On word classes in English. A fairly basic account to learners of the language.

1. English Grammar Topics
No 2
Classes of ‘words’ in English
On the different types of words in
English.
Copyright 2013
Jesús Lorenzo Vieites

2. Closed
They are finite (& often
small) with a membership
that is relatively stable and
unchanging in the language.
Also known as:
-Grammatical words
-function words
- structure words
Open
They are constantly
changing their membership
as old words drop out of the
language and new ones are
adopted to reflect cultural
changes in society. They are
often called
– lexical words.

3. Closed classes
Pronoun
Determiner
Primary verb
Modal verb
Preposition
Conjuction
Open classes
Noun
Adjective
Full verb
Adverb

4. Most VERBS in most contexts relate to
action, activity and to temporary or
changeable conditions
What song did he sing last night?
As I was entering the theatre a bus struck a barrier
VERBS whose meaning denotes lack of
motion can be equally dynamic in their
grammar
I was quietly resting after a restless morning
Are you sitting comfortably?

5. The operator is the first and only auxiliary
in the verb phrase realizing the
sentence element V.
a)
Sentence
Predicate
Subject
Operator
+
Predication

6. The operator is the first and only auxiliary
in the verb phrase realizing the
sentence element V.
b)
Sentence
Subject
S
+
Operator
V
+
Predication
Complements

7. She hoped that they would play a Bach quartet
and they will
but they won’t
Where the V element is realized by a form of <be>, this
functions as itself an operator
The sea is very rough - The sea is not very rough
Where the V element in a positive declarative sentence has
no operator, a form of <do> is introduced as operator in the
negative or interrogative version
She bought a new sports car - She didn’t buy a sports car
Did she buy a new sports car?

8. English Grammar Topics
No 2
Copyright 2013
Jesús Lorenzo Vieites