PARTS OF SPEECH

Words

Function Words Content Words

- Prepositions - Nouns
- Conjunctions - Verbs
- Articles - Adjectives
- Auxiliaries - Adverbs
- Pronouns
 NOUNS
• There are five signals for nouns:
1. All words preceded by some groups of function words (noun
determiners) are nouns.
Eg. the book a boy
many children much money
2. Noun can be identified by the presence of plural inflection and
possessive inflection.
Eg. girls flowers
John’s house father’s shoes
boxes women
3. Nouns can be identified by the presence of derivational suffixes:
--ment, --ee, --age, --ship, etc.
Eg. Payment convenience
employee employer
linkage friendship
4. Nouns can be identified by their position in relation to other
identified parts of speech in phrases and utterances.
Eg. Ship sails today (ambiguous! Ship can be a nun or a
verb. If sails is a verb, then ship is a noun; but if sails is
a noun, ship is a verb.)
Ship sailed today (It is clear that ship is a noun,
because sailed is a verb).
5. Noun can also be identified by the presence of certain superfixes.
In certain two-syllable words, nouns receive primary stress on
the first syllable, while their counterparts with primary stress on
the second syllable are verbs.
Eg. ˝Imprint im˝print
˝progress pro ˝gress
˝suspect sus ˝pect
 VERBS
• There are also five signals for verbs:
1. Verbs can be identified by the presence of the third
person singular inflection, preterit inflection, past
participle inflection, and present participle inflection.
Eg. sings goes danced
wrote broken fallen
teaching playing swimming
2. Verbs van be identified by the presence of certain function
words of auxiliary group, which combine with verbs to
make up verb phrases
Eg. can sleep have gone am coming
got started should have known have to go
3. Verbs can be identified by their position in an utterance:
- Initial position in imperative:
Hope for the best Love thy neighbor
- Between nouns:
Monkeys eat bananas Dogs chase cats
4. Verbs can be identified by the presence of certain superfix.
( see identification of nouns!)
5. Verbs can be identified by the presence of certain
derivational affixes: --en, --fy, --ize, --ate, en--, etc.
Eg. sharpen simplify socialize
orchestrate enslave
 ADJECTIVES
There are four signals for adjectives:
1. All words that may take endings( -er) and (-est)
correlating with the meaning of degree of quality are
adjectives.
Eg. big bigger biggest
kind kinder kindest
bright brighter brightest
2. In utterances, words that take the function words more
and most expressing degree of quality are adjectives.
Eg. peaceful more peaceful most peaceful
friendly more friendly most friendly
3. Adjectives can also be identified by the presence of
certain derivational affixes: --al, --ish. –able,--less, --ly, --
ive, etc.
Eg. Bookish readable accidental
powerless creative manly
4. Adjectives can be identified by their position between
determiners and nouns or before nouns.
Eg. My beloved son that expensive book
a wonderful land gorgeous lady
 ADVERBS

• There are five signals for adverbs:

1. Adverbs can be identified by the recognition of other
parts of speech in an utterance of which the structure are
composed.
Eg. The boy ran fast in the rain. (fast is identified as an
adverb by the recognition of ran as a verb).
2. Adverbs occur most characteristically in a position
following verbs.
Eg. listen carefully walk slowly
move forward sing beautifully
3. Adverbs can be identified by the presence of derivational
affixes --ly and a--.
Eg. gracefully quickly
abroad anew
4. Some adverbs are made up of compound words with any,
ward, time, and wise.
Eg. Anywhere backward sometime
lengthwise clockwise somehow
5. In utterances, there are other adverbs of special listing.
Eg. Here there now
once next