The Ten Parts of Speech with Clear Examples
English Tip Sheet
The Ten Parts of Speech with Clear Examples
1. A common noun is a person, place, idea, or thing. It is capitalized only at the start of a sentence. It can be a single word, a group of words, or a hyphenated word.
Examples:
The girl was learning to drive
person (girl)
next to the ocean;
place (ocean)
it takes self-control
idea (self-control)
to earn a driver's license.
thing (license)
2. A proper noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. It is always capitalized. It may be a single word, a group of words (with or without abbreviations), or a hyphenated word.
Examples:
Josh was honored
person (Josh)
at U.S. Memorial Auditorium
place (U.S. Memorial Auditorium)
with the Smith-Lee Award.
thing (Smith-Lee Award)
3. A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun(s). It can be in the subject case, acting as a "do-er" of the action in the subject case, or acting as a "receiver" of the action in the object case. Pronouns can also serve as singular or plural possessives to show ownership.
Examples:
She walked to town.
subject case (She)
I gave her a basket.
object case (her)
It was his wallet.
possessive (his)
4. An adjective describes a proper noun, a common noun, or a pronoun by describing how many, what kind, or which one.
Examples:
The five teammates
How Many? (five)
took the tiring trip
What Kind? (tiring)
to that arena across town.
Which One? (that)
5. A verb shows a physical or mental action or it describes a state of being.
Examples:
She works long hours,
physical action (works)
but knows that
mental action (knows)
there is more to life than work.
state of being (is)
6. An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb by describing how, when, where, or what degree.
Examples:
Trey walked slowly
How? (slowly)
because he had arrived early
When? (early)
to the place where
Where? (where)
he knew very well.
What Degree? (very well)
7. A preposition is a word that has a relationship with a common noun, a proper noun, or a pronoun. The preposition is always part of a phrase comes and comes before its object. The preposition asks "What?" and the object provides the answer.
Examples:
The politician voted against the law
(against) what?...the law
through the secret ballot.
(through) what?...the secret ballot
8. A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses together. There are three kinds:
-Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses used in the same way.
Example:
The student tries, but does not always succeed.
(but)
-Correlative conjunctions are paired conjunctions that connect words, phrases, or clauses used in the same way.
Example:
Either you must tell the police, or I will.
(either, or)
-Subordinating conjunctions come at the beginning of adverb clauses. These clauses restrict the meaning of the rest of the sentence.
Example:
Although he is often late, Ryan shows up to work every day.
(Although)
9. An article determines number or identification of a noun and always precedes a noun. The "a" article signals a singular noun beginning with a consonant. The "an" article signals a plural noun beginning with a vowel.
Examples: A lion and an elephant are considered the "kings of the jungle." (a, an, the)
10. An interjection is a word or phrase that shows surprise or emotion. It is usually followed by an exclamation point. Example: Hey! Stop that. (Hey!)
COMMA USAGE – 9 Key Tips
1. Use a comma or commas to set off the abbreviations Jr., Sr., and Esq. Example: Carl Harris, Jr., is here now.
2. Use commas to separate parts of geographical places. Example: Have you visited St. Louis, Missouri?
3. Use a comma to separate introductory words yes and no and mild interjections from the sentence that follows them. Examples: Oh, I heard that before. Yes, I will be here.
4. Use a comma after an introductory participial phrase. Example: Feeling hot, the boy ran to the refrigerator for a drink.
5. Use a comma to set off a short clause at the end of the sentence to change a statement into a question or an exclamatory sentence. Example: You are going to town, aren't you?
6. Use a comma before the coordinate conjunctions that join independent clauses in a compound sentence. Example: Harry will leave on the next flight, but you will join him in a week.
7. Items in a date are set off by commas. Example: They were married on Saturday, June 5, 1996.
8. A series of adjectives of the same rank modifying the same noun are separated by commas unless they are joined by conjunctions. Example: We saw the tall, slender, graceful trees.
9. Use a Comma after introductory subordinate phrases. A subordinate phrase is a phrase that begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., since, when, although, as). These phrases are not independent clauses (a complete sentence) because of that subordinating conjunction. They must be attached to an independent clause. Subordinate phrases tell when the main action occurred, provide a condition for it to occur, give opposing information about the action, or show cause and effect. Examples:
As he ran away from Mary, Tom fell and skinned his knee.
Although his knee hurt, the pain in his heart consumed his attention.
SEMICOLON USAGE
1. Use a semicolon between two independent clauses of a compound sentence when they are not joined by a coordinate conjunction. Example: There was a sudden silence; everyone was stunned by the outcome.
2. Use a semicolon between clauses which are joined by conjunctions if the clauses are long, or when the clause have internal commas. Example: John arrived last night, I am told; but because his plane was late, he could not come to the party.
3. Use a semicolon between clauses of a compound sentence which are joined by conjuctive adverbs, such as therefore, hence, however, nevertheless, accordingly, thus, then. Example: The day was very cold; therefore, we did not go for a ride.
COLON USAGE
1. Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter. Example: Dear Sir:
2. Use a colon before listed items that are introduced by such words as the following, as follows, thus, and these; by a number; or by any other expression that "points-out." Example: In high school he played the following sports: baseball, basketball, football and tennis.
*Use no colon before a list of predicate nominatives, direct objects, or objects of the preposition. A colon should not hinder the natural flow of the sentence. Example: We will need flour, milk, and sugar. (direct objects)
25 Common Grammatical Errors to Avoid
1. Dangling Modifiers
Incorrect - Tossed high into the sky, the dog caught the Frisbee.
