Parts of Speech: A Word’s Most Basic Function Ms. M. Hudson Resurrection of Our Lord School September 14, 2009 “… united through Christ …”
Every word has a job, or a function .
The function tells us how a word acts in a sentence. And, words may have more than one part of speech.
Every word has a job, or a function .
Look at the word below each picture. Which part of speech is each word acting as? What is the function?
painter firefighter police officer chef nurse
Look at the word below each picture. Which part of speech is each word acting as? What is the function?
Each word is a noun , and a noun is a word that names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. How does a noun function? It names . painter firefighter police officer chef nurse
Let us try again but with a new set of words.
What is the part of speech? What is the function?
paints sprays directs cooks cares
John paints the living room wall a soft mauve.
The firefighter sprays a few droplets of water from the hose.
The police officer directs traffic from the middle of the street.
If the chef cooks his famous gumbo, I am ordering two bowls!
My nurse cares for me very well.
Each word is a verb , which is a word that shows action or state-of-being. All of the words on this slide demonstrate action, so they are called action verbs.
paints sprays directs cooks cares
Quick Tip
In standard English, verbs usually follow their subjects, which can be nouns or pronouns. So, you will see the noun first . Then the verb .
Example: My nurse cares for me very well. paints sprays directs cooks cares
A Closer Look at Common & Proper Nouns
Common nouns do not name particular persons, places, or things.
Common nouns are lowercased.
Examples: school, student, politician
Proper nouns name specific persons, places, and things.
Proper nouns are capitalized.
Examples: Resurrection, John Smith, Gov. Jindal
Easy enough, right?
Let us move on to the following types of nouns:
singular nouns
plural nouns
collective nouns
What are the basics?
Singular nouns are words that name one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example: kid, island, toy, belief
Plural nouns are words that name more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example: kids, islands, toys, beliefs
To make a noun plural, add an –s.
To make a verb singular, add an –s.
Wait! I thought this lesson was about nouns! Why do you add notes about verbs?
You must remember two rules …
To make a noun plural, add an –s.
To make a verb singular, add an –s.
desks The desks form a circle. laughs Janice laughs at the jokes.
Follow a few steps to identify collective nouns.
Which noun acts as the subject of the sentence?
Is the noun singular or plural?
If you do not know, find the word that acts as the verb.
If the verb ends in –s , it is singular and the collective noun in that sentence is also singular .
If the verb does not end in –s, it is plural and the collective noun in that sentence is also plural.
Practice Time!
The volleyball club meets after school.
Each volleyball team has six players.
The group take their individual positions.
The committee discuss their reactions.
Our class watches the volleyball match.
Time for an intermission. (Click the inside of the plasma television.)
In-Class Practice
The school band plays at every game.
Our family arrive at the stadium at different times.
The crowd is always friendly at the games.
The coaching staff also meet after each game to discuss their strategies.
In-Class Practice
The school band plays at every game.
Our family arrive at the stadium at different times.
The crowd is always friendly at the games.
The coaching staff also meet after each game to discuss their strategies.
P P S S Hint : Use the verb. If the verb is singular (ends in –s), then the noun is singular. If the verb is plural (no added –s), then the noun is plural. P P S S
In-Class Practice
The school band plays at every game.
Our family arrive at the stadium at different times.
The crowd is always friendly at the games.
The coaching staff also meet after each game to discuss their strategies.
P P S S The words different , times , their , and strategies are plural. If the family arrive at “different times,” the members are acting separately , which means that the collective noun “family” is plural . The same logic applies to the word “staff” in #9. The pronoun “their” is plural, so it has to refer to or rename a plural noun. The coaches are discussing their different strategies.
This slideshow is supplement material to teach prop more
This slideshow is supplement material to teach proper usage of nouns to my sixth grade students. The includes common nouns, proper nouns, singular noun, plural nouns, and, the most dreaded noun of them all, collective nouns. The slides were used in class, but parents and students may access the show online to review and study noun.
NOTE: If you click the link that is embeded on Slide 15, a new window will open for the animation. less
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