The town decided to build a new jail. Here "jail" is a noun, which is the object of the infinitive phrase "to build. Here "jail" is part of the compound verb "would jail. In this sentence, "cries" is a noun acting as the direct object of the verb "heard. But here "cries" is a verb that describes the actions of the subject of the sentence, the baby. Written by Heather MacFadyen. In each of the following sentences, the verb or compound verb is highlighted : Dracula bites his victims on the neck.
The verb "bites" describes the action Dracula takes. In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs. Here the compound verb "will plant" describes an action that will take place in the future.
My first teacher was Miss Crawford, but I remember the janitor Mr. Weatherbee more vividly. Karl Creelman bicycled around the world in , but his diaries and his bicycle were destroyed. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all nouns: Late last year our neighbours bought a goat. Portia White was an opera singer. The bus inspector looked at all the passengers' passes. According to Plutarch , the library at Alexandria was destroyed in 48 B.
Philosophy is of little comfort to the starving. Noun Gender Many common nouns, like "engineer" or "teacher," can refer to men or women. David Garrick was a very prominent eighteenth-century actor. Sarah Siddons was at the height of her career as an actress in the s.
The manager was trying to write a want ad, but he couldn't decide whether he was advertising for a "waiter" or a "waitress" Noun Plurals Most nouns change their form to indicate number by adding "-s" or "-es", as illustrated in the following pairs of sentences: When Matthew was small he rarely told the truth if he thought he was going to be punished. Many people do not believe that truths are self-evident. As they walked through the silent house, they were startled by an unexpected echo.
I like to shout into the quarry and listen to the echoes that return. He tripped over a box left carelessly in the hallway. Since we are moving, we will need many boxes. Some words ending in "f" form the plural by deleting "f" and adding "ves," and words ending in "y" form the plural by deleting the "y" and adding "ies," as in the following pairs of sentences: The harbour at Marble Mountain has one wharf.
There are several wharves in Halifax Harbour. Warsaw is their favourite city because it reminds them of their courtship. The vacation my grandparents won includes trips to twelve European cities. The children circled around the headmaster and shouted, "Are you a mouse or a man? Possessive Nouns In the possessive case, a noun or pronoun changes its form to show that it owns or is closely related to something else. The only luggage that was lost was the prime minister's.
The exhausted recruits were woken before dawn by the drill sergeant's screams. The miner's face was covered in coal dust. You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that ends in "s" by adding an apostrophe alone or by adding an apostrophe and "s," as in the following examples: The bus's seats are very uncomfortable. The bus' seats are very uncomfortable.
The film crew accidentally crushed the platypus's eggs. The film crew accidentally crushed the platypus' eggs. Felicia Hemans's poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron's. Felicia Hemans' poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron's. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does not end in "s" by adding an apostrophe and a "s," as in the following examples: The children's mittens were scattered on the floor of the porch.
The sheep's pen was mucked out every day. Since we have a complex appeal process, a jury's verdict is not always final. The men's hockey team will be playing as soon as the women's team is finished. The hunter followed the moose's trail all morning but lost it in the afternoon. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does end in "s" by adding an apostrophe: The concert was interrupted by the dogs' barking, the ducks' quacking, and the babies' squalling.
The janitors' room is downstairs and to the left. My uncle spent many hours trying to locate the squirrels' nest. The archivist quickly finished repairing the diaries' bindings.
Religion is usually the subject of the roommates' many late night debates. Using Possessive Nouns When you read the following sentences, you will notice that a noun in the possessive case frequently functions as an adjective modifying another noun: The miner's face was covered in coal dust.
The concert was interrupted by the dogs' barking, the ducks' quacking, and the babies' squalling. Proper Nouns You always write a proper noun with a capital letter, since the noun represents the name of a specific person, place, or thing. A proper noun is the opposite of a common noun In each of the following sentences, the proper nouns are highlighted : The Marroons were transported from Jamaica and forced to build the fortifications in Halifax.
Many people dread Monday mornings. Beltane is celebrated on the first of May. Abraham appears in the Talmud and in the Koran. Common Nouns A common noun is a noun referring to a person, place, or thing in a general sense -- usually, you should write it with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. In each of the following sentences, the common nouns are highlighted : According to the sign , the nearest town is 60 miles away.
All the gardens in the neighbourhood were invaded by beetles this summer. I don't understand why some people insist on having six different kinds of mustard in their cupboards.
