English Grammar: Parts of Speech & Syntax

Parts of Speech and Syntax

• Essential for English comprehension and effective use.
• Syntax refers to word order in a sentence.
• Word order can vary among languages.
• The lesson aims to clarify word placement in a sentence and their basic meanings, especially concerning parts of speech.

Nouns

• Nouns name people, places, things, animals, and food.
• Examples of nouns include boy, dog, apple, James, Toronto, watch, and cat.

Pronouns

• Pronouns replace nouns in a sentence to avoid repetition and simplify sentence structure.
• Pronouns are generally used after the noun they replace has been introduced.
• Pronouns should not begin a sentence without a clear reference to the noun they represent.
• Subject pronouns (I, we) indicate the one(s) doing an action.
• Object pronouns (them) are used when referring to something receiving the action.
• Reflexive pronouns (himself) reflect back to the subject.

Adjectives

• Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns, adding detail and specificity.
• The word "adjective" is broken into "ad" (meaning to add) and "ject" (related to object/subject).
• Adjectives are usually placed before the nouns or pronouns they describe.
• In English, adjectives typically come before the nouns or pronouns they modify, but syntax varies across languages (e.g., Spanish).
• There are eight types of adjectives with a specific order in English.

Order of Adjectives

• The specific order of adjectives in English is: quantity, quality, size, age, shape, color, origin, material.
• Quantity refers to a number (e.g., five chairs).
• Quality describes if something is good or bad.
• Size indicates how big or small it is.
• Age refers to how old something is (new, old, young).
• Shape indicates if it a round, square, or a triangle
• Color refers to the color of something.
• Origin refers to where something comes from (e.g. Italian).
• Material refers to what something is made of (e.g., cotton, metal).
• Correct order avoids causing confusion for native English speakers.
• Example of correct order: "five nice, big, old, long, blue, Italian leather couches".
• Adhering to this order avoids confusion for native English speakers.

Verbs

• Verbs indicate actions that nouns or pronouns do.
• Verbs express actions or states of being.
• Examples of actions include sleep, eat and work.
• Verbs can also describe a state of being.
• Verbs can express a state of being, such as existence or emotions (e.g., "I am happy").
• Examples include: "I am", "she is", "they are".
• The verb "to be" is often used with adjectives to describe how something is.

Adverbs

• Adverbs describe the action of verbs and can modify adjectives, adding more information.
• Adverbs describe the action of verbs.
• Adverbs answer when an action happens, how it happens, in what manner etc
• Adverbs are generally found after the verb but before the adjective it modifies.
• Generally, adverbs are found after the verb they modify but before the adjective.
• Adverbs give more description of what the verb was doing, for example describing how fast someone ran.
• "That watch is 'so' expensive" 'so' being the adverb to provide more information about how expensive it is.
• Example: "That watch is so expensive" (adverb "so" modifies the adjective "expensive").
• There are four types of adverbs.

Types of Adverbs

• Adverbs of manner describe how something happens (e.g., slowly, quickly).
• Adverbs of time indicate when something happened (e.g., yesterday, today, tomorrow, all day).
• Adverbs of place tell where something happened (e.g., here, there, everywhere).
• Adverbs of degree indicate how much (e.g., so, very, too).
• "Too" usually has a negative connotation or indicates more than desired.
• "Too" often indicates a negative or undesirable degree.