PARTS OF SPEECH

1. THE PARTS
OF SPEECH
By: Michael Y. Ligaray Jr.
CompEd 1A
2nd examination
presents

2.  Abstract nouns are words that name things that are
not concrete. Your five physical senses cannot detect
an abstract noun – you can’t see it, smell it, taste it,
hear it, or touch it. In essence, an abstract noun is a
quality, a concept, an idea, or maybe even an event.

3. Abstract nouns and concrete nouns are usually
defined in terms of one another. Something that is
abstract exists only in the mind, while something
that is concrete can be interacted with in a physical
way. Qualities, relationships, theories, conditions,
and states of being are some examples of the types of
things abstract nouns define.

4.  A noun is a word that names a person, animal, place,
thing, or idea. All nouns can be further classified as proper
or common. Common nouns are words used to name
general items rather than specific ones. Go into your living
room. What do you see? Lamp, chair, couch, TV, window,
painting, pillow, candle – all of these items are named
using common nouns.
Common Noun

5. Common Noun Examples
 The following common noun examples will help you to
recognize common nouns. In the sentences that follow,
common noun examples are italicized. Notice that the
examples providing proper nouns name specific versions of the
same type of person, animal, place, thing, or idea.
*Common Noun: You broke my favorite
mug.
Proper Noun: I can’t believe you broke my
Snoopy mug.
*Common Noun: I really want a new pair
of jeans.
Proper Noun: I really want to buy a new
pair of Levis.

6. GERUND
phrase

7. What is a gerund phrase?
Though the term might sound a bit intimidating, it really is simple. Here,
we’ll take a close look at gerund phrases and provide several examples so
you can easily recognize them and use them to create interesting
sentences.
Decoding the Gerund Phrase
Time for a quick refresher: A gerund is a noun formed with a verb ending in ing. Words
like swimming, tying, dreaming, eating, fishing, and drinking can all be used as
gerunds.
Now that we’ve refreshed your memory, let’s take a look at the gerund phrase. A
gerund phrase always follows these rules:

8.  Gerund phrases always start with gerunds
 Gerund phrases always include modifiers and often include other objects
 A gerund phrase always functions as a noun
 Gerund phrases are always subjects, objects, or subject complements in
sentences.
Gerund Phrase Examples
In the following gerund phrase examples, the gerund is highlighted
in bold and the entire gerund phrase is underlined. A brief
explanation of the function of the gerund phrase follows each
example.

9.  Blowing bubbles on a windy day is a fun activity for children.
Blowing bubbles on a windy day is the subject of the verb is.
 Piling too much laundry into a washing machine will cause it to
malfunction.
Piling too much laundry into a washing machine is the subject of the verb
will cause.
 Ethan narrowly avoided driving off the cliff.
Driving off the cliff is the direct object of the verb avoided.
 Eating ice cream on a hot day can be a good way to cool off.
Eating ice cream on a hot day is the subject of the verb can be.
 Jessica really enjoys bothering the neighbors with loud music.
Bothering the neighbors with loud music is the direct object of the verb
enjoys.

10. Plural
Nouns

11. Plural nouns are words used to
indicate that there is more than one
person, animal, place, thing, or idea.
The difference between singular and
plural nouns is simple once you know
what to look for. Here, we take a look
at singular and plural nouns,
providing both singular nouns
examples and plural noun examples
to help you recognize plural nouns
when you see them.

13. The answer is a relatively easy one, as
grammar goes. A plural noun is a word
that indicates that there is more than one
person, animal place, thing, or idea.
When you talk about more than one of
anything, you’re using plural nouns.
When you write about more than one of
anything, you usually use the same word,
simply adding an s, es, or ies to the end.
There are a few exceptions to this rule,
but not many – one of the best is that a
single moose is a moose, and a group of
moose are still moose.

