Parts of Speech Notes

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

boy
girl
man
woman
teacher
student
principal
cook
brother
sister
cousin
uncle
acrobat
nurse
lawyer
clown
2. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________
swamp
beach
street
city
St. Louis
El Paso
Denver
Boise
United States
Ireland
Missouri
Tibet
New Zealand
Idaho
Montana
Antarctica
3. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________
house
music
grass
door
mirror
lamp
toothbrush
watch
soap
dish
air
desk
perfume
pencil
bucket
iPhone
4. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________
happiness
sadness
fear
anger
truth
justice
honesty
beauty
health
loyalty
pride
love
jealousy
courage
peace
hate
5. What do all of the words in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 have in common? _____________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a noun? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think a noun is: _______________________________________________________________

A NOUN is _______________________________________________________________________________________ .
Nouns that name things that we can touch, taste, see, hear, and smell are called ______________________
The words in groups #1-3 are all examples of concrete nouns.
Think of three more nouns that name different people: _______________________________________
Think of three more nouns that name different places: _______________________________________
Think of three more nouns that name different things: _______________________________________
Nouns that name things we cannot touch, taste, see, hear, or smell are called _________________________
The words in group #4 are all examples of abstract nouns.
Think of three more nouns that name different emotions or ideas (abstract nouns): ____________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Concrete & Abstract Noun Writing Activity #1:
Complete the following sentence patterns using concrete and abstract nouns to verbally illustrate their
differences, and to help clarify the relationship between them:
Pattern: I cant see

(abstract noun) , but I can see (concrete noun) .

Examples: I cant see love, but I can see a wedding ring.

I cant see chaos, but I can see a tornado.
I cant hear peace, but I can hear silence.
I cant see happiness, but I can see a __________________________ .

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Concrete & Abstract Noun Writing Activity Continued:

I cant see beauty, but I can see __________________________ .
I cant see victory, but I can see a __________________________ .
I cant see innocence, but I can see __________________________ .
I cant hear sadness, but I can hear __________________________ .
I cant see __________________________ , but I can see __________________________ .
I cant hear __________________________ , but I can hear __________________________ .
Concrete & Abstract Noun Writing Activity #2:
Complete the following sentence patterns using concrete and abstract nouns to verbally illustrate their
differences, and to help clarify the relationship between them:
Pattern: If

(abstract noun)

were an animal, it would be a

(concrete noun) .

Examples: If anger were an animal, it would be a tiger.

If loyalty were an animal, it would be a dog.
If playfulness were an animal, it would be a __________________________ .
If boredom were an animal, it would be a __________________________ .
If __________________________ were an animal, it would be a __________________________ .
If __________________________ were an animal, it would be a __________________________ .
If __________________________ were an animal, it would be a __________________________ .
If __________________________ were an animal, it would be a __________________________ .
If __________________________ were an animal, it would be a __________________________ .
More Important Noun Info:
Concrete nouns nouns that name things we can touch, taste, see, hear, or smell - come in two exciting
flavors: __________________________ and __________________________ .
__________________________ nouns are words that name different groups of things.
__________________________ nouns are words that name different particular things.
Examples: animal is a general noun; bullfrog is a specific noun
person is a general noun; George Washington is a specific noun.
city is a general noun; Houston is a specific noun.
There are two other kinds of nouns: __________________________ nouns, and __________________________
nouns. Proper nouns are capitalized, and common nouns are not.
We capitalize nouns when they refer to specific people (Tom, Mary, John, William Shakespeare,
etc.), when they refer to days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, etc.), when they refer to specific
places that have names (Atlantic Ocean, Texas, Mississippi River, etc.), when they refer to
nationalities (Germans, Italians, Americans, etc.), when they refer to titles of books, plays,
articles, or movies (Romeo and Juliet, Star Wars, Where the Wild Things Are, etc.).

