This document defines and provides examples of the main parts of speech in English: nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs, and articles. Nouns are names of people, places, things, or ideas. Verbs express actions or states of being in different tenses. Adjectives describe nouns. Pronouns substitute for nouns. Prepositions introduce information about time or location. Conjunctions join phrases or clauses. Adverbs describe verbs, other adverbs, or adjectives. Articles include a, an, and the.
1. PARTS OF SPEECH:
NOUNS:
o the names of people, places, things, or ideas (proper & improper)
o people: (mailman/Eddie)
o places: (the park/Disneyland)
o things: (schism/Great Reformation)
o ideas: (movement / Modernism)
o A singular noun can always be prefaced by an article (a, an, the)
VERBS:
o an action or a state of being
o past (waited), present (wait), and future tenses (will wait)
and sub-tenses:has been waiting, havewaited, will be waiting
o can be multiple words in length (should have been waiting)
o infinitive verbs (“to ”) occurfollowing the main verbs and to is part of
the verb, and not acting as a preposition
ADJECTIVES
o Words to describe nouns, adjectives
The pretty woman looked at the day-to-daytasks and critically asked
herself, “Why am I such a lazy person?”
PRONOUNS
o Substitution words for nouns
The antecedent is the LAST noun mentioned, so discussing things of the
same gender, be careful!
Singular: I, you (sing.), he, she, it (a desk, the table, my thought),
everyone/body, anyone, someone/body
Plural: We, You (guys), they, few, some, a number of
PREPOSITIONS
o Words used to introduce more information, related to time or location
After, through, above, over, in, to, by, near, away, from, around, across,
considering, concerning, in lieu of,
2. CONJUNCTIONS
o Words used to join phrases or clauses
Coordinating conjunctions (joins 2 indep. Clauses)
: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Subordinating conjunctions (complex, begins dep. Clause):
because, since, if, so, while, when, although, after…
ADVERBS
o Words that describe verbs: how they are done, how often they’re done, in what
manner
o Can also describeother adverbs, and adjectives
I run daily, and I slowlyrun when I do, because what often is done with
a relaxed paceis often the thing done best!
ARTICLES
o A / an / the