Class Abbreviation Round Up Minute Approximate: N. Pro. Adj. V: V, V Adv

WORD CLASSES
Words assume one or more of eight classes:
Examples
Class Abbreviation round up minute approximate
noun n. X x x
pronoun pro. he, his, him, everyone, all, something
adjective adj. X x x x
verb v: vi , vt X x x x
adverb adv. X x
conjunction conj. Coordinating: and, or, ...; Subordinating: if, when
because, although, ...
preposition prep. X x
interjection inter. God! Yes! No!
Within the sentence, the word must assume only one class.
Notice the ambiguity in “There is one minute error.”
“Round” assumes four different classes.
1. Nouns
• Words for places, objects, ideas, actions, ....

• One word or group of words
• Change form to reflect number and possessive cases
• Can fulfill the following functions: subject, subject complement or appositive,
object (direct, indirect, object of preposition), or object complement:
Convened last week, the General Assembly of Egyptian Engineers, awarded XYZ,
the President Elect, a massive support.
• Assume several types: proper/common, countable/uncountable, or collective.
2. Pronouns
• Replace nouns (noun substitutes).

• Change form according to its function.
• Assume different Types:
1. demonstrative : this, that, these, those

2. relative : who, which, whomever, that,
3. reflexive : yourself, ourselves, ...
4. reciprocal : each other, one another ...
5. indefinite : some, everybody, nothing, ...
6. interrogative : what, who, when, why, ...
• Can assume functions of the nouns.
Technical English Word Classes/1

3. Adjectives
• Are noun descriptors, intensifiers, qualifiers, ...

• Are placed before or after the noun
The black car is dark. They were caught red handed.
• Show up as one or group of words.
• Are sometimes preceded by certain words: least, most, more, ...
• End or start with certain affixes: -able, - er, -ly, -ible, -y, -ive, ... .
• Adjectivals function as adjectives: articles, nouns (gas-well).
• Adjectives of (variable) quality follow the following order:
(1) opinion elegant (5) color red

(2) size Small (6) material composite
(3) age Old (7) origin Japanese
(4) shape elongated (8) purpose 4-wheel drive
An elegant, small, old, elongated, red, composite, Japanese, 4-wheel drive car.
4. Verbs
• Make statement about a noun/pronoun.

• Certain verbs can assume several types and forms
type infinitive form* example

transitive Write ... write(s) everyday.
intransitive write, be ... write (s) well.
main write, need, have, be ... need not write ...
auxiliary be, have, need, will ... is writing fast.
emphatic Do ... does (do) write well.
modal must, might, will, shall ... cannot write now.
* Other forms: present; past; past participle; present participle (-ing); subjunctive:
respectively, is, are; was, were; been; being; be, were.
A. Forms of the verb
Verbs have 5 basic forms
1. Present: shows person & number

2. Past: Except "be", all have one form
3. Infinitive & BI: cannot show time
4. Present Participle:
• is used to indicate continuity
• uses "be"
• Used to form gerund and adjective.
5. Past Participle:
• Used in perfect tenses, passive & passive adjectives.
• Takes "have."

B. Types of Verbs:
1. Main/Finite: main verb of MC

2. Subordinate: verb of SC
3. Auxiliary
4. Infinite/Verbal: running water
5. Modal
6. Emphatic.
C. Some verbs assume different types:
• The company needs to buy computers.

• The company need not buy computers.
• We need not have bought computers.
• We must not have bought computers.
Important: Note the placement of adverbs relative to the auxiliary or the main
verb.
(Just recently,) Several countries (just recently) have (just recently) pooled their
resources (just recently) in order to carry out scientific investigations efficiently.
Words may change pronunciation according to its class; the following are
some examples:
noun, adjective Verb noun, adjective verb

1. convict Convict 8. subject subject
2. desert Desert 9. object object
3. permit Permit 10. report (no) report (no)
4. separate Separate 11. use use (uze)
5. progress Progress 12. advice advise (z)
6. record Record 13. second second
7. suspect Suspect 14. practice practice, practise (s)
5. Adverbs
• words/group modifying adj., verbs, adv., or whole sentence.

• should stay as close to word as possible.
• Some adverbs move within the sentence:
Those who watch television (rarely) read much.

The company (almost) lost one million dollars (last week).
(only also may change meaning if misplaced)
• Many adverbs end with "-ly":

Nouns + “-ly” = adjectives
Adjectives + “-ly” = adverb
• Adverb words: well, very, most, much, more, most, hardly, hard ...
• Conjunctive adverbs: however, otherwise, hence, ...

6. Prepositions
Are functional words: at, on, for, with, to (prepositional).

Test: The word that follows a preposition must be a noun.
They arrived in (on) time.
He was on (not “in”) his way to the office.
7. Conjunctions
• Coordinating equal grammatical parts: and, or, for, but, so, yet, nor.
• Subordinating dependent to main parts: if, since, for, as, when, ... .
• Structure: MC, cc MC. SC, sc MC
• MC Main Clause cc • Coordinating conj.

• SC Subordinate Clause cc • Subordinating conj.
8. Interjections
Are sudden statements that express amazement, pleasure, or emotion: Yes! Wow!
Oh! Gee! No! What! well! Jesus!
TO RECOGNIZE WORD CLASS
• Recognize parts of the sentence.

• Study the role of the affixes (prefix or suffix):
prefix ROOT suffix
Un PREDICT - - able
Examples of Affixes
Noun Adjective Adverb Verb

-age -ice -mony -able -ical -ly -ate
-ance -ition -ness -ar -ish -ize
-ant -ity -ory -ary -ive -ise
-ary -less -ship -ful -like -ify
-cy -lty -some -ible -ory -en
-ence -ment -ward -ic -ous en-
Consult a good dictionary. Pronunciation may help define word class:
Subject, object, convict, intersect, referred, reference, occur, occurrence, reject,

rejection, resist, resistance, influence, duplicate, use, advice, advise, loose, lose,
content, approximate, associate ....

Class Abbreviation Round Up Minute Approximate: N. Pro. Adj. V: V, V Adv

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WORD CLASSES

Words assume one or more of eight classes:

• Words for places, objects, ideas, actions, ....

• Replace nouns (noun substitutes).

1. demonstrative : this, that, these, those

• Can assume functions of the nouns.

Technical English Word Classes/1

• Are noun descriptors, intensifiers, qualifiers, ...

(1) opinion elegant (5) color red

• Make statement about a noun/pronoun.

type infinitive form* example

A. Forms of the verb

Verbs have 5 basic forms

1. Present: shows person & number

Technical English Word Classes/2

1. Main/Finite: main verb of MC

C. Some verbs assume different types:

• The company needs to buy computers.

noun, adjective Verb noun, adjective verb

• words/group modifying adj., verbs, adv., or whole sentence.

Those who watch television (rarely) read much.

• Many adverbs end with "-ly":

Technical English Word Classes/3

Are functional words: at, on, for, with, to (prepositional).

• Structure: MC, cc MC. SC, sc MC

• MC Main Clause cc • Coordinating conj.

TO RECOGNIZE WORD CLASS

• Recognize parts of the sentence.

prefix ROOT suffix

Noun Adjective Adverb Verb

Consult a good dictionary. Pronunciation may help define word class:

Subject, object, convict, intersect, referred, reference, occur, occurrence, reject,

Technical English Word Classes/4

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