Identifying parts of speech Eight Parts of Speech Nouns Adjectives Conjunctions Verbs Interjections Prepositions Pronouns Adverbs A d v e r b s

Identifying parts of speech

Eight Parts of Speech

Nouns

Adjectives

ConjunctionsConjunctions

Verbs

InterjectionsInterjections Prepositions

Pronouns

Adverbs

Adverbs

The Noun: A word that names

• A Person

• An Idea

• A Thing

• A Place

•Singular Possessive noun–boy’s–girl’s

•Plural Possessive noun–boys’–girls’

Pick out the nouns:

• Mother is the sweetest name in any language.

• Great women have been honored throughout the centuries: Gaia, Maria, Helena, and Elizabeth.

• Love is a concept that is difficult to describe, Lorenzo said.

I, me, mineyou, your, yoursshe, her, hers,

it, itswe,us, our, ours

they, them, their, theirsmyself

yourself

I, me, mineyou, your, yoursshe, her, hers,

it, itswe,us, our, ours

they, them, their, theirsmyself

yourself

A word used in place of one or more nouns

THE PRONOUNTHE PRONOUN

PERSONAL PERSONAL PRONOUNSPRONOUNS

Indefinite Pronounsanybody

eacheithernone

someoneone

Indefinite Pronounsanybody

eacheithernone

someoneone

Interrogative Pronounswho

whomwhatwhichwhose

Interrogative Pronounswho

whomwhatwhichwhose

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

THIS

THAT

THESE

THOSE

Modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.

Which?

What kind? How many?

Answers these questions:

The Adjective

Did you lose your addressbook? Which book?

Is that a wool sweater? What kind?

Just give me five minutes.How many?.

He ran quickly.He ran quickly.

The Adverb

How?How?

Modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb

It was too hot!It was too hot!

To what degree or how much?To what degree or how much?

We went there.We went there.Where?Where?

She left yesterday.She left yesterday.

When?When?

How did you break your leg?

When does your plane leave?

How often do you run?

Where did you put the mouse trap?

Interrogative Adverbs

The preposition introduces a noun or pronoun or a phrase or clause functioning in a sentence as a noun.

The word or word group that thepreposition introduces is its object.

The PREPOSITION

Maria received a

postcard from Bobby

who went to Paris on a

scholarship.

The preposition never stands alone!

preposition nounpronoun

object ofpreposition

preposition object

You can press the leaves under glass.

It happened during the last examination.

An object can have modifiers

A preposition can have more thanone object

Her telegram to Nina and Ralph brought good news.

Some Common Prepositions

aboardaboutaboveacrossafter

against alongamongaround

atbefore

behindbelow

beneathbeside

betweenbeyond

bydown during except

for

fromin

intolikeofoffon

overpastsince

through

throughoutto

towardunder

underneathuntilup

uponwith

withinwithout

The conjunctionis a word that joins words or groups of words

and

But

Either…or

Neither…nor

or

The interjectionis an exclamatory word that expresses

emotion

Goodness! What a cute baby!

Wow! Look at that sunset!

• The good will receive their rewards in heaven.

• He is good boy.

• He is as good as you are.

• Fruits will be good if stored properly

EXERCISE

• He has returned home for good.

• Good! I’ll be there at eight!• Books are made of ink, paper,

and glue.

• Deborah waits patiently while Bridget books the tickets.

• We walked down the street in a line.

• The mail carrier stood on the walk.

• The town decided to build a new jail.

• The sheriff told us that if we did not leave town immediately he would jail us.

• They heard high pitched cries in the middle of the night.

• The baby cries all night long.

PHRASES

• prepositional phrase: on the table

• infinitive phrase: to go back to childhood

• gerundial phrase: selling vegetables

• participial phrase: stealing the chickens

CLAUSES

• Independent clause – can stand by itself

• Dependent clause – cannot stand by itself; needs an independent clause to be complete

PARTS OF A SENTENCE

SUBJECT----ACTION/LINK----COMPLEMENT

Noun Verb Noun or

Adjective or

Adverb or

Prepositional

Phrase

• Subject: who or what we are speaking about

• Predicate: what is said about the subject

• Object/complement: who or what receives the action

• Ex.: She returned the book yesterday.

