GRAMMAR UNITPrincipal Word Classes – An Introduction

VERB

A word which denotes an action or a state of being

She is happy He is playing pool They are having a temper tantrum She was eating crunchy nut cornflakes Sam decided that he would run a

marathon Chris will start university in October

and will read for an English degree

HOW TO SPOT A VERB

If you can DO it, then you can safely conclude that it is a verb

If it is listed below, then it is a verb: Is, are, am, will, would, was, can, could,

must, might, may, do, does, did, shall, should, has

NOUN

A noun is a naming word It is the name of a thing, person, place, an

emotion – basically anything that you can name

Sheila is suffering from anxiety. She is in a difficult situation, and so has been admitted to hospital

ADJECTIVE

A word which modifies a noun Functions to describe Can come either before of after the

noun

That new outfit is horrible He has a hideous voice The food was absolutely scrumptious

and the wine was the most expensive in the restaurant

ADVERB An adverb modifies a verb, showing how the

action is done.

We generally go shopping at Asda Sometimes I exercise He ran quickly She sings badly The soldier stood proudly

PREPOSITION A preposition denotes where one thing is in

relation to another

It was under the table She was going to the shop I am going to buy a bone for my dog He is on the roof It is the house next to the shop

PRONOUN

A pronoun replaces a name: 1st person: I, me (Plural: we, us) 2nd person: you 3rd person: he, she, him, her, it (Plural: they,

them)

DETERMINER

Determines which one ‘the’, ‘those’, ‘this’, ‘that’ – definite article ‘a’ – indefinite article

LABEL THESE: The cat sat on the mat The big, hairy, smelly cat slept soundly and

snored on the old mat I will go to the shop and buy a big chocolate

cake for Sammy A really nice place to go for holidays is a

Greek island called Crete He always ran so they called him the running

boy Darkness surrounded her. The anxiety began

to build gradually, and a sense of desperation enveloped her……

He is always happy. He is the most happy dog in the world………