PARTS OF SPEECH

Parts of Speech
Words are categorized into eight parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs,
conjunctions, interjections, and prepositions.

Unfortunately, words don’t always fall neatly into any single category. They can only be categorized when
they are used in a sentence. For instance, the word rain can be used as several different parts of speech:

Noun: The rain fell softly.

Verb: It rained all night.
Adjective: The rain gauge is half full.

Discuss
Think of sentences using the following words as different parts of speech:

1. dog (noun, verb, adjective)

2. house (noun, verb, adjective)
3. jet (noun, verb, adjective)
4. table (noun, verb, adjective)
5 golf (noun, verb, adjective)

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 PARTS OF SPEECH

Nouns
Nouns name a person, place, thing, activity, or idea.

Emily visited Chicago and toured the museums.

When nouns are as common as the ones in the sentence above, they're easy to spot. In the following
sentence, however, the nouns may be harder to pick out.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. ---Proverb

Nouns function in sentences in the following ways:

Subject: The boys are in bed early.
Direct object: we gave her a present.
Indirect object: Grandmother left Martha one million dollars.
Subject complement (or predicate nominate): Brenda is a waitress.
Object complement: They named the baby Joshua.
Object of the preposition: The cat fell out of the tree.
Nouns...
 can be preceded by an article (a, an, the): a bird, a thought, an evening, the perspective
 have singular and plural forms: bed/beds, wish/wishes, travel/travels
 can be made possessive: dad's shoes, moment's notice, today's news, girl's laughter
 can be made from verbs or adjectives by taking one of the following endings: -er (reader), -ness
(thoughtfulness), -ment (judgment), -ance (attendance), -ence (preference), -ity (possibility)

Different Types of Nouns

Common noun: A common noun names a general person, place, or thing: flower, state, pizza, piano.
Common nouns are not capitalized except when they begin a sentence

Proper noun: A proper noun is a specific person, place, or thing: China, Mr. Rogers, Grand Canyon. Proper
nouns are always capitalized.

Abstract noun: An abstract noun cannot be perceived by one of the senses: thought, love, pride,
happiness.

Concrete noun: A concrete noun can be perceived by one of the senses: wind, grass, smoke, whisper,
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Lance Armstrong. A concrete noun can be either a proper noun or a common noun.
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Collective noun: A collective noun names a group of people or things: herd, family, team. Because the
group often functions as a single unit, collective nouns usually take a singular verb. If the group is
functioning as more than one unit, a plural verb is used. In this case, it may be necessary to rearrange the
sentence to make it sound less awkward.

Tip
To test whether a word is used as a noun, read it with a, the, or my in front of it. Does it make sense? If it
does, the word is definitely being used as a noun.

It's Your Turn

Nouns

Practice
Directions: Underline the nouns in the following sentences.

The mind is a mansion, but most of the time we are content to live in the lobby. -Dr William Michaels

1. Only the educated are free. –Epictetus

2. Prejudice is the child of ignorance.
3. A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit. -Richard Bach
4. I think best with a pencil in my hand. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh
5. A good reputation is more valuable than money. – Publius
6. It takes a village to raise a child. -African proverb
7. When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. - Ethiopian proverb
8. The hardest tumble a man can take is to fall over his own bluff.
9. In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular. -Kathy Norris
10. It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive
to change. -Charles Darwin

Write Your Own

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, use the following prompts and create your own sentences.
Underline all the nouns in each sentence, and circle the nouns requested by the prompt.

common noun - Most people want peace

1. common noun
2. proper noun
3 concrete noun
4 abstract noun
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5 collective noun
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Pronouns
Pronouns take the place of nouns or other pronouns.

Just like nouns, pronouns can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, subject complements,
or objects of prepositions.

The neighbors are on vacation.

They are on vacation.

Pronouns can also function as adjectives, as in the following sentence:

Our house is old. (Our describes house.)

Characteristics
Pronouns have multiple characteristics. They can be referred to in the following ways:

Person
 First Person: I, we
 Second Person: you.
 Third Person: he, she, it, they.

Number
 Singular (one person or thing): I, he, she, it, me, him, her
 Plural (two or more people or things): we, they, us, them

Gender
 Feminine: she, her, hers
 Masculine: he, him, his
 Neuter: it, its, we, us

Case
 Subjective (used as subject): I, you, he, she, she, it, we, they, who, whoever
 Objective (used as object): me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, whomever
 Possessive (used as an adjective): my/mine, you/your, his, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs, its

Class
 Personal (always functions as noun equivalent): I, me, you, he, him, she, it, we, us, you, they,
them, its, our/ours, their/theirs.
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 PARTS OF SPEECH

 Relative (introduce subordinate adjective clauses; relative pronoun refers back to noun or
pronoun that the clause modifies): who, whom, whose, that, which
Example: The boy who left is ten.
 Indefinite (refers to nonspecific persons or things; usually singular, but may be plural): all,
another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each, either, everybody, nobody, none, no one,
nothing, one, many, neither, everyone, everything, few, several, some, somebody, someone,
something
 Interrogative (introduces questions): who, what, whose
 Demonstrative (may be noun or adjective) this, these, that, those
Example: This is easy.
This book is mine.

Special
 Reflexive (receiver and doer are the same): myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves,
yourselves, themselves
Example: I cut myself.
 Intensive (emphasizes a noun or pronoun): myself, yourself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves,
himself, herself, itself
Example: I myself prefer butter.
 Reciprocal (individual parts of a plural antecedent): each other, one another
Example: They love each other.

It's Your Turn

Pronouns

Practice
Directions: Write the following sentences on a separate sheet of paper. Underline the pronouns in each
sentence, then list the pronouns and their characteristics as shown in the example. If a characteristic as
shown doesn’t apply, write NA.

If the people don’t want to come out to the park, nobody's gonna' stop them. - Yogi Berra

Nobody them
person NA person third person
number singular number plural
gender NA gender NA
case subjective case objective
Class indefinite class personal

1. People want economy, and they will pay any price to get it -Lee Iacocca
2. Life is always walking up to us and saying, "Come on in, the living's fine," and what do we DO?
Back off and take its picture.
3. If a man happens to find himself, he has a mansion which he can inhabit with dignity all the days
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of his life. -James Michener

 PARTS OF SPEECH

4. All things are possible to him who believes- Brother Lawrence

5. You can’t have everything. Where would you put it? -Stephen Wright
6. Many receive advice, few profit from it. -Publius Syrus

Troublesome Pronouns
Most of the time. pronoun choice is easy. For instance, in the following pairs of sentences, the correct
choice is obvious:
1) Me will stay late
I will stay late.
2) Give the book to I.
Give the book to me.
3) I cut me.
I cut myself.