• Subject --- Verb sentence: – Mely baked.

• Subject --- Verb --- Object sentence: – Mely baked cakes.

• Subject --- Verb --- i. o. --- Object sentence: – Mely baked everyone a cake.

• Subject --- Verb --- Object --- Complement sentence: – Everyone considers Mely a friend.

COMBINING SENTENCES

Physics is a difficult subject.Geometry is a difficult subject.

Physics and geometry are difficult subjects.

Physics is difficult; geometry is even more difficult.

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

• AND: to add together two or more sentence parts.

• OR: to express alternative ideas that are mutually exclusive, that is, one or the other can be true

• BUT: to express a contrary idea• YET: to express a contrary or contradictory idea• SO: to express the result of the preceding idea• FOR: to express the reason for the preceding

idea

1. Rey did not finish high school but he now owns a big business.

2. Joey arrived home so late; Tina, his wife, was upset.

3. Maria sings and Tony plays the piano.4. Although it rained hard, we still met

and had great fun.5. I can’t leave the house because my

mother needs me.

• My friend and my brother will accompany me to the party.

• Because Linda looked sick, her mother made her stay at home and rest.

• The book launching was a serious and happy affair.

• I will probably go to the movie or stay at home.

• Letty accepted her fate and left everything to the Lord because she is full of faith in Him.

The Manobo first man and woman were magnificent. Davao was their first son. He was good, strong, and handsome. Dayhonagyon was their daughter. She was beautiful and fair.

Matangnon was their second son. He was handsome and strong, like Davao.

Makay was their third son. He was handsome, but he became bad.

These four children were the ancestors of the Manobos.

VERBS

A word that expresses action or otherwise helps to make a statement

Action

LinkingLinking

Subject

Subject

predicatepredicate

Who Moved My Cheese?

Every sentence must have

aa

Kinds of VerbsAction verbs express mental or physical action.

They rode their horses to victory.

Linking verbs make a statement by connecting the subject with a word that describes or explains it.

He has been sick.

• A verb indicates the time of an action, event or condition by changing its form. Through the use of a sequence of tenses in a sentence or in a paragraph, it is possible to indicate the complex temporal relationship of actions, events, and conditions

Verb Tense: Time

The four past tenses are

–the simple past ("I went")

–the past progressive ("I was going")

–the past perfect ("I had gone")

–the past perfect progressive ("I had been going")

• The simple present ("I go")

• The present progressive ("I am going")

• The present perfect ("I have gone")

• The present perfect progressive ("I have been going")

Present tenses

• Note that the present perfect and present perfect progressive are present (not past) tenses -- that idea is that the speaker is currently in the state of having gone or having been going.

Future tenses• the simple future ("I will go")

• the future progressive ("I will be going")

• the future perfect ("I will have gone")

• the future perfect progressive ("I will have been going")

Verb Tense: Aspect

• Verb tenses may also be categorized according to aspect. Aspect refers to the nature of the action described by the verb. The three aspects: –indefinite (or simple)

–complete (or perfect)

–continuing (or progressive)

Indefinite tenses or Simple tenses

• Describe an action but do not state whether the action is finished:–the simple past ("I went")

–the simple present ("I go")

–the simple future ("I will go")

• A verb in the indefinite aspect is used when the beginning or ending of an action, an event, or condition is unknown or unimportant to the meaning of the sentence. The indefinite aspect is also used to used to indicate an habitual or repeated action, event, or condition.

Perfect tenses or Complete tenses

• Describe a finished action:–the past perfect ("I had gone")

–the present perfect ("I have gone")

–the future perfect ("I will have gone")

• A verb in the complete aspect indicates that the end of the action, event, or condition is known and the is used to emphasise the fact that the action is complete. The action may, however, be completed in the present, in the past or in the future.