14. Singular and Plural
Nouns
The difference between singular and plural nouns is easy to spot. When a
noun indicates one only, it is a singular noun. When a noun indicates more
than one, it is plural.

16. When talking about types of noun, it’s important to
remember collective nouns. A collective noun is a word that
refers to a group. It can be either singular or plural, but is
usually used in the singular. Some collective noun examples
are included in the following sentences
Our team is enjoying an unbroken winning streak.
There’s a pack of hyenas outside.
Watch out for that swarm of bees.
You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a herd of wild horses.
Our class graduates two years from now.

18. Concrete nouns are words used for actual things you can touch,
see, taste, feel, and hear – things you interact with every day.
Notice that concrete nouns can also be countable, uncountable,
common, proper, and collective nouns. Some concrete noun
examples are included in the following sentences.
Please remember to buy oranges.
Have a seat in that chair.

19. ADJECTIVES
What is an adjective?
Adjectives are words that describe or modify other words. They can identify or
quantify another person or thing in the sentence. Adjectives are usually positioned
before the noun or the pronoun that they modify.
In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:
1. They live in a beautiful house.
2. Lisa is wearing a sleeveless shirt today.

20. What is a Compound Noun?
Compound nouns are words for people, animals, places, things, or ideas, made up of
two or more words. Most compound nouns are made with nouns that have been
modified by adjectives or other nouns.
In many compound nouns, the first word describes or modifies the second word,
giving us insight into what kind of thing an item is, or providing us with clues about
the item’s purpose. The second word usually identifies the item.

21. GERUNDS
Gerunds are best for use in sentences about actions that are real or
complete, or that have been completed.
• I stopped worrying about the future.
In this example, the worrying was real and it happened until I stopped.
• We really enjoy climbing mountains.
In this example, the climbing is real and it’s something we like to do.

22. Infinitives
Infinitives are best for use in sentences about
actions that are unreal or abstract, or that will
occur in the future.
• I’d like you to think about something.
In this example, I’m asking you to think about
something, but the thinking hasn’t happened yet.
• Can we take a walk without you stopping to
smoke?
In this example, we’re talking about taking a walk
and the smoking hasn’t happened yet.

23. PREPOSITION

24. WHAT IS A PREPOSITION?
Aprepositionisawordusedtolinknouns,pronouns,orphrasestootherwordswithinasentence.
Prepositionsareusuallyshortwords,andtheyarenormallyplaceddirectlyinfrontofnouns.Insome
cases,you’llfindprepositionsinfrontofgerundverbs.
Therearetwoveryimportantrulestorememberwhenusingprepositions.Becausetheyaresomewhat
vague,learningaboutprepositionsandusingthemcorrectlyinsentencestakespractice.Because1:1
translationisoftenimpossiblewhendealingwithprepositions,eventhemostadvancedEnglishstudents
havesomedifficultyatfirst.

25. Verbs
A verb is one of the main parts of a sentence or question in English.
In fact, you can’t have a sentence or a question without a verb! That’s
how important these “action” parts of speech are.
The verb signals an action, an occurrence, or a state of being.
Whether mental, physical, or mechanical, verbs always express
activity.

26. List of all Verb Types
Action Verbs
Transitive Verbs
Intransitive Verbs Auxiliary Verbs
Stative Verbs
Modal Verbs
Phrasal Verbs
Irregular Verbs

27. ADVERB
What is an adverb?
An adverb is a word that is used to change or
qualify the meaning of an adjective, a verb, a
clause, another adverb, or any other type of
word or phrase with the exception of
determiners and adjectives that directly modify
nouns.

