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Parts of Speech Review
|Noun |Pronoun |
|A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. |A word that is used instead of a noun. |
| | |
|Examples: Sam, horse, Paris, boy, happiness |Examples: |
| |he, my, yourself, |
| |it, this, what |
|Verb |Adjective |
|A word or group of words expressing an action or a state of being |A word that describes a person or thing |
| | |
|Examples: |Examples: |
|go, jump, be, think, seem |pretty |
| |easy |
| |fat |
| |good |
|Adverb |Preposition |
|A word that describes or gives more information about a verb, an |A word before a noun or a pronoun showing its location or relationship|
|adjective, another adverb, or even the entire sentence |to another word in the sentence. |
| | |
|Examples: |Examples: on, in, to, from, of |
|quickly, tomorrow, outside | |
|Conjunction |Interjection |
| |A sound, word or phrase used to express the speaker’s emotion |
|A word that joins words, | |
|phrases or clauses |Examples: |
| |Wow, hmm, well, yeah, OMG |
|Examples: | |
|and, or, but, either, while, because | |
Nouns: Proper and Common
Traditional definition: A noun is a word used
to name a person, place, thing, or idea.
There are two types of nouns: proper nouns and common nouns.
Proper nouns are the names of specific persons or places or things. Proper nouns are usually easy to recognize because they are typically capitalized.
Specific persons: Charlie Brown, Principal Farnsworth, Bob
Specific places: Chicago, the Atlantic Ocean, Mexico
Specific things: The New York Times, the Sony Corporation, Apple Computers
Common nouns do not refer to specific individuals. Instead, they refer to categories. They usually don’t need to be capitalized.
Persons: student, ballet dancer, father
Places: city, sidewalk, country, planet
Things: book, computer, dragon
Ideas: justice, friendship, love
Identifying Common Nouns
You will eventually have to identify all the parts of speech in a sentence. You’ve got to start somewhere, so let’s start with nouns. It’s easier to identify proper nouns because they are usually capitalized, but it can sometimes be hard to identify common nouns. One way to identify them is to perform a test: the “the” test.
The “the” Test
If a word can be used with the word “the”, then that word is a common noun.
Directions: Underline the common nouns. Confirm your answers by inserting “the” in front of every common noun. Lowercase any letters you need to by making a slash through them. The first one is done as an example.
The the
0. Departure of friends is always sad.
1. I was attracted to fabric by texture.
2. Problems were uncovered after inspection.
3. Waiter brought us phone.
4. Moon was just rising over hills.
5. We all admired drawing she got on trip.
The “plural” Test
If a word can be made plural, then that word is a common noun.
Directions: Underline the singular common nouns. Confirm your answer by making them plural. Make whatever changes are needed to make the sentence sound right. You will often need to change the verb to agree with the new plural subject. The first one is done as an example.
0. The battle was fought fiercely. The battles were fought fiercely.________________________________________
1. The experiment with the mouse was going well. __________________________________________________________________
2. The governor held a press conference. __________________________________________________________________
3. My dream was very disturbing. __________________________________________________________________
4. The fly was buzzing around in the window. ___________________________________________________________________
5. The speech put the audience to sleep. ____________________________________________________________________
Identifying Nouns in a Sentence
Directions: Underline all the nouns in the following sentences. Label all proper and common nouns. If you struggle with any of the common nouns, confirm your answers by one of the tests for common nouns. The first one is done as an example.
0. Chicago is known as the windy city.
P proper common
1. A good plumber can fix any sink ever made.
2. A pound of hamburger will not feed Bob.
3. The army advanced rapidly on Moscow.
4. The class grimly wrote yet another essay.
5. A student showed a drawing he had purchased in Venice.
Pronouns
Traditional definition: A pronoun is a word used in place of one or more than one noun.
Personal: I, we, me, us, mine, ours, you, yours, he, she, it, they, him, her, them, his, hers, its, theirs. Personal pronouns refer, obviously, to people.
