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Parts of Speech
An Overview
Why study the parts of speech?
SAT Prep:
●7 out of 8 parts of speech are tested on the
SAT
• In order to be successful on other portions
of the SAT, you need to be comfortable
identifying them.
Why study the parts of speech?
SAT Error-Identification questions fall into 16 major categories, listed below in approximate
descending order of frequency.
Verbs:
1. Subject-Verb Agreement
2. Verb Tense/Form
Pronouns:
3. Pronoun-Antecedent
4. Pronoun Case
Additional Errors:
5. Adjectives vs. Adverbs
6. Parallel Structure: Lists
7. Prepositions/Idioms
8. Faulty Comparisons
9. Word Pairs
10. Noun Agreement
11. Comparatives vs. Superlatives
12. Relative Pronouns
13. Double Negatives/Double Positives
14. Conjunctions
15. Redundancy
16. Diction
1. Nouns
Definition:
● A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
● Answers the questions: What? Who?
● There are 6 different types of nouns:
1. Concrete noun: a person, place, or thing that has physical
shape; can touch it
a. Examples: rabbit, museum, sister
Nouns
Definition:
● A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
● There are 6 different types of nouns:
2. Abstract Noun: an idea, quality, or emotion that has no
physical shape; cannot be touched
- Example: happiness, trust, liberty
Nouns
Definition:
● A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
● There are 6 different types of nouns:
3. Common noun: a person, place, thing, or idea that is not
specific; begins with a lower-case letter
-Examples: manager, ocean, desk, justice
Nouns
Definition:
● A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
● There are 6 different types of nouns:
4. Proper noun: a name of a specific person, place, thing, or
idea; begins with a capital letter
-Example: George, Atlantic, Montana, Tuesday,
Valentine’s Day
Nouns
Definition:
● A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
● There are 6 different types of nouns:
5. Compound noun: a noun formed when two nouns are put
together to form one noun
-Example: firefly, bathtub, homework
Nouns
Definition:
● A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.
● There are 6 different types of nouns:
6. Gerund: a noun formed by adding “ing” to a verb
(verb + ing)
-Examples: teaching, writing, eating
-Sentence: Blogging is my favorite activity.
2. Verb
Definition:
● A verb expresses an action or a state of being
● Answers: What is being said about “subject”?
● There are 3 different kinds:
1. Action verbs:
a. a physical action verb describes an action that
can be seen or heard
i. run, hit, jump, dance, sing
b. a mental action verb describes an action that
CANNOT be seen or heard.
i. think, worry, wonder, believe, feel, anticipate
Verb
Action verbs are classified as either:
•
Transitive verbs: Transitive verbs are action verbs
that have an object to receive that action.
Example: The batter hit the ball.
• Intransitive verbs: Intransitive verbs are action verbs
but unlike transitive verbs, they do not have an object
receiving the action.
Example: The bird sang.
Verb
Definition:
● A verb expresses an action or a state of being
● There are 3 different kinds:
2. Linking Verbs:
● connects the subject to the word that completes the
subject (the compliment)
● shows a state of being
● sometimes relates to the five senses
Example: The squid eyeball stew tasted good.
Verb
2. Linking Verbs: The following verbs are true linking
verbs: any form of the verb be
(am/is/are/was/were/ has been/are
being/might have been, etc) become, and seem.
Then you have a list of verbs with multiple
personalities:
appear/feel/grow/look/prove/remain/smell/so
und/taste/turn. Sometimes these verbs are linking
verbs; sometimes they are action verbs.
**If you can substitute am, is, or are and the
sentence still makes sense, then the verb is acting as a
linking verb.
Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew. (action)
Verb
Definition:
● A verb expresses an action or a state of being
● There are 3 different kinds:
3. Auxiliary Verbs (helping verbs): accompanies an
action verb or a linking verb, and it forms a phrase
showing the verb’s tense
Example: Sue is meeting her friend. They are going
to the movies.
(There are 24 helping verbs.)
Auxiliary Verbs (all 24)
Be
am
is
are
was
were
be
being
been
Do
does
do
did
Have
have
has
had
Modal Auxiliaries (Never change form)
can, could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should, will, would
3. Adjective
Definition:
● An adjective is a word that modifies (describes) a
noun or pronoun.
● Adjectives answer the following questions:
1. What kind?
Sue has a small, hairy mole which she hides
from important people.
2. Which one?
Sue’s recent trip was long but more rewarding than
her previous trip.
3. How many/much?
I have four years of college and some time in law
school.
Articles as special Adjectives
Indefinite article:
● Refers to an unspecified noun: a, an
o I would have been late if not for a man on the
subway.
