Name___________________________ Date__________________________

Grammar Period_______

PARTS OF SPEECH
There are eight parts of speech.

Every word in the English language acts as one of these

parts of speech when in a sentence.

1. Nouns
2. Pronouns
3. Adjectives
4. Verbs
5. Adverbs
6. Conjunctions
7. Prepositions
8. Interjections

Some other important terminology in this packet is located in the conjunction section:

! Subjects
! Predicates
! Clauses – independent and dependent
! Fragments
! Run-ons

Steinberg 1
 1. NOUNS (n.)

Nouns name persons, places, things, or ideas.

• Person - John, Tony, Alice, boy, teacher

• Place - Florida, New York, mountain, classroom
• Thing - book, chair, hair
• Idea - service, leadership, courage, Monday
! Many nouns can be identified by their suffixes or endings.
!
-ness, -ation, -tion, -ment, -tude, -hood, -ence, -ance, -ity, -dom

Examples of nouns with common suffixes:

happiness, capitalization, recreation, government, aptitude, fatherhood, existence,
defiance, celebrity; freedom; wisdom; gratitude; kingdom, carefulness

! Many times the articles/adjectives a, an, or the appear before a noun.

! The article/adjective an can only go in front of a noun that begins with a vowel, such
as an octopus.
! Many times nouns are modified, or changed, by adjectives, so be careful to identify the
noun and not the adjective.
***the hairy octopus. Octopus is a noun, but hairy is an adjective.

Circle the nouns. Do not include any adjectives that modify the nouns.

1. Doris is an ugly woman who has five bratty children.

2. What is all this craziness?

3. My patience is running out.

4. Martha, please be careful with the silver platter and the crystal glasses.

5. The improvement in your essay is amazing.

6. On Tuesdays, Mary likes to go to the museum to see the exhibits.

Steinberg 2
 Common versus Proper

Common nouns name any person, place, thing, or idea. They are nonspecific. A common
noun always begins with a lowercase letter unless it is the first word in a sentence.

Ex: school, boy, car, dog, country

Proper nouns name SPECIFIC persons, places, things, or ideas. Proper nouns always begin
with capital letters.

Ex: Seaford Middle School, Theo, Mercedes, Fido, Spain

Directions: There are twenty-five nouns in the following paragraph.

Circle the common nouns. Underline the proper nouns. USE PENCIL.

Rebecca Motte was a great patriot. During the Revolutionary War, British soldiers

seized her mansion in South Carolina and set up defenses. General Harry Lee told Motte that

the Americans would have to burn her home to smoke out the enemy. Motte supported the

plan and was glad to help her country. She even supplied fire arrows and a bow for the

attack. The enemy raised the white flag, and the house was saved. That night, Motte invited

both sides to dinner.

Steinberg 3
 Concrete versus Abstract

Concrete nouns name something you can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch.

Examples: water, person, car

Abstract nouns name ideas, feelings, and characteristics. These are things that cannot be
physically touched.

Examples: Monday, trip, happiness, bravery, freedom, name, date, time, thought

Directions: Circle the concrete nouns. Underline the abstract nouns.

1. Martha is a beautiful name for a baby, but only time will tell if Martha will grow up to be
a beautiful girl.

2. My aunt Sally believes that peace in the world is the most important thing.

3. I can hear the wind blowing outside my window.

4. Last summer I went to Disney World, and the heat was unbearable.

5. In the movie, Martians were invading the planet.

6. The soccer team won first place in the championships.

7. Justin decided to attend college at Hofstra University.

8. Last year, I had earned points on my average for completing extra credit.

9. The music in the auditorium was so loud that my ears rang the next day.

10. Can you see the ice forming on the windows because of the cold?

Steinberg 4
 2. PRONOUNS (pro.)

Pronouns take the place of nouns.

Instead of repeating the same noun over and over again, we use pronouns to replace the noun.

John loves cake. John loves the icing the best. John especially loves ice cream cake.

What is the proper noun used above? ______________________

What pronoun can replace the proper noun? _______________________

In the example above, the pronoun he replaces the proper noun John. Therefore, he refers back to John.
***The noun the pronoun refers to is called the antecedent.***
John is the antecedent in the above example.

Another example: Jim baked the cookies, but he did not clean the pans.

Jim = antecedent he= pronoun

YOUR TURN:

Example 1: Shari ate two helpings, and she did not get sick.

Pronoun: ___________________ Antecedent: _______________

Example 2: Bob threw the bat at Joe, but it didn’t hit him.

Pronoun #1: _________________ Antecedent #1: _____________

Pronoun #2: _________________ Antecedent #2: _____________

Steinberg 5
TYPES OF PRONOUNS

Subjective pronouns: he, she, I, you, we, they, it

These are the ONLY personal pronouns that can be used as subjects in a sentence.
They can do things.
Subject Pronouns (Do-ers)
Examples: He goes to the park. She eats onions. We love carrots.
I, you, he, she, we, it, they
Objective pronouns: me, you, him, her, it us, them
Object Pronouns
These pronouns have things happen to them. They receive action. (Receivers)

Examples: He gave the gift to her. Mom borrowed the list from us. me, you, him, her, us, it, them

Directions: Circle the pronoun that correctly completes each sentence.

