Turkish Grammar and Spelling Rules: A Topic Map and Socratic Study Guide

Most grammar topics are really continuations of one another. Without knowing the part of speech, it is harder to find the element of a sentence; without seeing the elements of a sentence, it is harder to notice an expression error; without knowing the spelling rules, it is harder to make the right punctuation decision. That is why, instead of memorizing grammar piece by piece, studying it by seeing this connection between topics gives results that are both faster and more lasting.

A list of Turkish grammar topics: the topic map of Turkish grammar

Although a list of Turkish grammar topics may look scattered at first glance, it can actually be gathered under a few connected main headings. Most of the topics you meet in the middle-school and high-school curriculum fit somewhere under the seven headings below. Almost all of these headings come up regularly among the Turkish topics on the LGS (Turkey's high-school entrance exam); so seeing the topic map as a whole also helps you plan how much time to give each topic.

• Word structure: The distinction between root, affix, derivational suffix, and inflectional suffix.
• Parts of speech: Noun, adjective, pronoun, adverb, verb, postposition, conjunction, interjection.
• Verbs and verbals: Verb conjugation, the linking verb, verbal nouns, verbal adjectives (participles), and verbal adverbs (gerunds).
• Sentence elements: Predicate, subject, object, oblique complement, and adverbial complement.
• Sentence types: Classification by the type, position, and meaning of the predicate.
• Expression errors: Sentences that are flawed in meaning or in structure.
• Spelling and punctuation: Capitalization, joined vs. separate writing, and punctuation marks.

What are the parts of speech?

The answer to the question of what the parts of speech are is the eight main categories to which every word in Turkish belongs. These eight types split into two large groups: noun-class words (those that stand for a being, a quality, or a relationship) and verb-class words (those that stand for an action or a state of being). Correctly identifying a word's part of speech is the first step to understanding that word's function within the sentence.

• Noun: Stands for beings and concepts masa (table), sevgi (love), İstanbul.
• Adjective: Describes or specifies nouns güzel ev (a beautiful house), beş kitap (five books).
• Pronoun: Takes the place of nouns ben (I), bu (this), kendisi (himself/herself), hangisi (which one).
• Adverb: Modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb hızlı koştu (ran fast), çok güzel (very beautiful).
• Verb: States an action, a becoming, or a state gitmek (to go), büyümek (to grow), sevinmek (to rejoice).
• Postposition: Words that have no meaning on their own but establish a relationship between words gibi (like), için (for), kadar (as much as).
• Conjunction: Joins words or sentences to one another ve (and), ama (but), çünkü (because), oysa (whereas).
• Interjection: Directly expresses emotion, address, or reaction ah, aman (oh dear), hey.

Turkish verbs explained: conjugation, the linking verb, and verbals

Verbs are one of the broadest headings in the Turkish curriculum, because many suffixes mood, person, negation, and voice can be added onto a single verb. Verbs are conjugated in two large mood groups: the indicative (declarative) moods directly state that an action is done (the definite past, the reported past, the present continuous, the future, and the aorist); the subjunctive (volitional) moods show that an action expresses a wish, a condition, a necessity, or a command. The easiest way to tell these two groups apart is to look at whether the sentence describes a fact or expresses a wish or a possibility.

What is the linking verb (ek fiil)?

The answer to what the linking verb (ek fiil) is: it is really the verb "i-" (imek, "to be") conjugated with person and mood suffixes. The linking verb's most important function is to turn a noun-class word into a predicate in a sentence: "öğrenci" (student) is a noun, but when you say "öğrenciyim" (I am a student), it becomes a predicate thanks to the linking verb. The linking verb also combines with verb conjugations to form compound conjugations such as the narrative ("geliyordu," he was coming), the reportive ("gelmişmiş," he had reportedly come), and the conditional ("gelirse," if he comes); that is why recognizing the linking verb is the key to unpacking both noun-based sentences and compound verb conjugations.

What are the types of verbals?

The answer to what the types of verbals are falls under three main headings. Although verbals derive from a verb root, they cannot be a full predicate because they take no mood or person suffix; instead, they are used in a sentence in the role of a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.

• Verbal noun (infinitive): Formed by adding "-mA, -mAk, -Iş" to a verb and used in the role of a noun in a sentence gitme, gitmek, gidiş (going, to go, the act of going).
• Verbal adjective (participle): Formed by adding suffixes such as "-An, -AsI, -mAz, -Ar/-Ir, -mIş, -(y)AcAk" to a verb and used in the role of an adjective in a sentence gelen öğrenci (the student who comes), gelecek hafta (next week, the week that will come).
• Verbal adverb (gerund): Formed by adding suffixes such as "-Ip, -IncA, -ken, -ArAk, -mAdAn, -DIkçA" to a verb and used in the role of an adverb in a sentence, linking two actions together koşarak geldi (he came running), gelince haber ver (let me know when you arrive).

