Parts of Speech• A Ms. Reardon Presentation

Definitely taking notes

What are “parts of speech?”• There are eight parts of speech in the

English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

• The part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the sentence.

What are “parts of speech?”• An individual word can function as more

than one part of speech when used in different circumstances. 

• Understanding parts of speech is essential for determining the correct definition of a word when using the dictionary.

Some examples from my favorite grammar book

It’s written like a Victorian horror novel

Some examples from my favorite grammar book

• Verb:• He fancied dames with

broad shoulders.• Adjective:• Her fancy dress showed

them off to great advantage.• Noun:• He therefore took a fancy to

her.

Hey girl

Some examples from my favorite grammar book

• The vampire began to powder his nose.• What part of speech is “powder” here?• Verb (infinitive form)• The powder made him sneeze all over

the mirror, where his face could not be seen.

• A noun

You Try• What part of speech is “pants” here?The horse pants and froths.VerbWhat part of speech is “pants” here?The horse doesn’t always wear pants when he leaves the house.Noun

You Try• What part of speech is “dark” here?Tim is more afraid of the dark now that he is dead.NounWhat part of speech is “dark” here?The dark side of the moon is the one he already knows.Adjective

You Try• What part of speech is “haunted” here?

When Tim retuned, he haunted her nightgown and the box where she kept her rings.VerbWhat part of speech is “haunted” here?I get my kicks from haunted houses.Adjective

Whatup

Changing the Part of Speech• How do we correctly change the part of

speech of the word?• Locate the entry in the dictionary to

check! The endings of the word will be a clue. Woah.

Changing the Part of Speech• How do we correctly change the part of

speech of the word?• Locate the entry in the dictionary to

check! The endings of the word will be a clue. Woah.

Words have 1, 2, 3 or more parts

• By breaking them down fully, we can determine:

• What they mean• How they should be used in a sentence• This is a good thing to do when you have

limited time or no access to a dictionary.

The Root• The root is the most basic

form of the word.

• Thug (Noun)• Thuggish (Adjective)• Thuggishly (Adverb)

• Which of these words is the ROOT of “thuggishly?”

Come at me

The Suffix• The suffix is added to the

end of the word to change the part of speech. Suffixes will tell you the part of speech of the word.

• Thug (Noun)• Thuggish (Adjective)• Thuggishly (Adverb)

Come at me

The Prefix• A prefix is added to the front of a word to

change its meaning. Words do not always have prefixes.

• Common prefixes are listed on your reading strategies review sheet in your folder. Extra copies are available.

• Presuppose• Unrequited love

Compound nouns• Compound nouns add two or more

ROOTS or WORDS together.

• What are the two words in…• Razzle-dazzle?• Shadowboxing?• Toothache?• Bedroom?

You try• Change the part of speech of our

vocabulary words by switching the endings!