The following pairs of sentences, however, are more challenging. Put a check beside the correct sentence.
_____Ted and she are working.
_____Ted and her are working.

_____Pat sat between she and I.

_____Pat sat between she and me.

_____Tim told the story to Tom and myself.

_____Tim told the story to Tom and me.

_____This is she.
_____This is her.

_____When a student studies hard, they will be more likely to succeed.

_____When a student studies hard, he will be more likely to succeed.

_____The nurse taught we new mothers how to change diapers.

_____The nurse taught us new mothers how to change diapers.

_____He talked to whoever would listen.

_____He talked to whomever would listen.

Compound Subjects Containing Pronouns

The first and easiest way to test for correct pronoun usage when a pronoun is part of a compound subject
is to read the sentence with the pronoun only. For example, you might have trouble deciding what the
correct pronoun is in the following sentence:

Sandy and she/her will wash the dishes.

However, if you put your finger over Sandy and, you'll have no trouble choosing the correct pronoun.
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 PARTS OF SPEECH

Sandy and she/her will wash the dishes.

The obvious choice is she.

Remember, to test for the right pronoun choice, you may have to change the verb from plural to singular
form for the sentence to make sense.

Denise and I/me are going shopping,

No: Denise and me are (am) going shopping.
Yes: Denise and I are (am) going shopping.

Tip
When the subject is a noun and pronoun, the pronoun always comes second in the pair. If two or more
pronouns are paired, the first person pronoun (I, me, mine) always comes last. Why? Ask Miss Manners.

Pronouns Preceding Nouns

When a pronoun precedes a noun, cover the noun or noun phrase and read the sentence. The correct
pronoun should become evident.

When, we/us girls were young, we loved paper dolls.

No: When, us girls were young, we loved paper dolls.
Yes: When, we girls were young, we loved paper dolls.

Me/Myself
Use me in the objective case. Use myself for reflexive/intensive cases. To test, substitute me for
myself. If me makes sense, it's the correct choice.

1. I hurt me/myself.
No: I hurt me.
Yes: I hurt myself.

2. They asked Steve and me/myself to dinner.

No: They asked Steve and myself to dinner.
Yes: They asked Steve and me to dinner.

Subject Complements (Predicate Nominatives)

Pronouns that follow a verb actually rename the subject. Therefore, they take subjective case pronouns.
In recent years, most grammar books refer to these pronouns as subject complements.
However, the more accurate term is predicate nominatives because the subject is renamed in the
predicate.
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 PARTS OF SPEECH

To test for correct pronoun usage, use the form that makes sense in front of the verb. Remember, to test
you may need to change the verb form slightly or change questions to statements.

1) We discovered the vandals were they/ them.

Test: We discovered they/them were the vandals.
Correct: We discovered they were the vandals.

2) The winner was she/her.

Test: she/her was the winner.
Correct: She was the winner.

3) Is that they/them waiting in the van?

Test: They/them are waiting in the van.
Correct: They are waiting in the van.

Elliptical Constructions
A sentence with elliptical construction implies an unstated word or phrase but is still understandable. This
is most common in comparisons using than or as. To write this type of sentence correctly, use the pronoun
that would be correct if the word or phrase were not left out.

Examples: Tim is taller than I /me (am tall).

Jess is better soccer player than he/him (is).

Tip
Combining pronouns with than or as can dramatically affect the meaning of a sentence. Both of the
sentences below are grammatically correct but have very different meanings. When writing, make sure
you choose the pronoun that makes the sentence mean what you want it to mean.

Not Elliptical: Mike likes cherry pie more than her.

(Mike likes pie more than he likes her)

Elliptical: Mike likes cherry pie more than she.

(Mike likes cherry pie more than she likes it).

It's Your Turn

More Troublesome Pronouns

Practice
Directions: Underline the correct pronoun form in the following sentences.

He/him and I/me/ myself are planning our vacation.

He is planning our vacation

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I am planning our vacation

 PARTS OF SPEECH

Correct: He and I are planning our vacation.

1. The Bowmans and we/us like to camp.

2. Susan baked a cake for he/him and I/me/myself.
3. They /Them and I/me/myself go fishing on the weekends.
4. Vincent go to work before they/them and I/me/myself.
5. They/ Them and we/us both drive Toyotas.
6. The instructor made a new study group schedule for we/us students.
7. We/ us students preferred the old one.
8. Kate and I/me/myself will plan the banquet.
9. The winners are they/them.
10. My parents bought a computer for my sister and I/me/myself.

Pronoun Antecedents
Use a singular pronoun when the antecedent (the word it refers to) is singular. Use a plural pronoun
when the antecedent is plural. Most of the time this is so obvious that you won’t make a mistake.

Tim left his biology book in the lab.

In this sentence, you would never think to use her or their instead of his.

Choosing the correct pronoun becomes more difficult with indefinite pronouns, such as the ones listed
below:
any anybody anyone
each either everybody
everyone everything neither
none no one
Someone something
When indefinite pronouns are next to a verb, they're clearly singular case:
1) Somebody is here.
2 Everyone is ready.

However, when indefinite pronouns are separated by the verb, it's easier to be confused about whether
they should be singular or plural:
1) Somebody left his or her/their book on the table.
2) Everyone brought his or her/their favorite dish to the potluck dinner.
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It's Your Turn

Pronouns and Antecedents

Practice
Directions: Write the following sentences on a separate sheet of paper. In each sentence, underline the
pronoun and antecedent. Then rewrite each sentence to make the pronoun agree with its antecedent,
and underline the pronoun and its antecedent in each new sentence.

The committee made a unanimous decision: It said yes! (single unit)

-or-
The committee argued about their expectations (individuals)

1. No one expected to take their papers.

2. Everyone hoped to take their turn driving the new car.
3. Every employee must turn in their time card by Friday.
4. Nobody raised their hand.
6. Everyone whispered to their neighbor.
5. A traffic cop has their work cut out for them over Labor Day weekend.
7. A good parent nurtures their children's soul as well as body.
8. Neither of the two boys cleaned their rooms.
9 The audience whistled loudly and stomped their feet.
10. Everyone has to choose their own path in life.

Tip
When a collective noun is clearly a single unit, use the singular pronoun it as the antecedent. When the
noun implies individuals within the unit, use the pronoun their.

