100 Commonly Used Terms in English Grammar

This collection provides a quick review of the basic terminology used in the study of traditional English grammar. For a more detailed examination of the word forms and sentence structures introduced here, click on any of the terms to visit a glossary page, where youll find numerous examples and expanded discussions. Abstract Noun A noun (such as courage or freedom) that names an idea, event, quality, or concept. Contrast with a concrete noun. Active Voice The verb form or voice in which the subject of the sentence performs or causes the action expressed by the verb. Contrast with passive voice. Adjective The part of speech (or word class) that modifies a noun or a pronoun. Adjective forms: positive, comparative, superlative. Adjective: adjectival. Adverb The part of speech (or word class) that is primarily used to modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs can also modify prepositional phrases, subordinate clauses, and complete sentences. Affix A prefix, suffix, or infix: a word element (or morpheme) that can be attached to a base or root to form a new word. Noun: affixation. Adjective: affixable. Agreement The correspondence of a verb with its subject in person and number, and of a pronoun with its antecedent in person, number, and gender. Appositive A noun, noun phrase, or series of nouns used to identify or rename another noun, noun phrase, or pronoun. Article A type of determiner that precedes a noun: a, an, or the. Attributive An adjective that usually comes before the noun it modifies without a linking verb. Contrast with a predicative adjective. Auxiliary A verb that determines the mood or tense of another verb in a verb phrase. Also known as a helping verb. Contrast with a lexical verb. Base The form of a word to which prefixes and suffixes are added to create new words. Capital Letter The form of an alphabetical letter (such as A, B, C) used to begin a sentence or proper noun; an uppercase letter, in contrast to lower case. Verb: capitalize. Case A characteristic of nouns and certain pronouns that express their relationship to other words in a sentence. Pronouns have three case distinctions: subjective, possessive, and objective. In English, nouns have only one case inflection, the possessive. The case of nouns other than the possessive is sometimes called the common case. Clause A group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. A clause may be either a sentence (an independent clause) or a sentence-like construction within a sentence (a dependent clause). Common Noun A noun that can be preceded by the definite article and that represents one or all of the members of a class. As a general rule, a common noun does not begin with a capital letter unless it appears at the start of a sentence. Common nouns can be subcategorized as count nouns and mass nouns. Semantically, common nouns can be classified as abstract nouns and concrete nouns. Contrast with a proper noun. Comparative The form of an adjective or adverb involving a comparison of more or less, greater or lesser. Complement A word or word group that completes the predicate in a sentence. The two kinds of compliments are subject complements (which follow the verb be and other linking verbs) and object complements  (which follow a direct object). If it identifies the subject, the complement is a noun or pronoun; if it describes the subject, the complement is an adjective. Complex Sentence A sentence that contains at least one independent clause and one dependent clause. Compound-Complex Sentence A sentence that contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. Compound Sentence A sentence that contains at least two independent clauses. Conditional Clause A type of adverbial clause that states a hypothesis or condition, real or imagined. A conditional clause may be introduced by the subordinating conjunction if or another conjunction, such as unless or in the case of. Conjunction The part of speech (or word class) that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. The two main types of conjunction are coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions. Contraction A shortened form of a word or group of words (such as doesnt and wont), with the missing letters usually marked by an apostrophe. Coordination The grammatical connection of two or more ideas to give them equal emphasis and importance. Contrast with subordination. Count Noun A noun that refers to an object or idea that can form a plural or occur in a noun phrase with an indefinite article or with numerals. Contrast with a mass noun (or noncount noun). Declarative Sentence A sentence in the form of a statement (in contrast to a command, a question, or an exclamation). Definite Article In English, the definite article the is a determiner that refers to particular nouns. Compare to indefinite article. Demonstrative A determiner that points to a particular noun or to the noun it replaces. The demonstratives are this, that, these, and those. A demonstrative pronoun distinguishes its antecedent from similar things. When the word precedes a noun, it is sometimes called a demonstrative adjective. Dependent Clause A group of words