Reflexive: myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, themselves. Reflexive pronouns refer to whoever is being talked about. Reflexive pronouns always end in -self or -selves.
Indefinite: all, any, another, both, each, either, few, many, more, most, much, neither, none, one, other, several, some, such, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, something… Indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified persons, things, or groups.
Demonstrative: this, that, these, those. Demonstrative pronouns refer to particular person(s) or thing(s).
Directions: Underline all the pronouns in the following sentences. Circle any pronouns that are used as adjectives. Identify the type of pronoun below each one. Use P for personal pronouns, R for reflexive pronouns, I for indefinite pronouns, and D for demonstrative pronouns. The first one is done as an example.
0. I would rather do it myself.
P P P R
1. He asked about that.
2. One for all and all for one.
3. Are you sure about your answers?
4. Her choice of words surprised us.
5. I wouldn’t go to that movie if it were the last one on earth.
6. Can we get you anything at the store?
7. Someone took all of the clean cups.
8. I wanted to buy that.
9. I would like these to go, please.
10. Much of that cheese is perfectly good.
Danger!!! Some words look like pronouns but are actually adjectives! If a word is describing a noun, it is an adjective. Underline all pronouns. Label the pronouns that are used as adjectives as ADJ. Label the regular pronouns PRO. The first one is done as an example.
0. Many people don’t have any.
P ADJ PRO
1. I would like to buy this one.
2. Some people do not know how lucky they are.
3. I don’t get any respect.
4. All calls are routed to the secretary.
5. These questions were harder than those.
Adjectives
Traditional definition: An adjective modifies (or describes) a noun or pronoun.
The “pair” Test
If a word can be paired up, on its own, with the following noun, then that word is a modifying adjective.
Example: I ordered the special deep-dish, Chicago-style pizza.
We can pair up each adjective with the noun that follows.
the pizza
special pizza
deep-dish pizza
Chicago-style pizza
Words that fail this test are not adjectives. Usually, they are adverbs that describe adjectives.
Example: I like very spicy pizza.
Let’s pair up the words in question with the noun that follows.
spicy pizza
very pizza
Directions: Underline the adjectives. Confirm your answer by applying the “pair” test. The first one is done as an example.
0. The first movie was about these tiny, armed soldiers.
1. My first class is in an old theater.
2. Tall prickly weeds were choking out the vegetable garden.
3. A horrid new crime wave was sweeping the entire kingdom.
4. Several discount department stores had specials on the upright freezer.
5. An old sunburned man was leaning against the weathered fence.
6. The wine store specialized in very expensive French wines.
7. We had a nice evening with some old friends.
8. The desperate company finally called in an outside consultant.
9. An ominous dark shadow passed by the open window.
10. Aware of his weak backhand, John relied on his excellent first serve.
Directions: In the following sentences, underline all nouns and pronouns twice and their modifying adjectives once. The first one is done as an example.
0. My dentist has some expensive new equipment.
1. His first book was about rural development in upstate New York.
2. His topic interested only the few specialists.
3. Eighteenth-century Latin grammar is the source of modern grammar.
4. The unexpected rainstorm completely ruined my new shoes.
5. A successful swindler often has polite manners.
6. My cousin actually won a valuable prize in a publisher’s sweepstakes.
7. I’ll have the roast chicken and a tossed salad.
8. Our new car gets poor mileage.
9. I only made one mistake, but it was a bad one.
10. A dozen people were packed into the old blue van.
Verbs: Linking and Action
Traditional definition: A verb is a word used to express action or otherwise helps make a statement.
There are two main types of verbs: action verbs and linking verbs.
Action verbs show what activity the subject was doing. These are words you could act out.
Fred found his folder.
Rudolph wrote a riddle.
Sally wrinkled her skirt.
Linking verbs do not show any action. Their job in the sentence is to help describe the subject.
Sam is silly.
Bob was depressed.
Emily and Kevin are siblings.
