The Eight Parts of Speech

 

A noun is a word used to name a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. Dates and days of the week are also nouns.

 

1. A common noun is a general name for a person, place, thing or idea. A proper noun names a particular person, place, thing, or idea. Common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are used in a title. Proper nouns are almost always capitalized
2. A concrete noun names an object that can be perceived by the senses. An abstract noun names a quality, a characteristic, or an idea. Some nouns are concrete or abstract, depending on how they are used.
3. A collective noun consists of two or more words used together as a single noun. Some compound nouns are written as one word, some as separate words, and others as hyphenated words. When you are not sure about the form of a compound noun, look it up in a dictionary.

 

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A pronoun may also take the place of another pronoun or a verbal. A pronoun may also take the place of a phrase or a clause.

 

1. A personal pronoun refers to the one speaking (first person), the one spoken to (second person), or the one spoken about (third person).
2. A demonstrative pronoun. point s out a person, a place, a thing, a thing, or an idea. (this that these those)
3. An interrogative pronoun introduces a question (who whom which what whose) relative pronoun introduces as subordinate clause. (that which who whom whose)

 

An adjective is a word used to modify a noun or a pronoun. To modify a word means to describe or to make more definite the meaning of a word. Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns by telling what kind, which one, or how many (how much). Adjectives usually precede the words they modify. For emphasis, however, adjectives are sometimes placed after the words they 'modify. Adjectives may also be separated from the words they modify.

 

The most frequently used adjectives are a, an, and the. These words are called articles.

 

1. A and an are indefinite articles. which refer to anyone of a group. A is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound. An is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound.
2. The is the definite article. It indicates someone or something in particular. The can precede any word, regardless or the initial sound. A word may be used as one part of speech in one context and as a different part of speech in another context. For example, the following words may be used as adjectives or pronouns.

 

all	each	more	that	one
another	either	most	other	any
few	much	several	both	many
neither	some	what	these	this
those	which	whose

 

Remember that an adjective modifies a noun and that a pronoun takes the place of a noun.

 

Sometimes nouns are used as adjectives. By checking an up-to-date dictionary, you can avoid confusing a noun that is used as an adjective with a noun that is part of a compound noun.

 

Two types of verbals-participles and infinitives-may be used as adjectives.

 

Some adverbs may be used as adjectives.

 

A verb is a word used to express action or a state of being.

 

1. An action verb expressed physical or mental activity.
2. A transitive verb is an action that takes an object - a word that tells who or what receives the action. An intransitive verb is an action verb that does not take an object.A verb can be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another. Dictionaries usually group the definitions of verbs according to whether the verbs are used transitively (v.t.) or intransitively (v.i.).
3. A verb phrase consists of a main verb and at least one helping verb (also called an auxiliary verb)

 

 

 

An adverb is a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Most commonly, adverbs are used to modify verbs, verb phrases, and verbals. Adverbs may modify adjectives. Adverbs may also modify other adverbs.
Some nouns may be used as adverbs. To keep your writing fresh, try to avoid using worn-out adverbs such as very, really, and so. When you can, replace these words with more exact and descriptive words.

 

A preposition is a word that relates a noun or pronoun to another word. A preposition always introduces a phrase. The noun or pronoun that ends a prepositional phrase is called the object of the preposition.

Here are some examples of prepositions: About, beneath, in, through, above, beside, inside, throughout, across, besides, into, till, after, between, like, to, against, beyond, like, to, along, of, under, but (meaning 'except'), underneath, among, by, fom, during, past, within, without, below).

 

Some prepositions may be used as other parts of speech.

 

Do not confuse the prepositions upon and into with the adverbs up and in and the prepositions on and to used together.

 

1. A preposition that consists of more than one word is called a compound preposition. Here are some examples of compound prepositions: according to, by way of, in spite of, along with, due to, instead of, aside from, except for, next to, as for, in addition to, out of, as of, in front of, up to, because of, in place of, with regard to.
2. In formal writing and speaking situations it is generally best to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition.

 

A conjunction is a word used to join words or groups of words.

 

1. A coordinating conjunction connects words or groups of words used in the same way. (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet)
2. Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that connect words or groups of words used in the same way. Here are some examples: both...and, not only...but(also), either...or, whether...or, neither...nor.
3. A conjunctive adverb is an adverb that is used to connect independent clauses. Here are some examples of this one: accordingly, however, next, also, indeed, nonetheless, anyway, instead, otherwise.

 

An interjection is a word used to express emotion. It has no grammatical relation to other words in the sentence. Here are some examples: ah, oh, whew, yahoo, gee, ouch, whoa, yikes, hey, well, wow, yippee.

 

Learn these parts of speech and you'll have a much easier time with your writing.