The 8 Parts of Speech

1. NOUNS

A noun is word which names a person, place, thing or idea.

Examples of nouns: boy, truth, friend, Mexico, triangle, Delview, school, truth, university, idea, argument, movie, aunt, vacation, Ms Ellis, dream, flag, teacher, class, .

________is a noun because it is the name of a PERSON________is a noun because it is the name of a PLACE________is a noun because it is the name of a THING________is a noun because it is the name of a IDEA

2. PRONOUNS

A Pronoun is a word which replaces a noun.  

Example: In the sentence: Cindy goes to the store. instead of saying “Cindy” the pronoun “she” can be used in place of the noun “Cindy” and the sentence becomes “She goes to the store”. 

We use pronouns often, especially so that we do not have to keep on repeating a noun

Examples: 1st person or the self : me, we, us, I, myself, ourselves2nd person or the person spoken to: you, your, yours, yourself3rd person or the person spoken about: he, she, they, them, it,

those, theirs, themselves

Practice

Circle the nouns in the following sentences and then rewrite the sentences with lines below them using pronouns in place of the circled nouns.

Some sentences may not make sense if you replace all the nouns with pronouns.

Mary likes to walk Mary’s dog. _________________________________________. Mary’s dog is a Golden Retriever. Mary’s dog and Bobby’s cat get along. Mary’s dog and Bobby’s cat play at the park. __________________________________________. The park is next to Bobby’s house.

__________________________________________. Bobby’s house is a mansion. Bobby’s life is a dream.

Answers

Mary likes to walk Mary’s dog. She likes to walk her dog Mary’s dog is a Golden Retriever. Mary’s dog and Bobby’s cat get along. Mary’s dog and Bobby’s cat play at the park. They play there. The park is next to Bobby’s house. It is next to his house. Bobby’s house is a mansion. Bobby’s life is a dream.

Noun and Pronoun Pretest

Underline the nouns and circle the pronouns in the following sentences.

1. An apple does not mean love.2. A rose means love.3. Love is an abstract quality.4. Do you love him?5. They went to the game.6. Were you there?7. Who won the game?8. Fred was walking fast.9. Jane was walking faster than Fred.

Noun and Pronoun Pretest Answers

1. An apple does not mean love.2. A rose means love.3. Love is an abstract quality.4. Do you love him?5. They went to the game.6. Were you there?7. Who won the game?8. Fred was walking fast.9. Jane was walking faster than Fred.

3. VERBS

A verb is a word which shows an action or a state of being.

The verb is the heart of a sentence - every sentence must have a verb.

“The dog bit the man” bit is the verb and the word which shows the action of the sentence. 

“The man is sitting on a chair” even though the action doesn't show much activity, is sitting is the verb of the sentence. 

“She is a smart girl”, there is no action but a state of being expressed by the verb is . The word be is different from other verbs in many ways but can still be thought of as a verb.

A silly story to help you remember state of being verbs

Once upon a time there was a nice boy named Stately. He

was very prim and proper. Stately was a A+ student. One day at school, there was going to be a big test on verbs. Stately knew all the action verbs but he didn't want to forget the eight state-of-being verbs. He needed a way to remember them so he could get an A+ on the big test. As he sat there thinking of ideas, he found himself humming a rhythm, "Da, da, da-da, da, da, da, da. All of a sudden he jumped up and shouted, "That is it! That is the rhythm I need to remember the state-of-being verbs: Is, am, were, was, are, be, being, been."

   The next day, he went to school humming and clapping the rhythm the whole way. When he got his graded test back he had earned an A+, and Stately was very happy.

You should have learned in this story that state-of-being verbs are verbs that state that something IS.

Here a a couple of things to remember:

State-of-being verbs can be the main verb of the sentence; as in: Sally is my best friend. Or a state-of-being verb can be used as a helping verb; as in: She is going on a vacation. Note that the verbs: be, being, and been always NEED a helping verb; as in: Pat has been sick all week.

State-of-being verbs can show time. The present tense state-of-being verbs are: am, are, is. Past tense state-of-being verbs are: was and were.

Verb Practice

Underline the verbs in the following sentences.

• Mrs. Lee knows everyone in town.• Mrs. Lee works at the law office on Main Street.• The law office is very busy.• There are about 30 employees who work from 8-6 everyday.• The employees research events, file reports and discuss cases.• When the cases are ready to be presented, Mrs. Lee will go to the law

courts.• Mrs. Lee has won a lot of cases.• At the end of the day, Mrs. Lee goes home.• Mrs. Lee loves to eat lasagna for dinner.• Mrs. Lee is a very smart woman who understands many things.

Answers to Verb Practice

1. Mrs. Lee knows everyone in town.2. Mrs. Lee works at the law office on Main Street.3. The law office is very busy.4. There are about 30 employees who work from 8-6 everyday.5. The employees research events, file reports and discuss

cases.6. When the cases are ready to be presented, Mrs. Lee will go

to the law courts.7. Mrs. Lee has won a lot of cases.8. At the end of the day, Mrs. Lee goes home.9. Mrs. Lee loves to eat lasagna for dinner.10. Mrs. Lee is a very smart woman who understands many

things.

