BSEE 23: STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH
Word Categories
Parts of speech
- Every language consists on its basic
elements that are called words. As a
building is made by bricks; language is
made by words.
- First, we will know about a word. A word is a
speech sound or a combination of sound
having a particular meaning for an idea,
object or thought and has a spoken or
written form.
- There are nine parts of speech in the
English grammar: noun, pronoun, verb,
adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction,
interjection and determiners. Some writes
and websites count only eight parts of
speech and place determiner under the
category of adjectives
- However, advance studies count determiner
as a separate part of speech. These nine
parts of speech indicate how the words
function within the sentence. An individual
word may function as more than one part of
speech when used in various sentences
NOUN
- Everything is donated by a name and that
naming word is called a noun
Proper noun
- given name of a person, or a specific place
or thing. A proper noun always starts with a
CAPITAL letter. All days and months are
proper noun and start with capital letters
(e.g., Sunday, March, and December).
Name of all person, name of countries,
name of oceans is counted in category of
proper nouns (e.g., Aaron, Japan, Atlantic)
Common noun
- the word used for a class of person, place,
or thing (e.g., person, city, and dog).
Common nouns are not capitalized unless
used in start of a sentence. There are some
exceptions like in poetry where every word
of new line is capitalized. Something that is
personified in poetry is also capitalized e.g.,
"So Nature incites them in their hearts"
(Prologue- Geoffrey Chaucer)
Collective noun
- words that denote groups' collection or
multitude of something. These nouns are
used as singular e.g., team, army, concert
- It can be confusing whether to use plural or
singular verbs with collective nouns,
whether it points to the group working as
individuals or collectively in unison
- When a class unit is working in unison, a
singular verb should be appropriate to use
- When they act separately, it is a must to use
the plural verbs and pronouns
Concrete noun
- the things which we can see or touch
physically. This noun contrast with abstract
category of noun. For example: tree,
hammer, and pen. We can see them feel
them or touch them. Some time we name it
material noun
Abstract noun
- things you cannot see or touch. Abstract
nouns do not have physical existence.
These nouns are difficult to guess.
Sometime learners get confused with
abstract noun and adjectives. Abilities and
emotions are abstract noun e.g., bravery,
joy, determination etc.
Compound noun
- are nouns made up of more than one word.
For example: court-martial, pickpocket,
water bottle. Some compound nouns are
two words (e.g., peace pipe), some are
hyphenated (e.g., play-off), and some have
become single words (e.g., eye-opener)
Countable noun
- noun that can be counted in numbers like
one pen, two cars with both a singular and a
plural form. (E.g., dog/dogs, pie/pies).
Uncountable noun
- a noun without a plural form for example:
oxygen, patience. Such nouns do not
include counting. All abstract noun falls
under the uncountable category of nouns
Gender of noun 4. Direct address
Masculine – Name of a person or thing is directly addressed
– Example: Dr. Smith, the pain in my leg is
- Duke
unbearable
- Mister
- Uncle Objective
- Grandfather
1. Direct object (Accusative
Feminine
- a word or phrase denoting the receiver of
- Duchess the action of a verb. (What, whom)
- Mistress - Example: my brother loaned me five dollars
- Auntie
2. Indirect object (dative)
- Grandmother
- the noun, noun phrase and pronoun that
Neuter
the action of a verb is performed for or
- Table directed to. (To whom, for what)
- Umbrella - Example: My brother loaned me five dollars.
- Cap
3. Object of the preposition
- Chair
- the noun or pronoun governed by the
Common
preposition in a prepositional phrase.
- Person - Example: When we got to the beach, we
- Parent knew we had chosen the right destination.
- Child
Possessive
- Spouse
- nouns that show ownership or a direct
Case of noun
connection. Typically, singular possessive
- Refers to a manner of categorizing nouns, nouns use an apostrophe (‘) and the letter s
pronouns, adjectives, participles and at the end of the word to take the
numerals according to their traditionally possessive form.
corresponding grammatical functions within - For singular nouns, add apostrophe and “s”
a given phrase, clause, or sentence (‘s) for singular possessive. For plural
nouns, add only apostrophe (‘)
Nominative - For proper nouns ending in “s”, “z”, or “x”,
1. Subject of a verb add apostrophe
- . Of phrase is placed after a noun.
- the subject of a sentence - For compound possessive, both nouns are
- Example: people seek freedom possessive when the different entities
possess something separately. Only the last
noun is possessive when the different
2. Predicate nominative
entities share something, possessing it
- the noun that completes a linking and mean collectively.
the same as the subject.