that has both a subject and a verb but (unlike an independent clause) cannot stand alone as a sentence. Also known as a subordinate clause. Determiner A word or a group of words that introduces a noun. Determiners include articles, demonstratives, and possessive pronouns. Direct Object A noun or pronoun in a sentence that receives the action of a transitive verb. Compare to an indirect object. Ellipsis The omission of one or more words, which must be supplied by the listener or reader. Adjective: elliptical or elliptic. Plural, ellipses. Exclamatory Sentence A sentence that expresses strong feelings by making an exclamation. (Compare with sentences that make a statement, express a command, or ask a question.) Future Tense A verb form indicating the action that has not yet begun. The simple future is usually formed by adding the  auxiliary  will  or  shall  to the  base form of a verb. Gender A grammatical classification which in English applies primarily to the third-person singular  personal pronouns:  he, she, him, her, his, hers. Gerund A  verbal  that ends in  -ing  and functions as a noun. Grammar The set of rules and examples dealing with the  syntax  and word structures of a language. Head The keyword that determines the nature of a  phrase. For example, in a  noun phrase, the head is a noun or pronoun. Idiom A set expression of two or more words that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words. Imperative Mood The form of the verb that makes direct commands and requests. Imperative Sentence A sentence that gives advice or instructions or that expresses a request or command. (Compare with sentences that make a  statement, ask a  question, or express an  exclamation.) Indefinite Article The  determiner  an  or  an, which marks an unspecified  count noun.  A  is used before a word that starts with a  consonant  sound (a bat, a unicorn).  An  is used before a word that starts with a  vowel  sound (an uncle, an hour). Independent Clause A group of words made up of a  subject  and a  predicate. An independent clause (unlike a  dependent clause) can stand alone as a  sentence. Also known as the  main clause. Indicative Mood The  mood  of the verb used in ordinary statements: stating a fact, expressing an opinion, asking a question. Indirect Object A noun or pronoun that indicates to whom or for whom the action of a verb in a sentence is performed. Indirect Question A sentence that reports a  question  and ends with a  period  rather than a  question mark. Infinitive A  verbal--usually preceded by the  particle  to--that can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. Inflection A process of word formation in which items are added to the  base  form of a word to express grammatical meanings. -ing  Form A contemporary linguistic term for the  present participle  and  gerund: any verb form that ends in  -ing. Intensifier A word that emphasizes another word or phrase. Intensifying adjectives modify nouns; intensifying adverbs commonly modify verbs,  gradable  adjectives, and other adverbs. Interjection The part of speech that usually expresses emotion and is capable of standing alone. Interrogative Sentence A sentence that asks a question. (Compare with sentences that make a  statement, deliver a  command, or express an  exclamation.) Interrupting Phrase A word group (a statement, question, or exclamation) that interrupts the flow of a sentence and is usually set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses. Intransitive Verb A verb that does not take a  direct object. Contrast with a transitive verb. Irregular Verb A verb that does not follow the usual rules for verb forms. Verbs in English are irregular if they do not have a conventional  -ed  form. Linking Verb A verb, such as a form of  be  or  seem, that joins the subject of a sentence to a  complement. Also known as a  copula. Mass Noun A noun (such as  advice, bread, knowledge) that names things which cannot be counted. A mass noun (also known as a  non-count noun) is used only in the singular. Contrast with  count noun. Modal A verb that combines with another verb to indicate  mood  or  tense. Modifier A word, phrase, or clause that functions as an adjective or adverb to limit or qualify the meaning of another word or word group (called the  head). Mood The quality of a verb that conveys the writers attitude toward a subject. In English, the  indicative mood  is used to make factual statements or pose questions, the  imperative mood  to express a request or command, and the (rarely used)  subjunctive mood  to show a wish, doubt, or anything else contrary to fact. Negation A grammatical construction that contradicts (or negates) part or all of a sentences meaning. Such constructions commonly include the  negative particle  not  or the contracted negative  nt. Noun The part of speech (or word class) that is used to name or identify a person, place, thing, quality, or action. Most nouns have both a singular and plural form, can be preceded by an article and/or one or more adjectives, and can serve as the  head  of a  noun phrase. Number The grammatical contrast between singular and plural forms of nouns, pronouns, determiners, and verbs. Object A noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives or is affected by the action of a verb in a sentence. Objective Case The case or function of a pronoun when it is the direct or indirect object of a verb or verbal, the object of a preposition, the subject of an infinitive, or an appositive to an object. The objective (or  accusative)  forms of English pronouns are  me, us, you, him, her, it, them, whom, and  whomever. Participle A verb form that functions as an adjective.  