main verb of a sentence.

Modal Helping Verbs
Help to express possibility	can, could, may, might
Help to express necessity	must, ought
Help to express expectation	will, would, shall, should

SUPER POWER: 

The Modal Helping Verb has the power to help The Verb express possibility, necessity, or expectation. 

SUPER EXAMPLES: 

1) 

I can crush you.

can: helping the main verb, "crush," show possibility. 

2) 

I must defuse this bomb.

must: helping the main verb, "defuse," show necessity.

3) 

I shall protect you.

shall: helping the main verb, "protect," show expectation.

The Verb Team!

Hello friends,

Inside Super Grammar you are introduced to the Verb Team, and you learn that this energetic team consists of two members: The Verb and the Primary Helping Verb.

The Verb is the team leader, and she uses her amazing energy to empower sentences with her power of expression. This power allows our sentences to express either a state of action or a state of being. (See pages 60-71 in Super Grammar.)
 

The Primary Helping Verb is the Verb's sidekick. She faithfully assists the Verb in performing complex tasks within a sentence, such as changing tenses, making positive or negative statements, and asking questions. (See pages 72-75 in Super Grammar.)

After reading about these two sentence-superheroes, you'll quickly come to understand that the members of the Verb Team are key players in our sentences, and that they are constantly working to give our sentences all the power they need to fully and properly express themselves in many different and complex ways.

Now, if that sounds like it's a very big job for just two Verb Team members to handle, well, you're right—it is.

But fear not, citizens, for the Verb Team does have more help!

Her name is the Modal Helping Verb, and we'll be introducing you to her in our very next Super Grammar post.

Cheers!
The Super Grammar Team

The Adjective

The Adjective is a hero with an incredible eye for detail, and as a member of The Amazing Eight (A.K.A. parts of speech), this hero puts his keen powers of observation to work for the good of all our sentences.

The Adjective is a modifier, and with the help of his super handy modifying tool, he delivers a fist full of descriptive power to nouns.  The details supplied by The Adjective serve our sentences by adding richness and interest to the people, places, and objects within them.  For instance, “the hero” can become “the fearless hero,” and “the villain” can become “the twisted villain.”  Also, adjectives can be very useful additions to our sentences because they add clarity and understanding by answering the questions: which one, how many, and what kind?

So, the next time you want to add some distinct and dynamic description to your sentences, remember our detail oriented hero—The Adjective. 

SUPER POWERS:

The Adjective has the ability to modify nouns in a sentence with the addition of descriptive detail.  By modifying these words with description, he helps answer these questions: which one, how many, and what kind?

 

SUPER EXAMPLES:

1)

The slimy thief got away.

slimy: adjective answering the question which one?

2)

Three heroes are on patrol.

Three: adjective answering the question how many?

3)

Circuit Breaker is a powerful villain.

powerful: adjective answering the question what kind?

THE POWER OF PHRASING:

The Adjective has The Power of Phrasing.  Sometimes an adjective needs to be more than a single word to properly do its job.  This is when The Adjective uses The Power of Phrasing.  This power allows the adjective to stretch out into being several words that act as a single unit within a sentence.  This group of words is called: a phrase.

SUPER EXAMPLES:

1)

The man with the enormous brain is controlling us.

with the enormous brain: adjective phrase answering the question which one?

2)

His more than two arms gave him the advantage.

more than two: adjective phrase answering the question how many?

3)

He is a hero of tremendous virtue.

of tremendous virtue: adjective phrase answering the question what kind?

The Noun Team

-->Nouns are a proud and devoted part of the elite group of power enhanced words known as The Amazing Eight (A.K.A. parts of speech), but even with enhanced powers, being a noun is a big job.  That’s why the Noun Team has two dedicated members ready to meet the task.

These amazing parts of speech are a very flexible pair of shape-shifters, and they can change their forms to be any number of persons, places, or things within a sentence.  Yes, that’s right; I said any person, place, or thing!  Anyone, anywhere, or anything that you want to write about in a sentence is possible because, no matter what it is, there is always a Noun Team hero ready to get the job done.

THE NOUN TEAM MEMBERS:

• The Common Noun
• The Proper Noun

The Adverb

 

Verbs—as powerful as they are—can only express so much information before they reach their limit.  That’s when verbs need a courageous teammate to lend them a helping hand; that’s when verbs need the power of The Adverb!

The Adverb is a modifier, and she uses her super handy modifying tool to help give verbs the extra punch that they need to power up a sentence.  She does this by adding descriptive information about the specific verb she’s modifying.

