The Eight Parts of Speech

1. What is a noun?
A noun is any word which names a person, place, thing, idea, animal, quality, or activity.
Examples:
person - Jennifer
place - downtown
thing - table
idea - equality
animal - gopher
quality - height
activity - navigation
Types of Nouns:
Proper nouns are the names of specific things, people, or places, such as Chicoutimi and Christine.
hey usually begin with a capital letter.
Common nouns are general names such as person, mansion, and book. hey can be either concrete or
abstract.
Concrete nouns refer to things which you can sense such as clock and telephone.
Abstract nouns refer to ideas or qualities such as liberty and truth.
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2. What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word which takes the place of a noun or stands in for an un"nown noun. he noun
which the pronoun replaces is called its antecedent.
Examples: Mary wondered whether she should go to the party.
"Mary" is the antecedent of the pronoun "she".
he test was difficult for Dave, who had not studied.
"Dave" is the antecedent of the pronoun "who".
Rule for Pronouns and Antecedents:
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent. herefore, if the antecedent is plural, use a plural
pronoun# if the antecedent is feminine, use a feminine pronoun, and so on.
Example:
ncorrect: $hen the officer stopped my car, they got out their gun.
Correct: $hen the officer stopped my car, she got out her gun.
$hen the officer stopped my car, he got out his gun.
Personal Pronouns
!ub"ect #b"ect Possessive
%ingular &
you
he, she, it
me
you
him, her, it
my, mine
your yours
his, her, hers, its
'lural we
you
they
us
you
them
our, ours
your, yours
their, theirs
nterrogative Pronouns
&ntroduce a question
nterrogative $se
$ho, whom (efers to people
$hat (efers to things
$hich (efers to people or things
$hose &ndicates ownership or relationship
Demonstrative Pronouns
'oints out a person , place, thing or idea ) used alone in a sentence
!ingular Plural
his
hat
hese
hose

ndefinite Pronouns
*oes not refer to a specific person, place, thing, or idea ) often no antecedent or the indefinite
pronoun could be the antecedent for another pronoun
!ingular Plural %ither
another anybody
anyone anything
each either
everybody everyone
everything neither
nobody nothing
no one somebody
someone something
both
few
many
several
all
any
most
none
some
&hings to remember when using pronouns
'. (ever use too many
Example: hat happened when he and she went there for it. +,+-
). Make sure the pronouns matches its antecedent in *uantity
Examples:
Everyone found +E&( friend at the party. ) &ncorrect
Everyone found his or her friends at the party ) .orrect
+. &o avoid confusion, a pronoun usually refers to the noun it is closest to in the sentence
Example: /r. 0reenholt too" 0eorge1s boo" to his office.
Whos office? Mr. Greenholt or Georges?
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. What is a !er"?
he verb is a part of speech, a word or compound of words, that performs one of three "inds of tas"s:
it expresses action# it expresses a state of being# or it expresses the relationship between two things.
&n its most powerful and normal position, it follows a noun 2the agent of the verb3.
The for#s and functions of !er"s
&he verb is also the most complicated part of speech in that its forms and functions are several-
verbs in special forms ta"e on the properties of other parts of speech: we call these forms verbals, and
they can become nouns 2sub4ects and5or ob4ects3, ad4ectives, and adverbs. hey lose their function as
pure verbs--but they still insinuate actions, states of being, and relationships, and they can enliven one6s
writing considerably.
$inds of %er"s - he writer needs to understand four "inds of verbs: transitive verbs, intransitive
verbs, lin"ing verbs, and helping verbs.
What are transiti!e !er"s?
&ransitive verbs ta"e ob4ects. hat is, these verbs carry the action of a sub4ect and apply it to an
ob4ect. hey tells us what the sub4ect 2agent3 does to something else 2ob4ect3.
Examples: +e bought a shirt.
2agent3 2did something3 2ob4ect- answers the question 7what-73
%he brushes her hair every hour.
/arina will lose the race.
8ote that the transitive verb can ta"e any tense.
What are intransiti!e !er"s?
ntransitive verbs do not ta"e an ob4ect# they express actions that do not require the agent6s doing
something to something else.
Examples: om danced.
&he intransitive verb "danced" is a complete action by itself and does not re*uire a direct ob"ect
to receive the action.
hey ran down the road.
&hey ran, but they do not run "something" in this sentence. &he sentence contains no ob"ect.
Jac" fell on the roc"s in the alley.
Tip: %ome verbs can function as both transitive and intransitive verbs.
Example:
intransitive: %he dances.
transitive: %he dances the rhumba.
What are &in'ing %er"s?
.inking verbs does not show action but it lin"s 2connects3 the sub4ect to a word in the predicate. hey
explain the connection between the sub4ect and its complement or that which completes the sub4ect6s
description.