Present participles  end in  -ing;  past participles  of  regular verbs  end in  -ed. Particle A word that does not change its form through  inflection  and does not easily fit into the established system of parts of speech. Parts of Speech The traditional term for the categories into which words are classified according to their functions in sentences. Passive Voice A verb form in which the subject receives the verbs action. Contrast with  active voice. Past Tense A verb tense (the second  principal part  of a verb) indicating the action that occurred in the past and which does not extend into the present. Perfect Aspect A verb construction that describes events occurring in the past but linked to a later time, usually the present. Person The relationship between a subject and its verb, showing whether the subject is speaking about itself (first person--I  or  we); being spoken to (second person--you); or being spoken about (third person--he, she, it,  or  they). Personal Pronoun A pronoun that refers to a particular person, group, or thing. Phrase Any small group of words within a sentence or a clause. Plural The form of a noun that typically denotes more than one person, thing, or instance. Possessive Case The inflected form of nouns and pronouns usually indicating ownership, measurement, or source. Also known as  genitive case. Predicate One of the two main parts of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb. Predicative Adjective An adjective that usually comes after a linking verb and not before a noun. Contrast with an attributive adjective. Prefix A letter or group of letters attached to the beginning of a word that partly indicates its meaning. Prepositional Phrase A group of words made up of a  preposition, its  object, and any of the objects  modifiers. Present Tense A verb tense that expresses action in the present time, indicates habitual actions or expresses general truths. Progressive Aspect A verb phrase made with a form of  be  plus  -ing  that indicates an action or condition continuing in the  present,  past, or  future. Pronoun A word (one of the traditional parts of speech) that takes the place of a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause. Proper Noun A noun belonging to the class of words used as names for unique individuals, events, or places. Quotation The reproduction of the words of a writer or speaker. In a  direct quotation, the words are reprinted exactly and placed in  quotation marks. In an  indirect quotation, the words are  paraphrased  and not put in quotation marks. Regular Verb A verb that forms its past tense and past participle by adding  -d  or  -ed  (or in some cases  -t) to the  base form. Contrast with an irregular verb. Relative Clause A  clause  introduced by a  relative pronoun  (​which, that, who, whom,  or  whose) or a  relative adverb  (where, when,  or  why). Sentence The largest independent unit of grammar: it begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. A sentence is traditionally (and inadequately) defined as a word or group of words that expresses a complete idea and that includes a subject and a verb. Singular The simplest form of a noun (the form that appears in a dictionary): a category of  number  denoting one person, thing, or instance. Subject The part of a sentence or clause that indicates what it is about. Subjective Case The case of a pronoun when it is the subject of a clause, a subject complement, or an appositive to a subject or a subject complement. The subjective (or  nominative) forms of English pronouns are  I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who  and  whoever. Subjunctive Mood The mood of a verb expressing wishes, stipulating demands, or making statements contrary to fact. Suffix A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word or stem, serving to form a new word or functioning as an inflectional ending. Superlative The form of an adjective that suggests the most or the least of something. Tense The time of a verbs action or state of being, such as past, present, and future. Transitive Verb A verb that takes a  direct object. Contrast with an intransitive verb. Verb The part of speech (or word class) that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being. Verbal A verb form that functions in a sentence as a noun or a modifier rather than as a verb. Word A sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing, that symbolizes and communicates a meaning and may consist of a single  morpheme  or a combination of morphemes. Word Class A set of words that display the same formal properties, especially their  inflections  and distribution. Similar to (but not synonymous with) the more traditional term  part of speech.