Sentence elements explained

Studying sentence elements means determining the function of the words or word groups in a sentence. Every sentence necessarily has a predicate; the other elements are found by asking questions of the predicate. That is why you should always begin finding a sentence's elements by identifying the predicate.

• Predicate: The core of the sentence; it can be a verb or a noun-class word that has taken a linking verb.
• Subject: Found by asking the predicate "who?" or "what?"; it is the one who does the action or experiences the state.
• Object: Found by asking the predicate "what?" or "whom?" (definite) or "what?" (indefinite).
• Oblique complement: Found by asking the predicate "to whom, to where, where, from where?"; it indicates place or direction.
• Adverbial complement: Found by asking the predicate "how, when, how much, why?"; it indicates the manner of the action.

What are the types of expression errors?

The question of what the types of expression errors are points to one of the topics where the most wrong answers are given on exams, because even a sentence that sounds right can be flawed in meaning or in structure. Expression errors fall into two large groups: errors of meaning (the message the sentence carries is flawed) and errors of structure and grammar (the sentence's construction is flawed).

• Redundant word use: Using together two words that mean the same thing like "ilk önce" (first before) or "aynı zamanda hem de" (at the same time and also).
• Contradictory expression: One part of the sentence contradicting another like "tahminen kesin olarak biliyorum" (I know for certain, approximately).
• Subject-predicate disagreement: The predicate not agreeing with the number or person of the subject.
• Missing or wrong suffix: Compound-noun, voice, or case suffixes used incompletely or incorrectly.
• Wrong use of conjunctions: Leaving out one half of a paired conjunction such as "hem... hem" (both... and) or "ya... ya" (either... or).
• Logic and ordering error: Constructing the cause-and-effect or time sequence incorrectly in the sentence.

Spelling rules explained: the most commonly confused points

Spelling rules, when explained, really amount to applying a few basic logics to different examples. A student who grasps this logic can find the correct spelling on their own by asking the same questions of every new word they meet; instead of memorizing the rules one by one, understanding the logic behind the rule is a far more lasting solution.

Where capital letters are used

• Sentence beginnings: The first letter of every sentence is capitalized.
• Proper nouns: Names of people, places, nations, and languages begin with a capital letter Ayşe, Ankara, Türk (Turk), Türkçe (Turkish).
• Titles: Titles used together with a proper noun begin with a capital letter Mehmet Bey, Öğretmen Ayşe Hanım (Teacher Ayşe).
• Names of institutions and organizations: The words in the names of official institutions, organizations, and boards begin with a capital letter.
• Titles of works: In the titles of works such as books, magazines, and newspapers, the first letter of each meaningful word is capitalized.

Joined or separate? The most commonly confused points of spelling

In joined and separate writing, the most confusion arises with suffixes and words that look identical but serve different functions. The way to tell them apart is to look at their function in the sentence.

• The conjunction "de": It adds the meaning "too, even" to the sentence and is always written separately "o da geldi" (he came too).
• The locative suffix "-de": It indicates location and is written joined to the word "evde" (at home), "okulda" (at school).
• The conjunction "ki": It is usually written separately "biliyorum ki başaracak" (I know that he will succeed); in a few fixed words it is exceptionally joined.
• The relative suffix "-ki": It is written joined to the word and indicates belonging "masadaki kitap" (the book on the table), "benimki" (mine).
• Numbers: Within a text, small and round numbers are usually written out in words, while large numbers or those expressing measurements are mostly written in figures.

Where are punctuation marks used?

The question of where punctuation marks are used should really be considered together with the question "what do I want to convey to the reader in this sentence?"; because each punctuation mark adds a different layer of meaning to the sentence.

• Period (.): Placed at the end of completed sentences, after abbreviations, and after numbers indicating order.
• Comma (,): Used to separate listed words or clauses, parenthetical remarks, and forms of address.
• Semicolon (;): Used to separate sequential clauses that do not share a subject or a predicate.
• Colon (:): Used before giving an explanation, an example, or a quotation.
• Ellipsis (...): Placed at the end of sentences that are unfinished or deliberately left incomplete.
• Question mark (?): Placed at the end of sentences that ask a question.
• Exclamation mark (!): Placed at the end of sentences expressing a strong emotion such as joy, sorrow, or surprise, or expressing a call.
• Quotation marks: Used when reporting a statement exactly as it was said or when giving special emphasis.
• Parentheses: Used to add an extra explanation without breaking the main flow of the sentence.