Incomplete or progressive tenses

• Describe an unfinished action –the past progressive ("I was going")

–the present progressive ("I am going")

–the future progressive ("I will be going")

• A verb in the continuing aspect indicates that the action, event, or condition is ongoing in the present, the past or the future.

• It is also possible to combine the complete tenses and the incomplete tenses, to describe an action which was in progress and then finished

• the past perfect progressive ("I had been going")

• the present perfect progressive ("I have been going")

• the future perfect progressive ("I will have been going")

The Simple Present Tense

The simple present is used to describe an action, an event, or condition that is occurring in the present, at the moment of speaking or writing. The simple present is used when the precise beginning or ending of a present action, event, or condition is unknown or is unimportant to the meaning of the sentence

• Deborah waits patiently while Bridget books the tickets.

• The shelf holds three books and a vase of flowers.

• The crowd moves across the field in an attempt to see the rock star get into her helicopter.

• The Stephens sisters are both very talented; Virginia writes and Vanessa paints.

• Ross annoys Walter by turning pages too quickly.

• Rectangles have four sides.

• Philippine Independence Day takes place on June 12 each year.

• The moon circles the earth once every 28 days.

• Calcium is important to the formation of strong bones.

The simple present is used to express general truths such as scientific fact or accepted events.

• Lea goes to church every Sunday.

• My grandmother sends me food once a week

• In fairy tales, things happen in threes.

• We never finish jigsaw puzzles because the cat always eats some of the pieces.

• Jessie polishes the silver once a month.

The simple present is used to indicate a habitual action, event, or condition

The simple present is used when writing about works of art, films, novels, poems.

• Rizal is the protagonist of the novel Noli Me Tangere.

• One of Picasso’s best known paintings is the Peace Dove.

• Lt. Jamal kills everyone in Muslim Magnum .357.

• Shakespeare’s sonnets are inspiring

• The film Mistah ends with an epilogue spoken by Robin Padilla.

• The doors open in 10 minutes.

• The premier arrives on Tuesday.

• Classes end next week.

• The publisher distributes the galley proofs next Wednesday.

• The lunar eclipses begins in exactly 43 minutes.

The simple present can also be used to refer to a future event when used in conjunction with an adverb or adverbial phrase, as in the following sentences:

While the simple present and the present progressive are sometimes used interchangeably, the present progressive emphasizes the continuing nature of an act, event, or condition.

• Nora is looking for the first paperback editions of all of Raymond Chandler's books.

• Deirdre is dusting all the shelves on the second floor of the shop.

• The union members are pacing up and down in front of the factory.

• DZFE is broadcasting the hits of the 70s this evening.

• The presses are printing the first edition of tomorrow's paper.

The present progressive is occasionally used to refer to a future event when used in conjunction with an adverb or adverbial phrase.

• The doors are opening in 10 minutes.

• The premier is arriving on Tuesday.

• Classes are ending next week.

• The publisher is distributing the galley proofs next Wednesday.

• The present perfect tense is used to describe action that began in the past and continues into the present or has just been completed at the moment of utterance. The present perfect is often used to suggest that a past action still has an effect upon something happening in the present.

• They have not delivered the documents we need. – This sentence suggests that the documents

were not delivered in the past and that they are still undelivered.

• The health department has decided that all high school students should be immunized against meningitis. – The use of the present perfect in this sentence

suggests that the decision made in the past is still of importance in the present.

• The government has cut university budgets; consequently, the dean has increased the size of most classes.– Here both actions took place sometime in the

past and continue to influence the present.

• The heat wave has lasted three weeks. – The present perfect here indicates that a

condition (the heat wave) began in past and continues to affect the present.

• Donna has dreamt about frogs sitting in trees every night this week. – Here the action of dreaming has begun in the

past and continues into the present.