Analysis Of Hair Spray The Choreographer And Director

Dance can show us a variation of things whether it is a story plot or retelling history events. Dance becomes an art when done with passion and enthusiasm. The audience can connect and respond with the dancer if done properly. When we use dancing in a story line musical we are attempting to give the audience a deeper understanding. As every story every musical has a â€Å"moral to the story† or main idea. In the movie â€Å"hair spray† the choreographer and director do a great job explaining not only the history of dance but also a main historic fact. With the classic musical- style story the director is able to introduce a part of history in a fun exciting way through dance and music. The story tells us many different things as well as shows us how dance can bring people from different ethnicities and color together. We can deeply connect with the story if we can understand and experience with story line. The story begins with a girl by the name of â€Å"Tracy† who is crazy about singing and dancing the, â€Å"new groove†. She is different then the rest in many ways but pursues her dream as a dancer without allowing anything to stop her. She shows her enthusiasm for dancing and singing from the beginning of the movie to the end. The story shows us a part of the 60s when segregation was in place. Whites and people of color where not often seen together. They wer e unable to live in the same neighborhoods or share the same friends, stores, and buses. At this time in history dance was veryShow MoreRelatedHUL Lakme Project Report7068 Words   |  29 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRODUCTION 2. CRITICAL REVIEW OF LITERATURE 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY 3.2 HYPOTHESIS 3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN 4. SAMPLE DESIGN 4. INDUSTRY PROFILE 5. DATA,FINDING ANALYSIS 6. RECOMMENDATION CONCLUSION 7. BILIOGRAPHY 8. REFRENCES Executive summary About the project Within a short span of the last five-six years, the use of cosmetics by Indian consumers has

Regulating Food Advertising and Freedom of Speech Free Essays

Essay 2, Summary and Response Regulating Food Advertising and Freedom of Speech Perspectives on Advertising and Children Summary— As the author of article â€Å"Regulating Food Advertising to Children,† Margo G. Wootan proposes, â€Å"Responsible food marketing to children must address not only how food is marketed but also which foods are marketed to kids (334). † She believes that even in the absence of government control there should be some guideline for food marketing to act responsibly and not encourage children to eat foods that are harmful to their health and well-being. We will write a custom essay sample on Regulating Food Advertising and Freedom of Speech or any similar topic only for you Order Now Because of the increasing rate of childhood obesity in the United States, the author suggests a compromise approach between marketing techniques and nutritional criteria to be met for children up to the age of eighteen (333). Food marketing is extremely influential in children’s food choices since it attracts their attention with the appeal of contests, prizes, cartoon characters, and their celebrity icons. Although parents are a huge accountability for the food their children eat, Wootan believes it’s rather difficult for parents to compete with what marketing advertises as healthy as opposed to what parents consider is healthy for their children (333). The author suggests marketing being consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans with the reduction of calories, sodium, refined sugars, and saturated and trans fats in order to support not overeating with reasonable portion sizes directly and indirectly. Also, to stop and prevent unhealthy eating habits, food marketing should redesign products to improve their nutritional quality, including adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains presented in homes as well as school environments (335). As Wootan states, â€Å"The marketing of products that may not be nutritionally ideal but provide some positive nutritional benefit and that could help children meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans† is the ultimate compromise that benefits both food marketing and the health of today’s children (334). In â€Å"Advertising and Freedom of Speech: Beware of the Food Nanny,† author Robert Liodice justifies the importance of free speech by saying, â€Å"Trampling on the First Amendment, whether through government controls or unsupported self-regulatory edicts, should not even be on anyone’s radar screen as a way to solve problems. † Liodice believes CSPI overlooks a wide variety of factors beyond marketing that influence childhood food