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Part of Speech Overview

In the English language, words can be considered as the smallest elements


that have distinctive meanings. Based on their use and functions, words are
categorized into several types or parts of speech. This article will offer
definitions and examples for the 8 major parts of speech in English
grammar: noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, conjunction, preposition,
and interjection.

1. Noun
This part of a speech refers to words that are used to name persons, things, animals,
places, ideas, or events. Nouns are the simplest among the 8 parts of speech, which is
why they are the first ones taught to students in primary school.
Examples:

Tom Hanks is very versatile.

The italicized noun refers to a name of a person.

Dogs can be extremely cute.

In this example, the italicized word is considered a noun because it names an


animal.
It is my birthday.

The word birthday is a noun which refers to an event.

Sharon admires her grandfather.

My mother looks a lot like my grandmother, and I look very much like them.

There are different types of nouns namely:

Proper proper nouns always start with a capital letter and refers to specific
names of persons, places, or things.

Examples:

- Mr. Bell seems to understand what students need.


- I can see Jupiter tonight
- He never goes anywhere without Sarah.
- Volkswagen Beetle, Shakeys Pizza, Game of Thrones
- It is my birthday
- Cleopatra is the cutest kitten ever
- Im craving Oreos
- Lets go to San Francisco

Common common nouns are the opposite of proper nouns. These are just
generic names of persons, things, or places.

Examples:

- There are a lot of important documentsin the archives.


- Hes always hanging out with his girlfriend.
- I think thats a planet, not a star.
- car, pizza parlor, TV series
- My teacherstarts work before sunup.
- Lets go to the city.
- Would you like a cookie?
- Id like to adopt a cat.

Concrete this kind refers to nouns which you can perceive through your five
senses.

Examples:

- Folder
- Sand
- Board
- Books
- Paper
- Bags
- Perfume
- Soil

Abstract- unlike concrete nouns, abstract nouns are those which you cant
perceive through your five senses.

Examples:

- Happiness
- Grudge
- Bravery
- Sadness
- Emotional
- Gracefulness
- Fears
- Joy

Count it refers to anything that is countable, and has a singular and plural form.

Examples:

- Kitten
- Video
- Ball
- Book
- Teacher
- Plate
- Box
- Picture

Mass this is the opposite of count nouns. Mass nouns are also called non-
countable nouns, and they need to have counters to quantify them.

Examples of Counters:

- Kilo
- Cup
- Meter
- Centimeter
- Kilometer
- Inch
- Millimeter
- Pound

Examples of Mass Nouns:

- Rice
- Flour
- Garter
- Sugar
- Oil
- Coffee
- Soil
- Hair

Collective refers to a group of persons, animals, or things.

Example:

- faculty (group of teachers)


- class (group of students)
- pride (group of lions)
- Shoal(group of fish)
- Staff (a group of people who work in the same place)
- Choir (a large, organized group of singers)
- Panel (a group of experts)
- Swarm(a group of insects)

2. Pronoun
A pronoun is a part of a speech which functions as a replacement for a noun. Some
examples of pronouns are: I, it, he, she, mine, his, hers, we, they, theirs, and ours.

Example:

He kicked the ball so hard that his shoe came off.

You can have ice cream after you finish your dinner

Correct me if Im wrong, but I think you enjoy studying.

She puts ketchup on everything she eats.

The dog stole Taras ice cream before it ran away.

It is raining again.

She enjoys going to the gym early each morning.

We prefer hiking to movies.

3. Adjective
This part of a speech is used to describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives can specify the
quality, the size, and the number of nouns or pronouns.

Example:

They live in a beautiful house.

Lisa is wearing a sleeveless shirt today. This soup is not edible.


She wore a beautiful dress.

He writes meaningless letters.

This shop is much nicer.

She wore a beautiful dress.

Ben is an adorable baby.

Lindas hair is gorgeous.

This glass is breakable.

I met a homeless person in New York.

4. Verb
This is the most important part of a speech, for without a verb, a sentence would not exist.
Simply put, this is a word that shows an action (physical or mental) or state of being of the
subject in a sentence.