For example, the verb fight in the sentence, “I fight.” can only tell you: I fight. But an adverb modifying that verb can tell you when (I fight now), where (I fight here), why (I fight for justice), and how (I fight diligently).

By simply adding an adverb, you can boost, intensify, and clarify the meaning of your sentences—and that’s the true power of The Adverb.  And although her name is The Adverb, this hero doesn’t limit her amazing powers to just helping verbs.  She also helps adjectives and other adverbs too! 

SUPER POWERS: 
The Adverb has the ability to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs in a sentence.  By modifying these words, she helps answer these questions: when? where? why? and how? 

SUPER TEAMWORK: 
The Adverb's useful sentence-enhancing powers make her a valued member of The Amazing Eight (A.K.A. parts of speech), and a powerful ally to The Verb, but this hero doesn’t stop there.  The Adverb can also use her powers to modify adjectives and other adverbs in a sentence.  Now, that’s teamwork. 

SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1) 

The invasion begins immediately.

immediately: adverb modifying a verb (begins when?)

#2) 

We’ll make our stand here.

here: adverb modifying a verb (make where?)

#3)

I’m glowing because I’m radioactive.

Because I’m radioactive: adverb phrase modifying a verb (glowing why?)

#4)

He expertly deflected the bullet.

expertly: adverb modifying a verb (deflected how?)

#5)

She has a very long reach.

very: adverb modifying an adjective (how long?)

#6)

My enemy attacked surprisingly fast.

surprisingly: adverb modifying another adverb (how fast?)

The Pronoun

Nouns have a really big job to do in our sentences, and with so much to do, nouns can sometimes get overworked, overused, and overwhelmed.  But fear not, good citizens, for nouns have a powerful secret weapon on their side, and his name is—The Pronoun!

The Pronoun is the most professional, proactive, and proficient member of The Amazing Eight (A.K.A. parts of speech), and this awesome all-star hero is here to help regular nouns go pro! 

Pronouns are words, like—I, you, he, she, it, us, them—and pronouns have the power to take the place of regular nouns in a sentence.  Pronouns do this to help keep our sentences clean and efficient.  For example, instead of having to say, “Captain Muscle Pants is strong.” with pronouns, we can say, “He is strong.”  The pronoun, He, has the power to take the place of the long (proper) noun, Captain Muscle Pants, and because of the pronoun, our sentence is now short, efficient, and clean.

As you can see, pronouns are a very useful part of speech.  They reduce clutter by allowing us to simplify our bulky nouns, which in turn helps keep our sentences sleek and streamlined.  But aside from being very useful, pronouns are also very powerful. 

Pronouns have powers that allow them to easily do things that regular nouns can’t, such as: tell you their number (singular or plural), their person (1^st person, 2^nd person, or 3^rd person), and their gender (male, female, or neutral).  Pronouns can also tell you their case (Subject form or Object form), and pronouns also have the power to show possession (ownership) without the use of an apostrophe.

The Pronoun is also a very versatile hero.  He has the power to create several different types of pronouns: personal, reflexive, demonstrative, possessive, interrogative, and indefinite.  Each type of pronoun has its own specialized abilities, and these specialized abilities help The Pronoun to empower different types of sentences in many different ways. 

Like I said before, nouns have a big job to do, and nouns will always fight for the good of your sentences, but if your nouns are ever in need of help, call in the all-star superhero with the power to help them go pro.  Call in—The Pronoun!

SUPER POWERS:

The Pronoun has the power to take the place of a noun in a sentence.  

The Pronoun also has several different powers which help him to create different types of pronouns. 

• The Power of Personal Pronouns
• The Power of Reflexive Pronouns
• The Power of Demonstrative Pronouns
• The Power of Possessive Pronouns
• The Power of Interrogative Pronouns      
• The Power of Indefinite Pronouns

1) THE POWER OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS:

The Pronoun has The Power of Personal Pronouns.  This power allows pronouns to represent specific people or things (nouns) in a sentence.  

For example, in the sentence, “I can bend steel.” The personal pronoun, I, represents a specific person (who is: singular, 1^st person, and in the Subject form).

Personal pronouns also have the power to tell you their: number, person, case, and gender.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS:

	Singular		Plural
	Subject	Object	Subject	Object
1st Person	I	me	we
2nd Person	you	you	you	you
3rd Person	he she  it	him her it	they	them

SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1)

He can stretch like rubber.