The road crew was startled by the sight of three large moose crossing the road. Many child-care workers are underpaid. Sometimes you will make proper nouns out of common nouns, as in the following examples: The tenants in the Garnet Apartments are appealing the large and sudden increase in their rent.
The meals in the Bouncing Bean Restaurant are less expensive than meals in ordinary restaurants. Many witches refer to the Renaissance as the Burning Times. The Diary of Anne Frank is often a child's first introduction to the history of the Holocaust. Concrete Nouns A concrete noun is a noun which names anything or anyone that you can perceive through your physical senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all concrete nouns: The judge handed the files to the clerk.
Whenever they take the dog to the beach , it spends hours chasing waves. The real estate agent urged the couple to buy the second house because it had new shingles. As the car drove past the park , the thump of a disco tune overwhelmed the string quartet's rendition of a minuet. The book binder replaced the flimsy paper cover with a sturdy, cloth-covered board. Abstract Nouns An abstract noun is a noun which names anything which you can not perceive through your five physical senses, and is the opposite of a concrete noun.
The highlighted words in the following sentences are all abstract nouns: Buying the fire extinguisher was an afterthought. Tillie is amused by people who are nostalgic about childhood. Justice often seems to slip out of our grasp. Some scientists believe that schizophrenia is transmitted genetically.
Countable Nouns A countable noun or count noun is a noun with both a singular and a plural form, and it names anything or anyone that you can count. In each of the following sentences, the highlighted words are countable nouns: We painted the table red and the chairs blue.
Since he inherited his aunt's library , Jerome spends every weekend indexing his books. Miriam found six silver dollars in the toe of a sock. The oak tree lost three branches in the hurricane. Over the course of twenty-seven years , Martha Ballad delivered just over eight hundred babies. Non-Countable Nouns A non-countable noun or mass noun is a noun which does not have a plural form, and which refers to something that you could or would not usually count.
The highlighted words in the following sentences are non-countable nouns: Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen. The word "oxygen" cannot normally be made plural. Oxygen is essential to human life. You cannot make the noun "furniture" plural. The furniture is heaped in the middle of the room. Since "furniture" is a non-countable noun, it takes a singular verb, "is heaped. You cannot make the non-countable noun "gravel" plural.
Gravel is more expensive than I thought. Since "gravel" is a non-countable noun, it takes the singular verb form "is. In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a collective noun: The flock of geese spends most of its time in the pasture. The collective noun "flock" takes the singular verb "spends. Here the collective noun "committee" takes a singular verb, "meets.
Personal Pronouns A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case. Subjective Personal Pronouns A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. You are surely the strangest child I have ever met. He stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him. When she was a young woman, she earned her living as a coal miner.
After many years, they returned to their homeland. We will meet at the library at p. It is on the counter. Are you the delegates from Malagawatch?
Objective Personal Pronouns An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The pronoun "it" is the direct object of the verb "threw. Here the objective personal pronoun "us" is the direct object of the compound verb "will meet.
Here the objective personal pronoun "me" is the object of the preposition "to. Here the objective personal pronoun "her" is the object of the infinitive phrase "to see. Here the possessive pronoun "mine" functions as a subject complement.
This is yours. Here too the possessive pronoun "yours" functions as a subject complement. His is on the kitchen counter. In this example, the possessive pronoun "his" acts as the subject of the sentence.
Theirs will be delivered tomorrow. In this sentence, the possessive pronoun "theirs" is the subject of the sentence. Ours is the green one on the corner. Here too the possessive pronoun "ours" function as the subject of the sentence.
Demonstrative Pronouns A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a demonstrative pronoun: This must not continue. Here "this" is used as the subject of the compound verb "must not continue.
Three customers wanted these. Here "these" is the direct object of the verb "wanted. The highlighted word in each of the following sentences is an interrogative pronoun: Which wants to see the dentist first?
Who wrote the novel Rockbound? Similarly "who" is the subject of the sentence. Whom do you think we should invite? In this sentence, "whom" is the object of the verb "invite. Here the interrogative pronoun "whom " is the object of the preposition "to. In this example the interrogative pronoun "whom" is the object of the preposition "to. Here the interrogative pronoun "what" is the direct object of the verb "say. High or tall? Historic or historical? House or home?
How is …? If or when? If or whether? Ill or sick? Imply or infer? In the way or on the way? Late or lately? Lay or lie? Lend or borrow? Less or fewer? Look at , see or watch? Low or short? Man , mankind or people? Maybe or may be? Maybe or perhaps? Nearest or next? Never or not … ever? Nice or sympathetic? No doubt or without doubt? No or not?