consumption (336). He thinks the guidelines on nutrition and marketing are so restrictive that it’s supported by flawed data and omit the significant, positive improvements food and marketing industries are taking. For example, the marketing industry established the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), which screens material that may be misleading and receives comments and concerns from the public for the past thirty years (336). The author states CSPI mentioned a claim that marketing targeted at kids has doubled in the last ten years, but neglects to explain food ads seen by children under the age of twelve declined by 13% in the last four years. Liodice insinuates CSPI’s narrow focus solely on food marketing misguides the public when other factors come into play because â€Å"there is no simple or quick answer to this multifaceted challenge,† as the Surgeon General concluded (337). Response— Based on both arguments on food marketing aimed towards children and freedom of speech, I understand where each author is coming from and I agree with both to some extent. Wootan’s article makes a valid point that there are many factors that affect food choices, but food choices are mainly influential by persuasive and attractive food marketing. Companies have extensive expertise and efficient skills to lure children into wanting a line of products that may not be as nutritional but is portrayed as desirable. I also agree that some of Wootan’s claims are invalid due to the lack of details and evidence compared to Liodice’s more specified examples and statistics on food marketing and their effectiveness. Because food marketing is Wootan’s only topic of debate, she disregards the other many factors that affect food choices by not elaborating upon them. For example, American consumers have full knowledge of the importance of personal and parental responsibility, public education, dietary balance and moderation, and of course, physical activity; yet Wootan only focuses on the negatives of food marketing when all these factors are just as imperative in addressing the issues of childhood nutrition and obesity. In my opinion, Robert Liodice is correct in advocating free speech to be the basis of choice and personal responsibility. Everyone has a right their own opinion, however, I don’t see the problem with the help of government control for some guidance with the public in order to educate them of a healthier lifestyle. With a set of guidelines, it will help set a standard for people to follow. Marketing and advertising cannot persuade everyone to eat healthier because they can only do so much to expose people of the advantages and benefits of a nutritional diet—that is if people even pay attention to food advertisement. Healthy eating habits will all boil down to the individual deciding whether or not to put nutritional food in their mouth. Works Cited Wootan, Margo G. â€Å"Regulating Food Advertising to Children. † Think: Critical Thinking andLogic Skills for Everyday Life. 2nd ed. Ed. Judith A. Boss. New York: McGraw-Hill,2012. 333-335. Print. Liodice, Robert. â€Å"Advertising and Freedom of Speech: Beware of the Food Nanny. † Think:Critical Thinking and Logic Skills for Everyday Life. 2nd ed. Ed. Judith A. Boss. NewYork: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 335-337. Print. How to cite Regulating Food Advertising and Freedom of Speech, Essay examples

Solar System Planets Essay Example For Students

Solar System Planets Essay The earth is only one small planet in an extremely large system of planets,satellites, asteroids, meteors and comets that revolve around the sun. Thissystem is referred to as the solar system. A planet is defined as a celestialbody that revolves around a central star and does not shine by its own light (Grolier,1992). The only planetary system known to our civilization isour solar system. It is made up of nine planets that differ greatly size andphysical characteristics. The nine major planets in our solar system areMercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Thereare also many other minor planets which are also in our solar system, but theyare unimportant compared to the nine major planets. Following are descriptionsof the differences that each of the nine planets have. The first planet to bediscussed is Mercury. Mercury is the planet that is closest to the sun at anaverage distance of about 58 million km, or about 36 million miles. It takes58.7 days for Mercury to rotate. The planet rotates one and one half timesduring each revolution. Mercury has a density and composition close to that ofEarth and, like Earth has a magnetic field. This magnetic field is produced fromthe planets outer core, which is said to be liquid iron. This liquid irongenerates a magnetic field with its movement. The