A spelling rule is not a fact to be memorized but a tool used to clarify the meaning of a sentence; when you ask the right question, most of the time you already know the rule.

Askarf Pedagogy Team

How does Turkish grammar show up on the LGS and other exams?

Among the Turkish topics on the LGS (Turkey's high-school entrance exam), grammar questions make up a share too large to be underestimated, and these questions usually test not a single rule but a combination of several topics. For example, one question may ask about a word's part of speech and its function in the sentence at the same time; another may test both a spelling rule and a punctuation mark in the same sentence. That is why, instead of learning grammar topics in isolation from one another, studying them by seeing the connection between them directly affects exam performance. If a student knows the parts of speech well but has never studied the elements of a sentence, they will come up short on a mixed question; so it is useful to build the study order around this connection as well first parts of speech, then verbs and the linking verb, then the elements of a sentence, and finally spelling and punctuation.

This logic of combination means that knowing a single topic well may not be enough on the exam. A question may ask you at the same time to recognize the verbal adjective in the phrase "gelen öğrenci" (the student who comes) and to see which element of the sentence this phrase forms. That is why, when studying grammar, reviewing topics through connected sentences rather than isolated examples makes you far better prepared for the mixed question type on the exam.

How should you study grammar? The Socratic approach and common mistakes

In grammar, the most lasting learning happens not by memorizing the rule but by testing the rule in your own sentence. After learning a rule, building your own example sentence, then deliberately breaking that sentence and noticing what is wrong, turns the rule from passive knowledge into an active skill.

• Memorizing the rule but being unable to apply it to an example: Knowing the name of a rule is not the same as recognizing that rule in a new sentence.
• Confusing a word's part of speech with its function in the sentence: The same word can be used in different parts of speech depending on the sentence; "güzel" (beautiful, beauty) can be both an adjective and a noun.
• Not noticing the linking verb: Struggling to find the predicate in noun-based sentences usually stems from overlooking the linking verb.
• Generalizing a spelling rule from a single example: Trying to apply a rule learned on one word to another suffix that serves a different function.

• Instead of "This sentence is wrong" → "In this sentence, which word's function is not what you expected?"
• Instead of "Memorize the rule" → "Could you explain this rule with an example of your own?"
• Instead of "There should be a comma here" → "If we read this sentence aloud, where do you think you need to pause?"

What does a Socratic grammar session look like? A sample application

It can help to see how abstract rules work with a concrete example. Below is a short session with a student who was struggling to find the elements of a sentence. The sentence is: "Öğretmen, sınıftaki herkese yeni konuyu sabırla anlattı." (The teacher patiently explained the new topic to everyone in the class.)

1. 1Parent: "Is there an action in this sentence, and if so, which word stands for it?"
2. 2Student: "Anlattı (explained)."
3. 3Parent: "Good, so we've found the predicate. Now, who did the explaining?"
4. 4Student: "Öğretmen (the teacher)."
5. 5Parent: "That's the subject, then. Now if we ask 'to whom did she explain it,' what's the answer?"
6. 6Student: "To everyone that is, to everyone in the class."
7. 7Parent: "That's the oblique complement. And if we ask 'how did she explain it'?"
8. 8Student: "Patiently! That tells us how she explained it, so it must be the adverbial complement, I think."

Here the student did not memorize a single definition; by asking the predicate the right questions in order, they uncovered all the elements of the sentence on their own. The likelihood that on the next sentence they will apply the same order of questions first the action, then the subject, then the other questions on their own is far higher than it would have been had they merely memorized the definitions of the elements; because this time what has formed in their mind is not a definition but a repeatable order of questions.

Askarf's tutor character, Arf, also works this way when studying grammar: rather than handing over the rule directly, it asks the student to build their own sentence. When a student struggles to find the linking verb, Arf first asks, "is this sentence describing an action, or a state?"; if the student is still stuck, Arf points to the noun-class word in the sentence, but leaves it to the student to say where the linking verb is.

Turkish grammar is not a list of disconnected rules but, in fact, a holistic system that explains the different layers of a single language. A student who recognizes the part of speech finds the element of a sentence more easily; a student who sees the element of a sentence notices an expression error more easily; a student who notices an expression error makes the right spelling and punctuation decision more easily. For a student who sees this connection and tests the rules with their own sentences, grammar stops being a burden to be memorized and becomes a natural tool for using the language better.