Kerl: A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language

Traditional English grammar, described using UML class diagrams.

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The Grammar of a language shows how its words are formed, modilied, and arranged, to express thoughts, either in speaking or in writing, according to established usage.

Words

letter

a character that denotes one or more of the elementary sounds of language.

syllable

a letter, or two or more combined, pronounced as one unbroken sound.

word

a syllable, or two or more combined, used as the sign of some idea.

@startuml
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  letter <|-- vowel
  letter <|-- consonant
  word <|-- monosyllable
  word <|-- dissyllable
  word <|-- trisyllable
  word <|-- polysyllable
  word *-- letter
  monosyllable *-- syllable
  dissyllable *-- syllable
  trisyllable *-- syllable
  polysyllable *-- syllable
  syllable *-- letter
@enduml

Word formation

Words classified according as they are formed, or not formed, from one another:

primitive word

not formed from another

derivative word

formed from another

compound word

composed of two or more others

@startuml
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  word <|-- primitive
  word <|-- derivative
  word <|-- compound
@enduml

Parts of speech

noun

denote name of object

pronoun

a word that supplies the place of a noun.

article

a word placed before a noun to show how it is applied.

adjective

to express the quality, condition, or circumstance of object

verb

to express action, or state of existence

adverbs

to describe their actions, or to show the nature or degree of their qualities

prepositions

to express their positions or relations to one another

conjunctions

to continue the discourse, or to connect its parts

interjections

to give vent to any feeling or emotion springing up suddenly within me.

@startuml
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  word <|-- noun
  word <|-- pronoun
  word <|-- article
  word <|-- adjective
  word <|-- verb
  word <|-- preposition
  word <|-- conjunction
  word <|-- interjection
@enduml

Sentence formation

subject

denotes that of which something is said or affirmed.

predicate

denotes what is said or affirmed.

A simple subject has but one nominative to which the predicate refers ; a compound subject has more than one.

A simple predicate has but one finite verb referring to the subject ; a compound predicate has more than one.

phrase

two or more words rightly put together, but not making a proposition.

proposition

a subject combined with its predicate.

clause

any one of two or more propositions which together make a sentence.

sentence

a thought expressed by words.

A simple sentence contains but one proposition.

A compound sentence contains two or more clauses.

discourse

any series of properly related sentences, expressing continuous thought.

@startuml
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  discourse *-- sentence
  sentence o-- simple
  sentence o-- compound
  simple *-- proposition
  compound *-- clause
  proposition o-- subject
  proposition o-- predicate
  clause *-- proposition
@enduml

Noun / Pronoun

proper noun

an individual name.

common noun

a generic name.

pronoun

a word that supplies the place of a noun.

personal pronoun

one of a class of pronouns whose chief use is, to distinguish the different persons.

relative pronoun

one that makes its clause dependent on another clause.

interrogative pronoun

one used to ask a question.

compound pronoun

a simple pronoun with self, selves, ever, so, or soever, annexed to it ; or it is a pronoun consisting of two words.

@startuml
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noun<|-- personal_noun
noun<|-- common_noun
@enduml

@startuml
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pronoun<|-- personal_pronoun
pronoun<|-- relative_pronoun
pronoun<|-- interrogative_pronoun
pronoun<|-- compound_pronoun
@enduml

Properties of nouns and pronouns

masculine gender

denotes males.

feminine gender

denotes females.

common gender

denotes either males or females, or both.

neuter gender

denotes neither males nor females.

first person

denotes the speaker.

second person

represents an object as spoken to.

third person

represents an object as spoken of.

singular number

denotes but one.

plural number

denotes more than one.

collective noun

a noun denoting, in the singular form, more than one object of the same kind.

nominative case

the case of a noun or pronoun to which a predicate directly refers, or used independently or absolutely.

possessive case

denotes possession.

objective case

the case of a noun or pronoun used as the object of a verb or preposition.

@startuml
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class noun {
  number
  gender
  case
}
noun::number<--number
noun::gender<--gender
noun::case<--case
class pronoun {
  person
  number
  gender
  case
}
pronoun::person<--person
pronoun::number<--number
pronoun::gender<--gender
pronoun::case<--case
class first implements person
class second implements person
class third implements person
class singular implements number
class plural implements number
class masculine implements gender
class feminine implements gender
class common implements gender
class neuter implements gender
class nominative implements case
class possessive implements case
class objective implements case
@enduml

Article

definite article

shows that some particular object or objects are meant.

indefinite article

shows that no particular one of the kind is meant.

@startuml
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article<|-- definite
article<|-- indefinite
class the implements definite
class a implements indefinite
class an implements indefinite
note bottom of a : Before words beginning with a consonant
note bottom of an : Before words beginning with a vowel

@enduml

Adjective

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adjective <|-- descriptive
descriptive <|-- participial
adjective <|-- definite
definite <|-- pronominal
definite <|-- numeral
pronominal <|-- demonstrative
pronominal <|-- indefinite
pronominal <|-- distributive
numeral <|-- cardinal
numeral <|-- ordinal
class beautiful implements descriptive
class twinkling implements participial
class this implements demonstrative
class any implements indefinite
class each implements distributive
class one implements cardinal
class first implements ordinal
@enduml

Degrees of comparison