Example:

Lets run to the corner and back.

I hear the train coming.

Call me when youre finished with class.

I know the answer.

She recognized me from across the room.

Do you believe everything people tell you?

I am a student.

We are circus performers.

5. Adverb
Just like adjectives, adverbs are also used to describe words, but the difference is that
adverbs describe adjectives, verbs, or another adverb.
The different types of adverbs are:

Adverb of Manner this refers to how something happens or how an action is done.

Example:

- Annie danced gracefully.


- He swims well.
- He ran quickly.
- She spoke softly.
- James coughed loudly to attract her attention.
- He plays the flute beautifully.
- He ate the chocolate cake greedily.
- He ate the chocolate cake greedily.

Adverb of Time- this states when something happens or when it is done.

Example:

- She came yesterday.

- Robin Hood swindled the Sheriff of Nottingham yesterday.

- Im sick of living in chaos, so Im going to clean my house tomorrow.

- She stayed at her grandmothers house all day.

- My father was up with heartburn for hours.

- The newspaper arrives daily.

- They go out to dinner weekly.

- Our family goes on an outing monthly.

Adverb of Place this tells something about where something happens or where
something is done.

Example:

- Of course, I looked everywhere!


- Close the door when you go out.
- The cat is hiding underneath the couch
- Will you be starting your plants outside or in a greenhouse?
- The ship sailed northwards, encountering heavy weather along the way.
- When she saw me waiting, she ran towards me.
- After a long day at work, we headed homewards.
- Please bring that book here.
Adverb of Degree this states the intensity or the degree to which a specific thing
happens or is done.

Example:

- The child is very talented.


- They were almost finished.
- This cake is absolutely wonderful.
- The temperature was barely above freezing.
- Our driveway is completely frozen.
- We felt incredibly lucky after winning tickets to the World Series.
- My teacher is terribly grumpy today.
- The soup was extremely hot.

6. Preposition
This part of a speech basically refers to words that specify location or a location in time.
Examples of Prepositions:

The bone was for the dog.

We are going on vacation in August.

Please put the vase on the table

I received a present from Janet.

School begins on Monday.

Go down the stairs and through the door.

He climbed up the ladder to get into the attic.

I prefer to read in the library.

7. Conjunction
The conjunction is a part of a speech which joins words, phrases, or clauses together.

There are three types of nouns namely:

Coordinating Conjunction- Among the three types of conjunctions, this is


probably the most common one. The main function of coordinating conjunctions is
to join words, phrases, and clauses together, which are usually grammatically
equal. Aside from that, this type of conjunctions is placed in between the words or
groups of words that it links together, and not at the beginning or at the end.

Example:

- Would you rather have cheese or bologna on your sandwich


- His two favorite sports are football and tennis.
- I wanted to go to the beach, but Mary refused.
- I am allergic to cats, yet I have three of them.
- I am a vegetarian, so I dont eat any meat.
- Thomas will be late to work, for he has a dental appointment
- Jennifer does not like to swim, nor does she enjoy cycling.
- Jackson wanted to eat another piece of cake, but he was on a diet.

Subordinating Conjunction-This type of conjunctions is used in linking two


clauses together. Aside from the fact that they introduce a dependent clause,
subordinating conjunctions also describe the relationship between the dependent clause
and the independent clause in the sentence.

Example:

- After the basement flooded, we spent all day cleaning up.


- I dont want to go to the movies because I hate the smell of popcorn.
- I paid Larry, whose garden design work is top-notch.
- Until spring arrives, we have to be prepared for more snow
- As soon as the alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button
- Whenthe doorbell rang, my dog Skeeter barked loudly.
- Sara begins to sneeze whenever she opens the window to get a breath of fresh
air.
- AsSherri blew out the candles atop her birthday cake, she caught her hair on fire.

Correlative Conjunction-The correlative conjunctions are simply pairs of


conjunctions which are used to join equal sentence elements together.

Example:

- She is neither polite nor funny.


