Download Parts of Speech, Nouns, and Pronouns

Grammar Review
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People are often judged on their speaking
and writing skills.
If a person has a large vocabulary and follows
standard grammar rules, he or she is treated
differently than someone whose vocabulary
is limited or who ignores basic rules.
People whose language skills aren’t polished
are often passed over for jobs or promotions,
even when they have all of the other
necessary qualifications.
Parts of
speech
•Nouns
•Pronouns
•Verbs
•Adverbs
•Adjectives
•Prepositions
•Conjunctions
•Interjections
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Definition: a person, place, thing, idea, or
event
COMMON NOUNS: flower, cloud, boy, chair,
painting
PROPER NOUNS: Mount Sentinel, Jacob, Ms.
Martin, Mona Lisa
ABSTRACT NOUNS: peace, love, harmony,
pride, anger
CONCRETE NOUNS: grass, whisper, Lance
Armstrong
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An word that describes action (hit) or state of
being (happy)
There are helping verbs & main verbs.
For example: I should have been walking home
every night.
 Should, have, and been are all helping verbs
 Walking is the main verb.
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An adjective describes or modifies nouns,
pronouns, or other adjectives
What are the adjectives in the following
sentence?
 My mother is beautiful, smart, and slightly silly.
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Unfortunately, words don’t always fall neatly
into any single category. They can only be
categorized when they are used in a
sentence.
For instance, the word rain can be used as
several different parts of speech
 NOUN: The rain fell softly.
 VERB: It rained all night.
 ADJECTIVE: The rain gauge is half full.
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Pronouns are words that take the place of a
noun.
 Common pronouns include he, she, it, they, me,
etc.
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Pronouns have several characteristics. They
can be referred to in the following ways:
 Person
 Number
 Gender
 Case
 Class
 Special
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First person: I, we
Second person: you
Third person: he, she, it, they
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If I tell you to write a first person account of
something that happened to your family, you
would use the words I and we several times!
However, unless you’re purposely writing in the
second person (which is uncommon) the word
you should stay out of your papers and essays!
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Singular: one person or thing
 I, he, she, it, me, him, her
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Plural: two or more people or things
 We, they, us, them
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Feminine: she, her, hers
Masculine: he, him, his
Neutral: it, its
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Subjective (used as subject): I, you, he, she, it, we, they,
who, whoever
 We went to the store.
 We is the subject, because it is doing the action
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Objective (used as object): me, you, him, her, it, us, them,
whom, whomever
 I hurt you.
 You is the object because it is receiving the action.
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Possessive (used as an adjective): my/mine, your/yours,
his, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs, its
 That is my dollhouse.
 My is the possessive because it is telling us who the dollhouse
belongs to. It’s DESCRIBING the owner of the dollhouse.
Personal (noun equivalent): I, me, you, he, him, she, it,
we, us, you, they, them, its, our/ours, their/theirs
 Relative (pronoun reflects back to the noun or pronoun
that the clause modifies): who, whom, whose, that, which
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 Ex: The boy who left is ten.
Indefinite (refers to nonspecific persons or things): all,
another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each,
either, no one, many, neither, everyone, few, several,
some, etc.
 Interrogative (introduces questions): who, what, whose
 Demonstrative (may be noun or adjective): this, that,
these, those
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 Ex: This is easy. (noun or adj?)
 Ex: This book is mine. (noun or adj?)
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Reflexive (receiver and doer are the same):
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself,
ourselves, yourselves, themselves
 Ex: I cut myself.
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Intensive (emphasizes a noun or pronoun):
myself yourself, ourselves, yourselves,
themselves, himself, herself, itself
 Ex: I myself prefer butter.
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Reciprocal (individual parts of a plural
antecedent): each other, one another
 They love each other.
 The verb may simply consist of a single word – the
main verb.
▪ I walk home every night.
 It may also consist of several words – the main
verb and the helping verb(s).
▪ I should have been walking home every night.