Who/ whom and whoever/whomever

In informal English, who and whoever are used freely and, for the most part, are perfectly acceptable. On
the other hand, most people avoid using whom and whomever because they don’t understand when to
use them. It really isn’t difficult at all to decide which one to use.

The easiest way to test for correct usage is to substitute another pronoun. For example, substitute he for
the subjective case who or whoever. Substitute him for the objective case pronouns whom or whomever.
(You may also have to rearrange the sentence slightly or change questions to statements)

1) Who left the house?

He left the house. (not, Him left the house)

2) Whom did you call?

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You called whom.

You called him. (not, you called he)
 PARTS OF SPEECH

3) I talked with Joe, who recommended the cheesecake.

I talked with Joe, he recommended the cheesecake. (not, Him recommended the cheesecake)

4) I talked with Joe, whom Sara had known from college.

I talked with Joe, Sara had known him from college. (not, had known he from college)

5) Whoever arrives first gets first choice.

He arrives first (he) gets first choice. (not, him arrives first)

6) Jan asked whomever she saw for a little help.

Jan asked him for a little help. (not, asked he for a little help)

In clauses, phrases such as I think, I know, and she says may look like subjects and predicates.
This could cause confusion when deciding which pronoun to use, For example-

It's easy to take advice from people who I know agree with me already. (not, whom I know)

Test: (Remember-to test, substitute he for who or whoever.) It's easy to take advice from people he I know
agree(s) with me already.

It's Your Turn

Who/ whom and whoever/whomever

Practice
Directions: Underline the correct form in the following sentences.

1. Is this the party to who/whom I am speaking? ~ -Lily Tomlin as “Ernestine”

2. Whoever/Whomever told you that pronouns were difficult to understand didn't know what he was
talking about.
3. To who/whom should I make out my check?
4. She donates money to whoever/whomever thinks is worthy.
5 I left the boys with Emily, who/whom has baby-sat for them since they were babies.
6. He gave whoever/whomever happened by a piece of his mind.
7 The town held a memorial service for Ed Woodroof, for who/whom the library was dedicated.
8. God helps those who/whom help themselves. -Proverb
9 For who/whom) do the bells toll?
10 She's being taken care of by someone who/whom I know well.

Tip
To test for correct usage, substitute he for who and whoever, or substitute him for whom and whomever.
Change questions to statements to help you determine which pronoun to use.
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 PARTS OF SPEECH

Verbs
Verbs express the action (walks, hopes) or state of being (is, becomes) of the subject.

Main Verbs, Helping Verbs, and Modals

The verb may consist of a single word, the main verb.

I walk home every night.

It may consist of several words, the main verb and the helping verb(s).
I should have been walking home every night.

English has 23 helping verbs. Fourteen of the helping verbs, such as am or be, can function as either
helping verb or main verbs. The other nine can only function as helping verbs. These are called modals.

Helping Verbs (can also function as main verbs)

Be am was have do
Being is were has does
Been are had did

Modals (can only function as helping verbs)

can could will might
may should shall must
would

It's Your Turn

Main Verbs, Helping Verbs, and Modals

Practice
Directions: Circle main verbs and underline helping verbs in the following sentences.

Amy will be flying to Milwaukee next week.

1. She has plans to watch the Brewers.

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2. She will be buying the ticket for the game through the mail.
3 The weather has been wetter than usual this spring.
 PARTS OF SPEECH

4. Most farmers would like some moisture for a better growing season.
5. Too much moisture, though, can ruin an otherwise good harvest.
6. Remember the floods of 1995?
7. Farmers all through the Midwest lost most of their crops.
8. Their fields were under several inches-or even several feet-of water.
9. It must have been discouraging to the landowners!
10. Given the challenges of farming, all of us should be grateful for the food on our tables!

Write Your Own

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write five of your own sentences. Be sure to include sentences
with helping verbs. Circle the main verbs and underline the helping verbs.

Linking Verbs
Linking verbs express a state of being, rather than an action. They include all forms of the following verbs:
look taste appear
seem get grow
smell feel make
sound become be (am, is, are, was, were)

Tip
To test for whether a verb is a linking verb or an action verb, substitute the appropriate form of the word
seem for the verb. If the sentence makes sense grammatically, the verb is a linking verb, and the word
that follows should be an adjective. If the sentence doesn't make sense, the verb is being used as an action
Verb.

The band sounds polished.

Test: The band seems polished. (This makes sense, so sounds is being used as a linking verb.)

The trolley sounds its bell on every trip.

Test: The trolley seems its bell on every trip. (This doesn’t make sense, so this time sounds is being used
as an action verb)

Sensory Verbs
Most of the time, the sensory verbs (e.g., look, taste, smell, sound, feel) act as linking verbs, but sometimes
they can also function as action verbs. When functioning as an action verb, the word following the verb is
an adverb or a noun that functions as an object of the verb. In most cases, this sounds more complicated
than it actually is. Study the following pairs of sentences:

Sensory: The dog looked happy. (Happy describes the dog. The happy dog would have the same meaning.)
Action: The dog looked happily at the fresh steak. (Happily describes how the dog looked at the steak.)
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Sensory: The cookies taste salty. (Salty describes the cookies.)

Action: Lou tasted salt on the cookies. (Salt is a noun. It does not describe Lou)
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It's Your Turn

Action Verbs and Linking Verbs

Practice
Directions: underline the main verbs in the following sentences. Identify whether they are action or linking
verbs. Circle the correct italicized adverb.

1. Tess looked beautiful/beautifully in her new silk suit.

2. She looked confident/ confidently at herself in the mirror before heading off to her job interview.
3. Tess careful/carefully felt the smooth fabric.
4. She felt nervous/nervously about the upcoming interview.
5. She had sounded so certain/certainly of herself when the woman first called.
6. As she stood waiting for the bus, the driver sounded the horn loud/loudly.
7. The air smelled fresh/freshly on the bus.
8. Tess felt happy/happily she wouldn’t smell smoky for her interview
9. The interviewer was real/really impressed with Tess.
10. Tess felt happy/happily about the successful interview.

Write Your Own

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write sentences using a form of the following words as linking
verbs. Circle the adjectives you've used as subject complements.
Is
feel
taste
become
look

Regular and irregular verbs

Verbs can be regular or irregular. Regular verbs are predictable in the way the tenses are conjugated. The
past tense is always formed by adding -ed to the base. The present participle tense is always formed by
adding -ing to the base.

Discuss
Any time a new verb is added to English, it will always be regular in form. Think verbs that have been
added to English in the last few decades. What are the present, past, and past participle forms? Make up
a new verb. How would you conjugate it?

