Parts of Speech Review

Nouns

Nouns answer “Who? or “What?”A noun names… For example…a person wife, Tony…a place park, Yuba College…a thing, such as

touchable things desks, Washington Monumentideas & qualities hope, fear, democracy, strengthanimals rattlesnakes, Fluffyactivities shopping, studying, drivinguntouchable things Wednesday, holiday, education

Tony teaches ESL. (Who teaches? Tony. What does he teach? ESL.)

We attend Yuba College. (Attend what? Yuba College.)

Education is costly. (What is costly? Education.)

We saw the Washington Monument. (We saw what? The Washington Monument.)

Let’s practiceIdentify the nouns:

Rattlesnakes like to rest in shady places in the summer.

Bobo, the monkey, loves to eat grapes.

Love is a warm, happy feeling.

Marcus forgot to feed the fish.

Elvia wants to tell about her trip to Canada.

Camping and hiking were her favorite activities.

Check your answers!The nouns are underlined:

Rattlesnakes like to rest in shady places in the summer.

Bobo, the monkey, loves to eat grapes.

Love is a warm, happy feeling.

Marcus forgot to feed the fish.

Elvia wants to tell about her trip to Canada.

Camping and hiking were her favorite activities.

Practice with real readingIdentify the nouns.

The argument that a text-sender should be held liable in a text-reader’s crash didn’t make it very far. A New Jersey judge ruled Friday that a woman could not be sued for texting her boyfriend while he was behind the wheel, though his distraction led to a tragic accident.

In a ruling believed to be the first of its kind, Superior Court Judge David Rand decided that Shannon Colonna, 20, cannot be held liable for an accident in which David and Linda Kubert each lost a leg.

The Kuberts were riding a Harley-Davidson on Sept. 21, 2009, when they were struck by a pickup truck driven by Kyle Best, then 18, as the New Jersey Star-Ledger and the Associated Press have reported. At the time, Best was driving home from his job as a swimming instructor.

Records showed that Best responded to one of Colonna’s texts only seconds before he dialed 911 to report the accident.

The Kuberts’ lawyer argued that Colonna’s text messages to Best were a factor in the accident, but Rand agreed with Colonna’s lawyer, saying she had no control over when or how Best would read and respond to the messages, the Star-Ledger reported.

–Sacramento Bee, May 25, 2012

Check your answers!The argument that a text-sender should be held liable in a text-reader’s

crash didn’t make it very far. A New Jersey judge ruled Friday that a womancould not be sued for texting her boyfriend while he was behind the wheel, though his distraction led to a tragic accident.

Superior Court Judge David Rand decided that Shannon Colonna, 20, cannot be held liable for an accident in which David and Linda Kubert each lost a leg.

The Kuberts were riding a Harley-Davidson on Sept. 21, 2009, when they were struck by a pickup truck driven by Kyle Best, then 18, as the New Jersey Star-Ledger and the Associated Press have reported. At the time, Best was driving home from his job as a swimming instructor.

Records showed that Best responded to one of Colonna’s texts only seconds before he dialed 911 to report the accident.

The Kuberts’ lawyer argued that Colonna’s text messages to Best were a factor in the accident, but Rand agreed with Colonna’s lawyer, saying she had no control over when or how Best would read and respond to the messages, the Star-Ledger reported.

–Sacramento Bee, May 25, 2012

Pronouns

Pronouns replace & refer to nouns.Some pronouns are singular. Some pronouns are plural.

wife = she, her desks = they, themTony = he, him the people now in this room = we, usRiverbend Park = it the people now in Sacramento = they,

themhope = it the people now in this room, excluding

the presenter or reader = yourattlesnake = it you and me = bothBobo the monkey = he, him not many people = few[your name here] = I, me a lot of people = manyNot you and not me = neither More than two people or things =

several

Let’s practice again.Identify the pronouns and, if possible, the nouns they represent.

Rattlesnakes are dangerous, so avoid them!

Bobo loves grapes although sometimes he only wants to throw them.

Marriage is wonderful, but it can also be difficult.

Although the camping trip Marisa took was short, it was exciting, and she can’t wait to go again.

Marisa and I took pictures, but they don’t really show how beautiful we found Ontario.

Quy and Brian said they would work on the papers until they finished them.

Neither likes Thai food.

Check your answers!The pronouns are underlined and their nouns are green.

Rattlesnakes are dangerous, so avoid them!

Bobo loves grapes although sometimes he only wants to throw them.

Marriage is wonderful, but it can also be difficult.

Although the camping trip Marisa took was short, it was exciting, and she can’t wait to go again.

Marisa and I took pictures, but they don’t really show how beautiful we found Ontario.

Quy and Brian said they would work on the papers until they finished them.

Neither likes Thai food.

Other common pronounsThese are called “relative pronouns.”

That (singular or plural)Who (singular or plural)

Which (singular or plural)

The book that I need is in the bookstore.The books that I need are in the bookstore.

A student who studies usually succeeds.Students who study usually succeed.

The lab, which is required, meets on Wednesday.The labs, which are required, meet on Wednesday.

Tricky pronouns

Everyone should bring his or her own pencil.Everybody has eaten his lunch.Everything is going well.

These “indefinite pronouns” are always singular, even though they seem pluralAnyone Everyone SomebodyEverybody Everything Anything

Practice: relative and indefinite pronounsIdentify the relative pronouns and the nouns they represent. Identify the

indefinite pronouns.

The rattlesnake that he killed was in the garage.

Bobo, who is three, has a birthday next month.

Everyone should grab his or her own notebook before leaving.

Anything is better than this!

The class meets on Monday, which is my only day off.

Everything is fine, thank you.

Check your answers--relative and indefinite pronouns

The relative pronouns are underlined. The nouns they represent are green. The indefinite pronouns are blue.

The rattlesnake that he killed was in the garage.

Bobo, who is three, has a birthday next month.

Everyone should grab his or her own notebook before leaving.

Anything is better than this heat!

The class meets on Monday, which is my only day off.

Everything is fine, thank you.

Adjectives describenouns & pronouns

They answer these questionsWhich one(s)? a, the, this, thatWhose? my, your, their, Amisa’sWhat kind? orange, hopeful, tall, passionateHow many? some, twelve, many, few

Adjectives……precede nouns …follow linking verbs

All the blue M&Ms Marcus is tired.

Many nursing students That class seems boring.

That awful movie My soda tastes flat.

Canadian cities It looks stormy outside.

Let’s practiceIdentify the adjective and the noun or pronoun it describes.

Stephanie likes tricky detective novels better than dumb romance stories.

Few people applied for the new receptionist’s job.

Julio chose an economical car instead of the flashy red one.

My sister’s car is economical, but she wishes she had a vintage Mustang instead.

Give me all the blue M&M’s; I don’t like the green ones.

Shopping for tires is so boring!

Check your answersThe adjectives are underlined. The noun or pronoun is green.

Stephanie likes tricky detective novels better than dumb romancestories.

Few people applied for the new receptionist’s job.

Julio chose an economical car instead of the flashy red one.

My sister’s car is economical, but she wishes she had a vintageMustang instead.

Give me all the blue M&M’s; I don’t like the green ones.

Shopping for tires is so boring!

What we’ve covered so far• Nouns answer “Who?” “What?” (person, place, thing, idea,

activity)• Pronouns replace & point to nouns• Adjectives answer “Which one(s)?” “Whose?” “What kind?”

“How many?” Describe/modify nouns & pronouns

Next…

Verbs

Verbs show action—or just “being”Action verbs

Said

Likes

Carried

Predict

Helps

Spend

throw

studies

Linking verbsIs (am, are, was, were)

seem

become

looked

smells

tasted

feels

sounds

Action verbs & linking verbsAction verbs are often followed by a receiver of the action answering the

question “What?”

Linking verbs connect a subject to a complement.

Linking verbs act like =

Let’s throw (What?) a party.

Throw is an action verb.

Tom is an athlete. (Tom = athlete)

Is is a linking verb.

The weatherman predicts (What?) rain.

Predicts is an action verb.

You seem anxious. (you = anxious)

Seem is a linking verb.

The hikers carry (What?) backpacks.

Carry is an action verb.

Study became difficult. (study = difficult)

Became is a linking verb.

Many verbs need helpersTogether they make verb phrases

Verb helpers Verb phrases

be: is, am, are, was, were, been Are comingWas hopingAm registering

have, has, had Has been eatingHad leftHave eaten

do, does, did Do expectDoes leaveDid plan

Modal helpers

Will, shall Will be waitingShall have finished

Can, may, might Can expectMay have been goingMight go

Should, would, could Should have knownWould comeCould be coming

Caution! Watch out for verb look-alikesInfinitives For exampleTo + verb He did not want to go.

The time to register is now.We met to discuss it.

(Infinitives can be nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.)

Gerunds For example-ing orphans I have to do some studying.

Swimming is good for you.(Gerunds are nouns.)

Participles For example-ing orphans used as adjectives

The movie was boring.

-ed or –en words used as adjectives

I was so bored!My fingers feel frozen.

(Participles are adjectives.)

to go

dancing

frozen

Verb practice! Yea!Identify the verbs. Include any helpers in the verb phrase. Do not

include any verb look-alikes. (Tip: NOT and NEVER are not part of the verb phrase.)

Hiking is very relaxing.

We are going to Costa Rica in June.

I expect to go to Costa Rica in June.

After skiing, we threw snowballs and soaked in the hot tub.

Freddy has become a very serious student.

Don’t you expect to catch the last bus?

Adverbs

Amazing active adverbs• Modify (change) verbs• Modify other adverbs• Modify adjectives

was rowing hardwas rowing really hardfelt very sweaty

Can move around a lot in a sentence:

Later, we will go to the movies.We will go later to the movies.We will go to the movies later.

Adverbs answer these questions • How? (quickly, happily, carefully)• When? (first, later, after, sometimes, always, never, while)• Where? (outside, inside) • Why? (because, in order that, even though)• To what degree? (slightly, very, almost, not)

Adverb practiceIdentify the adverbs and tell what question they answer: How? When?

Where? Why? To what degree?

Vicky was slightly nervous about the quiz.

Sometimes Alfredo drives impatiently.

They always leave their skateboards inside.

Hugo closed the door very gently, so the baby continued to sleep peacefully.

It was really very kind of you to help.

What we’ve learned so far…• Nouns answer “Who?” “What?” (person, place, thing, idea,

activity).• Pronouns replace & point to nouns• Adjectives answer “Which one(s)?” “Whose?” “What kind?”

“How many?” Describe/modify nouns & pronouns

• Verbs express action or “being”• Adverbs answer “How?” “When”? “Where”? “Why?” “To what

degree?” Modify verbs, adverbs, adjectives

Next…

Prepositions

in the box

on the box

under the box

in front of the box

behind the box

beside the box

next to the box

inside the box

Time (after dark)Place (at the far table)Direction (towards it)

Prepositions express things about…

Prepositions hate to live alone. They begin phrases that end with nouns…Prepositions Prepositional phrasesto to grandma’s housefrom from the beginningin in my back pocketon on the surfaceunder under the tablefor for goodness’ sakearound around the blockthrough through the pipesbefore before the gameafter after my mom’s surgeryduring during registration

The prepositional phrase formulaPreposition + [adjs.] + noun/pronoun = prepositional phrase

To schoolTo [my] school

To [my daughter’s] schoolTo [my daughter’s music] school

Practicing prepositionsIdentify the prepositional phrases (preposition + adjs+ noun/pronoun)

and tell whether they show time, place, or direction:

Grandmother lives over the river and through the woods.

We studied between classes for a couple hours.

After karate class, Amy took the girls to Jamba Juice.

I was listening to a podcast during the lecture, so I missed a few things.

The flying monkeys outside my window are so distracting!

Conjunctions

Conjunctions join…

Words: eggs and ham, walk and chew gum

Phrases: over the river andthrough the woods

Sentences: I like coffee, butQuy likes tea.

FANBOYS conjunctionsForAndNorButOrYetSo

• We ate lunch, for we were hungry.• Tom ate pizza, and I ate a salad.• Neither Tom nor I like sushi.• My salad was good but not large enough.• Do you prefer Ranch or Caesar dressing?• Tom says he’s on a diet, yet he still had cake.• I love to eat, so I never diet!

These conjunctions join equals.

FANBOYS practiceIdentify the conjunctions and tell whether they are joining words, phrases,

or sentences.

Nathan is listening to the podcast and working on his English project.

Steven and Matt took pictures of the accident with their cell phones.

Pindy is happy to create the report, but she needs all the information first.

The troublesome flying monkeys landed near the windows and doors.

Do you want ham and eggs, or do you prefer yogurt and cereal?

Other conjunctions• Because• Although• Since• If• When• While

• I’m late because I was watching Walking Dead.• Pecan pie is delicious although it’s bad for me.• Since his plane arrived, he hasn’t slept.• If I’d known, I would’ve come.• We’ll stop when he gets here.• You shouldn’t be texting while you drive.

These conjunctions join unequal pairs.

Mixed conjunction practiceIdentify the conjunctions and tell whether they are joining equal or unequal

pairs.

We could lease the Toyota, or we could buy the Honda.

Steven will complete his application when he gets home.

Although it was late, he waited until she was ready..

The flying monkeys are attracted by barbecues and picnics.

It doesn’t matter if you paint the room today or tomorrow.

Interjections

Interjections interrupt

Mild interruptions. Strong interruptions!

Oh, I see what you mean. Oh, no!

Well, I hope so. Well! That was rude.

Hi, everyone. Hi! It’s been such a long time!

Ouch, that hurt. Ouch! That really hurt!

Dang it, I missed the bus. Dang it! I got fired.

Final practiceIdentify the parts of speech.

Gosh! This was a very long workshop in a very warm room!

Is your friend sleeping, or is he dead?

Studying is my only weeknight activity, but on Saturdays I make time to relax and have fun.

Wow, my brain is so full of knowledge now.

I should have taken notes, for my teacher is always talking about verbs and prepositions.

Indeed, I can’t wait to attend another WLDC workshop!

Eight parts of speechNames a person, place or thing & answers the questions “Who?” or “What?”

Noun

Replaces and refers to a noun PronounDescribes a noun or pronoun & answers the questions “Which one(s)?” “Whose?” “What kind?” “How many?”

Adjective

Expresses action or “being” VerbAnswers the questions “Where?” “When?” “How?” “Why?” “To what degree?”

Adverb

Starts word groups telling about time, space, and direction

Preposition

Joins ConjunctionInterrupts Interjection

Writing & Language Development Center

…with thanks to Pamela Z for the photo on the title slide. Pamela Z’s show, Parts of Speech, “explores the language of asking (begging), the changing language of gender, questioning, grammar (dialect), small talk, coercion, technology, and news media. It examines and makes music of the subtleties of the human speaking voice….” www. pamelaz.com/partsofspeech.html

Created for you by Rosemary McKeever, Instructional Associate, Language Arts

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License . If you borrow, use, or adapt our work, give us credit!Your attribution should cite the Yuba College Writing & Language Development Center.