Helping Verbs (can
also function as main
verbs)
Be
Being
Been
Am
Is
Are
Was
Were
Have
Has
Had
Do
Does
Did
Modals (can only
function as helping
verb)
Can
May
Could
Should
Would
Will
Shall
Might
Must
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These verbs express a state of being, rather
than an action. They include all forms of the
following words:
 Look, taste, appear, seem, get, grow, smell, feel,
make sound, become, be (am, are, is, was, were)
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Most of the time, sensory verbs (look, taste,
smell, sound, feel) act as linking verbs, but
sometimes they act as action verbs.
 Sensory: The dog looked happy. (Happy describes the
dog. The happy dog would have the same meaning.)
 Action: The dog looked happily at the fresh steak.
(Happily describes how the dog looked at the steak.)
 Sensory: The cookies taste salty. (Salty describes the
cookies.)
 Action: Lou tasted salt on the cookies. (Salt is a noun.
It doesn’t describe Lou.)
 Regular verbs are predictable in the way the
tenses are conjugated (end is changed).
▪ Past tense (-ed)
▪ Present participle (-ing)
 Irregular verbs don’t follow these same rules
▪ Ex: deal, choose, dream, etc.
▪ What other irregular verbs can you think of?
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Verbals are words that look like verbs but are
used in a different way.
 There are three kinds: gerunds, participles, and
infinitives.
Gerund
▪ The –ing form is used as a noun.
▪ Writing improves with practice.
Participle
▪ when used with helping verbs, these words are verbs
themselves
▪ when used without a helping verb, these words are adjectives
Infinitive
▪ the infinitive form is the base form of a verb preceded by the
word to (to walk)
▪ it can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb
Gerund
▪ Example: Walking is great exercise.
Participle
▪ Verb Example: I was walking home when it started to
rain.
▪ Adjective Example: I have a good pair of walking shoes.
Infinitive
▪ Noun Example: He wanted to walk.
▪ Definition: Describe (modify) nouns, pronouns, and
other adjectives.
Adjectives always answer one of the following questions:
▪ Which one? favorite uncle
▪ What kind? valuable painting
▪ How many? three mice
▪ How much? little patience
▪ Coordinate adjectives modify the same word and are
separated by a comma.
▪ Ex: The quick, easy recipes are my favorite.
▪ Cumulative adjectives build meaning. A comma doesn’t
come between them. The first word may intensify the
second.
▪ Ex: My blue suede shoes need cleaning.
▪ REMEMBER…
▪ A comma never goes between the final
adjective and the word it modifies.
 NO: They spent a long, quiet, afternoon
together.
 YES: They spent a long, quiet afternoon
together.
▪ Definition: describe or modify adjectives, verbs,
or other adverbs.
▪ When adverbs modify verbs, they often answer
one of these questions:
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Under what condition?
How often?
How much?
ADVERBS
The following are
common adverbs:
Carefully
Calmly
Perfectly
Often
Quickly
Slowly
Now
Regularly
Seldom
Thoughtfully
Then
Sometimes
ADJECTIVES
ADVERBS
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Positive: big, pleasant
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Positive: fast, carefully
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Comparative: bigger,
more pleasant
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Comparative: faster, more
carefully
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Superlative: biggest, most
pleasant
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Superlative: fastest, most
carefully
COMPARATIVE
SUPERLATIVE
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Compares two people,
places, or things.
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Only used with three or
more people or things.
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Ex: My younger son plays
the piano. (I have only two
sons.)
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Ex: My oldest sibling lives
in Denver. (I have more
than two siblings.)
GOOD
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We use good as the
adverbial form to answer
the question “What kind?”
Sherry is a good cook.
(Good is the adjective form
modifying cook.)
WELL
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We use well as the
adverbial form to answer
“How much?” or “How?”
Sherry also paints well.
(Well is the adverbial form
modifying paints.)
WELL
Further confusion occurs
because the word well can
be considered an adjective
when referring to a
person’s health.
 After feeling sick for two
days, Ann is finally feeling
well again.
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Grammar Review
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Commas group words
that belong together
and separate words
that don’t belong
together.
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Commas are used to
distinguish number places
(hundreds, thousands,
millions, etc.)
Ex: $11,000,000
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When the state or country
is listed after the city, it is
separated by a pair of
commas.
Denver, Colorado, is the
capital of Colorado.
When the month, day, and
year are written out within
a sentence, the year is
separated by a pair of
commas. When only the
month and day are given,
do NOT use a comma.