atmosphere is extremely thinand contains sodium and potassium. The photographs that have been taken ofMercurys surface show the planet having craters and steep cliffs. Thetemperatures on Mercury reach amazingly high levels of about 430? C, which isabout 810? F on the side facing the sun and about -180? C, or about 290? F onthe side facing away from the sun. It is speculated that these hightemperatures, resulting from the planets proximity to the sun made itimpossible for the gases present to become part of the planetary formation orfor Mercury to have any type of atmosphere. Venus is the second closest planetto the sun and is said to most closely resemble Earth in size, density, anddistance from the sun. Venus is known as the sister planet to the Earth. Onedifferences is that Venus is shrouded in thick clouds that completely hide thesurface of the planet. The surface temperature is also much warmer than that ofEarth. Venus completes one revolution around the sun in 224.7 days. This makesthe a day on Venus equal to 117 earth days. It is thought that this slowrotation may be the reason why Venus has no magnetic field. The atmosphere ofVenus made up of 98% carbon dioxide and 2% Nitrogen. This atmosphere also hasthe presence of helium, neon, and argon. The surface of Venus is quite a bitlike that of the Earth. Cloud particles on Venus are mostly concentratedsulfuric acid. Water and water vapor are very uncommon on Venus. Many scientistshold the opinion that Venus, being close to the sun, was subjected to a kind ofextreme greenhouse effect. This effect caused any oceans to evaporate into theatmosphere. Another viewpoint that is h eld is that Venus had very little waterto begin with. The surface has volcanoes and smooth plains. Much of the volcanicactivity on Venus takes the form of Basaltic eruptions that inundate largeareas, much as the mare volcanism flooded the impacted basins on the near sideof the moon. Because of the distances of the orbits of Venus and Earth from thesun, Venus can never be seen for than three hours before sunrise or three hoursafter sunset. When Venus is viewed through a telescope, it shows phases like themoon. Venus rotates very slowly on its axis, in a direction that is opposite tothat of Earth. Cloud particles on Venus are mostly concentrated sulfuric acid. Water and water vapor are very uncommon on Venus. Many scientists hold theopinion that Venus, being close to the sun, was subjected to a kind of extremegreenhouse effect. This effect caused any oceans to evaporate into theatmosphere. Another viewpoint that is held is that Venus had very little waterto begin with. Higher-level winds circle the entire planet at 360 km/hr., or 225mph. However, even with these high velocity winds, near the planets surfacemore than half of Venuss tremendously dense atmosphere is practically still. From the surface up to 10 km, or 6 mi. altitude, wind speeds are only about 3 to18 km/hr, or about 2 to 11 mph. In the upper atmosphere, the night side of Venusis extremely cold. Day-side temperatures are 40? C, or 104? F but night-sidetemperatures are -170? C, or 274? F. Scientists theorize that strong windsblow from the day side toward the near vacuum that is caused by the lowtemperatures on the night-side. Venus has huge active volcanoes, largesolidified lava flows, and a vast number of meteorite craters. The compositionof Venuss dense atmosphere apparently prevents smaller meteorites from crashinginto the surface of the planet. A great deal of tectonic activity has takenplace on Venus, at least in the past. Venus is the second closest planet to thesun and is said to . . . most closely resemble Earth in size, density,and distance from the sun . Venus is often referred to by scientists asthe sister planet to the Earth. It is called this because it closely resemblesthe Earths mass, density and diameter. The only thing different is that Venus is shrouded in thick clouds that completely hide the surface of theplanet (Grolier, 1992). The surface temperature is also much warmer thanthat of Earth. Venus completes one revolution around the sun in 224.7 days. Thismakes the Venusian day equal to 117 earth days. It is thought that this slowrotation may be the reason why Venus has no magnetic field. Mars is the fourthfurthest away from the sun and is recognized by its reddish color. Mars is alsovery much like the Earth. More than any other planet in the solar system,Mars has characteristics that make it an Earth-like world (Grolier, 1992). Analysis of Sexual Harassment EssayOne of Saturns rings is dense enough to block sunlight. The atmosphere ofSaturn is predominantly made up of a clear hydrogen-helium atmosphere. Methane,phosphine, ethane, and acetylene are also identifiable in smaller amounts. Saturn orbits the sun with a period of 29.4577 tropical years. It is 1.427billion Km away from the sun and is therefore an extremely cold planet. However,the gravitational situation of Saturn causes it to emit three times as much heatas it receives from the sun. Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun, and islocated between Saturn and Neptune. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by the Britishastronomer Sir William Herschel and was originally named Georgium Sidus, or theStar of George, in honor of King George III of Great Britain. The name Uranus,proposed by German astronomer Johann Elert Bode, was in use by the late 19thcentury. Uranus has a diameter of 51,120 km, and its average distance from thesun is 2.87 billion km. It has a mass greater than Earths. Uranus orbits thesun once every 84 years and rotates on its axis in 17 hours 15 minutes. Itsatmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, with a trace of methane. Through atelescope it appears as a blue-green disk with a faint green rim. Ni ne ringsorbit Uranus, which also has 15 satellites revolving around its equator. Thelargest moons are named Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Ariel, and Miranda. Eventhough there have been estimates made, the main problem scientists have withUranus is that this planet does not have visible surface features, which meansthat it is difficult to measure the rotation period of Uranus because they arenot sure which part of the planet they are viewing. Uranus has an equatorialdiameter of 51,000 Km which is almost four times as much as Earth. Theatmosphere is mostly methane gas and therefore the planet has a red tint or ablueish green color. Uranus also has rings but unlike Saturn these rings havealmost no small particles. Scientists are not as concerned with this planet, andhave not determined that there are any significant scientific findings to bemade on its surface. Neptune is the last of the gaseous planets in our solarsystem. Neptune is the fourth largest planet in the solar system, and eight h inits distance from the sun. Its atmosphere is much like Uranuss because itcontains predominantly helium and hydrogen. It also contains methane which givesit its blue color. Neptune has a diameter of 49,500 Km and a mass 17 timesgreater than that of the Earth. Neptune is about 4.5 billion km from the sun. Itis about 49,400 km in diameter, almost 4 times as wide as Earth. Neptunesdeep atmosphere surrounds a liquid surface and a solid core. Neptune rotates onits axis every 16 hours and orbits the sun in 164.79 Earth years. Because of thelack of light on the planet It cannot be seen with the naked eye, but ratherrequires the usage of a telescope. Neptune has five thin rings and eight knownsatellites. The largest is of the satellites is Triton, with a diameter of 2705km, which is only slightly smaller than Earths moon. Triton has a nitrogenatmosphere, with some methane, and an active planetary surface with geysers. Thesatellite Nereid has a diameter of about 320km. Neptune also has ri ngs like itsother gaseous partners, but they are very faint. Not a great deal is known aboutNeptune. It is widely studied by scientists and that makes it an importantplanet. Pluto, the last planet to be discussed, is the smallest of the planetsand the farthest from the son. This planet, like Neptune, is not extremelyvisibly, and cannot be studied extensively. Pluto is made of much rockiermaterial than are the other planets of the outer solar system. Many astronomersthink Pluto may be a former satellite of Neptune, which was possibly knockedinto a separate orbit during the early days of the solar system. is very hard tosee therefore not a lot is known about its physical characteristics. Scientistsdo know that it has a thin methane atmosphere. Little is known about this planetbecause it is so far away from the Earth and the sun. Scientists are alwayslearning new things and more data will arise in the future. As one can see theplanets of most importance are the ones closest to the sun and Earth. Little isknown about the far off planets therefore it is hard to give them fullrecognition. Much is known about Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter andSaturn. The other three planets are not as well known as these six are. Whethermore planetary systems exist doesnt really matter. There are still plenty ofthings we dont understand about our own solar system. Scientists will havetheir work cut out for them in the future. Each and every planet has distinctdifferences and that helps show us how truly great God is. The planets willnever fully be understood and will always be a great topic of discussion. BibliographyCattermole, P. (1995). Earth and Other Planets. New York: Oxford UniversityPress. Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc. (1992).