Nowadays , these days or today? Open or opened? Opportunity or possibility? Opposite or in front of? Other , others , the other or another? Out or out of? Permit or permission? Person , persons or people? Pick or pick up? Play or game? Politics , political , politician or policy? Price or prize? Principal or principle? Quiet or quite? Raise or rise? Remember or remind?
Right or rightly? Rob or steal? Say or tell? So that or in order that? Sometimes or sometime? Sound or noise? Speak or talk? Such or so? Towards or toward? Wait or wait for? Wake , wake up or awaken? Worth or worthwhile? Noun phrases: dependent words Noun phrases: order Noun phrases: uses Noun phrases: noun phrases and verbs Noun phrases: two noun phrases together.
Pronouns: possessive my , mine , your , yours , etc. Pronouns: reflexive myself , themselves , etc. Pronouns: indefinite - body , - one , - thing , - where Pronouns: one , you , we , they Relative pronouns Questions: interrogative pronouns what , who Someone , somebody , something , somewhere That.
Dates Measurements Number Time. Geographical places Names and titles: addressing people Nationalities, languages, countries and regions Place names. Reported speech Reported speech: direct speech Reported speech: indirect speech. British and American English Dialect Double negatives and usage Formal and informal language Newspaper headlines Register Slang Standard and non-standard language Swearing and taboo expressions.
Past simple I worked Past continuous I was working Past continuous or past simple? Past simple or present perfect? Used to Past perfect simple I had worked Past perfect continuous I had been working Past perfect simple or past perfect continuous?
Past perfect simple or past simple? Past verb forms referring to the present Past: typical errors. Present continuous I am working Present perfect continuous I have been working Present perfect simple I have worked Present perfect simple or present perfect continuous? Present perfect: typical errors Present simple I work Present simple or present continuous? Present: typical errors Present verb forms referring to the past. Finite and non-finite verbs Imperative clauses Be quiet! Infinitives with and without to Infinitive: active or passive?
Perfect infinitive with to to have worked Verbs: basic forms Verbs: formation. Hate , like , love and prefer Hear , see , etc. Get passive Have something done Passive: forms Passives with and without an agent Passive: uses Passive: other forms Passive: typical errors. Conditionals Conditionals: if Conditionals: other expressions unless, should, as long as Conditionals: typical errors If only In case of Suppose , supposing and what if Wish.
Word classes and phrase classes Word formation Prefixes Suffixes Compounds Abbreviations, initials and acronyms -ish and -y Diminutives - let , - y and mini- Hyphens. Word order and focus Word order: structures Cleft sentences It was in June we got married.
Fronting Inversion No sooner Not only … but also. Relative clauses Relative clauses referring to a whole sentence Relative clauses: defining and non-defining Relative clauses: typical errors.
Neither, neither … nor and not … either Not. Questions: alternative questions Is it black or grey? Questions: two-step questions Questions: typical errors Questions: wh- questions Questions: yes-no questions Are you feeling cold? However, some people also classify articles as a part of speech making a total of nine. Examine the nine different word classes through the examples below. Adjectives modify or describe a noun. These words ascribe an attribute to the noun being modified.
Adverbs modify or describe a verb, adjective, or another adverb or word group. This modification provides information relating to time, place, manner, cause, degree, or circumstance. Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, and clauses. They coordinate the words together so they make sense as a cohesive thought, sentence, or paragraph. Interjections are words used as exclamations to show feelings. They're usually abrupt, interrupting the speech for emotional effect.
Nouns name a person, place, thing idea, or quality. They can act as the subject or the object of a sentence. Prepositions are used to indicate relationships, often spatial, between nouns and pronouns. They indicate how one noun, noun phrase, or pronoun relates to another. Pronouns take the place of nouns to simplify speech and writing. They can otherwise function in the same way as nouns, serving as subjects and objects in sentences.
Verbs express action or a state of being. It is because of the former that verbs are often called "action verbs," but non-action verbs can be used to represent a state of being, need, sense, or preference. In English, articles are used in sentences as an adjective to modify a noun. The two types of articles are called definite and indefinite. The following chart describes each of the parts of speech and gives everyday types of word examples.
This should help provide a better understanding of how each part of speech works. Knowing the different parts of speech and reviewing examples of each can help you improve your grammar.
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