EIGHT PARTS OF SPEECH 1.

NOUNS can be the name of a person, place or thing Examples

1. NOUNS COMMON General name of a person, place or thing. book, dog, boy, house, mother
apple, pen, father, cat, fox, girl
2. PRONOUNS
3. ADJECTIVES PROPER Name of a parcular person, place or thing and Margaret, Sheila, Ethan, London,
always begins with a capital leer. England, Red Cross, Parliament
4. VERBS
COLLECTIVE Word used to refer to a group of persons or team, family, flock, crowd, nest,
5. ADVERBS
things. class, army, cluster, choir, pack
6. PREPOSITIONS
ABSTRACT Name of things that cannot be touched: such as wisdom, health, joy, height, air, fog
7. CONJUNCTIONS ideas, feelings, and emoons. knowledge, truth, fear, pain, sense
6. PREPOSITIONS show a relaonship between a noun or a pronoun and the rest of a sentence
GENDER refers to whether a noun is masculine, feminine, common or neuter

Preposions are said to ‘govern’ the nouns or pronounsMasculine:

that followboy,
them.
man, father, husband Feminine: girl, mother, wife, nun, bride, sister, aunt, nanny
Examples: above, against, below, by, between, into, in,
Common: near,
pupil, on, over,
baby, under.
friend, teacher Neuter: tree, house, car, book, computer, flower, mountain

Jamilah’s book is under the table. Janelle threw her toy into the river.
FORMING THE POSSESSIVE CASE OF NOUNS
The preposion under governs the noun table. The preposion into governs the noun river.
Singular: The girl’s hat, the horse’s shoe, our country’s flag, my mother’s wig, one’s rights, someone else’s job.
Ethan pushed against the door unl it opened. Susana livedTwo
Plural: above thehats,
girls’ expensive
horses’flower
shoes,shop.
readers’ aenon, women’s rights, children’s clothing, men’s toys.
The preposion against governs the noun door. The preposion
Note: above
Charles’s governs
wife, thepoems,
Burns’s noun shop.
Lewis’s books, Jones’s house, Dickens’s novels, but Jesus’ parables.
Its: The house lost its roof in the storm. The cat injured its paw. The dog chased its tail. No apostrophe!
3. ADJECTIVES are words used to describe nouns Examples
Note: It’s (it is) all for you. It’s (it has) been a pleasure to work with you, Mr Scrooge. It’s (it is) show me!
DESCRIPTIVE Describe people and things A happy baby, a blue dress
DEMONSTRATIVE 2. PRONOUNS are used inThis
Point out nouns in a sentence place of that
boy, nouns girl, those grapes Examples
DISTRIBUTIVE Separate nouns in a group PERSONAL Every
Usedpupil, each
in place child
of persons or things in a sentence I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they
INTERROGATIVE Ask quesons about nouns Which pupil? What colour?
NUMERAL Give a count of nouns POSSESSIVE Six boys,
Used to three
show pupils, two or
possession pens
ownership of a noun This bed over here is mine.
PROPER Proper nouns as adjecves in a sentence
Indian film, French wine, Irish boy That bed over there is yours.
POSSESSIVE Show ownership of nouns DEMONSTRATIVE Point
My outhis
book, which
pen,nouns
its tail,are
hermeant
son in a sentence That is the dress my mother likes.
QUANTITATIVE Describe how much or how many Some boys, a few girls, less rain I bought those [grapes] yesterday.
INTERROGATIVE Used for asking quesons in a sentence Who ordered all this staonery?
PERSONAL PRONOUNS What did you buy today, darling?
RELATIVE Relate to a previous noun and join clauses I am the man who laughed at him.
Person Singular Object Plural together in aObject
sentence The dress that I bought is so chic.

1st Person I me REFLEXIVE we Refers to the subject

us of a sentence I cut myself shaving today.
She blamed herself for the loss.
2nd Person you you you you
3rd Person he/she/it him/her/it they them

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

Posive (1 only) Comparave (1 out of 2) Superlave (more than 2)

old older - My sister is older than my dog. oldest [in the family]
good beer - My sister is good, but I’m beer. best [and my mother is the best]
comfortable more comfortable most comfortable [of the lot]
8. INTERJECTIONS
DEFINITIONS
Leers: 5 vowels - 21 consonants of the alphabet.
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u.
Consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t,
v, w, x, y, z.

Word: A spoken or wrien part of a language Apple,

book, boy, girl, cricket, wine, donkeys, pens.