Definite article:
● Refers to a specific person, place or thing: the
o Brent was told to address the president as “sir.”
4. Adverb
Definition - an adverb is a word modifying:
1. a verb
a. Jessica sings well. (How does she sing?)
2. an adjective
a. We went for a very long car ride. (How long was
the ride?)
3. or another adverb.
a. To escape the storm, we left more quickly than
usual.(How quickly did we leave? Why did we leave?)
Adverbs can answer:
1. How? (directly, very, acutely)
2. When? (again, often, sometimes, yesterday)
3. Where?(here, there, everywhere, up, down)
4. To what extent?
5. Why?
5. Pronoun
Definition - Like nouns, pronouns represent a person,
place, thing, or idea. Pronouns are different from nouns
because they stand in the place of a specific noun.
-There are 5 classes of pronouns:
1. Personal: a personal pronoun refers to people and
things. (Subjective: I/we/you/he/it. Objective:
me/you/her/him/us/them/it. )
2. Possessive: a possessive pronoun shows
possession or ownership.
(my/mine/your/yours/his/our/their)
3. Demonstrative: a demonstrative pronoun points
out specific persons or things.
(this/that/these/those)
5. Pronoun
Definition - Like nouns, pronouns represent a person,
place, thing, or idea. Pronouns are different from nouns
because they stand in the place of a specific noun.
-There are 5 classes of pronouns:
4. Indefinite: an indefinite pronoun does not refer to
anyone or anything in particular.
(everything/anything/no one/nothing/anyone/few/one)
5. Interrogative: interrogative pronouns are used to
ask questions. (who/whom/whose/what/which)
Antecedent: the noun the pronoun replaces.
Mark likes driving. He thinks it is relaxing.
6. Preposition
Definition - A preposition shows relationship between
a noun, or pronoun, and its objects.
Examples: about/above/across/after/at/before/behind/
by/between/beyond/but*/by/down/for/from/in/into/like
/of/since/through/to/under/up/with/within/
* But is very seldom a preposition. When it is used as a preposition,
but means the same as except—Everyone ate frog legs but Jamie.
But usually functions as a coordinating conjunction.
6. Preposition
Definition - A preposition shows relationship between a
noun, or pronoun) and its objects.
Prepositional Phrases: a prepositional phrases starts with
a preposition, ends with its object (a noun or pronoun), and
includes all the words in between.
Preposition + optional modifying words + noun/pronoun
Sue stood away from her annoying menace.
7. Conjunctions
Definition - a conjunction joins words, phrases, and
clauses.
-There are 3 kinds of conjunctions:
1. Coordinating Conjunctions: links two nouns, two
independent clauses, or two phrases
a. (FANBOYS - for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so)
Examples:
1. Soccer and hockey are popular sports.
2. Jimmy is tired, but he won’t take a nap.
3. The monkey likes to swing from ropes and jump on
tires.
7. Conjunctions
Definition - a conjunction joins words, phrases, and
clauses.
-There are 3 kinds of conjunctions:
2. Subordinating Conjunctions: joins a clause that
CANNOT stand alone with the rest of the sentence;
creates a dependent clause.
a. (AWUBIS:
after/although/as/when/where/because/before/un
less/until/if/since)
1. Since Autumn is here, we have to rake the leaves.
2. Your grades are going to suffer as long as you
continue to deprive yourself of sleep.
7. Conjunctions
Definition - a conjunction joins words, phrases, and
clauses.
-There are 3 kinds of conjunctions:
3. Correlative Conjunctions: joins equal parts of a
sentence together and must include both parts.
a. (either/or; neither/nor; both/and; not
only/but also; not/but; whether/or)
1. Neither Joe nor Bob enjoys math class.
2. Both Sue and Juan attend college.
3. Pan does not know whether she or her sister is
having the party.
8. Interjections
Definition - an interjection is a word or short phrase
that stands alone, begins a sentence, or is inserted into
a sentence to gain attention or add emphasis.
-There are 2 kinds of interjections:
1. Strong: a strong interjection expresses surprise,
strong emotion, or urgency and is followed by an
exclamation point.
Example: Yikes! The tub is overflowing.
Ouch! Who told you a shot only feels like a pinch?
I said I want that job done. Now!
8. Interjections
Definition - an interjection is a word or short phrase
that stands alone, begins a sentence, or is inserted into
a sentence to gain attention or add emphasis.
-There are 2 kinds of interjections:
2. Mild: a mild interjection is placed within a sentence
with a comma or commas bracketing it.
Example:
1. Well, if you don’t tell, I won’t.
2. That shot was a painful experience, indeed.
3. I will, certainly, take your feelings into
consideration.