How much do I know about…nouns, pronouns and adjectives?

Label each green word with its part of speech:

• Montag was a fireman.

• They started fires in his futuristic society.

• His job was to burn books.

Nouns: people, places, things and ideasCommon nouns are general.

Proper nouns are specific names and capitalized.

• Noun Exercise 1: Change the noun from common to proper.

• Mildred watched television most of the time.

• Noun Exercise 2: Change the nouns from proper to common.

• The river ran through the town’s west side.

Pronouns replace nouns. There are many types, list them all:

1) Personal pronouns: associated with a personFirst person: I, me, we, usSecond person: youThird person: He, she, it, they, them2) Possessive pronouns: indicate personal ownershipFirst person: my, our, mineSecond person: your, yoursThird person: his, her, their, its, theirs

3) Demonstrative pronouns: point out a specific nounthis, that, these, those

4) Interrogative pronouns: introduce a questionwho, whom, which, what, whose

5) Relative pronouns: introduce a subordinate clausethat, which, who, whom, whose

Pronouns exercise: What kind of pronoun is it?

• What is your name?

• The mechanical dog that chased him was programmed by Beatty.

This is the answer, I think.

Pronouns usually are paired with an antecedent—a noun/pronoun that they replace.

Ex: Find the antecedent of the pronoun:

0) The teacher taught us (students) writing skills.

1) We visited a factory in the city for a field trip.

2) The dog buried its bone in the yard.

3) The sisters knew that they looked alike.

INDEFINITE PROUNS: refers to a noun that isn’t specifically named

List them all:all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, more, most, much, neither, nobody, none, no one, nothing, one, other, several, some, somebody, something, such.

SPECIAL PRONOUN RULE:The following indefinite pronouns are ALWAYS singular:

AnybodyAnyoneAnythingEveryoneEverythingEverybodyOne

Always pair them with a singular pronoun

NobodyNoneNo oneNothingSomebodySomething Someone

Indefinite pronoun exercises:Correct the pronoun agreement error:

0) Everyone in the room brought their his/her pencil. 1) No one among the young men knew if they would be

drafted into the military.

2) None of the students could say they were acclimated to the new schedule.

3) Somebody texted me, but I did not recognize their number.

Adjectives: Describe or modify a noun or pronoun

Roles that adjectives serve for their nouns/pronouns:1) Quality: Ex: happy person, lost pet, blue eyes,

young man, tall tree, Spanish rice2) Quantity: Ex: many vegetables, three flowers3) Demonstrative: Ex: this day, that outfit4) Interrogative: Ex: what homework?, whose

phone?5) Extent: Ex: longest day, shorter haircut

A special adjective: Articles

• These adjectives indicate the specialness or singularity of a noun or pronoun.

• A• An• The

OVERLAP ALERT:

Possessive pronouns can also be considered adjectives.

• His book• Their friend• My room

Ex: Circle the adjective and draw a line to the noun or pronoun it modifies.

• It was a sunny afternoon.• She thought it was a funny thing to say.• The white tiger had pale stripes.• The quiet girl decided to speak up.

SPECIAL RULE:

When you list adjectives, separate them with a comma:0) The fat, lazy cat rarely exercised. 1) It has been a long exhausting day.2) She is a friendly outgoing person.3) We prefer the scary dangerous rides at the amusement park.

VERBS: Two kinds

• Action verbs: show an action• Linking verbs: connect the subject to a word

or group of words that identify or describe the subject.

• What are the most common linking verbs?Appear, be, become, feel, grow, look, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay, taste, turn

The most common linking verb: TO BE

• Be shall be should be• Being will be would be• Am has been can be• Is have been could be• Are had been should have been• Was shall have been would have been• Werewill have been could have been

Find the linking verbs:

• Montag appeared withdrawn and felt ill.

• He was miserable and no longer wanted to be a fireman.

• In fact, he had become certain he wanted to read books, not burn them.

Verbs sometimes have helpers:Helping verbs help the main verb express and

action or state of being. • They are usually a form of “to be.”• Helping verbs precede the main verb.• Together the main verb and helping verb create a verb

phrase.• Other helping verbs: can could, did, do, does, had, has,

have, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would.• Ex: Montag was trying to rebel against the society he

had supported.• Ex: He realized that television and technology were

destroying meaningful human communication.