Phrase: A group of two or more words which usually

do not contain a finite verb and which can act as a
noun, verb, adverb, adjecve or preposion. The girl
with the pearl earring.
(preposional phrase)

Clause: A group of words or phrases containing a

finite verb. There are two types of clauses:
Main clause and Subordinate clause
We le because it was late.

Main clause Subordinate clause

(adverbial reason clause)

Sentence: A group of words expressing a complete

meaning. It can express a statement, ask a queson
or issue a command.
Clare went swimming. [statement]
Where did Clare go? [queson]
Don’t go swimming Clare! [command]

Paragraph: A sentence or a set of sentences forming

a unity of text and meaning.

ARTICLES — DETERMINERS
‘The’ is a Definite Arcle or Determiner and used
before a specific or definite object--person or thing.
the cat, the boy, the house, the girl, the eggs.

‘The’ can be used with all kinds of nouns: countable

and uncountable. The men. The ego.

An’ and ‘a’ are Indefinite Arcles or Determiners

used to refer to any one kind of person or thing. a
cat, a hotel, a holiday, an egg, an idea.

‘A’ and ‘an’ can only be used with singular countable

nouns. Note: a before consonants and an before
vowels. Use an before words with silent h an hour,
an heir, an honour, an honest man.

Examples
An eel, the cat, a pen (Singular, countable) The
cows, the eggs (Plural, countable)
The fog, the music (Uncountable noun)
Note: a heroic age, a hypothesis, an heir’s ear

ENGLISH GRAMMAR CARD

Dedicated to Tony Donovan (1930-1999)

Written & Published by Joseph

Donovan © 2011 — ISBN
0954814703
Email: [email protected]
38382-15-37493

PUNCTUATION

Full Stop ( . ) or period indicates the end of a complete sentence and is also used aer
abbreviaons (e.g. for example i.e. in other words etc. and so forth).
I am loath to paint. Flinty McQwerty is such a cad. He arrived at 4 p.m. for lunch.

Colon ( : ) is used to introduce a list, explain a previous clause or introduce a quotaon. You
will require the following tools: a spoke shave, a bradawl and a plumb bob.

Semicolon ( ; ) is used to join independent parts (clauses) of a sentence. It can also

introduce a list of items. Use a comma to separate short clauses. Dogs run, cats stroll.
Valerie did not speak; she just glared at Brendan. I love cricket; my sister hates it.
Comma ( , ) is used to separate or enclose parts of a sentence. It can also be SENTENCE
used to write a
STRUCTURE
list of items. Note the non-defining clauses enclosed with commas in the line below.
My sister, who loves donkeys, got married today. Flinty was born, so he claims, at sea.
Every sentence contains two basic parts: Subject and Predicate.
Ryan’s house is painted red, white, and blue. My Mum loves snook, snuff andThe snugs.
subject is the person who performs the acon. The subject can also be a thing.
The predicate describes the acon by the subject, denoted by the effect of the verb.
Queson mark ( ? ) is used for all direct quesons. The boys played football aer school.
How much did you pay for that donkey? How can you tell a dog’s age, Mummy?
Subject Predicate
Note: There is no queson mark in reported or indirect quesons.
I wonder how much Sean paid for that donkey. I oen think what might have been.
Types of Sentences: 1. Simple 2. Compound 3. Complex
Exclamaon mark ( ! ) can be used with interjecons or to express astonishment or a sharp
comment. Fire! Stop! Wait! Help! You idiot! Yes! No! Look out! Yikes! 1. Simple Sentences can be a statement, a queson or a command.
Statement: I love that dog.
Quotaon marks ( “ ”) or inverted commas indicate words spoken in the text.Queson: Is that dog trained?
Command: Watch that dog!
“It’s not serious,” she said, “but he’ll never walk again.” I sighed, “Do you mind?”
“We all make mistakes,” father said, “but you seem to specialise in them!”
2.
“There is a place called ‘Stop’,” the judge said to Flinty, “and you’re going there.” Compound Sentences consist of two or more simple sentences joined
together by a co-ordinang conjuncon.
Apostrophe ( ’ ) is used to show possession or ownership of nouns and contractedMy friend, Janelle, visited me today and we went shopping.
words.
Jamilah’s birthday. Thomas’s hospital. The doctor’s surgery. The doctors’ surgery.
The apostrophe can also indicate an omied leer in a word, when that word is3.contracted. Complex
I Sentences contain one main clause and one or more subordinate
clause. The boy who had the accident went to hospital.
don’t know him. It’s very hot today. Sorry to hear you’re leaving. Here’s Johnny!