Remember to use the notes above.
Subjective pronouns are the “do-ers” and objective pronouns are the “receivers.”

1. Bob gave the hat to (he, him).

2. Mom wouldn’t let (we, us) go to the park.

3. Cheryl, Tim and (I, me) love carrots.

4. We gave (ourselves, themselves) a treat.

5. (She, her) got a new car.

6. (They, Us) told (they, them) to go to the party.

7. The class and (he, him) are competing for the title.

8. The teacher gave the class and (we, us) lots of homework.

9. Yesterday, (he and I OR him and me) went to the mall.

10. Please don’t tell (she, her) about the broken glass.

Steinberg 6
 Reflexive Pronouns refer to back to the subject:

himself, herself, yourself, yourselves, themselves, itself, ourselves

*****The words ourself, themself, itselves, himselves, and herselves DO NOT EXIST.

Possessive pronouns are used to show ownership:

his, her, our, ours, their, theirs, hers, your, yours, my, mine, its

Examples: The book is mine. That is jacket is hers. Please get her jacket.

Interrogative Pronouns are used in questions:

who, whom, what, which, whose

Examples: Whose book is that? Who called? For whom is that gift?

Demonstrative Pronouns are meant to demonstrate or point to something:

those, these, this, that

Examples: This is my essay. Please give these to him. Can you hand me that?

Indefinite Pronouns (those in the chart below) do not refer to a definite person or thing:

each, either, neither, everyone, everybody, everything, anyone, another, anybody,

anything, nothing, little, much, nobody, no one, one, someone, somebody, something,
few, many, both, several, others, all, any, none, some, most, more

Steinberg 7
 Indefinite Pronouns are tricky to use as subjects in a sentence.
Use the chart to help with the exercise below.

Singular Plural Singular or Plural

another each little both all
anybody either much few any
anyone everybody nothing many most
anything everyone several none
neither everything others some
nobody something more
no one someone
one somebody

Directions: Use the Indefinite Pronoun Chart above to select the correct matching pronoun.
! Underline each subject/antecedent in the sentence. Each antecedent is a pronoun from
the Indefinite Pronoun chart.
! If the pronoun that is the antecedent is singular, you must select a singular possessive
pronoun.
! If the pronoun that is the antecedent is plural, you must select a plural possessive
pronoun.

Singular Possessive Pronouns: (her, his, it, hers, its)

Plural Possessive Pronouns: (their, theirs)

1. Each brought (his/her, their) book.

2. Many of the kids have (his/her, their) class in room 205.

3. Anybody who wants to may bring (his/her, their) notes.

4. Neither is bringing (his/her, their) own lunch.

5. Someone in the corner gave (his/her, their) cell phone to me.

6. Several of the singers in the choir gave (his/her, their) best efforts.

7. Is everyone coming to (his, her, their) party?

Steinberg 8
Name________________________ Date__________________
Pronouns and Antecedents Period___________

Directions: Circle ANY pronouns that you find. Then, draw an arrow from the pronoun to its antecedent.
Some pronouns may not have antecedents in the sentence.
Some sentences have two antecedents and two matching pronouns.

Example: Jess gave her book to him even though it was brand new.

1. The mechanic tried to patch the tire, but he could not repair it.

2. The girls had the house all to themselves.

3. The quarterback received the ball, and he ran with it.

4. When Mrs. Alexander asked Charlie for the note, he gave it to her.

5. Lisa cut her finger on the glass when it shattered.

6. The book lost its cover.

7. Yesterday, Lucy told us a story about her first day of school.

8. Mr. Johnson took the class for a field trip to his favorite store, but he forgot how to get to it.

9. Don’t leave home without the umbrella; it is going to rain.

10. The rabbit ran around the room and chased the dog, but he couldn’t catch him.

Steinberg 9
 Identifying pronouns

Directions: Circle all the pronouns. They can be ANY of the pronouns listed on the pages
before. Refer to all of the pages on pronouns to guide you. There may be more than one
pronoun in each sentence.

1. I don’t know which test to give those who were absent.

2. Mike thinks he knows everything, and that is what makes me angry.

3. Liz asked her friend Mary which movie she would like to see.

4. Neither the Jets nor the Giants played well last week.

5. Did Ally find any in those?

6. Everyone can do his homework because it is so easy.

7. I built this by myself.

8. Courtney borrowed the pen, but she returned it to me.

9. Both of us saw it.

10. Many are called to do it, but few are chosen.

Steinberg 10
 3. ADJECTIVES (a.)

• An adjective describes a noun or pronoun.

• Adjectives modify, or change, nouns or pronouns to make them more specific or exact.
Examples: happy boy, fat man, slimy bug

He is sad. That meal was amazing.

• An adjective tells what kind, how many, how much, or which one(s).
What Kind/Which Ones

beautiful, empty, first, last, those, these, happy, short, flat, long
***Some of these words are pronouns, but pronouns can act like adjectives.

These books are mine. (The pronoun, these, is describing the noun, books.)
These are mine. (In this sentence, these is a pronoun because it is not describing anything.)