&he most common linking /helping0 verb is "to be."
am is are was were be being been become
!ome other linking verbs are:
appear feel remain sound
become grow seem stay
continue loo" smell taste
Examples: 9pera seems overly dramatic to the music novice.
"overly dramatic" describes the agent or sub"ect "opera" but
it does not e1press an action that "opera" performs.
+e appeared 4ubilant at the news of the inheritance.
& am pathetically inept in such situations.
+e is a doctor of bioethics.
2emember, however, if what follows the verb can provide an answer to the *uestion "what,"
then the verb is not a linking verb.
.ompare: +e tastes the soup as he coo"s it.
"tastes" is transitive: he tastes "what3"
he fruit tastes rotten.
"rotten" describes or complements the state of the fruit and therefore tastes links the
agent /fruit0 and its condition /rotten0.
What are (elping %er"s?
+elping verbs help the main verb express action or ma"e a statement# they help tell when the main
verb is ta"ing place
)o##on (elping %er"s
*e a#+ is + are+ ,as+ ,ere+ "e "eing +"een
(a!e has+ ha!e+ had
-o do+ does+ did
.thers #ay+ #ight+ #ust + can+ could + shall+ ,ill+ ,ould
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4. What are Ad/ecti!es?
Ad"ectives are words used to describe a noun or pronoun or to give a noun or pronoun a more
specific meaning.
Ad"ectives answer the *uestions:
5hat 6ind3
Red boat, sick passenger, silver 4ewelry, cool water
5hich #ne3
hird chance, this train, any piece, those apples
7ow Many3
!i" cars, both answers, several reasons, few letters
7ow Much3
#nough space, no rain, more energy, little effort
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8. What are Ad!er"s?
Adverbs are words that modifies 2change slightly3 a verb, an ad4ective, or another adverb
Adverbs answer the *uestions:
5here3
:ell below, went there, move aside, climbs down
5hen3
Arrived today, should have spo"en before, left early, begins then
n what way3
$appily ran, danced awkwardly, will end abruptly,
had been sung loudly
&o what e1tent3
%artly understands, have not completed, wash completely
hardly would have "nown
Common Adverbs
Again
Already
Also
Always
.ertainly
Early
Everywhere
:ar
:ast
:requently
+ere
;ate
;ater
;i"ely
/aybe
/uch
8ear
8eatly
8ever
8ot
8ow
8owhere
9ften
9nly
'ossibly
<uite
(arely
%eldom
%ometimes
%oon
%till
here
oday
omorrow
oo
,nli"ely
,sually
=ery
$ell
>esterday
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9. What is a preposition?
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun 2the ob"ect of the
preposition3 with some other word or expression in the sentence.
Example:
he cow 4umped over the moon.
&he preposition "over" links its ob"ect, "the moon," to the verb ""ump."
he river below the bridge is rising.
&he ob"ect of the preposition, "the bridge," is linked to the noun "river" through the
preposition "below."
!ome common prepositions are:
about below in over until
above beneath inside past up
across beside into since upon
after between near through with
against by of throughout within
among down off till without
around during on to
at except onto toward
before for out under
behind from outside underneath
Prepositions can be more than one word. !ome e1amples are:
according to as well as in addition to
across from because of with regard to
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0. What are con/unctions?
Con"unctions 4oin sentence elements such as words, phrases, or clauses.
)oordinating )on/unctions
Coordinating con"unctions 4oin sentence parts of equal grammatical status. hey are:
and for or yet but nor so
&or, for, and so can only 4oin independent clauses.
Example:
*o you want to study math or English-
&he coordinating con"unction "or" is linking two nouns.
.oordinating words that wor" in pairs are called correlative con"unctions. hey 4oin words,
phrases, and clauses, as well as whole sentences. he most common correlative con4unctions
are:
both ... and neither ... nor either ... or not only ... but also
Examples:
$e can study either math or English.
& not only lost his phone number, but also forgot where he lived.
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1. What are inter/ections?
nter"ections are exclamatory words with no grammar relationship to the rest of the sentences
and usually express an intense emotion or feeling.
%ome examples are:
eh, o"ay, say, oh, no, ouch, yuc"
Examples:
&t6s great to be a .anadian, eh-
:uck? hat tastes disgusting.
!ay, let6s go hi"ing.
#kay, maybe it6s not so bad.
/ost inter4ections use an exclamation point immediately following the word or words. %ome
inter4ections that are not as strong maybe followed by a comma instead of an exclamation point.
Examples:
#h, & forgot to eat brea"fast.
Alas, poor man, & "new him well.
8otes adapted from: http:55www.ucalgary.ca5,of.5eduweb5grammar5course5speech.htm