Conjugating Verbs
Expanding verbs into their different forms is called conjugating. Regardless of whether a verb is regular or
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irregular, it has six tense forms: present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect.
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Number Singular Plural

Regular I talk We talk
He talks They talk
Irregular I am We are
He is They are
Person First person Third person
Regular I talk He talks

Irregular I do He does

Tense Present Past Future

Regular I talk I talked I will talk
He talks They talked They will talk
Irregular I do I did I will do
He does He did He will do
They do They did They will do
Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
Regular I have talked I had talked I will have talked
They have talked He had talked They will have talked
Irregular I have done I had done I will have done
He has done He had done He will have done
They have done They had done They will have done

Commonly Used Irregular Verbs

Certain verbs are irregular in the way they conjugate: Generally, the older the verb, the more irregular it
is. To be is among the oldest verbs in the English language, as evidenced by its many and unpredictable
forms. To have and to do are also among the oldest, based on their forms that also follow no pattern.

Confusing Irregular Verbs: Lie/Lay, Hang/Hung

Lie and Lay
Remembering all the irregular verb forms can be confusing. Even more confusing, though, are the irregular
verbs that share past or participle forms with other verbs. The most confusing of these are lie, lie, and lay,
which are often used incorrectly. To a lesser degree, hang ("to suspend') and hang ("to execute") are also
used incorrectly.

Perhaps the most logical reason why lie and lay are confused is because the meaning of each is not clear
to most people. Many people use lie and lay interchangeably. Second, the present tense of lay is spelled
and pronounced the same as the past tense form of lie (lay).

The first step in learning the correct verb form of he and lay is to know the meaning of each word:

Lie: to tell an untruth

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Lie: to recline
Lay: to put or set something down
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Finally, the perfect participle form of lie (lain) is rarely used. Instead, people often incorrectly substitute
the perfect participle form of lay (laid). If a person rarely hears or sees the correct forms, he or she will
rarely use them correctly. Notice, too, that lie ("to tell an untruth") is a regular verb, lie (to recline") is
irregular, and lay ("to put" or "to set down) is irregular because of its spelling.

Verb Lie (to tell an untruth) Lie (to recline) Lay (to put or set down)

Present tense Lie Lie Lay

Past tense Lied Lay Laid

Perfect participle tense Lied Lain Laid

Examples: (lie) Every day I lie down for a nap.

Yesterday, I lay down for a nap.
Often, I have lain down for a nap.

(lay) Every day I lay my keys on the table.

Yesterday, I laid my keys on the table.
Often, I have laid my keys on the table.
Tip
Substitute forms of sit for forms of lie. If the sentence still makes sense, you've used it correctly. Likewise,
substitute set for forms of lay.

They let the apples lie there for days.

They let the apples sit there for days.

Lay the papers on the desk.

Set the papers on the desk.

Hang and Hung

Hang (to suspend) and hang (to execute) are less troublesome than lie and lay. This may be because they
only share the present tense form. It also may be because we don’t have many opportunities to conjugate
the hang that means to execute. Notice that hang (to suspend) is an irregular verb and hang (to execute)
is a regular verb.
Verb Hang (to suspend) Hang (to execute)

Present tense Hang Hang

Past tense Hung Hanged

Perfect participle tense Have hung Have hanged

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 PARTS OF SPEECH

Examples: Every day I hang a picture.

Yesterday, I hung a picture.
Often, I have hung a picture.

Every day they hang someone.

Yesterday, they hanged someone.
Often, they have hanged someone.

It's Your Turn

Irregular Verbs

Practice
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write the following sentences with the correct verb form.

1. We would have ___________(swim) until midnight.

2. he has ___________ (sting) by a bee.
3. I have ___________ (prove) my point over and over.
4. How many ounces has the baby ___________ (drink)?
5. She ___________ (dive) off the highest board.
6. I had ___________ (lay) the rake down.
7 Dad shouldn’t have ___________ (lend) her the money.
8. He has ___________ (lie) in the hammock all day.
Q He has ___________ (know) her for five years.
10. How many checks have you ___________ (write)?

Write Your Own

Directions: Read the following carefully and answer.
1. Most people who have trouble with irregular verbs tend to turn them into regular verbs.
1. Go through the list of common irregular verbs. Mark the ones that you sometimes use incorrectly. Look
at the verbs you marked. Which ones have the most irregular forms?
Write five sentences using your most troublesome verbs.
2. Write five of your own sentences using the present, past, and perfect participle tenses of hang and
hung.
3. Write five of your own sentences using the present, past, and perfect participle tenses of lie and lay.

Base and Infinitive Verb Forms

The base form of a verb the firm it takes in present tense, first person:

Every day I talk and eat.

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The infinitive form of a verb is the base form preceded by to:

 PARTS OF SPEECH

The baby wants to talk. I want to eat.

The base and infinitive forms are the same except with the verb to be, which takes the first person, present
tense (am, is, are) as its base forms.

Split infinitives
Some grammar books insist that infinitives should never be separated, or "split." In other words, instead
of saying, "To boldly go where no one has gone before...,” saying should be, "To go boldly…” or "Boldly
go..." something seems lost in either translation. This peculiar rule comes from Latin, where it actually
makes sense. In Latin, the infinitive form of verbs are single words and, therefore, impossible to split. In
English, though, this can create some absurd sentences:

1) Understandable, but nonstandard sentence:

To better understand this, try it yourself.

2) Not understandable, but standard sentence:

Better to understand this, try it yourself.
To understand better this, try it yourself.

Tip
Whenever possible, avoid splitting the infinitive However, if the meaning is lost, go ahead and split the
infinitive. Please.

Verbals: Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives

In addition to the multitude of verb forms that allow us to create subtle distinctions, such as “He could
have been planning” and “He would have been planning,” English has the phenomenon of verbals, words
that look like verbs but are used in another way.
The three kinds of verbals are gerunds, participles, and infinitives.

 Gerund: the –ing (present participle) form of a verb is used as a noun. It is referred to as a gerund.
 Participle: The two participle forms are the present participle and the past participle. The present
participle always ends in -ing.

Regular verbs and some irregular past participles end with -ed. However, other past participles may
change spelling (swim, swum), change endings (show, shown), or-use an identical form (let, let). When
used with helping verbs, participles are verbs. When used without helping verbs, they are adjectives:

Verb: I was walking home when it started to rain.

I dated a track star.

Adjective: I have a good pair of walking shoes.

