The Eight Parts of Speech

1. What is a noun?

A noun is any word which names a person, place, thing, idea, animal, quality, or activity. Examples:

person - Jennifer place - downtown thing - table idea - equality

animal - gopher quality - height activity - navigation

Types of Nouns:

Proper nouns are the names of specific things, people, or places, such as Chicoutimi and Christine. They usually begin with a capital letter.

Common nouns are general names such as person, mansion, and book. They can be either concrete or abstract.

Concrete nouns refer to things which you can sense such as clock and telephone.

Abstract nouns refer to ideas or qualities such as liberty and truth.

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2. What is a pronoun?

A pronoun is a word which takes the place of a noun or stands in for an unknown noun. The noun which the pronoun replaces is called its antecedent.

Examples: Mary wondered whether she should go to the party.

"Mary" is the antecedent of the pronoun "she".

The test was difficult for Dave, who had not studied.

"Dave" is the antecedent of the pronoun "who".

Rule for Pronouns and Antecedents:

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent. Therefore, if the antecedent is plural, use a plural pronoun; if the antecedent is feminine, use a feminine pronoun, and so on. Example:

Incorrect: When the officer stopped my car, they got out their gun.

Correct: When the officer stopped my car, she got out her gun. When the officer stopped my car, he got out his gun.

Personal Pronouns

Subject Object Possessive

Singular Iyou

he, she, it

meyou

him, her, it

my, mineyour yours

his, her, hers, itsPlural we

youthey

us youthem

our, oursyour, yourstheir, theirs

Interrogative Pronouns

Introduce a question

Interrogative UseWho, whom Refers to peopleWhat Refers to thingsWhich Refers to people or thingsWhose Indicates ownership or relationship

Demonstrative Pronouns

Points out a person , place, thing or idea – used alone in a sentence

Singular PluralThis That

TheseThose

Indefinite Pronouns

Does not refer to a specific person, place, thing, or idea – often no antecedent or the indefinite pronoun could be the antecedent for another pronoun

Singular Plural Either

another anybodyanyone anythingeach eithereverybody everyoneeverything neithernobody nothingno one somebodysomeone something

bothfew

manyseveral

allanymostnonesome

Things to remember when using pronouns

1. Never use too many Example: That happened when he and she went there for it. HUH?

2. Make sure the pronouns matches its antecedent in quantityExamples: Everyone found THEIR friend at the party. – IncorrectEveryone found his or her friends at the party – Correct

3. To avoid confusion, a pronoun usually refers to the noun it is closest to in the sentenceExample: Mr. Greenholt took George’s book to his office. Who’s office? Mr. Greenholt or George’s?

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************3. What is a verb?

The verb is a part of speech, a word or compound of words, that performs one of three kinds of tasks: it expresses action; it expresses a state of being; or it expresses the relationship between two things. In its most powerful and normal position, it follows a noun (the agent of the verb).

The forms and functions of verbs

The verb is also the most complicated part of speech in that its forms and functions are several; verbs in special forms take on the properties of other parts of speech: we call these forms verbals, and they can become nouns (subjects and/or objects), adjectives, and adverbs. They lose their function as pure verbs--but they still insinuate actions, states of being, and relationships, and they can enliven one's writing considerably.

Kinds of Verbs - The writer needs to understand four kinds of verbs: transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.

What are transitive verbs?

Transitive verbs take objects. That is, these verbs carry the action of a subject and apply it to an object. They tells us what the subject (agent) does to something else (object).

Examples: He bought a shirt. (agent) (did something) (object- answers the question "what?")

She brushes her hair every hour.

Marina will lose the race.

Note that the transitive verb can take any tense.

What are intransitive verbs?

Intransitive verbs do not take an object; they express actions that do not require the agent's doing something to something else.

Examples: Tom danced.

The intransitive verb "danced" is a complete action by itself and does not require a direct object to receive the action.

They ran down the road.

They ran, but they do not run "something" in this sentence. The sentence contains no object.

Jack fell on the rocks in the alley.

Tip: Some verbs can function as both transitive and intransitive verbs. Example: intransitive: She dances. transitive: She dances the rhumba.

