Grammar Basics: Parts of Speech

Grammar

Parts of Speech

• Nouns: words that refer to people, places, things, and ideas
  • Proper nouns (names of specific people, places, etc.)
  • Common nouns (general terms for things)
  • Collective nouns (groups of people, animals, etc.)
  • Abstract nouns (ideas, emotions, etc.)
• Verbs: words that express action or a state of being
  • Action verbs (physical or mental actions)
  • Linking verbs (connect subject to additional information)
  • Helping verbs (used to help form tense, mood, or voice)
• Adjectives: words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns
  • Quantitative adjectives (describe quantity)
  • Qualitative adjectives (describe quality)
• Adverbs: words that describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
  • Manner adverbs (describe how something is done)
  • Time adverbs (describe when something is done)
  • Place adverbs (describe where something is done)
  • Frequency adverbs (describe how often something is done)
• Pronouns: words that replace nouns in a sentence
  • Personal pronouns (replace nouns that refer to people or things)
  • Possessive pronouns (show ownership or possession)
  • Reflexive pronouns (refer back to the subject of the sentence)
  • Demonstrative pronouns (point out specific people or things)
• Prepositions: words that show relationships between words in a sentence
  • Words that indicate location, direction, time, etc.
• Conjunctions: words that connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence
  • Coordinating conjunctions (connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance)
  • Subordinating conjunctions (connect clauses of unequal importance)
• Interjections: words that express emotion or feeling

Sentence Structure

• Simple sentences: one independent clause
• Compound sentences: two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction
• Complex sentences: one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
• Compound-complex sentences: multiple independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses

Verb Tenses

• Present tense: action happens now
• Past tense: action happened in the past
• Future tense: action will happen in the future
• Present perfect tense: action started in the past and continues up to the present
• Past perfect tense: action happened before another action in the past
• Future perfect tense: action will happen before another action in the future

Clause and Phrase Structure

• Independent clause: a clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence
• Dependent clause: a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence
• Phrase: a group of words that function as a single part of speech
• Relative clause: a clause that provides additional information about a noun
• Subordinate clause: a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence

Parts of Speech

• Nouns: classify into proper nouns (specific people, places, etc.), common nouns (general terms), collective nouns (groups), and abstract nouns (ideas, emotions)
• Verbs: categorize into action verbs (physical or mental actions), linking verbs (connect subject to additional information), and helping verbs (used to form tense, mood, or voice)
• Adjectives: distinguish between quantitative adjectives (describe quantity) and qualitative adjectives (describe quality)
• Adverbs: classify into manner adverbs (describe how), time adverbs (describe when), place adverbs (describe where), and frequency adverbs (describe how often)
• Pronouns: recognize as personal pronouns (replace nouns referring to people or things), possessive pronouns (show ownership or possession), reflexive pronouns (refer back to the subject), and demonstrative pronouns (point out specific people or things)
• Prepositions: recognize as words indicating location, direction, time, etc.
• Conjunctions: distinguish between coordinating conjunctions (connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance) and subordinating conjunctions (connect clauses of unequal importance)
• Interjections: identify as words expressing emotion or feeling

Sentence Structure

• Simple sentences: consist of one independent clause
• Compound sentences: combine two or more independent clauses using a conjunction
• Complex sentences: comprise one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses
• Compound-complex sentences: combine multiple independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses

Verb Tenses

• Present tense: action occurs now
• Past tense: action occurred in the past
• Future tense: action will occur in the future
• Present perfect tense: action started in the past and continues up to the present
• Past perfect tense: action occurred before another action in the past
• Future perfect tense: action will occur before another action in the future

Clause and Phrase Structure

• Independent clause: a clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence
• Dependent clause: a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence
• Phrase: a group of words functioning as a single part of speech
• Relative clause: a clause providing additional information about a noun
• Subordinate clause: a clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence