Parts of Speech
The
eight ways in which words are used are called the eight parts of speech.
The eight classifications are noun,
pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and
interjection. Some words called
homographs can be used as several parts of speech. Words must be used in a sentence before one can determine
their classification.
1.
A noun is
the name of anything.
2.
A pronoun
takes the place of a noun.
3.
A verb
expresses action or state of being.
4.
An
adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun.
5.
An adverb
modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
6.
A
preposition shows a relationship between its object and another word in the
sentence.
7.
A
conjunction connects words, phrases, and clauses.
8.
An
interjection expresses strong feeling.
A
noun is a word used to name a person, place, thing, or idea.
Common
uses of the noun are:
1.
Subject
of the verb
2.
Object of
a verb
3.
Object of
a verbal
4.
Object of
a preposition
5.
Predicate
nominative
6.
Appositive
7.
Nominative
of address
In
general, there are two kinds of nouns: proper nouns and common nouns.
A
proper noun is a word that names a specific
person, place, or thing.
A
common noun is a word naming a person, place, or thing without being specific.
·
Collective
·
Concrete
·
Abstract
·
Compound
A
collective noun is a noun that names a group or collection.
A
concrete noun is a noun that names something material in form.
An
abstract noun is a noun that names a quality or idea.
A
transitive verb is one that requires an object to complete its meaning.
An
intransitive verb is one that expresses complete action without an object.
A
linking verb is an intransitive verb that connects the subject to the predicate
complement. They are sometimes
called state-of-being verbs or copulative verbs.
Common linking verbs are be, am,
is, are, was, were, been, seem, appear, feel become, smell, taste, and sound.
An
auxiliary or helping verb helps to form the mood, voice, tense, etc. of other
verbs.
e.g.
be, go, may, have, shall, will
Tense
is the form of the verb that indicates the time of the action.
The six tenses are:
·
Present
·
Past
·
Future
·
Present
perfect
·
Past
perfect
·
Future
perfect
An
adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun.
An
adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
A
conjunction is a word used to connect words, phrases and clauses.
An
interjection is a word that expresses strong feeling. It is independent of the sentence and is not used very often.
Examples are: Oh!, Ah!, Ouch!,
Help.
A
gerund is a verb ending in –ing that
is used as a noun. A gerund is a
noun.
A
participle is a word derived from a verb that is used as an adjective.
A participle is an adjective.
An
infinitive is a form of a verb usually preceded by to and is used as:
·
a noun
·
an
adjective
·
an adverb