Glossary / 443modifier a word, phrase, or clause that limits the meaning of another word or
phrase. [See adjective, adverb, infinitive, participle, phrase, and clause, subor-
dinate. See also Chapter 42, Classification of Words, and Chapter 44, Phrases and
Clauses.]
monologue 1. a long speech, especially one that keeps anyone else from talking.
- a poem, story, or scene in which one character speaks alone or tells a story.
mood 1. the aspect of a verb that shows whether it is regarded as expressing a fact
(indicative mood); a wish, desire, or possibility (subjunctive mood); or a com-
mand (imperative mood). 2. the prevailing spirit or feeling in a piece of writing.
narration a method of developing a paragraph or multi-paragraph paper by
means of telling a story. [See Chapter 11, Narration, for details and examples.]
news article an account of an event or situation written for the print media. [See
Chapter 30, News Article, for the process of writing a news article and for a sample
news article and analysis.]
nominative case the case of the subject of a verb and the words (appositive,
predicate adjectives, and so on) that agree with it. She, he, and who are examples
of pronouns in the nominative case. Compare with objective and possessive case.
[See Pronoun Usage in Chapter 43, Usage.]
nonessential modifier a modifier not necessary to the identification of the word
modified; sometimes called a nonrestrictive modifier. Example: Mrs. Heeger, who
is my neighbor, is a superb seamstress. Note: Use commas to set off nonrestrictive
modifiers. Compare with essential modifier. [See Chapter 45, Punctuation.]
notes brief written statements of facts as an aid to memory; a comment or
explanation.
noun any of a class of words naming or denoting a person, thing, action, quality,
and so on. [See Chapter 42, Classification of Words.]
number the change in form used to show whether one or more than one is meant;
singular and plural forms show number. [See subject-verb agreement. Also see
Chapter 43, Usage.]
objective case the case taken by an object. Me, her, him, and whom are examples
of pronouns in the objective case. Compare with nominative and possessive case.
[See Pronoun Usage in Chapter 43, Usage.]
objective complement word, phrase, or clause that completes the object.
Example: The group named Christopher its representative. [See Parts of the Sen-
tence, Chapter 42, Classification of Words.]
omniscient point of view the point of view of an all-knowing, all-seeing speaker.
onomatopoeia the formation of a word (such as chickadee or tinkle) by imitating
the sound associated with the object or action.