PRONOUN
- Example: the anti-terrorism bill is already a
law - defined as a word that replaces a noun in a
sentence. It takes place of a noun.
3. Appositive
- Antecedent: a word which a pronoun stands
- a noun explains that another noun it follows or replaces. Ante = before
- Example: Father Randy, our family friend,
is a priest.

Personal pronoun
- Used as a simple substitute for proper
nouns. They serve as stunt doubles of
grammar which enable us to avoid too much
repetition of proper noun passages.
- Personal pronouns have cases, number and
person.
- Gender: The pronoun antecedent which
refers to the noun that the pronoun replaces
can be masculine, feminine, or neutral.
- Example: Casey went to people’s park. She
went to the park
- Case: refers to the functions of a pronoun in
a sentence; nominative, objective or
possessive. Since nouns can function as
both subject and object so can pronouns.
- Example: She is an actress. The director
called her. That house over there is ours.
- Number: The number of a pronoun
depends on its antecedent.
- Example: Richard and Raymond Gutierrez
are both actors. They are also siblings in
real life.
- Person: refers to the point of view, or
relationship of the speaker and the pronoun
antecedent.
- First person: refers to the person speaking.
- Second Person refers to the person who is
being spoken to.
- Third Person refers to what or who is being
spoken about.
Reflexive pronoun
- The doer of the action in a sentence is also
the receiving end of that action. It can be
direct object, indirect object or object of the
preposition
- Reflexive pronouns are mostly compound
personal pronouns
Intensive pronoun
- It precedes the noun which is often the noun
immediately before the pronoun. They used
for emphasis.
- Example: the actress herself received the
awards
- Since intensive pronouns are used only for
emphasis, they can be removed without
affecting the meaning of the sentence. This
is NOT true with reflexive pronouns
because it will cause change in meaning, if
you remove them in sentences
Demonstrative pronoun
- Demonstrative pronouns show, point, or
exhibit. These are this, that, these, those.
- Example: These are the items I bought after
spending 3 hours in the grocery.
Indefinite pronoun
- do not refer to any person or thing
specifically like few, some, all, none.
- Example: Only few committed to attend the
online meeting.
Interrogative pronoun
- Used to make questions. These are who,
whose, what, which.
- Example: Who is making that noise?
Distributive pronoun
- Denote persons or things of group or by
group. They can be neither, either, each,
etc.
Neither
- is a pronoun that implies a negative
meaning. Keep in mind that when 'neither' is
used as the subject pronoun of the
sentence, the verb that follows it must be
singular
Either
- used to refer to two options or alternatives,
indicating that one or the other is applicable
or desirable. It is used with singular verbs
only when it is used as the subject pronoun
of the sentence.
Each
- used to refer to two or more people or
things, indicating that an action or property
applies to them individually. It can be used
with either a singular or a plural verb based
on the pronoun or noun it refers to.
Reciprocal pronoun
- Pronouns which express mutual or
reciprocated relationship such as each other
and one another. When you want to refer
 two people, most likely you use “each Interrogative adjective
other”. When you refer to more than two
- Pose a question and need a noun or
people, you will likely use “one another.”
pronoun by their side. Some of these are
- Example: We gave each other a hug after
what, which, and whose.
winning the dance competition.
Indefinite adjective
Relative pronoun
- adjectives point to non-specific items. Some
- Pronouns which join to clauses and relate or
of these are any, few, many, no and
refer back to their antecedent. These are
several
who, which, that, what, as, but, etc.
- Ex: The man who claimed he can stop a Personal adjective
calamity was mocked by the people.
- These are the personal titles used by a
Possessive pronoun noun.
- The man who claimed he can stop a Forms of adjective
calamity was mocked by the people.
- Ex; Those books are hers. Gradable

ADJECTIVE - Positive
- Comparative
- words which modify noun or pronoun - Superlative
Descriptive adjective Non gradable
- describes the nature, quality or attribute of a - Absolute
noun. It is also known as “Adjective of - Absolute adjectives:
Quality.” - True
- Ex; The pitiful dog got trapped in a filthy - Complete
cage. - Flawless
Numeric adjective - Final
- Alive
- It shows approximate amount of noun - Dead
- Also known as adjective of quantity - Full
- Types:
1.Definite: tells exact number
a. cardinal- counting number
b. ordinal- shows order, ranking or
sequence.
2. indefinite- tells inexact number (many,
all)
3, distributive- part of a whole (both,
another)
Demonstrative adjective
- describes the number and location of noun
or pronoun.
- Ex; Would you like these shoes?
Possessive adjective
- tells ownership and is usually followed by a
noun. Some of these adjectives are his,
her, my, our, their and your.
- Ex; Is that their house?