 We’ll meet May 9.
 We’ll meet May 2011.
 We’ll meet May 9, 2011.
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Commas are used after the
greetings and closing in a
letter.
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Dear Jane,
How are you? I am fine.
Sincerely,
Bob
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Items in a series can be
nouns, verbs, phrases, and
clauses. The comma before
the and is optional. (But
more writers use it.)
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My niece wants a doll, a
dress, and a book for
Christmas.
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Commas group any extra
information in a sentence.
Intro: By the way, Charles
said hello.
 Appositives: Aaron, the
neighbor’s son, is already
driving.
 Nonrestrictive info: Charles,
by the way, said hello.
 “Tagged-on” words: You’re
coming, aren’t you?
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After quote: “Books are
wonderful,” said Mrs.
Martin.
Before quote: Mrs. Martin
said, “Books are
wonderful.”
Split quote, “Books,” said
Mrs. Martin, “are
wonderful.”
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DO NOT separate a subject from
its verb with a single comma.
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NO: How the Broncos lost the
Superbowl, is a mystery to their
fans.
YES: How the Broncos lost the
Superbowl is a mystery to their
fans.
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NO: Football, is an important
American tradition.
YES: Football is an important
American tradition.
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DO NOT separate the verb from its
object with a single comma.
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NO: Important Christmas traditions
are, a Christmas tree, carols, and
Santa Claus.
YES: Important Christmas traditions
are a Christmas tree, carols, and Santa
Claus.
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NO: Over 100 million Americans
celebrate, at least in some way this
December tradition.
YES: Over 100 million Americans
celebrate, at least in some way, this
December tradition.
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DO NOT separate the final
adjective from the word it
modifies.
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NO: She was a pretty,
smart, and charming,
woman.
YES: She was a pretty,
smart, and charming
woman.
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Quotation marks mark the
beginning and end of
directly quoted words.
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Quotation marks mark the
beginning and end of
directly quoted words.
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A quotation is a writer’s or
speaker’s exact words.
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In a direct quotation, the
speaker’s words are
repeated exactly as they
were spoken or written.
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Tallulah Bankhead said, “If I
had my life to live again, I’d
make the same mistakes,
only sooner.”
The first letter after a split
quotation isn’t normally
capitalized (unless it would
be anyway – like the word
“I” or a name).
 “If I had my life to live
again, I’d make the same
mistakes,” Tallulah
Bankhead said, “only
sooner.”
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Notice too, that the
punctuation falls INSIDE
the quotation marks.
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To blend quotes into a
sentence, put quotation
marks around direct
quotations. Don’t capitalize
the first letter of the
quotation.
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Ex: Rose Macauly says you
should believe everything in
the newspapers, since “this
makes them more
interesting.”
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An indirect quotation uses
someone’s idea, but not
his/her exact words. DON’T
use quotation marks in this
case.
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Ex: Rose Macauly says you
should believe everything
you read in the newspapers
because it’s more
interesting that way.
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Single quotation marks
enclose a quotation within
a quotation.
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Ex: Somerset Maughm
said, “It wasn’t until late in
life I discovered how easy it
was to say ‘I don’t know.’”
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Quotation marks are placed
around the titles of SHORT
works such as newpaper and
magazine articles, short
stories, songs, and chapters
of books.
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Ex: Did you read “A Challenge
the Schools Didn’t Take” in
USNews?
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My favorite song is “Fishin’ in
the Dark” by Nitty Gritty Dirt
Band.
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Periods and commas go
INSIDE the quotation marks.
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Colons and semicolons go
OUTSIDE the quotation
marks.
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Question marks, exclamation
points, and dashes go inside
OR outside, depending if they
are with the quoted material
or not.
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Ex: One of my favorite essays
is James Thurber’s “University
Days.”
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Ex: The price for the best
paper went to “Drucker’s
Influence on Management”; it
was the only one submitted.
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Ex: Did you hear him read
“The Road Not Taken”?
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Ex: Did you hear him ask,
“Who is ready for lunch?”
Colons are used AFTER
independent clauses
(sentences) to direct
attention to a list, an
appositive, or a quotation.
 DON’T capitalize the first
word of the list or
appositive. DO capitalize
the first word of a
quotation.
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List : We plan to visit all the
great tourist spots: the
Garden of the Gods, Pikes
Peak, and Barney’s Diner.
Appositive: His laundry
pile could be described in
two words: big and smelly.
Direct quotation: Consider
the advice we give to
writers: “Approach writing
like you would any other
art form.”
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Another use: Colons can
also be used between
sentences if the second
sentence summarizes or
explains the first. The first
word after the colon can be
capitalized or left
lowercase. Just be
consistent!
Example: Faith is like love:
It cannot be forced.
Tip! An independent clause
(complete sentence)
ALWAYS comes before a
colon. What comes AFTER
a colon may or may not be
a complete sentence.
 Incorrect: Please bring: a
sleeping bag, sturdy hiking
shoes, and a flashlight.
 Correct: Please bring some
supplies for camping: a
sleeping bag, sturdy hiking
shoes, and a flashlight.
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Semicolons are used in
place of a period to
indicate a close
relationship between
independent clauses. They
are also used as a sub for
commas to improve clarity.
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Semicolons are used when
two sentences are closely
related in meaning but
aren’t joined by a
conjunction (and, but,
etc.).
I don’t know who my
grandfather was; I am
much more concerned
about what his grandson
will be. –Abraham Lincoln
Semicolons can also be
used between independent
clauses linked with a
adverb or transitional
phrase.
 Sandy plans to travel to
Jamaica over spring break;
however, she still hasn’t
purchased her airline
ticket.
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Semicolons are also used
between items in a series
containing internal
punctuation. They can be
used to separate items that
already contain commas.
Example: I have lived in
Missoula, Montana;
Chicago, Illinois; and
Seattle, Washington.
Tip! Unless you’re using one
with a list, there should
always be a complete
sentence BEFORE and AFTER
a semicolon.
 Incorrect: I can’t even clear
my throat in five minutes;
much less introduce the
president.
 Correct: I can’t even clear my
throat in five minutes, much
less introduce the president.
 Correct: I can’t even clear my
throat in five minutes, much
less introduce the president; I
won’t even try!
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Two important
functions:
 In contractions to
replace missing
numbers or
letters
 Used to show
ownership
CONTRACTIONS

Show the omission of
numerals and letters
 They are = they’re
 You are = you’re
 1990 = ’90
OWNERSHIP
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Apostrophes show that
someone or something in
in possession of something
else.
 My cousin’s car is in the
garage.
▪ This shows that one cousin
owns the car
 My cousins’ car is in the
garage.
▪ This shows that the car is
owned by multiple cousins.
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Words that end in s
can be tricky.
 You can just use an
apostrophe
▪ Kansas’ weather is
volitile.
 OR you can add an
s after the
apostrophe
▪ Bob Jones’s car is
brand new.
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Singular Possessive
 Add an apostrophe
plus s to form the
singular possessive
 Jane’s books were
left at home.
 Today’s world is
dangerous.
 It’s all part of a day’s
work.
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Plural Possessive
 Most plural nouns end in s.
Just add an apostrophe for
the plural form.
▪ The girls’ coats were
warm.
▪ Her friends’ expressions
warmed her heart.
 Add an apostrophe plus s if
the word doesn’t end in s.
▪ The women’s hats were
expensive.
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Joint Possession
 Add an apostrophe only to
the LAST name when both
people own something
▪ Bob and Tom’s room is a
mess. (they both own the
same room)
 Add an ‘s to BOTH if there
is separate possession.
▪ John’s and Ted’s tests
were in the top 5%. (they
each took a separate test)
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Compound Nouns
 If the noun is
compound, use ‘s (or s’)
with the last element of
the compound.
▪ My mother-in-law’s
quilts are beautiful.
▪ My sister-in-law’s
children are smart.
WORD
USES
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It’s/its
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It is/possessive pronoun
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You’re/your
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You are/possessive
pronoun
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They’re/their/there
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They are/possessive
pronoun/refers to place or
position
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Who’s/whose
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Who is/possessive pronoun
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It’s raining.
The dog hurt its paw.
They’re happy to be home.
This is their home.
The cookies are over there.
Who’s coming with us?
Whose book is this?
You’re first in line.
Your books are on the table.