18

The report had dated material.

 PARTS OF SPEECH

 Infinitive: The infinitive form is the base form of a verb preceded by the word to. It can function
as a noun, adjective, or adverb:

Example: He wanted to walk. (Here, to walk is the object of wanted and functions as a noun.)

It's Your Turn

Verbals

Practice
Directions: underline the verbals in the following sentences. Identify whether the verbal is a gerund,
participle or infinitive by labelling it G, P, or I.

To be or not to be? That is the question – William Shakespeare

1 Writing a novel is easy; finding a publisher is the hard part.

2 Gold and love affairs are difficult to hide. -Spanish Proverb
3 Marriage is our last, best chance to grow up. – Joseph Barth
4 Pay attention to what they tell you to forget. -Murial Rukeyser
5 Writing is the hardest work in the world not involving heavy lifting. -Pete Hamill
6 Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win. -Jonathan Kozol
7 You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. -Booker T. Washington
8 Every prosecutor loves a smoking gun.
9 Panning for gold is a Colorado pastime.
10 The migrating elk covered the sloping field.

Write Your Own

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write five of your own sentences using verbals. Identify
whether the verbal is a gerund, participle, or infinitive by labeling it G, P, or I.

Sleeping verbs
Some verbs are difficult to spot because they are "sleeping," or don't seem to express action. In this case,
the simplest way to tell which is the main verb is to read or rewrite the sentence with every day, yesterday,
or tomorrow inserted at the beginning. The word or words that change for the sentence to make sense
are the main or helping verbs. Try this test with the following sentence: While waiting for the bus, Felicia
ate lunch.

Every day while waiting for the bus, Felicia eats lunch.
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 PARTS OF SPEECH

Sleeping verbs
Ate is the only word that changes, so it is the main verb.
To be to have
Am have
As a final test, insert the words that look like verbs into the sentences in the box
Are has
on the bottom right. If one of the sentences makes sense, the inserted word or
Is had
words is the main verb or verb phrase. For the sentences that do not make sense,
Was
the inserted word or words are probably either sleeping verbs or verbals, words
Were
that look like verbs but are used in another way.
Will be
For example, study the following sentence:

Learning standard grammar is not going to be hard to do.

Learning, is, going, be, and do could all be verbs. Use the sentences in the box below to decide which word
is the main verb and which words are verbals.

No: I learning to be here. I ____________here.

You learning to be here.
He learning to be here. You _________ here.
You is going to be here.
It ___________here.
Yes: He is going to be here.
He (she) _____here.
Without testing the rest of the words, it is clear that is going is the main verb:

Learning standard grammar is not going to be hard to do.

20
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Adjectives
Adjectives describe (modify) nouns, pronouns, and other adjectives. They answer one of these
questions: Which one? What kind? How many? or How much?

Examples: Which one? favorite uncle

What kind? valuable painting
How many? three mice
How much? little patience

Many nouns and pronouns can also function as adjectives.

I have a felt hat.

The felt crushes easily.

This book is old.

This is even older.

Nouns and pronouns that are possessive modifiers can also function as adjectives.
My house is clean.

Mother's house is even cleaner.

The articles a, an, and the are also classified as adjectives.

Tip
Adjectives that come after linking verbs and are used to describe the subject are called subject
complements because they complement the subject.
The day seemed short.

Adjectives and Linking Verbs

Most of the time, an adjective comes right before the word it modifies. Sometimes, though, when an
adjective is used as a subject complement, it comes after the noun it modifies.

Study the following sentences. What do they each have in common?

The grass is green. (Green describes the grass.)

Valerie’s cooking is wonderful. (Wonderful describes Valerie's cooking)

21

The cars at Indy are fast. (Fast describes the cars.)

 PARTS OF SPEECH

In each of the sentences above, the adjective not only comes after the noun it modifies, it also comes
after the verb. In sentences like this, the adjective is called the subject complement. It completes, or
complements, the noun in the subject position. The noun and the adjective are connected, or linked, by a
linking verb.

Adjectives with nouns and verbs

Adjectives can go before the noun (attributive) or after linking verbs such as be, become,
seem (predicative):
What a beautiful flower! (attributive)
This bridge looks unsafe. (predicative)

Coordinate and Cumulative Adjectives

Coordinate adjectives modify the same word and are separated by a comma. Test for coordinate
adjectives in one of two ways:

Test 1: Replace the comma by the word and, and the sentence still makes sense.
Test 2: Rearrange coordinate the adjectives, and the description still makes sense.

Example: The quick, easy recipes are my favorite.

Test 1: The quick and easy recipes are my favorite.

Test 2: The easy, quick recipes are my favorite.

Cumulative adjectives, on the other hand, build or accumulate in meaning as they modify a word. A
comma should not come between them. To test for cumulative adjectives, rearrange the two adjectives.
The meaning either changes or is lost.

Example: My blue suede shoes need cleaning.

Test 1: My suede blue shoes need cleaning.

Test 2: Blue my suede shoes need cleaning.

Tip
A comma never goes between the final adjective and the word it modifies.
This would be like putting a parenthesis between the two words.

No: They spent a long, quiet, afternoon together.

Yes: They spent a long, quiet afternoon together.

22
 PARTS OF SPEECH

It's Your Turn

Coordinate and Cumulative Adjectives
Practice
Directions: underline the adjectives in the following sentences. Identify whether the adjectives are
coordinate or cumulative. Add commas between the coordinate adjectives.

German chocolate cake is my favorite desert.

A soft, gentle rain is welcome after the long, dry period.

1. The young carefree girl wore a yellow vinyl rain slicker over a red silk dress.
2. Two little kittens played with a brown paper bag.
3. My three older sisters enjoy playing an intense, competitive game of bridge.
4. Pat wore her favorite blue linen suit to her old friend's wedding.
5. Three tall ships sailed over the clear blue water.
6. The frail little orphan left a trail of white bread crumbs behind her.
7. My favorite grocery store carries uncooked spinach lasagna.
8. Several Small monkeys were playing with a pile of cracked green coconuts.
9. Andrea pours spicy green chili over her black bean burrito.
10. Tommy gave his first grade teacher a dead garter snake.

23
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Adverbs
Adverbs describe or modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs.
When an adverb modifies another adverb or an adjective, it usually qualifies or intensifies it.

1) The baby is really sleepy. (Really intensifies sleepy, which is an adjective.)

2) He talked too quickly. (Too intensifies quickly, which is an adverb describing how he talked.)