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

pour
run
skip
drink
laugh
toss
sent
open
soar
catch
swim
carry
2. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________
am
are
is
was
were
will be
have been
will have been
3. What do all of the words in groups 1, 2, and 3 have in common? ________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a verb? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think a verb is: _______________________________________________________________

VERBS are _______________________________________________________________________________________

The verbs in group #1 all refer to actions. Action verbs are often followed in a sentence by a direct
object or an indirect object. See the bullets below for more about direct objects.
For example, in the sentence, The teacher bit the apple, apple is the direct object of the verb
bit.
In the sentence, The barber shaved the mans beard, mans beard is the direct object of the
verb shaved.
An indirect object is often a noun or pronoun that comes before the direct object. The indirect object
usually tells to whom or for whom the action of the verb is happening.
The student gave the teacher the apple.
(teacher is the indirect object of the verb gave; apple is the direct object.)
The man offered the barber a tip.
(barber is the indirect object; tip is the direct object.)
Verbs appear in six different forms, called tenses:
PRESENT TENSE: The frog jumps.
PAST TENSE: The frog jumped.
FUTURE TENSE: The frog will jump.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE: The frog has jumped six times today.
PAST PERFECT TENSE: The frog had jumped only once before it rained.
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE: The frog will have jumped one hundred times by next Sunday.
What differences do you see between the sentences in the left column and those in the right column?
The boy hit the ball.
The dog ate the food.
The girl popped the balloon.
The fireman put out the fire.

The ball was hit.

The food was eaten.
The balloon was popped.
The fire was put out.

All of the sentences in the left column are written in __________________________ . All of the sentences in
the right column are written in __________________________ .
In the __________________________, the subject of the sentence the person, animal, or thing performing
the action is present before the verb.
In the __________________________, the subject of the sentence is usually not present. If the subject of
the sentence is present, it is often at the end of a prepositional phrase (making it the object of a
preposition). For example, in the sentence, The apple was eaten by the teacher, the subject teacher is
the object of the preposition by.

Passive Voice/Active Voice Writing Activity

Change the following sentences from PASSIVE VOICE to ACTIVE VOICE. You may need to add a subject
to some of the sentences.
Example: The man was bitten by a mosquito. (passive voice)
The mosquito bit the man. (active voice)
The movie was watched by the whole family.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The computer was turned on by the student.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The weights were lifted by the athlete.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The rifle was fired at the target.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The truck was driven.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps
sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy. Overuse of passive voice can cloud the meaning of
your sentences. Sentences in active voice are also more concise than those in passive voice because
fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive.
What differences do you see between the verbs in the left column and those in the right column?
ran
said
held
went
took

scampered
exclaimed
gripped
moseyed
seized

The verbs in in the left right column are more _______________________________________________________

Weak/Vivid Verb Writing Activity
Replace the weak verbs in the following sentences with verbs that are more specific and vivid.
The baseball player hit the ball.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The astronaut went into outer space.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The artist showed his masterpiece to the crowd.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
A couple more thoughts on the topic of VERBS:
Many writers agree that verbs are the most important words in a sentence. Verbs fill sentences with
horsepower and make them much more engaging to readers. The right verb can transform an
otherwise dull sentence into one that captures the readers interest.

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

I
me
you
he
she
we
us
them
they
it
this
that
my
your
her
his
its
our
their
who
All of the words in the group above are _____________________________________________________________

What is a pronoun? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think a pronoun is: ____________________________________________________________

PRONOUNS are ___________________________________________________________________________________

A PRONOUN is a ___________________________________________ for a _________________________________
PRONOUNS are used in three different cases: subjective, objective, and possessive. Subjective
pronouns appear as subjects of sentences and phrases. Objective pronouns appear as objects of
sentences, phrases, and clauses. Possessive pronouns show ownership of a noun.
Subjective Case
I read.
You read.
She reads.
They read.
Who reads?

Objective Case
Read to me.
John reads to you.
Read to her.
Read to them.
To whom does she read?

Possessive Case
my book
your book
her book
their book

There are also different kinds of pronouns:

Reflexive Pronouns _____________________________________________________________________.
(myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, etc.)
Demonstrative Pronouns ________________________________________________________________.
(this, that, these, those, etc.)
Indefinite Pronouns _____________________________________________________________________.
(all, any, anyone, both, either, everybody, few, many, several, somebody, nobody, none, etc.)
Relative Pronouns _______________________________________________________________________.
(which, who, whom, whose, that, etc.)
Interrogative Pronouns __________________________________________________________________.
(what, which, who, whom, whose, etc.)
Use pronouns in the right case (subjective, objective or possessive) when using them in a sentence:
The queen gave medals to Cinderella and I. (INCORRECT because I is a subjective pronoun that is used
as the object of a preposition)
The queen gave medals Cinderella and me. (CORRECT)
Her and me hiked up the mountain. (INCORRECT because her and me are objective pronouns used as
a compound subject)
She and I hiked up the mountain. (CORRECT)
The basketball player is taller than me. (INCORRECT because me is an objective pronoun used as an
adjective)
The basketball player is taller than I. (CORRECT)
Him and her are the fastest soccer players on the team. (INCORRECT because him and her are
objective pronouns used as compound
subjects)
He and she are the fastest soccer players on the team. (CORRECT)