• Like the present perfect, the present perfect progressive is used to describe an action, event, or condition that has begun in the past and continues into the present. The present perfect progressive, however, is used to stress the on-going nature of that action, condition, or event.

• That dog has been barking for three hours; I wonder if someone will call the owner.

• I have been relying on my Christmas bonus to pay for the gifts I will buy for my large family.

• They have been publishing this comic book for ten years.

• We have been watching the students dancing in the gym all afternoon.

The Simple Past Tense

• The simple past is used to describe an action, an event, or condition that occurred in the past, sometime before the moment of speaking or writing.

• The simple past tense describes an action that took place at some point in past.

• A flea jumped from the dog to the cat.

• Phoebe gripped the hammer tightly and nailed the boards together.

• The gem-stones sparkled in a velvet lined display case.

• Ferdinand Magellan probably died in 1652.

• The storyteller began every story by saying "A long time ago when the earth was green."

The Past Progressive Tense

• The past progressive tense is used to described actions ongoing in the past. These actions often take place within a specific time frame. While actions referred to in the present progressive have some connection to the present, actions referred in the past progressive have no immediate or obvious connection to the present. The on-going actions took place and were completed at some point well before the time of speaking or writing.

• The cat was walking along the tree branch. – This sentence describes an action that took

place over a period of continuous time in the past. The cat's actions have no immediate relationship to anything occurring now in the present.

• Lena was telling a story about the exploits of a red cow when a tree branch broke the parlor window. – Here the action "was telling" took place in the

past and continued for some time in the past.

• When the recess bell rang, Jesse was writing a long division problem on the blackboard. – This sentence describes actions ("ran" and "was

writing") that took place sometime in the past, and emphasises the continuing nature of one of the actions ("was writing").

• The archivists were eagerly waiting for the delivery of the former prime minister's private papers. – Here the ongoing action of "waiting" occurred at

some time unconnected to the present.

The Past Perfect Tense

• The past perfect tense is used to refer to actions that took place and were completed in the past. The past perfect is often used to emphasis that one action, event or condition ended before another past action, event, or condition began.

• Miriam arrived at 5:00 p.m. but Mr. Whitaker had closed the store. – All the events in this sentence took place in the

past, but the act of closing the store takes place before Miriam arrives at the store.

• After we located the restaurant that Christian had raved about, we ate dinner there every Friday.– Here the praise ("had raved") precedes the

finding ("located") of the restaurant. Both actions took place sometime before the moment of speaking or writing.

• The heat wave had lasted three weeks. – While the sentence suggests that a condition began

in the past and continues into the present, this sentence describes an action that began and ended sometime in the past ("had lasted"). By using the past perfect the writer indicates that the heat wave has no connection to any events occurring in the present.

• After she had learned to drive, Alice felt more independent. – Here the learning took place and was completed at

a specific time in the past. By using the past perfect rather than the simple past ("learned"), the writer emphasises that the learning preceded the feeling of independence.

The Past Perfect Progressive Tense

• The past perfect progressive is used to indicate that a continuing action in the past began before another past action began or interrupted the first action

• The toddlers had been running around the school yard for ten minutes before the teachers shooed them back inside. – Here the action of the toddlers ("had been

running") is ongoing in the past and precedes the actions of the teachers ("shooed") which also takes place in the past.

• We had been talking about repainting the front room for three years and last night we finally bought the paint. – In this example, the ongoing action of "talking"

precedes another past action ("bought").

• Madeleine had been reading mystery novels for several years before she discovered the works of Agatha Christie. – In this sentence the act of discovery

("discovered") occurred in the past but after the ongoing and repeated action of reading ("had been reading").

The Simple Future Tense

• They will meet us at the newest café at the Fort.

• Will you walk the dog tonight?

• At the feast, we will eat heartily.

• Bobbie will call you tomorrow with details about the agenda.

• The neighbors say that they will not move their chicken coop.

