Overview of Parts of Speech / Some Common Prepositions / Some Exercises / More Exercises |
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The Parts of Speech
NOUN: a person, place, thing, idea, feeling, or animal
Ex: cat, leader, girls, Ms. Jones, love, school, trust
PRONOUN: takes the place of a noun
Ex: he, she, it, we, they, none, everybody
VERB: expresses action or state of being
Ex: run, think, buy, feel
ADJECTIVE: describes nouns and pronouns; tells us ÒWhich one?Ó ÒHow many?Ó ÒWhat kind?Ó
Ex: four, blue, big, silly, the, a, an
ARTICLE: the little word before a noun. Sometimes considered an adjective
Ex: the, a, an
ADVERB: describes verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Tells us ÒHow?Ó ÒWhen?Ó ÒWhy?Ó ÒWhere?Ó
ÒIn what way?Ó ÒUnder what condition?Ó ÒTo what extent?Ó
Ex: frequently, yesterday, sometimes, never, very, quietly
PREPOSITION: shows the relationship (often direction) between noun or pronoun and some other word.
(Think of any relationship between the noun ÔairplaneÕ and a cloud)
Ex: to, up, around, by, through
CONJUNCTION: joins words or groups of words
Ex: and, but, or, yet, because, although
INTERJECTION: expresses sudden emotion.
Ex: Oh! Ouch! No! Oops! Yikes!
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
around
at
before
behind
below
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beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but (ÒexceptÓ)
by
concerning
down
during
except
for
from
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in
into
like
of
off
on
over
past
since
through
throughout
to
toward
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under
underneath
until
up
upon
with
within
without
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Strategies
for finding parts of speech in a sentence:
1. Find the main VERB in the sentence and underline it twice. 2. Find the subject of the sentence by asking ÒWho or what is doing the action?Ó The subject will be a noun. Underline the subject once. 3. Now, it should be easier to figure out the functions of the other words in the sentence. 4. SoÉ Do the other words modify other words? Do they connect? Do they stand in for other words? Do they show emotion but not affect that sentence grammatically? |
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Exercise 1: Underline subjects once. Underline verbs twice. Circle all prepositions and draw an arrow
to the noun that the preposition connects to the rest of the sentence.
1. He walked into the house.
2. She sings like a bird.
3. My houseplants need a drink of water, for my house is very dry.
4.
Despite my anger, I felt sorry for the man who stole my
lawnmower. The grass in his yard
looked terrible.
5.
I walked through the snow without a jacket until I was
frozen to the bone.
Exercise 2: Identify the part of
speech for each underlined word
Like my sister, I love playing in the outdoors. In the summer, I often climb mountains in New Hampshire and
visit beaches on Cape Cod. The last mountain I climbed, Mt. Monadnock, was beautiful. At the top, I took a
photograph of the view. I also gave a hungry hiker half of my sandwich. On the trail down the mountain, I
tripped over a loose rock, but
I didn't get hurt. Phew! Usually, I don't like to climb alone.
Exercise 3: Identify the part of
speech for each underlined word
The week before winter vacation requires energy, strength and durability. There are holiday cards to write,
tests for which to prepare, and travel plans to confirm. And of course, we canÕt forget school! Students
have tests in every subject, and some of these tests are (gasp!) cumulative! Nevertheless, it is important that we
enjoy these last days together as a school. From a teacherÕs perspective, the energy of a school right before a
vacation is buoyant, healthy and alive. When the holidays are imminent, the very lively spirit of young people
will always prevail.
Same Actor, Different
Role
Lesson: The same word can act as different
parts of speech, depending on the sentence itÕs in!
For example:
q
Grammar gives
me the goosebumps. (noun.
subject)
q
I am a veritable grammar fiend! (adjective. modifying
ÔfiendÕ)
q
Today we will
study Mars. (adverb. modifying
study)
q
Today is a
perfect day for studying planets. (noun. subject)
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Exercise 5: Label the Part of speech in the underlined word.
Exercise 6: Identify the part of speech of the underlined words below.
1. I like to hear the ring of the cash registers as the salespeople ring up their sales.
2. According to the daily schedule, the boat makes three trips daily.
3. She chose an especially large book at the book sale.
4. Be sure to turn right at the right corner; our house is the first one on the right.
5. That shows you didnÕt read that explanation carefully.
6. I fancy people in fancy clothes. I therefore took a fancy to him.
7. The vampire powdered his nose; then he ate the powder, as well as the powder box.
8. Yesterday I thought that tomorrow was a thing of the future.
9. I lost that lost feeling as soon as I found the lost and found.
10. I failed the taste test when I tasted the dish without my sense of taste.