- If that is the case, then Im not surprised about whats happening.
- Have you made a decision about whether to go to the movies or not?
- No sooner had I put my umbrella away, thanit started raining.
- This salad is both delicious and healthy.
- I will either go for a hike or stay home and watch TV.
- Would you rather go shopping or spend the day at the beach?
- He is not only intelligent, but also very funny.

8. Interjection
This part of a speech refers to words which express emotions. Since interjections are
commonly used to convey strong emotions, they are usually followed by an exclamation
point.

Example:

I just replaced your sugar with salt. Bazinga!

Hooray! I got the job!

Hey! Stop messing with me!

Ouch! That mustve hurt really bad!


Oh! Theyre here!

Boo-yah! This is the bomb!

Are you still going to eat that? Yuck!

Yahoo! I got my Christmas bonus!


Subject-Verb Agreement

NOTE:
We will use the standard of underlining subjects once and verbs twice.
Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of subject-verb
agreement.

Basic Rule. A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a singular verb (is, goes, shines),
whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Example: The list of items is/are on the desk.
If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb.

1. Subjects and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the
background of the concept.

- The dog growls when he is angry. The dogs growl when they are angry.
- The baby cries when he is angry.
- The babies cry when they are angry.

2. Dont get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not
affect agreement.

- The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.


- The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.
- The flowers, which thrives in our backyard, are very appealing to the eyes.

3. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.

- The colors of the rainbow are beautiful.


- The color of the rainbow are beautiful.
- One of the universities in Pampanga is implementing a new academic
calendar.

4. When sentences start with there or here, the subject will always be placed after
the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.

- There is a problem with the balance sheet. Here are the papers you
requested.
- There is a problem with the billing information.
- Here are the documents you requested.
5. Subjects don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately
identify the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use.

- Does Lefty usually eat grass? Where are the pieces of this puzzle.
- Does Horsy usually eat grass ?
- Where are the piece of this puzzle?

6. If two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form.

- The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
- The president and the vice president are from different political parties.
- My father and I will go to fishing today.

7. The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same person or
thing.

- Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.


- Bread and cheese has been my favorite snack.
- Black and white is my favorite color.

8. If one of the words each, every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is singular.

- No smoking or drinking is allowed.


- Every man and woman is required to check in.
- Wear always your I.D in the campus.

9. If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor,
either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular.

- Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident.


- Miguel or Christian is to blame for the accident.
- Neither Melissa nor Cathy war present yesterday.

10. The only time when the object of the preposition factors into the decision of plural or
singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like some, half, none, more, all,
etc. are followed by a prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the object of the
preposition determines the form of the verb.

- All of the chicken is gone.


- All of the chickens are gone.
- Aubrey is already done.

11. The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or time.
Four quarts of oil was required to get the car running.
Two thirds of the members of the congress believes that president is responsible for the
accident.
Two cups of sugar is in the cake.

12. If the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor,
either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.
Dogs and cats are both available at the pound.
The president and the former PNP chief are both responsible for the misencounter.
Gold fish is in the aquarium.

13. If one subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the
words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb form of the
subject that is nearest the verb.
Either the bears or the lion has escaped from the zoo.
Neither the lion nor the bears have escaped from the zoo.
The dog was escape at the cage.
14. Indefinite pronouns typically take singular verbs. *
Everybody wants to be loved.
Nobody has qualified for the special promotion.
Everyone believes to God.

15. * Except for the pronouns (few, many, several, both, all, some) that always take the
plural form.
Few were left alive after the flood.
Many still harbor doubts about true intention of china
Many was survive at the earthquake.

16. If two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb.
To walk and to chew gum require great skill.
To sketch and paint are his professional work.
Exercise is needed to be slim.

17. When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence, they take the singular verb
form of the verb; but, when they are linked by and, they take the plural form.
Standing in the water was a bad idea.
Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
Throwing garbage everywhere is bad thing.

18. Collective nouns like herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb
form.
The herd is stampeding.
The school faculty is to join a national workship next week.
I am joining the sports fest next month.

19. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb.
The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
The Lord of the Rings is my favorite movie.
Basketball is my favorite sport.

20. Final Rule Remember, only the subject affects the verb!

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