GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION

REVISE AND REVIEW

WORD CLASSES
LESSON AIMS
Revision of word classes and being
able to identify them correctly in our
writing:
How to identify the use of nouns,
adjectives and verbs in written
sentences.
To be able to identify the use of
prepositions, conjunctions and adverbs
in written form.
 NOUNS
Nouns name people, animals, places and concepts etc.
They can be singular or plural, such as
science/sciences, or philosophy/philosophies.
Nouns play an important part in the sentence because
they tend to be the key elements.
For example: "The students handed in their essays
which were then marked by the tutor".
You would probably agree that the nouns (in italics)
carry much of the important information in the
sentence.
Sometimes nouns are preceded by "a/an" or "the" but
this can affect the meaning of the sentence.
NOUNS - EXAMPLE
For example:

"Students are an asset to modern society" or

"The students are an asset to modern
society".

Note the difference in meaning - the first

sentence implies students in general, whilst
the second implies a particular group of
students, such as "The students (at this
college) are...."
 PRONOUNS
Pronouns are words used to replace
nouns. Common pronouns are: I, me,
you, he, him, her, they, them, mine,
yours, his, hers and theirs. One of
their functions is to save us having to
repeat nouns.
 PRONOUNS - EXAMPLE
For example: "The student gave me
his book",
not "The student gave me the
students book"
or "That pen belongs to Sara. It is
hers",
not "That pen belongs to Sara. It is
Saras".
 ADJECTIVES
An adjective is a describing word. It can appear on its
own in the sentence or go before the noun it relates
to. Some examples might be:
They have interesting jobs.
Their jobs are interesting.
Examination essays are challenging.
One way to think of adjectives is in terms of adding
detail to the nouns they describe, as in the last
example above.
What type of essays are they?
Challenging ones!
 VERBS

A verb is a word used for actions

or states. For example:
They are writing (action)
He went out (action)
I will be ready soon (action)
They are early (state)
She got wet (state)
 VERBS - EXAMPLE
In formal written English, a sentence needs a
verb in order for it to make sense:
I (+ verb) cheese

can then create sentences like:

I love cheese, I am going to buy cheese, I
cant stand cheese, Id rather have cheese etc.
Verbs have different tenses for talking about
the present, past and future.
Also, the verb may change depending on who
or what is doing the action.
 VERBS - TENSES

For example:
He enjoys/I enjoy, or
Shelley paid the bill/
The bill was paid by Shelley.
In essay writing, make sure that
your sentences contain verbs,
otherwise sense will be missing
from what you are trying to say.
 ADVERBS

An adverb gives us more information about

a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It
may tell us about how, when, or where
something happened.
For example:

They strongly agreed.

He is usually late.
She works fast.
They work here.
 PREPOSITIONS

A preposition shows the relationship of one word to

another. For example, it can provide information about
time and place. Such as:
The book is on the table, not in my bag.
Please arrive before nine or after eleven.
Also, some prepositions simply go with certain words,
such as:
result in, keen on, impatient with.
Common prepositions are:

in, on, at, for, under, over, from, to, into, with,
before, after, around, near, past, opposite and between.
 CONJUNCTIONS
These are linking words which join groups of
words and sentences. If you do not use enough
of them, your sentences will seem abrupt. Here
are some examples of conjunctions:
He felt motivated because his results had
improved.
I was tired, but I continued to work.
Due to the fact that the weather is
worsening, classes will finish earlier. However,
lessons will resume tomorrow.
 CONJUNCTIONS - 2-
Notice that in the first two sentences, the
conjunction links two ideas in a particular
relationship. In the third sentence, the
same is true, but the conjunction is at the
beginning of the sentence. In the last
sentence, however links with the
previous sentence.
Therefore conjunctions can link both
within and between sentences.
 COLONS AND SEMI-COLONS

Colons and semi-colons are

important aspects of punctuation,
and can help to organise and add
structure to your writing.
There are, however, certain rules
which govern their use.
 COLONS(:)
Should only be used as follows.
* To introduce a list. For example:
An essay usually includes the following
components: an introduction, a main body of
text and a conclusion.

* To show a link between the units of

meaning, the second explain or summarising
the first. For example:
The results of the referendum were very clear:
there was a need for a change in policy.
 SEMI-COLONS (;)
Semi-colons are useful in long sentences, but be
careful not to over-use them. They give a longer
pause than a comma, but not as long as a full stop.
They are typically used as follows.
* To separate items in a list. For example:
In the library, there were several students reading
journal articles; a couple of lecturers checking the
stock; and a librarian returning books to the
shelves.
* To provide a break in a sentence, while
showing the relationship between the two parts. For
example:
Night was falling; he knew all was lost.
 SEMI-COLONS -2-
* To express an idea which is too short to merit a new
sentence. For example:
Wherever possible, students should try to organise
their academic work by using 'planning tools'; these can
help to clarify ideas.
In some cases semi-colons are followed by linking
words, as in the following example.
They were unsure regarding the outcome of their
assignment they were about to undertake; nevertheless,
they would give it their best attempt.
The semi-colon can be a powerful tool in helping you to
organise your writing, and present your ideas clearly
and meaningfully.