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

dim
moldy
wrinkled
smooth
shiny
sharp
cracked
fuzzy
spotted
frozen
hazy
slick
muted
sour
sweet
spicy
2. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________
beautiful
ugly
sad
anxious
pretty
fair
nice
mean
democratic
bad
good
boring
All of the words in the groups above are ____________________________________________________________

What is an adjective? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think an adjective is: __________________________________________________________

ADJECTIVES are _________________________________________________________________________________

Adjectives tell _________________________ : this pencil, that man, those apples.
Adjectives tell _________________________ : the yellow pencil, the lonely man, the sweet apples.
Adjectives tell _________________________ : many pencils, several men, twenty apples.
Adjectives can also _________________________ : this yellow pencil, that lonely man, those twenty apples.
The adjectives in the first group are all __________________________ adjectives. These adjectives give
information that we can see, touch, taste, hear, and smell.
The adjectives in the second group are all __________________________ adjectives. They do not give
information about what we can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell. They give ____________________________
______________________________ . For example, the bad monster tells us that the person who wrote the
sentence thinks that the monster is bad; it does not tell us what the monster looks like. The green
monster tells us something about how the monster looks: he is green.
Adjectives can help make your writing ______________________________________________________ , but
they should be used ___________________________. Too many adjectives will ___________________________
_______________________________! For example, this sentence has too many adjectives:
We went into the big, old dark, cold, scary, empty, rotten house. The adjectives in this
sentence do not create a picture; instead they tell the reader what to think about the room, not
what to see.
For comparison, here is a better example one that uses just a few adjectives:
We stepped into the house. We saw wrinkled wallpaper, shattered windows, and a gaping
hole where the staircase used to be. The second sentence shows that the house was old and
falling apart; it does not tell the reader what to think or how to feel.
Try replacing the weak adjectives in the following sentences with ones that are more specific and vivid.
Avoid using adjectives that are abstract or opinionated. For example, the pretty lake could be changed
to the shimmering lake.
Snow White bit the bad apple.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Jack hacked down the ugly beanstalk.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The princess gazed at the beautiful sunset.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

happily
sadly
gently
morosely
quietly
quickly
smoothly
mysteriously
slowly
angrily
raucously
peacefully
2. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________
never
very
too
somewhat
often
always
up
here
almost
also
not
later
All of the words in the groups above are ____________________________________________________________

What is an adverb? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think an adverb is: ____________________________________________________________

ADVERBS are ____________________________________________________________________________________

***Many adverbs end with the suffix ly, but not all.***
Adverbs tell _________________________ :
The giant put the harp down here by the beanstalk. Snow White fell asleep there by the hut. The wolf
lurks nearby .
Other words that can be adverbs that tell where are: outside, inside, away, up, down, near, far.
Adverbs tell _________________________ :
The wolf often spotted the pigs building their houses. The wolf soon devised a plan. The wolf blew
down the house later in the afternoon.
Other words that can be adverbs that tell when are: now, then, soon, today, tomorrow,
immediately, daily.
Adverbs tell _________________________ :
The wolf crept quietly toward the house. The wolf howled happily after he blew down the house of
straw.
Other words that can be adverbs that tell how are: quite, stealthily, mysteriously, sadly,
effortlessly, easily, sprightly.
Adverbs tell _________________________ or _________________________:
The wolf frequently spied on the pigs. The wolf sometimes took a nap after eating. The wolf never
tired of thinking of new tricks.
Other words that can be adverbs that tell how often or how long are: twice, thrice, always.
Adverbs tell _________________________ :
The wolf was too full to move. The wolf was somewhat unsure that he could blow down the brick house.
The wolf was very happy when he tricked the second pig.
Other words that can be adverbs that tell how much are: hardly, rather, extremely, greatly, more,
just, still.
Rewrite the sentence with one or two adverbs added:
The frog croaked. _________________________________________________________________________________
The giant laughed. ________________________________________________________________________________
Circle the adverbs in the following sentences:
The wolf never howled.
Yesterday, the ogre easily pushed his brother into the river.
The seven dwarves were somewhat pleased to see Snow White.