The Future Progressive Tense

• The future progressive tense is used to describe actions ongoing in the future. The future progressive is used to refer to continuing action that will occur in the future.

• The glee club will be performing at the celebration of the school’s centenary.

• Ian will be working on the computer system for the next two weeks.

• The selection committee will be meeting every Wednesday morning.

• We will be writing an exam every afternoon next week.

• They will be ringing the bells for St. Benedict next month.

The Future Perfect Tense

• The future perfect is used to refer to an action that will be completed sometime in the future before another action takes place.

• The surgeon will have operated on 6 patients before she attends a luncheon meeting. – In this sentence, the act of operating ("will have

operated") takes place in the future sometime before the act of attending ("attends").

• The plumber and his assistant will have soldered all the new joins in pipes before they leave for the next job. – Here, the plumbers' act of soldering ("will have

soldered") will precede the act of leaving ("leave").

• By the time you get back from the corner store, we will have finished writing the thank you letters. – In this sentence, the act of returning from

the store ("get back") takes place after the act of writing ("will have written").

• They will have written their first exam by the time we get out of bed. – Here, the act of getting out of bed occurs

sometime after the writing of the exam.

• If this year is like last year, I will have finished my holiday shopping long before my brother starts his. – In this example, the act of finishing ("will

have finished") occurs well before the act of starting ("starts").

The Future Perfect Progressive Tense

• The future perfect progressive tense is used to indicate a continuing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. This tense is rarely used.

• I will have been studying Greek for three years by the end of this term. – In this sentence, the future perfect progressive

is used to indicate the ongoing nature of the future act of the studying. The act of studying ("will have been studying") will occur before the upcoming end of term.

• When he returns, the wine will have been fermenting for three months. – Here the ongoing action of fermentation will

precede ("will have been fermenting") the act of returning.

• Question: – Beryl had wringed all of water out of the

clothes before she hung them on the line.

• Answer: – The answer This compound verb is not

correctly formed. is correct.

• Explanation: – The correct form is "had wrung."

• Question: – Last night the wind shooked the house so

much that I could not sleep.

• Answer: – The answer This verb is not correctly formed.

is correct.

• Explanation: – The correct form is "shook."

• Question: – Once he had written a letter or two, he went

upstairs and listened to his short-wave radio.

• Answer: – The answer This compound verb is correctly

formed. is correct.

• Question: – The planes have flew over this neighborhood

for twenty years.



• Explanation: – The correct form is "have flown."

• Question: – The man who had been caught stealing bread

was hanged at noon.


formed. is correct.

• Explanation: – The correct form is "was hanged." The verb

"hang" has different forms depending on the subject of the verb. If an inanimate object is the subject of the verb, the past participle is "hung". If a person is the subject of the verb, the past participle is "hanged."

• Question: – I betted my entire salary on a nag named

Mephibosheth.



• Explanation: – The correct form is "bet."

• Question: – After Eve defied Adam, God cast her out of

Paradise.


formed. is correct.

• Question: – The bells of the tower have rang for three

hours in honor of the passing a generous soul.



• Explanation: – The correct form is "have rung." Remember to

distinguish between the past part ("rang") and the past participle ("rung").

• Question: – The walls of the trenches that had been

digged yesterday collapsed in the torrential downpour.



• Explanation: – The correct form is "had been dug."

• Question: – Marilla has forbade us to play in the hayloft

while she is away.



• Explanation: – The correct form is "has forbidden."

Remember to distinguish between the past part ("forbade") and the past participle ("forbidden").

• Question: – Frankenstein is the name of the scientist not

the monster.

• Answer: – The answer Yes, this is a linking verb is

correct.

• Explanation: – The verb "be" is usually used as a linking

verb. The noun phrase "the name of the scientist not the monster" is a subject complement that identifies the proper noun "Frankenstein."

• Question: – The oenophile tasted several types of

Beaujolais.

• Answer: – The answer No, this is not a linking verb is

correct.

