Parts of Speech

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Parts of Speech

• ACT Preparation

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Noun

• Names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea
• Examples
• Persons dentist, cousin, Tiger Woods, Mrs.
  Mendoza
• Places kitchen, Detroit, Grand Canyon, mall
• Things notebook, map, Washington Monument,
  chair
• Ideas bravery, talent, self-esteem, Buddhism

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Common vs. Proper Nouns

• Common Nouns names any one of a group of
  persons, places, things, or ideas (generally not
  capitalized)
• Examples poet, city, game, philosophy
• Proper Nouns names a particular person, place,
  thing, or ideas (generally capitalized)
• Examples Katie Perry, St. Louis, Super Bowl, Zen

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Concrete vs. Abstract Nouns

• Concrete Nouns names a person, place, or thing
  that can be perceived by one or more of the five
  senses
• Examples snow, lemon, birds, cotton, yogurt
• Abstract Nouns names an idea, a feeling, a
  quality, or a characteristic that cannot be
  perceived by the senses
• Examples guilt, perseverance, joy, Buddhism,
  humility

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Collective vs. Compound Nouns

• Collective Nouns name a group of people,
  animals, or things
• Examples audience, batch, bunch, cluster, crew,
  family, flock, group, herd, jury
• Compound Nouns uses two or more words together
  to name a person, place, thing, or idea
• Examples hairbrush, noisemaker, baby sitter,
  high school, San Diego, jack-in-the-box,
  half-moon, self-esteem

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Pronouns

• Pronouns a word used in place of one or more
  nouns or pronouns
• Examples Personal, Reflexive, Intensive

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Personal Pronouns

• Personal Pronouns stand for one speaking (1st
  person), the on spoken to (2nd person), or the
  one spoken about (3rd person)
• Examples
• 1st person I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours
• 2nd person you, your, yours
• 3rd person he, him, she, her hers, it, its,
  they, them, their, theirs

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Reflexive vs. Intensive Pronouns

• Note Reflexive and intensive pronouns end with
  the suffix self and selves.
• Reflexive Pronouns stand for the subject of the
  sentence and completes the meaning of the verb or
  act as object of a preposition
• Example The cat taught itself how to open the
  screen door.
• Intensive Pronouns stress its antecedent and is
  not required in order for the sentence to make
  sense.
• Example Gail prepared dinner herself.

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Demonstrative vs. Interrogative Pronouns

• Demonstrative Pronoun points out a specific
  person, place, thing, or idea
• Examples
• Singular nouns this and that
• Plural nouns these and those
• Interrogative Pronoun introduces a question
• Examples what, which, who, whom, whose

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Relative vs. Indefinite Pronouns

• Relative Pronoun introduces a subordinate
  clause (clause with a subject and verb, but does
  not express a complete thought and cannot stand
  alone)
• Examples that, which, who, whom, whose
• The UFO that we saw was only a weather balloon.
• Indefinite Pronoun refers to a person, place,
  thing, or idea that may or may not be
  specifically named
• Examples both, many, someone, all, either
• Both of my brothers and many of their friends
  work at the mall.

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Adjective

• Adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun
• Adjective tells
• WHAT KIND handmade quilt, red sneakers
• WHICH ONE this camera, second place
• HOW MANY seven apples, many options
• HOW MUCH more bread, enough light

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Verbs

• Verbs express action or state of being
• Examples The cat dashed through the room.

Main vs. Helping Verbs

• Helping Verbs may, can, could, might, shall,
  should, must, will, and would
• Examples They could not have found the treasure
  without the map.

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Action vs. Linking Verbs

• Action Verbs expresses either physical or
  mental activity
• Examples Lana moved the furniture and shampooed
  the carpet.
• Linking Verbs connect the subject to a word or
  word group in the predicate called a subject
  complement (identifies or describes the subject
  and completes the meaning of the linking verb)
• Examples The woman in the navy blouse is my
  mother.
• Your zucchini casserole smells delicious.

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Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs

• Transitive Verb directs an action toward an
  object (a word that tells who or what receives
  the action of the verb)
• Examples We placed some napkins on the table.
• Edgar Allan Poe wrote many stories and poems.
• Intransitive Verb does not express its action
  toward an object
• Examples Nelda whispered in Amelias ear.
• The horse whinnied loudly.

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Adverb

• Adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or
  another adverb
• Examples
• Adverbs Modifying Verbs
• HOW The rain gently fell.
• WHEN Yesterday I received your letter.
• WHERE Garland lives here.
• TO WHAT EXTENT The coyote roamed widely.

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Adverb

• Adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or
  another adverb
• Examples
• Adverbs Modifying Adjectives
• That particularly slow computer needs to be
  repaired.
• Adverbs Modifying another Adverb
• The game ended very quickly.

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Preposition

• Preposition shows the relationship of a noun or
  pronoun, called the object of the preposition, to
  another word
• Examples
• about before during near to
• above behind except of toward
• after beneath for on up
• against beside from out with
• among between in over within
• at by throughout into without
• The ball rolled under the truck.

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Conjunction and Interjection

• Conjunction joins words or word groups
• COORDINATING and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
• CORRELATIVE both, and, not onlybut also,
  eitheror, neithernor, whetheror
• SUBORDINATING after, although, because, before,
  how, if, in order that, so that, unless, until,
  whenever, whether, while, why
• Interjection expresses emotion and has no
  grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence
• Ah! Aha! Hey! Oh! Ouch! Uh-oh! Well! Whew! Wow!