Correct - The dog caught the Frisbee, which had been tossed high into the sky.
Tip: Keep modifiers close to the words that they describe to avoid dangling modifiers.
2. Modifiers
Incorrect - That student is not feeling good.
Correct - That student is not feeling well.
Tip: Don't use adjectives, e.g., good, in place of adverbs, e.g., well. Usually follow "_ing" with well, not good.
3. Comparative Modifiers (one or two syllables)
Incorrect - I picked the smallest piece of the two to be graciouser and because it was more easy to reach.
Correct - I picked the smaller piece of the two to be more gracious and because it was easier to reach.
Tip: Use "_er" for one or two syllable modifiers or more for two syllable modifiers, if more sounds better.
4. Comparative Modifiers (three or more syllables)
Incorrect - Each new song was wonderfuller than the old ones.
Correct - Each new song was more wonderful than the old ones.
Tip: Use more (less) for a three - syllable or longer modifier to compare two things.
5. Superlative Modifiers
Incorrect - Oswald is the more hyperactive of the three boys, but runs least quicker.
Correct - Oswald is the most hyperactive of the three boys, but runs least quickly.
Tip: Use most (least) for a three - syllable or longer modifier to compare three or more things. Always use most or least for adverbs ending in "_ly."
6. Preposition Placement
Incorrect - Prepositions are not good to end sentences with.
Correct - Do not end sentences with prepositions.
Tip: A preposition is a word that shows some relationship or position between a common noun, a proper noun, or a pronoun and its object. The preposition is always part of a phrase and comes before its object. The preposition asks "What?" and the object provides the answer. Ending sentences with prepositions eliminates their objects, so avoid these constructions whenever possible.
7. Parallel Structure
Incorrect - Swimming, to play tennis, and basketball are popular sports at the high school.
Correct - Swimming, tennis, and basketball are popular sports at the high school.
Tip: The term parallelism refers to a repeated grammatical construction of a word, a phrase, or a clause. Especially keep verb forms parallel within the same sentence.
8. Split Infinitives
Incorrect - It is a mistake to ever split an infinitive.
Correct - It is always a mistake to split an infinitive.
Tip: An infinitive has a to + the base form of a verb. Placing a word between the to and the base form of the verb can create confusion. If tempted to split the infinitive, brainstorm for better verbs.
9. Noun - Verb Agreements (numbers)
Incorrect - The calculations indicates that there will be an economic downturn soon.
Correct - The calculations indicate that there will be an economic downturn soon.
Tip: If the noun is plural (ends in an s, the verb that acts upon that noun usually does not end in an s.
10. Subject Case Pronouns (compound subjects)
Incorrect - Her and Muffy play video games.
Correct - She and Muffy play video games.
Tip: Drop other nouns or pronouns when there is a compound subject (two or more subjects), and check if the remaining pronoun sounds right, e.g., "Her plays video games" sounds bad while "She plays video games" sounds good.
11. Subject Case Pronouns (pronoun order)
Incorrect - I and Zelda enjoy the beach.
Correct - Zelda and I enjoy the beach.
Tip: Remember that English is a polite language; the first person pronouns (I, me, ours, mine) are always placed last when combined with other nouns or pronouns.
12. Object Case Pronouns (serving as direct objects)
Incorrect - The challenge excited we.
Correct - The challenge excited us.
Tip: Use the object case pronoun if the pronoun is the direct object. The direct object receives the action of the verb and answers "What?" or "Who?"
13. Object Case Pronouns (serving as indirect objects)
Incorrect - Robert gave they a king - size candy bar.
Correct - Robert gave them a king - size candy bar.
Tip: Use the object case pronoun if the pronoun is an indirect object of a verb. The indirect object is placed between a verb and its direct object. It answers "To What?" "To Whom," " For What?" or "For Whom?"
14. Gender Pronouns
Incorrect - Everyone has their own problems or Everyone has his/her own problems.
Correct - Everyone has his own problems (Yes, English is a masculine - based language) or better... All people have their own problems.
Tip: To be inclusive (and politically correct), make pronoun references plural. Avoid the wordy and confusing "his or hers for him and her."
15. Pronoun Antecedents (referring to ambiguous references)
Incorrect - When Bobby asked for help, they asked why.
Problem - Who are the they?
Correct - When Bobby asked for help, his friends asked why.
Tip: An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers.Make sure antecedents are specific. Otherwise, the pronoun reference may be confusing.
16. Pronoun Antecedents (referring to the objects of prepositions)
Incorrect - In Twain's The Celebrated Frog of Calaveras County, he uses political humor.
Problem - Who, or what, is he?
Correct - In Twain's The Celebrated Frog of Calaveras County, the author uses political humor.
Tip: Don't have a pronoun refer to the object of a prepositional phrase, e.g., "of Calaveras County."
17. Pronoun Antecedents (referring to this, that, these, those, it, its)
Incorrect - He made an egg, put the dog food in its bowl, and put this on his toast to eat.
Problem - What is this? Whose is his?
Correct - He made an egg and put it on his toast. Then, he put the dog food in its bowl.
Tip: Make sure that the singular pronouns this and that and the plural pronouns these and those specifically refer to what is intended. Keep these pronouns close to their references.
18. Pronoun Antecedents (referring to possessives)
Incorrect - In San Diego's famous zoo, they treat their zoo - keepers well.
Problem - Who are the they and their?
Correct - In San Diego's famous zoo, the animals treat their zoo - keepers well.