Essential Concepts of Grammar: Descriptions, Verbs, and Adverbs

The Description: Definition and Purpose

A description is the presentation of the characteristic features of beings, objects, places, or phenomena (belonging to the real world or imagined), so that the receiver can form an accurate idea of them.

Classification of Descriptions

• Objective Description

  The issuer shows reality without providing personal ratings. Factual descriptions are often technical or scientific.

• Subjective Description

  The issuer shows their particular perception of what they describe. Subjective descriptions are often literary or used in advertising.

• Static Description

  Presents a stable and unmoving reality.

• Dynamic Description

  Presents a changing and moving reality.

Language Used in Descriptions

In descriptions, adjectives gain relevance, along with certain spatial markers and stylistic resources that enhance expressiveness.

Describing a Person (Characterization)

When describing the appearance of a character, prosopography is used. A description of their psychological features is called etopeya. The combination of prosopography and etopeya is a portrait.

Characterization can be objective, idealizing, or distorting. When the description is deforming and done with humorous intent, the result is a caricature.

Describing an Area

The description of an area is called topography.

Verbs: Structure and Function

Definition of a Verb

Verbs are variable words that name actions, states, or processes located in a given time.

Verb Components

• Root (Lexeme): The part that carries the lexical meaning of the verb.
• Endings (Morphemes): Added to the root to indicate grammatical features.

Types of Verbs

• Regular Verbs

  Verbs that maintain the same root in all their forms and take the same endings as the model verb.

• Irregular Verbs

  Verbs that vary in the root or have endings different from the model verb.

Conjugation

The conjugation of a verb is the set of forms obtained by combining the root with various endings.

Tense and Mood

Tense

A tense is a set of verb forms that show variation only in number and person.

Moods

• Indicative Mood

  Shows the verbal action as real, true, or objective.

• Subjunctive Mood

  Presents the verbal action as unreal, possible, desirable, uncertain, or expresses a negative command.

• Imperative Mood

  Presents the action as an affirmative command or order.

Aspect (Perfect vs. Imperfect)

• Perfect Tenses: Present the action as completed.
• Imperfect Tenses: Show the action without regard to its completion.

Non-Personal Forms of the Verb

These are forms that lack the grammatical features of number, person, tense, and mood (e.g., infinitive, gerund, participle).

Adverbs

Definition and Function

Adverbs are invariable words that express affirmation, denial, or doubt, or denote circumstances of place, time, manner, or quantity.

Classification of Adverbs

According to their meaning, there are seven kinds of adverbs:

1. Place
2. Time
3. Manner
4. Quantity
5. Affirmation
6. Negation
7. Doubt