When adverbs modify verbs, they almost always answer one of these questions: When? Where? How?
Why? Under what conditions? How often? or How much? Think about how the following words answer
such questions.
Carefully quickly seldom
calmly slowly thoughtfully
perfectly now then
often regularly sometimes

Adverbs are fairly easy to identify in a sentence. An adverb can often be moved around and the sentence
will still make sense grammatically.

1) Often, we eat a late lunch.

2) We often eat a late lunch.
3) We eat a late lunch often.

The exception to this is when the adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb.

Adverbs often-but Not always-end in -ly. This is especially true when the adverb has an adjective
counterpart: slow/ slowly, quick/quickly, hopeful/hopefully

Adverbs, adjectives, and even nouns can share the same form of a word. A word becomes an adverb,
adjective or noun depending on how it is used in a sentence.

1) Dusty slid into first.

2) Dusty ran to first base.

3) First, Dusty hit the ball.

Tip
Don’t forget that words like the following can also be adverbs: just, too, very, really, not, never. Remember
that even when not is part of a contraction, it is still an adverb.
24
 PARTS OF SPEECH

It's Your Turn

Adverbs

Practice
Directions: Underline the adverbs in the following sentences. Indicate which question each adverb
answers.

A. When? E. Under what conditions?

B. Where? F. How often?
C. How? G. How much?
D. Why?

Yesterday, we finally decided to really clean the garage.

1. We were truly amazed at all the junk.

2. First, we carefully sorted through the toys and tools.
3. Then we heartlessly began piling up anything we had not used in the last ten years.
4. It was not too hard to give up things we seldom used.
5. However, it was very hard giving away things that triggered happy memories.
6. Bikes, skates, toys, baby things-we happily remembered the stages of each.
7. Actually, the day turned out to be a really good one
8. We probably should not wait another ten years to clean again
9. We were really someone could truly benefit from our extra stuff and especially happy for the
extra pace in the attic
10. We just never realized it would be so rewarding!

Confusing Adverbs and Adjectives

The primary reason for learning to identify which words are adjectives and which are adverbs is to
understand when to use an adverb properly. Usually, the correct adjective form is easy enough to choose.
For instance, most people would not even consider choosing the adverbial form for the following
sentences:

1) He had a quickly eye.

2) The loudly barking bothered the other dogs.

Using any word other than an adjective would sound too strange. Unfortunately, many people do not
have an equally developed ear for correct adverb usage. This is, at least in part, because English is
continually changing. We are gradually dropping the -ly ending from many of our adverbs. Remember,
though, adjectives and adverbs have separate roles in the English language. As words lose their
distinctiveness, they also lose their ability to create specific meaning in a sentence.

To test for correct adverb and adjective usage, substitute a word you're sure is an adjective or an adverb
25

for the one you're not sure about. For example, substitute fake for real and very for really.
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Real This is a real diamond (Real describes diamond)

Really This is really easy. (Really describes easy and answers, How much?)

To decide whether to use sure or surely, substitute certain for sure and certainly for surely.
Sure This is a sure bet. (Sure is an adjective that describes bet and answers, What kind?)
Surely This is surely difficult. (Surely is an adverb that describes difficult and answers the adverbial
question How much?)

Commonly Misused Adverbs and Adjectives

simple quiet bad
simply quietly poorly
poor quick awfully
awful quickly badly

It's Your Turn

Misused Adverbs and Adjectives

Write Your Own

Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write sentences for each of the following adverbs and adjectives.
Circle the word each modifies

1. sudden
suddenly

2. happy
happily

3. real
really

4. bad
Badly

5. sure
surely

6. poor
Poorly

7. wild
Wildly
26
 PARTS OF SPEECH

8. sad
sadly

9 quiet
Quietly

10. quick
quickly

Positives, Comparatives, and Superlatives

Adjectives and adverbs create comparisons. This is done by inserting the word more or less, or by adding
-er, or -est. The three degrees of comparison are positive, comparative, and superlative. Together, they
are often referred to as comparatives.

Positive Comparative Superlative

Adjective big Bigger biggest

pleasant more pleasant most pleasant
Adverb Fast Faster Fastest
carefully more carefully most carefully

The comparative form compares two people, places, or things. The superlative form is used only with
three or more people or things.

Comparative: My younger son plays the piano. (I have only two sons.)
Superlative: My oldest sister lives in Denver. (I have more than two sisters)

The positive form describes people, places, or things without comparing them to anyone or anything else.

If you remember these two rules of thumb, you'll have very few problems using most comparatives:

1. One-syllable words use -er to form the comparative and -est to form the superlative.
2 Two- (or more) syllable words use more or less to form the comparative or the superlative.

It's Your Turn

Positives, Comparatives, and Superlatives

Practice
Directions: Write the correct form of the word in parentheses,
27

We saw the (beautiful) most beautiful sunset in Kansas.

 PARTS OF SPEECH

1. He cleans (careful) ____________than his brother.

2. Of my two sons, Jesse is the (tall) ____________.
3. Jean is (athletic) ____________than her sister.
4. My Saab is the (old) ____________ of my three vehicles.
5. Maria is the (outgoing) ____________of the two girls.
6. She has a (original) ____________look than her sister.
7. Unfortunately, she also has the (quick) ____________temper of the two.
8. Consequently, she drives (wildly) ____________than she should.
9. She's also the (accident-prone) ____________person I know.
10. Her insurance premiums should be (high) ____________than everyone else’s, but she has been
(clever) ____________than most people at keeping them low.

More Confusion: Good and Well

Some sets of Comparatives may be troublesome, mostly because they have different positive forms but
share the same comparative and superlative forms. The following are examples:

Positive Comparative Superlative

Adjective Good Better Best
Adverb Well Better Best

Adjective Bad Worse Worst

Adverb Badly Worse Worst

As new words are added to English, we add an -ly to the end of adjectives to make them adverbs.
Unfortunately, some of the oldest adjectives and adverbs in the English language do not follow this
kind of pattern and can be more difficult to use correctly.

Good and well are examples of older English adjectives and adverbs. As such, we do not change their
forms by merely adding -ly. Adding an -ly ending to make the word good an adverb would result in a
sentence like the following:

She also paints goodly.

Instead, we use good as the adverbial form to answer What kind? and we use well for the adverbial form,
answering How much? or How?

Sherry is a good cook. (Good is the adjective form modifying cook)

She also paints well. (Well is the adverbial form modifying paints.)

