[C] countable a noun that has both a singular and a plural form: He lent me a book about photography. | Some of the books were very old. |
[U] uncountable a noun that has no plural form and refers to something that cannot be counted: the importance of education | a bucket of water |
[I] intransitive a verb that has no object: Jack sneezed. | House prices are rising. |
[T] transitive a verb that is followed by an object, which can be either a noun phrase or a clause: I love chocolate. | She said she was too busy. | I remember going on holiday there. |
[singular] a noun that is used only in the singular, and has no plural form: The room has a modern feel. | a sprinkling of snow |
[plural] a noun that is used only in the plural, and has no singular form: His clothes were soaking wet. | Those are my scissors. |
[linking verb] a verb that is followed by a noun or adjective complement that describes the subject of the verb: I felt very tired. | Her father is a doctor. | Your dinner’s getting cold. |
[always + adv/prep] shows that a verb must be followed by an adverb or a preposition: She went upstairs. | Robert put the letter in his briefcase. |
[not in progressive] shows that a verb is not used in the progressive form, that is, the -ing form after ‘be’: I admire his work. (not I am admiring his work) | I don’t know where it is. |
[no comparative] shows that an adjective is not used in the comparative or superlative form, that is, not with -er and -est, or ‘more’ and ‘most’: He played a key role in the negotiations. |
[only before noun] shows that an adjective can be used only before a noun: the main reason for her visit | You poor thing! |
[not before noun] shows that an adjective cannot be used before a noun: I don’t even know if he’s still alive. | I’m glad you’re here. |
[only after noun] shows that an adjective is used only immediately after a noun: some matters to be discussed before the meeting proper. |
[sentence adverb] shows that an adverb modifies a whole sentence: Fortunately no one was hurt. |
[+adj/adv] shows that an adverb of degree is used before adjectives and adverbs: The room was very dark. | We’ve got to act fairly quickly. |
[also + plural verb BrE] shows that a group noun can take a plural verb in British English: The team are feeling confident. |