Grammar Unit

Principal Word Classes An Introduction

Verb
A word which denotes an action or a state of being She is happy He is playing pool They are having a temper tantrum She was eating crunchy nut cornflakes Sam decided that he would run a marathon Chris will start university in October and will read for an English degree

How to Spot a Verb

If you can DO it, then you can safely conclude that it is a verb If it is listed below, then it is a verb: Is, are, am, will, would, was, can, could, must, might, may, do, does, did, shall, should, has

Noun
A noun is a naming word It is the name of a thing, person, place, an emotion basically anything that you can name Sheila is suffering from anxiety. She is in a difficult situation, and so has been admitted to hospital

Adjective
A word which modifies a noun Functions to describe Can come either before of after the noun That new outfit is horrible He has a hideous voice The food was absolutely scrumptious and the wine was the most expensive in the restaurant

Adverb
An adverb modifies a verb, showing how the action is done. We generally go shopping at Asda Sometimes I exercise He ran quickly She sings badly The soldier stood proudly

Preposition
A preposition denotes where one thing is in relation to another It was under the table She was going to the shop I am going to buy a bone for my dog He is on the roof It is the house next to the shop

Pronoun
A pronoun replaces a name: 1st person: I, me (Plural: we, us) 2nd person: you 3rd person: he, she, him, her, it (Plural: they, them)

Determiner
Determines which one the, those, this, that definite article a indefinite article

Label These:
VERB NOUN DETERMINER ADJECTIVE ADVERB PREPOSITION CONJUNCTION PRONOUN

The cat sat on the mat The big, hairy, smelly cat slept soundly and snored on the old mat I will go to the shop and buy a big chocolate cake for Sammy A really nice place to go for holidays is a Greek island called Crete He always ran so they called him the running boy Darkness surrounded her. The anxiety began to build gradually, and a sense of desperation enveloped her He is always happy. He is the most happy dog in the world