He: (singular/3^rd person/subject form/male)

#2)

You are a slippery character.

You: (singular/2^nd person/subject form)

#3)

The monster has trapped them.

Them: (plural/3^rd person/object form)

2) THE POWER OF REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS:

The Pronoun has The Power of Reflexive Pronouns.  This power allows a pronoun to refer back to the subject of the sentence.  

For example, in the sentence, “I will destroy you myself.” The reflexive pronoun, myself, lets us refer back to the subject of the sentence: I.  

Reflexive pronouns also have the power to tell you their: number, person, and gender, but since reflexive pronouns are a reflection of the subject of the sentence, they can only have one case: The Subject form.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS:

	Singular		Plural
	Subject	Object	Subject	Object
1st Person	myself		ourselves
2nd Person	yourself		yourselves
3rd Person	himself herself  itself		themselves

SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1)

It has regenerated itself.

itself: reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject, It

#2)

She shielded herself from the bullets.

herself: reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject, She

#3)

We must defend ourselves.

ourselves: reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject, We

NOTE: Reflexive pronouns are a reflection of the subject of the sentence.  This means that they must always be paired with a subject and that they should never be used as an independent (stand alone) element in a sentence.

3) THE POWER OF DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS:

The Pronoun has The Power of Demonstrative Pronouns.  This power allows pronouns to point (or refer to) a specific thing (noun).

For example, in the sentence, “This is stolen.” The demonstrative pronoun, This, lets us refer to the object (noun) that was stolen.

Demonstrative pronouns have the power to show you their: number and distance.

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS:

	Singular	Plural
	Subject/Object	Subject/Object
Near	this	these
Far	that	Those

SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1)

This is my super suit.

This: (singular/near) demonstrative pronoun

#2)

That is against the law.

That: (singular/far) demonstrative pronoun

#3)

These look like explosives.

These: (plural/near) demonstrative pronoun

#4)

Those are gigantic robots.

Those: (plural/far) demonstrative pronoun

4) THE POWER OF POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS:

The Pronoun has The Power of Possessive Pronouns.  This power allows pronouns to show possession (ownership) without the use of an apostrophe.

For example, in the sentence, “The death ray is mine.” The possessive pronoun, mine, tells us that the death ray (noun) is owned.

Possessive pronouns have the power to show you their: number, person, and gender.

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS:

	Singular	Plural
	Subject/Object	Subject/Object
1st Person	mine	our
2nd Person	yours	yours
3rd Person	his her, hers its	theirs

SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1)

The blue plasma blaster is yours.

yours: a pronoun showing possession (ownership)

#2)

The victory is hers.

hers: a pronoun showing possession (ownership)

#3)

Ours are the strongest of heroes.

Ours: a pronoun showing possession (ownership)

5) THE POWER OF INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS:

The Pronoun has The Power of Interrogative Pronouns.  This power allows pronouns to ask a question.

For example, in the sentence, “What hit me?” The interrogative pronoun, What, lets us ask a question about something (noun) that just hit us.

Only two of the interrogative pronouns, who and whom, have the power to show you their case.  The rest do not.  Also, one of the interrogative pronouns, whose, also has the power to show possession (ownership).

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS:

	Subject	Object
Refers to a Person	who	whom
	Subject/Object
Refers to a Thing	what
Refers to a Person/Thing	which
Refers to a Person (Possessive)	whose

SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1)

Who dares defy me?

Who: interrogative pronoun

#2)

Which is the imposter?

Which: interrogative pronoun

#3)

Whose plutonium-239 is this?

Whose: interrogative pronoun

6) THE POWER OF INDEFINITE PRONOUNS:

The Pronoun has The Power of Indefinite Pronouns.  This power allows pronouns to refer to a noun that is non-specific (not definite).

For example, in the sentence, “I’ll steal anything.” The indefinite pronoun, anything, lets us refer to an object (noun) that is not specific.

Indefinite pronouns have the power to show their number.

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS:

Singular	Plural	Singular/Plural
­anybody anyone anything each either everybody everyone everything neither nobody no one nothing one somebody someone something	both few many several	all any most some

SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1)

Everyone is under my spell.

Everything: indefinite pronoun

#2)

Nothing can break my armor.

Nothing: indefinite pronoun

#3)

No one is above the law.

No one: indefinite pronoun

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This is an early treatment for The Pronoun.  He's so pro—he even had sponsors!