28. Conjunctions
A conjunction is a part of speech that is used to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Conjunctions are considered to be invariable grammar particle, and they may or may not stand between
items they conjoin.
There are several different types of conjunctions that do various jobs within sentence structures. These
include:
 Subordinating conjunctions – Also known as subordinators, these conjunctions join dependent
clauses to independent clauses.
 Coordinating conjunction – Also known as coordinators, these conjunctions coordinate or join
two or more sentences, main clauses, words, or other parts of speech which are of the same
syntactic importance.
 Correlative conjunction – These conjunctions correlate, working in pairs to join phrases or
words that carry equal importance within a sentence.
 Conjunctive adverbs – While some instructors do not teach conjunctive adverbs alongside
conjunctions, these important parts of speech are worth a mention here. These adverbs always
connect one clause to another, and are used to show sequence, contrast, cause and effect, and
other relationships.

29. Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs but act as nouns. They’re very easy to spot, since every
gerund is a verb with ing tacked to its tail. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Like all things grammar, gerunds do take a tiny bit of detective work to spot. The problem here is that
present participles also end with the letters ing. Besides being able to spot gerunds, you should be able
to tell the difference between a gerund and a present participle.
Let’s go back to the definition of a gerund for a moment. Remember that gerunds are words that are
formed with verbs but act as nouns. Present participles do not act as nouns. Instead, they act as
modifiers or complete progressive verbs. To find gerunds in sentences, just look for a verb + ing that is
used as a noun. It’s that simple

30. PRONOUNSIn grammar, a pronoun is defined as a word or phrase that may be substituted for a noun or noun
phrase. They can be divided into numerous categories including:
 Indefinite pronouns – thosereferring to one or more unspecified objects, beings, or places
 Personal pronouns – those associated with a grammatical person
 Reflexive pronouns – those preceded by the adverb, adjective, pronoun, or noun to which they
refer
 Demonstrative pronouns – those used to point to something specific within a sentence
 Possessive pronouns – those designating possession
 Relative pronouns – those which refer to nouns mentioned previously
There are a few important rules for using pronouns. Keep these in mind and you will discover that
pronouns are easy to work with.
 Subject pronouns may be used to begin sentences. For example: We did a great job.
 Subject pronouns may also be used to rename the subject. For example: It was she who decided
we should go to Hawaii.
 Object pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions. These
include you, me, him, her, us, them, and it. For example: David talked to her about the mistake.
 Possessive pronouns show ownership. They do not need apostrophes. For example: The cat
washed its whiskers.

31. Collective Nouns
Collectivenounsarenamesforacollectionoranumberofpeopleorthings.Wordslikegroup,herd,and
arrayarecollectivenounexamples.Here,we’lltakeacloserlookatcollectivenouns,andprovideeven
moreexamples,placingthem incontextsoyoucangainagreaterunderstandingofhowtheywork.
WhatisaCollectiveNoun
Youmightnotknowit,butyouencountercollectivenounsineverydayspeech.Collectivenounsare
wordsforsinglethingsthataremadeupofmorethanoneperson,animal,place,thing,oridea.You
can’thaveateamwithoutindividualmembers;evenso,wediscussateamasasingleentity.

32. Countable and Uncountable Nouns
InEnglishgrammar,countablenounsareindividualpeople,animals,places,things,orideaswhichcan
becounted.Uncountablenounsarenotindividualobjects,sotheycannotbecounted.Here,we’lltakea
lookatcountableanduncountablenounsandprovidebothcountablenounexamplesanduncountable
nounexamples.Althoughtheconceptmayseemchallenging,you’llsoondiscoverthatthesetwo
differentnountypesareveryeasytouse.

33. Proper Nouns
Propernounshavetwodistinctfeatures:Theynamespecificone-of-a-kinditems,andtheybeginwith
capitalletters,nomatterwheretheyoccurwithinasentence.Here,we’lltakeacloserlookatproper
nouns,providepropernounexamples,andhelpyoulearnhowtouseapropernountherightway.
Rememberthatallnounsarewordsnamingpeople,animals,places,things,andideas.Everynouncan
befurtherclassifiedaseithercommonorproper.Thedistinctionisveryeasytomakeonceyousee
someexamplesandcomeupwithafewofyourown.