Verb Practice Quiz

Underline the verbs and verb phrases in the following sentences:

1. Tom has lived in Boston for twenty years.2. They didn't come to the party last night.3. I was cooking dinner when you telephoned.4. What are you doing tomorrow afternoon? 5. She works at a bank6. He bought a new TV last week. 7. I think English is great!8. Let’s play video games.9. Where will you go? 10. Has she been to Paris? 11. They can speak French?12.He may have to stay after school 13. I should go to the beach this weekend. 14. They must have dinner.15. She can sing well.

Verb Practice Quiz Answers

1. Tom has lived in Boston for twenty years.2. They didn't come to the party last night.3. I was cooking dinner when you telephoned.4. What are you doing tomorrow afternoon? 5. She works at a bank6. He bought a new TV last week. 7. I think English is great!8. Let’s play video games.9. Where will you go? 10. Has she been to Paris? 11. They can speak French?12.He may have to stay after school 13. I should go to the beach this weekend. 14. They must have dinner.15. She can sing well.

4. Adverbs

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

Adverbs are words that modify:

A VERB (He drove slowly. — How did he drive?)

An ADJECTIVE (He drove a very fast car. — How fast was his car?)

ANOTHER ADVERB (She moved quite slowly down the aisle. — How slowly did she move?)

Adverbs often end in “-ly”, but not always.

Adverbs

Adverbs answer the following questions:

Where?

How often? or how long?

When?

To What extent?

How? or how much?

Where?

AwayHereInsideThereUp

When?

LaterNowSoonThenTomorrow

How?

ClearlyEasilyQuietlySlowly

How often? or how long?

AlwaysUsuallyContinuouslyNeverForeverBriefly

To what extent? or How much?

Almost So Too More Least Extremely Quite Very Not

Practice: Circle the adverbs in the following sentences

1.The heavy rain ceased very suddenly.2. Courageously, Billy faced the many questions of the judge.3. The snow fell softly and silently.4. Joe was recently promoted to the top manager's position.5. Bonnie went outside and collected the mail from the street box.6. When you came, I was away.7. Robert carefully wrote his note to the teacher.8. Yesterday, Paul went downtown on the bus.9. The decorations on either side of the door were very beautiful.10. The boys jumped much higher than their competitors in the tryouts.

Adverb Practice Answers

1.The heavy rain ceased very suddenly.2. Courageously, Billy faced the many questions of the

judge.3. The snow fell softly and silently.4. Joe was recently promoted to the top manager's

position.5. Bonnie went outside and collected the mail from the

street box.6. When you came, I was away.7. Robert carefully wrote his note to the teacher.8. Yesterday, Paul went downtown on the bus.9. The decorations on either side of the door were very

beautiful.10. The boys jumped much higher than their

competitors in the tryouts.

ADVERB PRE TEST

Underline the adverbs in the following sentences.

1.She moved slowly and spoke quietly.2. She takes the boat to the mainland every day.3. She often goes by herself.4. It's starting to get dark now.5. She finished her tea first.6. He left early.7. She drives her boat slowly.

ADVERB PRE TEST ANSWERS

1.She moved slowly and spoke quietly.2. She takes the boat to the mainland

every day.3. She often goes by herself.4. It's starting to get dark now.5. She finished her tea first.6. He left early.7. She drives her boat slowly.

5. ADJECTIVES

An adjective is a word that modifies a NOUN or a PRONOUN.

1. Adjectives can tell WHAT KIND

i. The delicious strawberry pie

ii. He is mean

iii. The lovely chickens

2. Adjectives can tell WHICH ONE

i. This song (is my favorite).

ii. That child (is an angel).

ADJECTIVES

3. Adjectives can tell HOW MANYi. several teachers

ii. Thirty books

iii. One life

An adjective usually comes before the noun it modifies. Sometimes an adjective will come after for emphasis.

1. The delicious strawberry pie.

2. The strawberry pie was delicious.

ADJECTIVE PRACTICE

Underline the adjectives in the following sentences.1. I love to read crime novels.2. Crime novels are very suspenseful.3. My older sister owns many crime novels.4. She also reads romance novels.5. Romance novels are silly.6. They are not very realistic.7. My older sister is irritating.8. Do you have bothersome siblings?9. It must be peaceful to be an only child.10. I wouldn’t be able to read any romance novels,

though.

ADJECTIVE PRACTICE ANSWERS

1. I love to read crime novels.2. Crime novels are very suspenseful.3. My older sister owns many crime novels.4. She also reads romance novels.5. Romance novels are silly.6. They are not very realistic.7. My older sister is irritating.8. Do you have bothersome siblings?9. It must be peaceful to be an only child.10. I wouldn’t be able to read any romance novels,

though.