Further confusion often occurs because the word well is considered an adjective when referring to a
person's health.
28

After feeling sick for two days, Ann is finally feeling well again.
 PARTS OF SPEECH

It's Your Turn

More Confusion: Good and Well

Practice

1. Directions: Write either good or well in each blank. Circle the word each one modifies. Underline
and identify whether the word used is an adjective or adverb.

I had a good night’s sleep; for a change I slept well.

l. Harry didn’t do ___________ on the test.

2. Mary didn’t look ___________ after she got off the roller coaster.
3. Even though Kina is a ___________ pianist, she didn’t play ___________ at her recital.
4. The system works ___________ and this is ___________.
5 When he accused her of not being a ___________ mother, she didn't take his comment ___________.
6. Any ___________ business knows it must treat its customer ___________ to keep them happy.
7. The material was ___________over Toms head in the Algebra I class.
8. Nita is ___________at listening, which is why she has so many ___________ friends and is so
___________ liked.
9The orchestra sounded ___________at the concert.
10They've become ___________at spotting trouble.

2. Directions: Circle the correct form of the word. Identify whether the word is used as an adverb or
adjective

For as many lessons as Tom has had, he plays the piano bad/ badly.

1. The pizza tastes good/well.

2. Luke did good/well at the state tennis finals.
3. The streetlight lights up the streets good/well.
4. He performed the Olympic trials,
5. This is bad/badly done.
6. Tina's plan sounds good/well to me.
7. Bob feels bad/badly about the accident.
8. The car's paint job looks good/well on sunny days.
9. Elian speaks Spanish good/well.
10. I can hardly read Phil's handwriting, because he writes so bad/badly.
29
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Conjunctions
Conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses.

The four types of conjunctions – Coordinating, subordinating, conjunctive adverbs and correlative-also
create relationships between the elements they connect.

Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating Conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses of equal rank.

Words: Hank and Agnes live next door.

Hank works the first or third weekend of every month.

Phrases: We like eating pizza and watching TV.

Dan likes playing baseball but not doing math.

Clauses: He went home, but he didn't sleep.

She left early, for she was tired.

Tip
There are only seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. To remember them easily,
combine them into the acronym FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So).
For can be either a coordinating conjunction or a preposition. To test, put your finger over it. If an
independent clause is left, it's a coordinating conjunction. If part of a phrase is left, it’s a preposition.

No man is an island, for no one stands alone. (coordinating conjunction)

We're having pizza for lunch. (preposition)

Subordinating Conjunctions

A Subordinating Conjunction (sometimes called a dependent word or subordinator) comes at the

beginning of a Subordinate (or Dependent) Clause and establishes the relationship between the
dependent clause and the rest of the sentence. It also turns the clause into something that depends on
the rest of the sentence for its meaning.

He took to the stage as though he had been preparing for this moment all his life
Because he loved acting, he refused to give up his dream of being in the movies
Unless we act now, all is lost.

Notice that some of the subordinating conjunctions in the table below - after, before, since - are also
30

prepositions, but as subordinators they are being used to introduce a clause and to subordinate the
following clause to the independent element in the sentence.
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Correlative conjunctions
Some conjunctions combine with other words to form what are called correlative conjunctions. They
always travel in pairs, joining various sentence elements that should be treated as grammatically equal.

She led the team not only in statistics but also by virtue of her enthusiasm.
Polonius said, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be."
Whether you win this race or lose it doesn't matter as long as you do your best.

Conjunctive Adverbs
A conjunctive adverb connects two independent clauses or sentences. Typically, adverbs modify other
words (verbs, adjectives and other adverbs). Conjunctive adverbs, however, are used to modify two
independent clauses and join them together, behaving more like coordinating conjunctions.

31
 PARTS OF SPEECH

It's Your Turn

Conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs
Practice
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, write the following sentences. Underline the words used as
conjunctions. Identify whether they are coordinating, subordinating, or correlative conjunctions, or
conjunctive adverbs.

Time is of the essence, but the essence is not always time

1. Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps his mouth shut; therefore, think before you speak.
2. Whether people are honest or wise, they're known for their works.
3. You can either win or lose, but you can't have it both ways.
4. A stone is heavy, and the sand is weighty; however, a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.
5. Who can find a virtuous woman, for her price is far above rubies.
6. I'm thirty years old, but I read at the thirty-four-year-old level. -Dana Carvey
7. The other day I got out my can-opener and was opening a can of worms when I thought, "What am I
doing?!"Jack Handey
8. If you are losing a tug-of-war with a tiger, give him the rope before he gets to your arm. You can
always buy a new rope. -Max Gunther
9. Nothing made sense, and neither did everything else. -Joseph Heller
10. Not only is Heller confusing, but he also doesn’t make sense.

32
 PARTS OF SPEECH

Interjections
Interjections are used to express some sudden feeling, but do not enter into the construction of the
sentence.
The usual interjections or exclamations are Oh! Ah! What! Hush Well done! etc.

Prepositions
Prepositions are words which are used with a noun or pronoun to show their relation to some other
words in the sentence.

Examples: I looked through the window.

He spoke to me.
I had a letter from them.
The preposition always governs a noun or pronoun in the objective case, so you should write, “The prize
was divided between you and me," never “between you and I.”
“This is the boy whom I gave it to.”

It is considered better style, especially in writing, not to end a sentence with a preposition; for this
reason, it’ s preferable to write “That is the boy to whom I gave it” rather than “whom I gave it to”. But
in conversation We should always say, “What are you here for?” never “For what are you here?”; “What
is he talking about?” not “About what is he talking?”
The same word may be used as a preposition or as an adverb, but the preposition always governs the
noun or its equivalent; the adverb modifies the verb.

PREPOSITIONS ADVERBS
His hat is on his head. He put his hat on.

He walked past the door. He walked past.

We are in the room Come in.

Principal Prepositions
The following are some of the principal prepositions with sentences to illustrate their use:

ABOUT. He looked about him

He told me everything about the case.
shall see you about six o’clock.
33

AFTER He came after tea.

 PARTS OF SPEECH

I have had one trouble after another.

The boy was called after his grandfather.

AGAINST It's no use running your head against a stone wall.

I do it against my will.
I have warned you against this danger.

AT (place). He is at home now, at Liverpool, at sea, etc.

(time). He came on Saturday at 4 0'clock in the afternoon.
(verbs of motion) We arrived at Victoria Station. (So also: to stop at, throw at, point at, look at.)
(verbs of emotion). He was amused at me. (So, too: astonished at, surprised at, to rejoice at.)
He came at once. (So, too, at last, at ease, at leisure, to be at a loss, at work, at play)

BETWEEN My house is between two larger ones.