• Explanation: – The verb "tasted" is accompanied by a noun

phrase ("several types of Beaujolais") that acts as a direct object.

• Question: – Francine's uncle grows prize winning dahlias.


correct.

• Explanation: – Here the verb "grows" is used as a transitive

verb and takes the noun phrase "prize winning dahlias" as a direct object

• Question: – The cheesecake tastes delicious.


correct.

• Explanation: – In this sentence, the verb "tastes" is used as a

linking verb. The adjective "delicious" is a subject complement that identifies the subject of the sentence, "the cheesecake."

• Question: – After smoking three cigars, Flannery turned

green.


correct.

• Explanation: – Here the verb "turned" is used as a linking

verb and the adjective "green" is a subject complement that defines the subject "Flannery."

• Question: – The cat fastidiously smelled the dish of

food placed before it.


correct.

• Explanation: – In this sentence, the verb "smelled" is

used as a transitive verb and takes the noun phrase "the dish of food" as a direct object.

• Question: – The flowers always grow quickly during a

sunny summer.


correct.

• Explanation: – Here the verb "grow" is used as an intransitive

verb and is accompanied by the phrase "quickly during a sunny summer," which acts as an adverb.

• Question: – The stew that Gordon made smells too spicy to

me.

• Answer: – The answer Yes, this is a linking verb is correct.

• Explanation: – In this sentence, the verb "smells" is used as a

linking verb and the phrase "too spicy" is a subject complement that identifies the nature of the stew. The dependent clause "that Gordon made" functions as an adjective defining the nature of the stew.

• Question: – Walter was annoyed because Ross turned

pages too quickly.


correct.

• Explanation: – Here the verb "turned" is used as a transitive

verb and takes the direct object "pages."

• Question: – David Garrick was a very prominent

eighteenth-century actor.


correct.

• Explanation: – The verb "be" is usually used as a linking

verb. The noun phrase "a very prominent eighteenth-century actor" is a subject complement that identifies the proper noun "David Garrick."

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

• Depending on the type of object they take, verbs may be transitive, intransitive, or linking.

• The meaning of a transitive verb is incomplete without a direct object

• An intransitive verb cannot take a direct object

The Indicative Mood

• The indicative mood is the most common and is used to express facts and opinions or to make inquiries. Most of the statements you make or you read will be in the indicative mood.

• Joe picks up the boxes.

• The german shepherd fetches the stick.

• Charles closes the window.

The Imperative Mood

• The imperative mood is also common and is used to give orders or to make requests. The imperative is identical in form to the second person indicative.

• Pick up those boxes.

• Fetch.

• Close the window.

The Subjunctive Mood

• The subjunctive mood has almost disappeared from the language and is thus more difficult to use correctly than either the indicative mood or the imperative mood. The subjunctive mood rarely appears in everyday conversation or writing and is used in a set of specific circumstances.

• It is urgent that Harraway attend Monday's meeting.

• The Member of Parliament demanded that the Minister explain the effects of the bill on the environment.

• The sergeant ordered that Calvin scrub the walls of the mess hall.

• We suggest that Mr. Beatty move the car out of the no parking zone.

• The committee recommended that the bill be passed immediately.

• If Canada were a tropical country, we would be able to grow pineapples in our backyards.

• If he were more generous, he would not have chased the canvassers away from his door.

• I wish that this book were still in print.

• If the congress representatives were interested in stopping corruption, they would urge each other to be more transparent in their dealings with suppliers.

• Question: – If an elephant was to fly in this window, I'd eat

your toque.

• Answer: – The answer The verb is not in the correct

mood. is correct.

• Explanation: – Since the sentence deals with an unreal

condition (flying elephants) the subjunctive "were" should be used.

• Question: – The chef insists that the wholesaler deliver

fresh salad greens every morning.

• Answer: – The answer The verb is in the correct mood.

is correct.

• Explanation: – The subjunctive is appropriate here since it

follows a verb of demanding ("insists").