Main
Parentheses ( ) can be used to mark out a comment or explanaon from the rest ofclause:
the textThe boy went to hospital. Subordinate clause: who had the accident
7. CONJUNCTIONS .
join words, phrases and sentences together
I tried to daydream (as you do), but my mind kept wandering.
My sister’s autobiography (listed as ficon) is a bestseller in the shops!
There are two kinds of Conjuncons: Co-ordinang and Subordinang
Co-ordinang: and, but, or, for, yet My father and I went fishing.
4. VERBS express an acon, state or a condion in a sentence
Subordinang: as, because, if, since We le because it was too late.
Finite verb is one that can be used with a subject to make a tense.
I walked to school yesterday. We danced all night at the party.

Non-finite verb cannot be used with a subject to make a verb tense

Kning is very relaxing. Swimming keeps you fit. (Gerunds)

Infinive is the ‘to’ form of a verb and is a special form of the non-finite
verb. to sing, to dance, to run, to walk, to swim, to write.

Transive verb is one that can have an object. The acon of the verb is
passed on to a person or thing — a direct object. 8. INTERJECTIONS are words used to express surprise, delight and other emoons
The boy kicked the ball. He broke the camera.
Transive verb object verb object Examples: Help! Hello! Cheers! Rubbish! Bravo! Well done! Encore! Oh! Goal! Yikes!

Intransive verb does not pass the acon of the verb on to a person or
thing. His wife just looked and smiled. People laughed. Jesus wept.

Note: The verb ‘to lay’ is always transive. It means to place or put
something somewhere, and, being transive, it always takes an object. My
chicken lays two eggs every day. I laid my cards on the table.

The verb ‘to lie’ is always intransive. It means to be at rest—no acon.

I lie down to rest aer reading the English Grammar Card.
Note: Ray lies with such sincerity. (He does not tell the truth!)

Acve Voice is when the subject of the verb does the acon. The
children broke the door. Mark kicked the ball.

Passive Voice is when the subject is affected by the acon.

The door was broken by the children. The ball was kicked by Mark.

Parciples are forms of the verb ending in –ing for the present parciple
and –ed for past parciple. Parciples can be used as adjecves in a
sentence. Note: I am washing my dog. Washing is used as a verb.
My mother bought a new washing machine.
Descripve adjecve noun

Gerunds are also known as verbal nouns and, like parciples, are formed
by adding –ing to the verb. Gerunds can then act as subjects or objects. I
love walking. My grandmother enjoys singing. I loathe smoking.

Auxiliary Verbs – can, could, do, may, might, ought, used to.

Examples: Can I take your dog, Grippa, for a walk to the park?
Susana could sing as well as dance.
Do you know the Eight Parts
of Speech, my dear?
May I have the pleasure of
dancing with you?
I might go to the party with Hannah.
 Michael ought to look for
another job in the hospital.
I used to design pencil
sharpeners before I became famous.

Present/Past tense of the verbs to lay (to place or put down) and to lie (to be at rest)

Present tense Past tense Present tense Past tense

I lay I laid I lie I lay
you lay you laid you lie you lay
he lays she laid he lies she lay
we lay we laid we lie we lay

5. ADVERBS qualify or modify verbs, adjecves or other adverbs

Adverb modifying a verb

Tony jumped quickly over the fence when he saw the bull charging. The
adverb quickly modifies the verb jumped.

Adverb modifying an adjecve

Shanika is a very clever girl, unlike her friend, Griselda. The
adverb very modifies the adjecve clever.

Adverb modifying another adverb

Rachel danced extremely well, despite her crab-footed partner.
The adverb extremely modifies the adverb well.

KINDS OF ADVERBS
TIME The children departed for Spain yesterday.
PLACE They put the anvil here for you, darling.
MANNER Simon spoke cheerfully about his new school.
DEGREE My teacher, Miss Perkins, was rather pleased with me.
REASON Why did the princesses annoy that spider, Daddy?
CONDITION I will leave, if you buy drinks for the Joneses.
CONCESSION Though John is late, I will connue to wait for him.
FREQUENCY I always send flowers to my mother for her birthday.
COMPARISON OF ADVERBS

Posive Comparave Superlave

hard harder hardest
quickly more quickly most quickly
badly worse worst