Adjective PracticeCircle the adjective in the following sentences. Underline the

noun that is being modified.1. The big cat sat down.2. The librarian read a long book.3. The new movie starts tomorrow.4. Robert juggled red balloons5. Jake wrote a wonderful essay.6. The stray dog ate quickly.7. She had a difficult test today.8. They ate a large pizza.9. He waited in a long line.10. She arrived for the late show.11. I like her purple coat.12. Homer donated to a local charity.13. She held her hat in the strong wind.

Adjective Practice AnswersAdjectives Nouns

The big cat sat down. The librarian read a long book. The new movie starts tomorrow. Robert juggled red balloons Jake wrote a wonderful essay. The stray dog ate quickly. She had a difficult test today. They ate a large pizza. He waited in a long line. She arrived for the late show. I like her purple coat. Homer donated to a local charity. She held her hat in the strong wind.

6. Prepositions

A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence.

A preposition shows the positions of a noun.There are taste buds on the tongue.

Preposition Diagram

BesideNext to

To the left ofInside

On

over

Under

Where is the ball in relation to the box?

Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or a pronoun.

i. There are taste buds on the tongue.

ii. The birds fly above the clouds.

Preposition Practice

Circle the prepositions and underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences:

1. Taste buds on your tongue detect sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes.

2. These taste buds are located around the tongue’s surface.3. The sensing cells to detect bitter are positioned toward the back.4. The sour buds are located along the sides of the tongue.5. Salty and sweet detectors are throughout the front of the tongue.6. There are many taste buds on your tongue.7. We also have a sense of smell that is located inside the nose.8. Tastes and smells make foods that go into our stomachs

enjoyable.

Preposition Practice Answers

Circle the prepositions and underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences:

1. Taste buds on your tongue detect sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes.

2. These taste buds are located around the tongue’s surface.3. The sensing cells to detect bitter are positioned toward the back.4. The sour buds are located along the sides of the tongue.5. Salty and sweet detectors are throughout the front of the tongue.6. There are many taste buds on your tongue.7. We also have a sense of smell that is located inside the nose.8. Tastes and smells make foods that go into our stomachs

enjoyable.

Preposition Pretest

Circle the prepositions and underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences.

1. My best friend lives on Boretz Road 2. I'll be ready to leave in about twenty minutes3. Since he met his new girlfriend, Juan never seems to be at home 4. The child responded to his mother's demands by throwing a

tantrum 5. I think she spent the entire afternoon on the phone 6. The police caught the thief on the corner of Cascade and Plum

Streets 7. I am not interested in buying a new car now.

Preposition Pretest

Circle the prepositions and underline the prepositional phrases in the following sentences.

1. My best friend lives on Boretz Road 2. I'll be ready to leave in about twenty minutes3. Since he met his new girlfriend, Juan never seems to be at home 4. The child responded to his mother's demands by throwing a

tantrum 5. I think she spent the entire afternoon on the phone 6. The police caught the thief on the corner of Cascade and Plum

Streets 7. I am not interested in buying a new car now.

7. THE CONJUNCTION

A conjunction is a word that joins parts of a sentence together.

1. Common conjunctions are: and, but, so, because, or, for, nor, while, when, since, as, until, either … or, neither … nor, not only … but also,

EXAMPLES:

Underline the conjunctions Iris works at the bookstore and she

attends computer classes. It is very busy at the bus stop when

the school bell rings. I love to eat either candy or popcorn

at the movies.

EXAMPLES:

1. Iris works at the bookstore and she attends computer classes.

2. It is very busy at the bus stop when the school bell rings.

3. I love to eat either candy or popcorn at the movies.

8. THE INTERJECTION

An interjection is a word that expresses emotion and has little grammatical significance to other words in the sentence.

Examples of interjections:

1. Help!

2. Ouch!

3. Ah!

4. Well!

Articles

An article is a word that often acts as an adjective that demonstrates number/amount.

Articles we use everyday:

the, a, an,

Practice

Write a “C” above the conjunctions, an “I” above the interjections and an “A” above the articles in the following sentences. Not all sentences will contain all of the above.

1. Hey! Would you like a ride?2. Wow! You are so kind and generous.3. It’s really no problem because I am going to

the store, anyways.4. Gosh! It was either I walk 5 miles or I don’t

get groceries.5. That is quite the dilemma, hmm?

Practice Answers

Write a “C” above the conjunctions, an “I” above the interjections and an “A” above the articles in the following sentences. Not all sentences will contain all of the above.

1. Hey! Would you like a ride?2. Wow! You are so kind and generous.3. It’s really no problem because I am

going to the store, anyways.4. Gosh! It was either I walk 5 miles or I

don’t get groceries.5. That is quite the dilemma, hmm?

Review

Identify the parts of speech in the following sentences:

Wow, English is not only my favorite class, but it is also very informative. I have learned a lot in English already!

Interjection Noun Verb Preposition

Conjunction Pronoun Adverb Adjective

Review

Identify the parts of speech in the following sentences:

Wow, English is not only my favorite class, but it is also very informative. I have learned a lot in English already!

Interjection Noun Verb Preposition

Conjunction Pronoun Adverb Adjective