• Question: – It is crucial that Wendell arrives on time.


mood. is correct.

• Explanation: – The subjunctive form "arrive" should be used

here since it follows an expression of necessity ("it is crucial").

• Question: – If this apartment was any smaller, we

would suffocate.


mood. is correct.

• Explanation: – Since the clause expresses an unreal

condition, the subjunctive mood ("were") should be used.

• Question: – The committee recommends that all three

buildings are condemned.

• Answer: – The answer The compound verb is not in

the correct mood. is correct.

• Explanation: – The compound verb should be in the

subjunctive ("be condemned") since it follows a verb of demanding.

• Question: – If Mae West was alive, she might enjoy

Madonna's performances.


mood. is correct.

• Explanation: – Since the sentence expresses an unreal

condition (Mae West is dead), the subjunctive ("were") should be used.

• Question: – Ms Watson requires that her baby sitter

provides receipts.


mood. is correct.

• Explanation: – The subjunctive ("provide") should be used

following the verb of demanding ("requires").

• Question: – If instantaneously reducing a room was an

Olympic sport, Lynn would win the gold medal.

• Answer: – The answer The verb is not in the correct mood.

is correct.

• Explanation: – The subjunctive ("were") should be used here

instead of "was," because the clause describes an unreal condition. Messiness is not an Olympic sport.

• Question: – Bunbury wished that Oscar Wilde were still alive

to write a sequel to The Importance of Being Earnest.

• Answer: – The answer The verb is in the correct mood. is

correct.

• Explanation: – The subjunctive ("were") is the correct mood, for

the clause expresses a wish that cannot come true since Wilde is dead.

• Question: – His terror of spiders kept him out of the dark

basement.

• Answer: – "Terror" is the simple subject because it

answers the question "what?" before the verb "kept." "Of spiders" and "his" are simply modifying the simple subject "terror."

• Question: – There will be three concerts in the arts centre

tonight.

• Answer: – "Concerts" is the simple subject because it

answers the question "what?" before the verb "will be." Remember that "there" is merely signaling that the true subject will follow.

• Question: – Would you willingly exchange half your

intelligence for one million dollars?

• Answer: – "You" is the simple subject because it

answers the question "who?" before the verb "would exchange."

• Question: – Despite the storm's destructiveness, the ship,

with its crew of amateurs, might have survived in more experienced hands.

• Answer: – "Ship" is the simple subject because it

answers the question "what?" before the verb "might have survived." "With its crew of amateurs" is modifying the simple subject "ship."

• Question: – After the movie, Emma and her brother

bought a birthday present for their mother.

• Answer: – "Emma, brother" is the simple subject

because it answers the question "who?" before the verb "bought." This sentence has a compound subject.

Verbal

• a word formed from a verb but functions as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. It maintains some of the characteristics of a verb such as tense and voice. Three kinds:

• Infinitive: functions as noun, adjective, or adverb. Ex.: To stay in the hospital seemed unnecessary.

• Gerund: also called a verbal noun, functions as a noun and ends in –ing. Ex.:

– Walking is a good exercise.

– Please continue eating.

• Participle: functions as an adjective. It modifies a noun or a pronoun. Ex.:

– Lou, asking permission as she left, hurried out.

Avoid splitting infinitives

She hopes to soon change my views.

She hopes soon to change my views.

She hopes to change my views soon.

Avoid dangling participles

Walking down the street, the accident occurred.

Walking down the street, the boy saw the accident occur.

ACTIVE VOICE

• I ate the boiled corn.

• Ryan sharpened the pencil.

• Severino Reyes wrote Walang Sugat.

PASSIVE VOICE

• The boiled corn was eaten by me.

• The pencil was sharpened by Ryan.

• Walang Sugat was written by Severino Reyes.

Documents

Identifying parts of speech Eight Parts of Speech Nouns Adjectives Conjunctions Verbs Interjections Prepositions Pronouns Adverbs A d v e r b s