Download Parts of Speech

Parts of Speech
Nouns: person, place, thing, or idea

Common: does not name a particular person, place, thing, or idea; never capitalized
o person
o president
o baseball
o woman
o park
o government

Proper: names a particular person, place, thing, or idea; always capitalized.
o Jackie Robinson
o Brooklyn
o Christianity
o Ebbets Field
o World Series
o Hinduism

Concrete: names a thing that is tangible (can be seen touched, heard, smelled, or tasted): common or proper
o child
o Grand Canyon
o Becky
o aroma
o fireworks
o Jazz

Abstract: names an idea, a condition, or a feeling: something that cannot be touched, smelled, tasted, seen,
or heard
o New Deal
o poverty
o awe
o greed
o progress
o God

Collective: names a group or a unit
o United States
o Portland Cementers
o team
o crowd
o cattle
o community
Noun Forms:
 Number: indicates whether the noun is singular or plural
o Singular: actor, stadium, Canadian, bully, truth, child, person
o Plural: actors, stadiums, Canadians, bullies, truths, children, people

Gender: indicates whether a noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or indefinites
o Masculine: uncle, brother, men, bull, rooster, stallion
o Feminine: aunt, sister, women, cow, hen, filly
o Neuter (without gender): tree, cobweb, flying fish, closet
o Indefinite: (masculine or feminine): president, plumber, doctor, parent

Case: tells how nouns are related to other words used with them
o Nominative case: subject of a clause
 Patsy’s heart was beating very wildly beneath his jacket...
 That black horse there owed something to the orphan he had made.
o Possessive case: shows possession or ownership
 Like the spider’s claw, a part of him touches a world he will never enter.
o Objective case: direct object, indirect object, or an object of the preposition
 Marna always gives Mylo science fiction books for his birthday.
 Mylo: indirect object
 Books: direct object of gives
 Birthday: object of the preposition for
Parts of Speech
Adjective: describes or modifies a noun or pronoun; sometimes other adjectives
Also includes articles: a, an, the
Adjective Questions:
 What kind?
 How many/much?
 Which one?
Example: The young driver peeked through the big steering wheel.
Types of Adjectives:

Proper Adjective: created from a proper noun and is capitalized
o In Canada (proper noun), you will find many cultures and climates.
o Canadian (proper adjective) winters can be harsh

Predicate Adjective: follows a form of the “be” verb [or other auxiliary (“helping”) verbs] AND
describes the subject.
o Joe made both goals (adjective)
o Both were scored in the final period (pronoun)
Forms of Adjectives:
Positive form: describes a noun or a pronoun without comparing it to anyone or anything else.
The first game was long and tiresome.
Comparative form: (-er, more, or less) compares two persons, places, things, or ideas.
The second game was longer and more tiresome than the first.
Superlative form: (-est, most, or least): compares three or more persons, places, things, or ideas.
The third game was the longest and most tiresome of all.
Positive
big
helpful
painful
Comparative
bigger
more helpful
less painful
Superlative
biggest
most helpful
least painful
Parts of Speech
DIRECTIONS:

Underline all nouns

Circle all adjectives

Draw an arrow to the noun
or adjective the adjective
describes or modifies.
1. This Seattle market offers some of the freshest fish I’ve ever had.
2. They sell two types of sole from Africa: the slender Agulhas sole and the round West
coast sole.
3. You will also find snoek there, an oily fish that is popular with South African people.
4. Norwegian sardines are young herrings that are smaller than full-grown ones.
5. Along with other varieties caught along the North American west coast, salmon is a
favorite treat of Seattlites.
6. Thomas Beecham said, “Movie music is noise...even more painful than my sciatica.”
7. Upgrading the ancient computers is the most problematic issue on the agenda.
8. In the dead of gray winter, frequent dreams of cloudless blue skies and lush green grass
keep me sane.
Imitate in your essay:

Small and slightly plum, she had the perfect skin and apple cheeks of a picture poster.

Life, for all its raw talent, has little sense of structure. It creates amazing textures, but is
can’t be counted on for snappy beginnings or good endings either.
Parts of Speech
Adverbs: describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
Adverbial Questions:
 How?
 When?
 Where?
 To What Extent/Degree?
Example:
 She sneezed loudly.
 Her sneezes are really loud.
 The sneeze exploded very noisily.
(modifies the verb)
(modifies the adjective)
(modifies the adverb)
Types of Adverbs:




Time:
when
today
yesterday
how often
daily
weekly
how long
briefly
eternally
where
here
there
to where
nearby
beyond
from where
backward
forward
Place:
Manner (-ly) : how
precisely
effectively
regally
smoothly
Degree:
how much
substantially
greatly
entirely
really
well
how little
partly
partially
Forms of Adverbs:
Positive form: describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb without comparing it to anyone or anything else.
Model X vacuum cleans well and runs quietly.
Comparative form: (-er, more, or less) compares how two things are done.
Model Y vacuum cleans better and runs more quietly than model X does.
Superlative form: (-est, most, or least): compares how three or more things are done.
Model Z vacuum cleans best and runs most quietly of all.
Positive
well
fast
remorsefully
Comparative
better
faster
more less remorsefully
Superlative
best
fastest
most remorsefully
Parts of Speech
DIRECTIONS:

Underline all verbs, then
nouns—so you can identify
the adjectives
Circle all adverbs

Draw an arrow to the verb
or adjective the adverb
describes or modifies.
Direction on food safety is badly needed in underdeveloped countries. There, diarrhea caused by
contaminated food and water is a leading cause of death. With that in mind, the World Health
Organization (WHO) recently revised a poster, available in 32 languages, to more clearly show some
simple rules for safe food handling and preparation.
The cardinal rule, of course, involves cleanliness. Dangerous germs (widely found in soil, water,
animals, and people) can be transmitted quite easily to food via unwashed hands. In addition, dishrags,
utensils, and cutting boards need frequent washing. WHO also pushes for the use of safe water and raw
materials.
Temperature is the next concern. Proper cooking kills dangerous microorganisms the best—but
it’s also important to keep cooked and raw food at a safe temperature. Never leave cooked food
unrefrigerated for longer than two hours, and do not thaw frozen food at room temperature.
Finally, do not handle raw food and cooked food together. Meat, poultry, and seafood can be
especially dangerous; they should always be separated from other foods during their preparation. These
simple steps can dramatically reduce food- and water-borne illness here and around the world.
Imitate in your essay:

It was one of those perfect English autumnal days that occur more frequently in memory
than in life.

Those who are urged to feel afraid, very afraid, have both the greatest sense of independence
and the most finely honed skepticism about government.