The most common linking verb is the verb “be”.
|Present |
| |Singular |Plural |
|1st Person |I am |we are |
|2nd Person |you are |you are |
|3rd Person |he/she/it is |they are |
|Past |
| |Singular |Plural |
|1st Person |I was |we were |
|2nd Person |you were |you were |
|3rd Person |he/she/it was |they were |
|FUTURE |
| |Singular |Plural |
|1st Person |I will be |we will be |
|2nd Person |you will be |you will be |
|3rd Person |he/she/it will be |they will be |
Directions: In the second space, put the required form of the verb “be”. Then, select a proper pronoun for the first space. The first one is done as an example. Use the chart above.
0. _____He____ ____was_____ stuck up in the tree again.
3rd-Sg-Past
1. ___________ ___________ in very bad shape.
3rd-Pl-Past
2. ___________ ___________ not your sweet angel!
1st-Sg-Pres
3. ___________ ___________ a menace to the general public.
2nd-Sg-Future
4. ___________ ___________ such good friends.
3rd-Pl-Past
5. ___________ ___________ an only child.
1st-Sg-Pres
6. ___________ ___________ mistaken about that.
3rd-Pl-Pres
7. ___________ ___________ such a big pain in the neck.
2nd-Pl-Past
8. ___________ ___________ able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
3rd-Sg-Past
9. ___________ ___________ sixteen next month.
2nd-Sg-Future
10. ___________ ___________ ready to go now.
2nd-Pl-Pres
Subject Complements
Linking verbs have subject complements. There are two types of subject complements: predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives.
Predicate Adjectives
Predicate adjectives are descriptive adjectives used after linking verbs. Many adjectives originally came from verbs and similarly end in -ing or -ed or -en verb endings. There is a test to tell the difference between predicate adjectives and verbs.
The “very” Test
If the word in question makes sense with the word “very”, that word is a predicate adjective.
← The students were sleeping.
The students were very sleeping? No. You’re either sleeping or you’re not. You can’t be “very” sleeping.
← The students were interesting.
The students were very interesting? Yes, that makes sense. That word is a predicate adjective.
Directions: Determine whether the underlined words are predicate adjectives or verbs by using the “very” test. The first one is done as an example.
0. The students were pleased with their test results. _____predicate adjective_____
1. The children were amusing. _____________________________
2. The children were dreaming. _____________________________
3. The axle was turning. _____________________________
4. The play was challenging. _____________________________
5. Our car was stolen. _____________________________
6. The incident was reported to the police. _____________________________
7. The police were involved in the case. _____________________________
8. The lawyer’s motion was rejected. _____________________________
9. The report was taken. _____________________________
10. Unfortunately, the case was thrown out of court. _____________________________
Predicate Nominatives
Linking verbs can also be followed by predicate nominatives. Predicate nominatives rename the subject. Think of the linking verb as an equal sign. Here are some examples with the predicate nominatives underlined:
Their child became an actor. child = actor
Frankenstein resembles a zombie. Frankenstein = zombie
Sally was a seamstress. Sally = seamstress
Derrik was a detective. Derrik = detective
Patricia looked the part. Patricia = part
Our first choice was you. choice = you
Identifying Linking Verbs and Predicate Nominatives or Predicate Adjectives
Directions: Underline the linking verb once and the predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives twice. Label the predicate nominative as Pred Nom and the predicate adjective as Pred Adj. The first one is done as an example.
0. Thanks to his English teacher, Jeremy became a better person.
P Pred Nom
1. Throughout the ordeal, Holmes remained calm.
2. The driver was drunk.
3. Hearing the news, the general grew furious.
4. Aunt Sally got angry at her car.
5. Her car is a Ford.
6. That cat goes crazy during thunderstorms.
7. I am mad at myself for saying that.
8. The dinner was a complete mess.
9. After the blow-out, the tire resembled a pancake.
10. His sense of humor is strange.
0. Adverbs
Traditional definition: An adverb is a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
Adverbs That Modify Verbs
Adverbs that modify verbs answer adverb questions: when, where, how, how often, etc. They are also moveable within the sentence.