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

about
below
for
throughout
above
beneath
from
to
across
beside
in
toward
on account of
in spite of
along with
together with
All of the words in the group above are ____________________________________________________________

What is a preposition? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think a preposition is: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

PREPOSITIONS are _______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here is a list of commonly used prepositions:
about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside,
besides, between, beyond, but (except), by, concerning, down, during, except, for, from, in, into, like, of,
off, on, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, until, unto, up, upon, with,
within, without.
A few tips about prepositions:
A _______________________________________ may act as a preposition: on account of, along with,
in spite of, together with.
A preposition usually introduces a phrase. The noun or pronoun (plus other words like
adjectives) that follows the preposition is called _________________________________.
Some prepositions tell _______________________: during, till, before, since, about, after, through.
Some prepositions tell _______________________: with.
Some prepositions tell _______________________: into.
Some prepositions tell _______________________: above, across, around, behind, below, beside,
next, in, underneath. Use the squirrel and the tree example to help think of these.
Some prepositions _____________________________________: like, as. This means that a
_______________________ will always contain a preposition.
Writing Activity: Replacing Words & Combining Sentences with Prepositions
Rewrite and combine the following sentences by adding prepositional phrases. You may also add other
words besides prepositions.
1. There is a hen. There is a wooden table. The hen clucks and lays golden eggs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. There is a giant. There is a beanstalk.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. There is a blackbird. There is a tree. There is a castle. There is a window.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. There is an elf. There is a meadow. There is the moon.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. There is a princess. There is a throne. There is a ballroom.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

and
but
or
yet
after
although
as
because
before
how
if
once
since
than
though
until
All of the words in the group above are ____________________________________________________________
What is a conjunction? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think a conjunction is: ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
CONJUNCTIONS are ______________________________________________________________________________
Some conjunctions, called ________________________________________, link words or independent clauses.
The giant and the troll gossiped about Rumplelstiltskin.
The giant likes to eat honey and vinegar sandwiches.
The dwarves loved dancing on rooftops and singing to the stars.
The elf ran home, for he had forgotten the map to the treasure.
The queen promised to give him the treasure, yet she smiled a cold and suspicious smile.
Jack took the cow to town, and he sold it for five magic beans.
The acronym FANBOYS can be a helpful way to remember the coordinating conjunctions:

FOR AND NOR

BUT

OR

YET

SO

Other conjunctions, called _______________________________________________________, introduce clauses.

Here are some subordinating conjunctions that introduce adverbial clauses:
Time
______________________________________________________________________
Cause/reason
______________________________________________________________________
Purpose/result
______________________________________________________________________
Condition
______________________________________________________________________
Examples of subordinating conjunctions used to introduce adverbial clauses:
After the rain stopped, the kids jumped in the puddles.
Because he ran out of money, he was unable to pay the toll on the bridge.
So that she could continue to be the fairest in the land, the evil queen gave Snow White the
poisoned apple.
Although she foiled Rumpelstiltskins plans, the weavers daughter avoided straw-filled rooms
for the rest of her life.
Another kind of conjunction is called a ________________________________________________. Correlative
conjunctions are always seen in pairs. Here are some common pairs of correlative conjunctions.

______________
______________
______________
______________
______________

.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.

______________
______________
______________
______________
______________

Both the Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter are characters from well-known books.
Either homemade vanilla or german chocolate will be a good choice of ice cream flavors.
Neither the rain nor the wind could force the soccer tournament to be canceled.
The students brought not only donuts but also orange juice to the breakfast party.
Whether youre ready or not, Im coming to find you!
Using conjunctions allows you to keep from writing a bunch of short, choppy sentences. When you use
conjunctions, you make your sentences more interesting and you pull ideas together.

Combine the following sentences using conjunctions:

The mermaid dove deeply. Her sister chased after small fish.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Grandma lit the candles. Her cat slept in the corner.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The elf smiled. Santa said nothing.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Harry Potter phoned home. No one answered his call.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The teacher told the students, You can stay. You can go home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. What do these words have in common? ________________________________________

a

an

the

All of the words in the group above are ____________________________________________________________

What is an article? Think about what you may have learned in the past
Tell what you think an article is: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
ARTICLES are ____________________________________________________________________________________
There are only _____________________________ articles in the English language, and they are:
______________________
______________________
______________________
Use a to introduce general, non-specific nouns that begin with consonant sounds:

a book, a typewriter, a rainbow, a sunny day, a duck

Use an to introduce general, non-specific nouns that begin with vowel sounds:

an apple, an hour, an author, an opera, an item, an umbrella

Use the to introduce specific or proper nouns:

the President of the United States, the Houston Texans, the first day of the week, the color blue

Selected material from Teaching Grammar Through Writing by Keith Polette

Copyright 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.