Parts of Speech Support Document Revised July 31, 2008 1
The term parts of speech describes the building blocks of sentences. In order to be competent writers, students must learn to use the parts of speech correctly; in order to be proficient writers, students must learn to use the parts of speech correctly and creatively. Teachers should be aware that the mere memorization of grammatical terms by students with no opportunity to apply that knowledge in the authentic context of writing yields no positive impact on students writing. Effective grammar instruction occurs only within the context of effective writing instruction and practice. The chart in this appendix provides a thorough review of terms related to the parts of speech. Teachers should refer to their particular grade level indicators for Standards 3 and 4 as well as the Composite Writing Matrix to understand what the students in their classrooms are responsible for demonstrating knowledge of at the end of a given school year. Conventions is a broad term that includes grammar, mechanics, and usage. Many errors in usage are directly related to students levels of knowledge and their ability to use the rules of language. The chart in this document includes a column which specifically describes types of errors that often occur in students writing. It is also important to teach students the proper vocabulary regarding grammar, usage, and mechanics so they can discuss writing more knowledgeably. It also enables students within a learning community to speak more precisely during revision and editing conferences as they provide feedback to other writers. The chart has been compiled from a variety of resources, including Writer s Inc. (Sebranek, Kemper, and Meyer), A Writer s Reference (Hacker), and Elements of Literature (Holt, Rinehart and Winston). The following information is provided to the teacher as a resource and is not designed to be used with students. The standards indicators delineate more global expectations for student learning. It is not designed to be an all inclusive or exhaustive list. Revised July 31, 2008 2
Parts of Speech and Related Terms Definitions and Explanations Noun a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea Examples Common Noun Names a person, place, thing, or idea student, building, car, happiness Is not capitalized Proper Noun Names a specific person, place, thing or George Washington, South Carolina idea Must be capitalized Concrete Noun Names a thing that can be seen, heard, touched, smelled, or tasted grape, song, paper, pencil, dinner, Mary Can be common or proper Abstract Noun Names an idea, condition or feeling freedom, optimism, jealousy Singular Noun Refers to ONE person, place, thing, or idea cat, dog Plural Noun Refers to more than one person, place, thing or idea cats, dogs Collective Noun Names a group or unit that functions as class, team one May be singular or plural Count Noun Refers to persons, places, things, or ideas There are hundreds of books in the that can be counted library, but they contain Especially helpful distinction for ESL immeasurable knowledge. students Noncount Noun Refers to things or ideas that cannot be counted or made plural Especially helpful distinction for ESL students There are hundreds of books in the library, but they contain immeasurable knowledge. Revised July 31, 2008 3
Other examples advice, anger, gasoline, plastic, satisfaction, poetry, news a word that takes the place of a noun Personal Takes the place of a noun I, she, you, they Reflexive Intensive Nominative Case Objective Case Possessive Case Formed by adding self or selves to a personal pronoun Reflexive pronouns used to intensify or emphasize the noun or pronoun to which it refers Functions as the subject of a clause or sentence OR as a predicate nominative following a verb of being Functions as a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a preposition Shows ownership An apostrophe is NOT used to form the possessive case myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves Matt wrote himself a note to bring his doctor s excuse to school. The president himself presented the award to the essay winner. I, you, he, she, it, we, they He is moving from middle school to high school this year. (subject) It was he who sent the flowers. (predicate nominative) me, you, him, her, it, us, them The teacher gave us more time to work in our group. (indirect object) The teacher gave more time to us to work in our group. (object of preposition) The room was a mess after the art project, but the students cleaned it up quickly. (direct object) my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs Revised July 31, 2008 4
Indefinite Interrogative Demonstrative First Person Second Person Third Person Gender Refers to an unknown or unnamed person or thing Asks a question Points out people, places, or things without naming them Used in place of the speaker s name Used to name the person who is being spoken to Used to name the person or thing being spoken about Indicates whether a pronoun is masculine, feminine, or neuter all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each, each one, either, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, most, much, neither, nobody, none, no one, nothing, one, other, several, some, somebody, someone, something, such who, whose, whom, which, what this, that, these, those I, we you he, she, it, them masculine he, him, his feminine she, her, hers neuter it, its Verb a word that expresses action or a state of being Action Verb A word that expresses action Athletes compete in many sports during the Olympic Auxiliary (Helping) Verb Used to help form the tense, voice, or mood of the main verb games. is, am, was, were, be, being, been, do, did, does, has, have, had, should, would, could, will, shall, can, may, might, must (not an exhaustive list) He is training daily to prepare for the marathon. (present tense) The fingerprints were matched to the suspect. (voice) Revised July 31, 2008 5
Linking Verb Transitive Verb Links the subject to a noun or adjective in the predicate Communicates action that is received by an object that completes the meaning of the verb If we were finished with our homework, we could be outside enjoying the beautiful weather. (mood) is, seem, stay, are, grow, look, was, become, turn, were, appear, get, be, sound, been, taste, am, feel, smell, remain (not an exhaustive list) Jessica is the tallest student in the class. [is links the subject Jessica and the predicate nominative student] The chef baked a special cake in honor of the important occasion. [baked is an action verb; its meaning is completed by the direct object cake] Intransitive Verb Communicates action that is complete in itself Singular Verb An action performed by a single person or thing A singular subject must have a singular verb. Plural Verb An action performed by more than one person or thing A plural subject must have a plural verb. Past Tense Verb Expresses action that is completed at a particular time in the past During the chase, the suspect jumped over the fence. [jumped is an action that does not require an object to complete its meaning] Mrs. Brown usually repeats the directions to make sure all of the students hear them. [Mrs. Brown is singular and repeats is a singular verb] The students repeat the directions to show that they have been listening. [students is plural and repeat is the plural form of the verb] On June 5, we celebrated the final day of school. Revised July 31, 2008 6