What are Linking Verbs?

Linking verbs does not show action but it links (connects) the subject to a word in the predicate. They explain the connection between the subject and its complement or that which completes the subject's description.

The most common linking (helping) verb is "to be."

am is are was were be being been become

Some other linking verbs are:

appear feel remain sound

become grow seem stay continue look smell taste

Examples: Opera seems overly dramatic to the music novice.

"overly dramatic" describes the agent or subject "opera" but it does not express an action that "opera" performs.

He appeared jubilant at the news of the inheritance.

I am pathetically inept in such situations.

He is a doctor of bioethics.

Remember, however, if what follows the verb can provide an answer to the question "what," then the verb is not a linking verb.

Compare: He tastes the soup as he cooks it.

"tastes" is transitive: he tastes "what?"

The fruit tastes rotten.

"rotten" describes or complements the state of the fruit and therefore tastes links the agent (fruit) and its condition (rotten).

What are Helping Verbs?

Helping verbs help the main verb express action or make a statement; they help tell when the main verb is taking place

Common Helping Verbs

Be am, is , are, was, were, be being ,beenHave has, have, hadDo do, does, did

Others may, might, must , can, could , shall, will, would

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4. What are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words used to describe a noun or pronoun or to give a noun or pronoun a more specific meaning.

Adjectives answer the questions:

What Kind?

Red boat, sick passenger, silver jewelry, cool waterWhich One?

Third chance, this train, any piece, those applesHow Many?

Six cars, both answers, several reasons, few lettersHow Much?

Enough space, no rain, more energy, little effort

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5. What are Adverbs?

Adverbs are words that modifies (change slightly) a verb, an adjective, or another adverb

Adverbs answer the questions:

Where?

Fell below, went there, move aside, climbs downWhen?

Arrived today, should have spoken before, left early, begins thenIn what way?

Happily ran, danced awkwardly, will end abruptly, had been sung loudly

To what extent?

Partly understands, have not completed, wash completely hardly would have known

Common Adverbs

Again Already Also AlwaysCertainlyEarly EverywhereFarFast Frequently

Here LateLaterLikelyMaybeMuch NearNeatlyNeverNot

NowNowhereOften Only PossiblyQuiteRarelySeldomSometimesSoon

Still There TodayTomorrowToo UnlikelyUsuallyVery Well Yesterday

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6. What is a preposition?

A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun (the object of the preposition) with some other word or expression in the sentence.

Example:

The cow jumped over the moon.

The preposition "over" links its object, "the moon," to the verb "jump."

The river below the bridge is rising.

The object of the preposition, "the bridge," is linked to the noun "river" through the preposition "below."

Some common prepositions are: about below in over until above beneath inside past up across beside into since upon after between near through with against by of throughout within among down off till without around during on to at except onto toward before for out under behind from outside underneath

Prepositions can be more than one word. Some examples are: according to as well as in addition to across from because of with regard to

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7. What are conjunctions?

Conjunctions join sentence elements such as words, phrases, or clauses.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions join sentence parts of equal grammatical status. They are:

and for or yet but nor so

Nor, for, and so can only join independent clauses.

Example:

Do you want to study math or English? The coordinating conjunction "or" is linking two nouns.

Coordinating words that work in pairs are called correlative conjunctions. They join words, phrases, and clauses, as well as whole sentences. The most common correlative conjunctions are:

both ... and neither ... nor either ... or not only ... but also

Examples:

We can study either math or English. I not only lost his phone number, but also forgot where he lived.

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8. What are interjections?

Interjections are exclamatory words with no grammar relationship to the rest of the sentences and usually express an intense emotion or feeling.

Some examples are:

eh, okay, say, oh, no, ouch, yuck

Examples: It's great to be a Canadian, eh? Yuck! That tastes disgusting. Say, let's go hiking. Okay, maybe it's not so bad.

Most interjections use an exclamation point immediately following the word or words. Some interjections that are not as strong maybe followed by a comma instead of an exclamation point.

Examples: Oh, I forgot to eat breakfast. Alas, poor man, I knew him well.

Notes adapted from: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/grammar/course/speech.htm