The “adverb question” Test
If a word answers an adverb question (where, when, how, how often), then the word must be an adverb that modifies a verb.
Directions: Underline the adverbs that modify verbs in the following sentences. Confirm your answer by writing the adverb question that the adverb answers. The first one is done as an example.
0. Watson hastily copied Holmes’s secret message. ________How?___________
1. The vet had examined the horse recently. _______________________
2. The ants were crawling everywhere. _______________________
3. He quickly unzipped the tent flap. _______________________
4. She answers all the questions correctly. _______________________
5. We rarely watch TV. _______________________
Adverbs That Modify Adjectives
Adjectives can only modify nouns; adjectives cannot modify other adjectives. Only adverbs can do that. Here are some examples of adverbs (bold) modifying adjectives (underlined):
a completely false idea
a very accurate guess
some rather unusual performances
some quite dangerous weapons
the terribly hot afternoon
some unusually good results
The “pair” Test
If a word in a noun phrase cannot be paired up with the noun, then that word is an adverb modifying an adjective.
Directions: Underline the adverbs that modify adjectives. Circle the adjectives that the adverbs are modifying. Put a box around the noun that the adjectives are modifying. The first one is done as an example.
0. Holmes offered Watson a crushingly logical explanation.
1. Their proposal brought a very swift response.
2. A day in the country was an extremely good plan.
3. They bought a rather beautiful old print.
4. Their first rafting trip has been a really terrifying experience.
5. The administration proposed a surprisingly bold diplomatic plan.
Adverbs That Modify Other Adverbs
One of the most common situations is when an adverb is modifying another adverb. These types of adverbs usually answer the question “How?”
Example: They always answer their mail very promptly.
Directions: Underline the adverbs in the following sentences. Put ADV under any adverb that modifies another adverb. The first one is done as an example.
0. We saw the movie rather recently.
P ADV
1. We will be done pretty soon.
2. We played surprisingly well.
3. She talks so softly.
4. The changes have occurred somewhat irregularly.
5. Bob fought rather fiercely.
Directions: Underline all the adverbs in each sentence. The first one is done as an example.
0. Tuesday, I went there early.
1. The savagely stinging bugs nearly ruined our camping trip.
2. Unusually talkative strangers naturally arouse our suspicions.
3. They nearly always come to see us afterwards.
4. Recently, we sent you our newly published report.
5. Nearly every reporter had filed a totally misleading story.
6. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
7. She smiled very sweetly.
8. Invariably, Uncle Andrew makes a truly embarrassing speech.
9. The disgustingly dirty water eventually evaporated.
10. The unusually dry summer threatened many crops here.
Prepositions
Traditional definition: A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to some other word in the sentence.
( These nine prepositions do 92% of the work of prepositions:
at by for from in of on with to
← Here is a list of the most common prepositions.
|aboard |beyond |out |
|about |but |over |
|above |by |past |
|across |concerning |since |
|after |down |through |
|against |during |throughout |
|along |except |till |
|among |for |to |
|around |from |toward |
|as |in |under |
|at |inside |underneath |
|before |into |until |
|behind |like |up |
|below |near |upon |
|beneath |of |with |
|beside |off |within |
|between |on |without |
← Prepositions occur only in larger structures called prepositional phrases.
← A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus a noun or a pronoun (and maybe an adjective or two).
Here are some examples of prepositional phrases with the preposition in bold and the noun/pronoun underlined.
in the morning
after class
by Shakespeare
with great difficulty
to them
← Prepositional phrases fall into two categories: adjective phrases or adverb phrases.
Adjective Phrases
Adjective phrases modify nouns and pronouns.
Please take the cup on the table.
noun
Adverb Phrases
Adverb phrases modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.
We will see each other in the morning.
verb
He is always lucky at cards.
adjective
We went to a movie later in the evening.
adverb
Directions: Underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Draw an arrow to the word the phrase modifies. Identify what type of phrase it is by writing ADJ under the adjective phrases and ADV under the adverb phrases.