BY (place). Come and sit by the fire.

(time) I shall have finished by Friday
I have always done my duty by you.
Take him by the hand.
We sell this by the pound.
He is paid by the hour.
This piece of music is by Beethoven.
I learned it by heart.

FOR This is for me

I am here for two years, then I leave for France.
Go home for your book and look for it.
Sheffield is noted for its cutlery.
He was imprisoned for life.
For all his learning, he was not wise.
He sold his house for £1,000.
Don't translate word for word.

FROM They have gone away from home.

I have cleaned the house from top to bottom.
This is quite different from that.
He is never free from pain or from care.

IN (position). I am sitting in the room, in a house, in London.

The things were piled in a heap.
He is badly in debt, but is in good health.
The answer was in the affirmative.
In reply to your letter we beg to state
It arrived just in time to help me.
34

These things happened in the reign of Queen Victoria

 PARTS OF SPEECH

INTO (denotes motion). He walked into the room.

OF What did he die of?

The children of the poor were cared for.
That is a real work of art.
He gave me a piece of good advice.
That box is made of leather.
The whole of England was covered with snow.
The City of Edinburgh is renowned in history.

ON (place). He stood on the deck.

(time). He came on Saturday.
(dependence). He lives on his father.
(manner). He did it on the sly, on purpose.
(direction). The army marched on London.
(concerning). He gave a lecture on Books.

TO (motion towards). He walked to my house.

(time). He was punctual to the minute.

WITH He has had a conversation with me.

She is a girl with blue eyes.
I shall do it with pleasure
He stayed with me for a fortnight.
They were stiff with cold.
He is popular with his students.

Notes on Some Prepositions

(1) AT, IN. At refers to a point of time, in to a larger space of time, e.g. He came at 10 o'clock in the
morning.
Similarly, for a small place we use at. He lives at Wigand, but: He lives in London.

(2) BESIDE. "by the side of" e.g. He sat beside his wife.
BESIDES. "in addition" There are others here besides you.

(3) BY and WITH. By is generally used for the PERSON, with for the INSTRUMENT, e.g. Caesar was
stabbed with a sword by Brutus.

(4) BETWEEN and AMONG. Between is generally for two- among for more than two.
The sweets were divided between the two children.
The sweets were divided among the five children.

(5) SINCE and FOR. Since is used for a POINT OF TIME, for is used for a period of time, e.g.
35

I have been here since 1950. / February. / Friday. / 4 o'clock.

 PARTS OF SPEECH

but I have been here for six months, NEVER: Since six months.

6) FOR and BEFORE. In a negative sentence for is used for a PERIOD of time, and before for a POINT of
time, thus:
He will not be here for an hour yet.
He will not be here before seven o'clock.

7) IN and INTO. In denotes POSITION OR REST, whilst into denotes MOTION, e.g.
A student walked into the room in which we were sitting.

8) IN and WITHIN. When referring to time, in denotes the close of a period, within denotes a time less
than the close of The period, e.g.
I shall return in a year's time. (after a year)
I shall return within a year. (before a year has elapsed)

It's Your Turn

Prepositions

Practice
Directions: Which are the correct prepositions to use in the following sentences?
(1) Shakespeare was born ______ Stratford-upon-Avon but spent much of his life ______ London. (in, at)
2) He was ______himself with anxiety. (besides, beside)
(3) The profits were divided ______ the two partners. (among, between)
(4) They kept us waiting ______half an hour. (since, for)
(5) We have arranged to meet ______ Monday morning (at, on)
(6) The class begins ______9.0 o’clock. (at, on)
(7) If you sit ______me we ca have a quiet chat. (besides, beside)
(8) The train will not arrive ______ another hour (for, before)
(9) ______what time do you get up? (in, at)
(10) You may expect me ______ 6.0 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. (within, between)
36
 PARTS OF SPEECH

It's Your Turn

Extra activities
Directions: Answer the following questions:

1. How many parts of speech are there in English?

2. What part of speech may be substituted for a noun?
3. What is the difference between an adjective und an adverb?
4. Which part of speech has no grammatical relation with the other parts of speech?
5. What is the difference between a conjunction and a preposition?
6. Write sentences takıng the form of a statement, a command, and a question.
7. In what two ways may an adjective be used?
8. Give examples of an adverb modifying an adverb, an adjective, and an adverb.

Verbs, Nouns, and Pronouns

Exercise 1
Directions: Read each of the following sentences. Then underline each noun once, underline each verb
twice, and circle each pronoun.
1. When Nichole read the letter, she realized that she must change the plans for her vacation.
2. Henry Ford created the Model T, which was for many years the most popular car in the world.
3. Is anyone in your class interested in attending next week's seminar on Italian painting?
4. Tim bought several beautiful rugs while he was traveling in Turkey.
5. When you are designing a bridge, safety is the most important consideration.

Adjectives, Articles, and Adverbs

Exercise 2
Directions: Read each of the following sentences. Then underline each adjective once, underline each
article twice, and circle each adverb.
1. When water in a lake is deeply tinged with red, a heavy growth of algae is present.
2. If Peter has enough free time next summer, he will visit southern Italy on his vacation.
3. Auto racing is generally considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world.
4. Silver Blaze" was recently selected as the best story about the adventures of the famous detective
Sherlock Holmes.
5. The veterinarian arrived too late to save the injured bird.

Connecting Words
Exercise 3
Directions: Read each of the following sentences. Then underline each conjunction and circle each
preposition.
1. If gasoline prices keep rising, driving to work will become more and more expensive.
2. In my opinion, Picasso was the greatest painter of the twentieth century, and one of the greatest
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of any era.
 PARTS OF SPEECH

3. Neither the coach nor the players could explain the dismal performance turned in by the soccer
team against their local rivals.
4. According to most surveys, parents usually prefer sending their children to schools located in the
neighborhoods where they live.
5. We missed the last bus of the night, so we traveled to Oakland by taxi instead.

Interjections, and Recognizing Parts of Speech

Exercise 4
Directions: In each of the following sentences, identify the part of speech of every word. Label each word
as either a verb, a noun, a pronoun, an adjective, an adverb, a preposition, a conjunction, or an
interjection.
1. My car gets thirty miles to the gallon.
2. People say that too many young athletes today are selfish.
3. The Hudson River in New York is not actually a river; in fact, it is a tidal estuary.
4. Paul Klee created some of the greatest abstract paintings of the twentieth century.
5. Wow! You have a really beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains from your balcony.

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