Present Tense Verb Expresses action that is happening at the present time or that happens continually or regularly Future Tense Verb Expresses action that will take place in the future Past Perfect Tense Expresses an action that Verb occurs before another past Present Perfect Tense Verb Future Perfect Tense Verb action Expresses action that began in the past but continues or is completed in the present Expresses action that will begin in the future and will be completed by a specific time in the future Every year, Mariah celebrates her birthday in a special way. Next year, the couple will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. The hallways became very crowded with students after the final bell had rung. The eagle has served as the school s mascot since it first opened. By this time next month, students across the state will have returned to school. Indicative Mood Used to state a fact or ask a question Imperative Mood Used to give a command Line up quickly and quietly. Subjunctive Mood Used to express a condition that is contrary to fact Used to express an unreal condition Used to express necessity, legal decisions, or parliamentary motions Active Voice Verb Indicates that the subject of the verb has been, is, or will be doing something When the fire alarm rings, everyone must evacuate the building in an orderly fashion. If there were a real emergency, we would need to listen carefully to the directions given. The teachers are organizing their materials and supplies. Revised July 31, 2008 7
Passive Voice Verb Indicates that the subject of the verb has been, is being, or will be acted upon The materials and supplies are being organized by the teachers. Verbal a verb that functions as a different part of speech in the context of a sentence Gerund A form of a verb that ends Swimming is excellent exercise. in ing Functions as a noun Infinitive A verb form that is usually introduced with to May function as a noun, adjective, or adverb Participle A verb form usually ending in ing or ed Functions as an adjective but retains some qualities of a verb Mark s plan was to study before basketball practice. The fascinated students moved closer to the teacher; they didn t want to miss any part of the experiment. Adverb a word that describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb Adverb of Time A word that tells when, how often, or how long Adverb of Place A word that tells where, to where, and from where Adverb of Manner A word that tells how something is done Often ends in ly Adverb of Degree A word that tells how much or how little Yesterday we went to the movie theater. There are two theaters nearby. There was a long line for tickets, but it moved smoothly. We really enjoyed the new film because of all of the special effects. Revised July 31, 2008 8
Positive Adverb Comparative Adverb Superlative Adverb Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb without comparing it to anything else Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb in comparison to one other thing describes a verb, adjective, or adverb in comparison to two or more other things The mayor of the city shouted angrily at the villain. The villain shouted at the hero more angrily. The hero shouted most angrily. Adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun Article Words that indicate nouns indefinite articles a, an Julia wants a car for her birthday. (indicates any car) definite article the Julia wants the car for her birthday. (indicates one specific car) Positive Adjective Describes a noun or pronoun The car looked shiny after it was washed. without comparing it to anything else Comparative Compares two nouns or The car looked more shiny after it was waxed. Adjective pronouns Superlative Compares three or more The car looked most shiny after the second coat of Adjective nouns and pronouns wax. Proper Adjective Created from a proper noun The American athletes competing in the Olympics Capitalized are expected to win many medals. Predicate Follows a verb of being Summer days are hot and humid. Adjective Describes the subject Revised July 31, 2008 9
Conjunction a word that connects words or groups of words Subordinating Conjunction Coordinating Conjunction Correlative Conjunction Connects and shows the relationship between two clauses that are not equally important Connects a dependent clause to an independent clause in order to complete the meaning of the dependent clause Connects a word to a word, a phrase to a phrase, or a clause to a clause The connected items are equal in importance or type. after, although, as, as if, as long as, as though, because, before, if, in order that, provided that, since, so that, that, though, till, unless, until, when, where, whereas, while Until everyone is finished with the test, there will be no talking. for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so On our vacation we visited the national monument, and we stayed in a very nice hotel. Connects words used in pairs either or; neither nor; not only but also; both and; whether or Both proper rest and proper nutrition improve students performance in school. Preposition a word or phrase that shows the relationship between its object and another word in the sentence Prepositional Phrase Includes the preposition (simple or phrasal), its object, and any modifiers of the object May function as an adjective or adverb in a sentence (Simple Prepositions) aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, alongside, amid, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, by, concerning, considering, despite, down, during, except, excepting, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto, opposite, out, outside, over, past, Revised July 31, 2008 10
Phrasal Preposition A preposition used without an object is functioning as an adverb. A group of words that function as a single preposition regarding, round, save, since, through, throughout, till, to, toward, under, underneath, until, unto, up, upon, with, within, without according to, across from, alongside of, along with, apart from, aside from, away from, because of, by means of, down from, except for, from among, from between, from under, in addition to, in back of, in behalf of, in front of, in place of, in regard to, inside of, in spite of, instead of, near to, on account of, on behalf of, on top of, out of, outside of, over to, owing to, prior to, round about, subsequent to, together with, up to Interjection a word used to express strong emotion or surprise Examples: wow, ouch, hurray, oh no, uh-oh, hey Revised July 31, 2008 11