STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH

Review on the 9 parts of speech

NOUN – A noun is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object
or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of
existence, or ideas.
PRONOUN – A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase.
Pronouns refer to either a noun that has already been mentioned or to a noun that
does not need to be named specifically.
ADJECTIVE – Typically serving as a modifier of a noun to denote a quality of the
thing named, or to specify a thing as distinct from something else.
VERB – Verbs are words that show an action (sing), occurrence (develop), or state
of being (exist). Almost every sentence requires a verb.
ADVERB – Typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a
preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence.
PREPOSITION – A function word that typically combines with a noun phrase to
form a phrase which usually expresses a modification or predication.
CONJUNCTION – Conjunctions are words that joint together other words or groups
of words.
INTERJECTIION – Interjections are words, phrases, or sounds used to convey
emotions such as surprise, excitement, happiness, or anger.
ARTICLES/DETERMINERS – We use determiners to provide informations about a
noun or to introduce a noun. It always comes before a noun, not after, and it also
comes before any other adjectives used to describe the noun.
9 Parts of Speech
There are a total of 9 parts of speech in English: nouns, pronouns, verbs,
adverbs, adjectives, articles, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

THE NINE PARTS OF SPEECH

Noun

Nouns are naming words. These are one of the main elements of sentences. These are the words that
identify or name people, places, things, activities or ideas. Nouns can function as the subject of a clause
or sentence, an object of a verb, or an object of a preposition. Words like cow, pen, book, boy, toy and
plane are all nouns.

Types of Nouns

 Proper Noun: Proper noun is a word used to name a particular person, place, thing, or idea; this
noun is usually capitalized.
 Common Noun: Common noun names any one of a group of persons, places, things, or ideas,
and is not capitalized
 Concrete Noun: Concrete noun names an object that can be perceived by the senses (most
likely is tangible)
 Abstract Noun: Abstract noun names an idea, a feeling, a quality, or a characteristic (cannot be
physically touched)
 Collective Noun: Collective noun names a group; although it contains individual members, it is
identified as a singular noun.
 Compound Noun: The noun consists of two or more words used together as a single noun; they
may be written as one word, two or more words, or as a hyphenated word. Some examples of
compound nouns are gentleman, smartphone, fire-fly, football, tip-cat, full moon, bystander,
haircut, train-spotting, check-out, arm-pit, mother-in-law, underworld, bedroom, software,
breakfast, lookout, swimming pool, sunrise, upturn, haircut, train-spotting, check-out, mother-
in-law, underworld, bedroom

Pronoun

A word that takes the place of a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause. We can use a pronoun instead of a
noun. Pronouns allow us to eliminate the repetition and they keep communication going with or
without the noun.

Types of Pronouns

 Personal Pronouns: The personal pronoun takes the place of a specific person, group, or thing.
The personal pronouns in English grammar take various forms according to number, person,
case and gender.
1. Person

First-person: The person who is talking (I, we)

Second person: the person or persons being addressed (you)

Third-person: The person being talked about (he, she, it, they)

2. Number

Singular: I, me, my, mine, you, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its

Plural: we, us, our, ours, you, yours, they, them, their, theirs

3. Gender

Male (he), Female (she) or Neuter (it)

4. Case

Subject: I, we, you, he, she, it, they

Object: me, you, him, her, it, us, them

 Reflexive Pronouns: These are the pronouns that refer back to the subject of a sentence. We
often use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object of a verb are the same.
1. First Person

Singular: Myself

Plural: Ourselves

2. Second Person

Singular: Yourself

Plural: Yourselves

3. Third Person

Singular: Himself, Herself, Itself,

Plural: Themselves

 Interrogative Pronouns– used to begin questions

Interrogative: who, whom, whose, which, what

 Demonstrative Pronouns– used to point out a specific person, place, thing, or idea

Demonstrative: this, that, these, those

 Indefinite Pronouns– used to refer to people, places, things, or ideas in general; frequently used
without antecedents

Indefinite: all, any, either, many, none, etc.

Verbs

Verbs are very important words. These words describe the actions—or states of being—of people,
animals, places, or things. Verbs function as the root of what is called the predicate, which is required
(along with a subject) to form a complete sentence; therefore, every sentence must include at least one
verb.

Adjectives

Adjectives are describing words. These are the words that modify or qualify (add description to) nouns
and (occasionally) pronouns by providing descriptive or specific detail.

Types of Adjectives

 Descriptive Adjectives

A descriptive adjective names a quality of the noun or pronoun that it modifies.

Example: brown dog bigger house fluffy cat

 Proper Adjectives

A proper adjective is derived from a proper noun.

Example: French class Spanish food European car

 Limiting Adjectives

A limiting adjective restricts the meaning of the word it modifies.

Example: that car, this room, the tree

 Coordinate Adjectives

A coordinate adjective consists of two or more adjectives separated by a comma instead of by a

coordinating conjunction.

Example: a cold, rainy day

Adverbs

Adverbs are an important part of speech. An adverb is a word that tells us more about a verb. It
“qualifies” or “modifies” a verb, adjective, clause, or another adverb.

An adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause or degree and it usually answers questions such as how?
Where? When? How often? And how much?.

Prepositions

Preposition is important when constructing sentences. Prepositions are words that express a
relationship between a noun or pronoun (known as the object of the preposition) and another part of
the sentence. Together, these form prepositional phrases, which can function as adjectives or as adverbs
in a sentence. Some examples of prepositional phrases are: on the table, in the shed, and across the
field.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect other words, phrases, or clauses, expressing a specific kind of
relationship between the two (or more) elements. The most common conjunctions are the coordinating
conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet.
Interjections

Interjections are words, phrases, or sounds used to convey emotions such as surprise, excitement,
happiness, or anger.

Articles and Determiners

Articles and determiners function like adjectives by modifying nouns, but they are different than
adjectives in that they are necessary for a sentence to have proper syntax. Articles and determiners
specify and identify nouns, and there are indefinite and definite articles. Examples: articles: a, an, the;
determiners: these, that, those, enough, much, few, which, what.

SYNTAX
 The word “syntax” comes from the Ancient Greek for ‘coordination” or
“ordering together”.
 In spoken and written language, syntax refers to the set of rules that
determines the arrangement of words in a sentence.
 Syntax is the set of rules that helps readers and writers make sense of
sentences. It is also an important tool that writers can use to create various
rhetorical or literary effects.
4 Essential Rules of Syntax
1. A complete sentence requires a subject and a verb and expresses a complete
thought.
2. Separate ideas generally require separate sentences.
3. English word order follows the subject-verb-object sequence.
4. A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb- but it doesn’t express a
complete thought.
4 Sentence Types in English Language
1. Simple sentences
2. Compound sentences
3. Complex sentences
4. Compound-complex sentences

1. Simple sentences- simple sentences consist of a single, independent

clause.
Examples: I like coffee.
The earth revolves around the sun.
2. Compound sentences- compound sentences consist of two or more
independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or a semi-colon.
Examples: I like coffee and Mary likes tea.
Our car broke down; we came last.
Note: There are 7 coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so
3. Complex sentences- complex sentences consist of an independent clause
and one or more dependent clauses joined by a subordinating conjunction or
a relative pronoun.
Examples: We misses our plane because we were late.
A child is a gift whose worth can’t be measured.
4. Compound-complex sentences- compound-complex sentences consist of
multiple independent clauses as well as at least one dependent clause.
Examples: Even though she was tired, mother knew her family needs her
so she stood up to prepare for dinner.