0. The answers in the book always seem so easy.
Answer: The answers in the book always seem so easy.
P ADJ
1. I liked your paper about the Civil War.
2. They crossed the road during the night.
3. We watered the plants with great care.
4. The building behind ours has become vacant.
5. I searched the Web for an answer.
6. The meeting on Tuesday has been cancelled.
7. I couldn’t understand his attitude toward her.
8. We might have some rain during the game.
9. I returned the car early in the morning.
10. Washing dishes is hard on your hands.
Conjunctions: Coordinating (and Correlative)
Traditional definition: A conjunction joins words or groups of words.
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions join words and groups of words of equal status. There are seven coordinating conjunctions.
F for
A and
N nor
B but
O or
Y yet
S so
These conjunctions join complete sentences together:
Austin liked Jessica, but Jessica liked Bob.
They also join single words or groups of words together.
Directions: Circle the conjunctions and underline the words, groups of words, or sentences that the conjunctions are joining.
1. Austin and Jessica had a talk.
2. Jessica told him how she felt and who she liked.
3. “I love you though, Jessica!” Austin said and cried profusely.
4. “I can’t help it, for Bob is something special,” Jessica said simply and unapologetically.
5. “You’d better love me, or I’m going to spread nasty rumors about you,” Austin snarled.
6. Jessica sighed. She loved Bob, yet she didn’t want Austin to ruin her reputation.
Correlative Conjunctions
There is a subcategory of coordinating conjunctions called correlative conjunctions. Correlative conjunctions are two-part conjunctions. Here are some examples of the most common correlative conjunctions used to join words (and groups of words):
Ms. Dorsey likes both Skittles and gummi bears.
Ms. Dorsey likes either Skittles or gummi bears.
Ms. Dorsey likes neither Skittles nor gummi bears.
Ms. Dorsey likes not only Skittles but also gummi bears.
Either…or and not only…but also can be used to join sentences:
Either I pay my rent, or I will have to find a new place.
Not only was the movie stupid, but also it ran for three hours.
Directions: Circle the coordinating (or correlative) conjunctions and underline the words, groups of words, or whole sentences that the conjunctions join. The first one is done as an example.
Circle “and.”
0. Ann’s mother both planned the wedding and made up the guest list.
1. We were tired, so we went home early.
2. This is either very good cheese or very bad meat.
3. I’m sure that he is OK, but I can’t help worrying.
4. We got into the car and drove to the airport.
5. Did you want juice, milk, or water?
6. It was getting late, so I decided to quit.
7. Thanks to careful planning and more than our share of good luck, we were successful.
8. John neither takes naps nor watches daytime TV.
9. Either you give me my money back, or I will take you to court.
10. Unfortunately, I am neither rich nor famous.
Subordinating Conjunctions
A subordinating conjunction is a word or group of words that connects two clauses that are not equality important. A subordinating conjunction connects a dependent clause to an independent clause in order to complete the meaning of the dependent clause. Remember them using the phase “A WHITE BUS.”
A after, although, as, as if, as long as
W when, while, where, whenever, wherever
H how
I if
T than, though
E even though
B because, before
U unless, until
S since, so that
If the subordinating conjunction comes first in the sentence, use a comma after the clause it begins. If the subordinating conjection is in the middle of the sentence, you don’t need a comma between the clauses.
Directions: For each of the following sentences, underline the subordinating conjunctions and add a comma if needed.
,
Examples: v
0. Because Maria practices every day she is a great snowboarder.
00. Maria is a great snowboarder because she practices every day.
1. Because snowboarding is easy to learn it is very popular.
2. You should get the right equipment if you are interested in snowboarding.
3. After testing lots of boards Karlowe decided to get a freestyle board.
4. The freestyle board makes tricks easier to do since it is the shortest and widest of boards.
5. When first learning to snowboard you have to decide to lead with your left foot or go goofy and lead with your right.
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