How Many/How Much

several, twelve, many, nine

• A, an, and the are special adjectives called articles.

• Many adjectives can be identified by their suffixes, or endings:
-ful, -ish, -able, -y, -less, -ous, -some, -ic,- iant, -ient

Some examples of adjectives:

comfortable, selfish, laughable, joyous, happy, careless, wholesome, patient, stoic

Steinberg 11
 Proper Adjectives

• Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns.

• The proper noun Spain is the name of a country.
• The proper adjective Spanish describes something that comes from Spain.
• Just like proper nouns, proper adjectives always begin with a capital letter.
• Ex: Spanish flag, Mexican food

Directions: Circle all of the adjectives in the following sentences.

Remember, sometimes pronouns can act like adjectives.

1. The small, misbehaved boy was pushing his mother.

2. Many bugs like to come out at night.

3. Thirteen girls are coming to my sweet sixteen party.

4. The slimy, smelly, no-good alien stole my new CD player.

5. In the Spanish language adjectives are placed after nouns.

6. He is happy.

7. She is beautiful.

8. The room looks like a crystal palace.

9. The brown pants are thrown over the folding chair.

10. Creaky doors don’t scare monsters.

11. He and I love to eat Chinese food.

12. Most children enjoy fast-paced, adventurous rides at the amusement park.

Steinberg 12
 4. VERBS (v.)
! A verb is a word that tells of an action or a state of being.
! The verb tells what is happening in the sentence.
! Verbs also have tense. Tense is the time expressed by a verb. The form of the verb
tells when something occurred.

Example of tense with the verb, to fly: fly, flew, will fly, flying, have flown, had flown.

! Verbs can act as action verbs or linking verbs, depending on the sentence.

ACTION VERBS are verbs that tell what a noun or a pronoun is doing. They tell physical
or mental actions.

Examples: run, jump, singing, played, enjoyed, thought, worshiped

I run in the park.

He worshiped Miss Steinberg’s awesomeness.

Jeff ordered a pizza. I wished on a star. The baby slept in her car seat.

LINKING VERBS are verbs that tell us about the state of being of a noun or pronoun.
There is no action.

Many linking verbs are forms of the verb, to be:

be, being, am, is, are, was, were

Other common linking verbs:

like, seems, remains, become, grow, stay, turn, sound, smell, feel, appear, look

Notice in these examples how each verb is a link between the words on either side of it.

He is annoying. (He = annoying) We are the winners. (We = winners.)

The sum of two and four is six. (six = sum)

That barbecue smells good. (good barbecue)

Steinberg 13
Linking verbs can be used as action verbs as well:

The cookies tasted sweet. (linking verb – cookies = sweet)

I tasted the cookies. (action verb)
I grew bored. (linking verb – I = bored)
The old man grew corn. (action verb)
He looked angry. (linking verb – he = angry)
I looked at the calendar. (action)
I felt sleepy. (linking verb – I = sleepy)
I felt the dog’s fur. (action verb)
The movie star appeared conceited. (linking verb – conceited movie star)
The movie star appeared in a play. (action verb)
The light remained red. (linking verb – light = red)
They remained at the table. (action verb )

Directions: Circle all of the verbs in the following sentences.

Some sentences may have more than one verb.

1. The dog ran after the mailman. ___________________________

2. Our favorite costume was the old witch. ___________________________

3. My sister became a doctor. ___________________________

4. He called the police because I told him about the burglar. ______________________

5. Mary seems tired. __________________________

6. The most useful book is the dictionary. ___________________________

7. We flew kites last Saturday. ____________________________

8. John is one of my closest friends. ____________________________

9. Yesterday was a long day. ____________________________

10. Jack dropped the phone in terror. ____________________________

11. The baby cried loudly. ____________________________

12. Timmy looked at the clock. _____________________________

13. I hate cookies, but she loves them. _____________________________

14. I grew a mustache. _____________________________

15. My anger became stronger as I watched him eat the last slice of pie. ______________________

Steinberg 14
 VERB PHRASE
• When a linking verb is needed to assist, or help, an action verb, it is called a Helping or Auxiliary Verb.
• There may be more than one helping verb, and the helpers always come before the main verb.
Helping/auxiliary verb(s) + Main (action) verb

• A helping/auxiliary verb helps the main verb express an action or make a statement. They are used
together.

EXAMPLES:

John is going to the park. is = helping, going = action

Can you go to the park? can = helping, go = action
(To figure out verb phrase in questions, rewrite them as statements. You can go to the park.)

Common Helping/Auxiliary Verbs

is, are, am, be, being, been, was, were, do, does, did
has, have, had, shall, should, will, would, can, could, may, might, must

Examples:

The students were selling ticket two weeks in advance. were = helping, selling = action
Speed boats can be used in rescue operations. can be = helping, used = action

Directions: Circle the verb or verb phrase for each sentence. The parts of the verb phrase may be separated.
Remember to consult the notes above to find all helping verbs.

1. The old man was going to the police.

2. Milly will be golfing next week.

3. My mom does like candy.

4. Polly is the name of my parrot.

5. Harold can come to the party.

6. James plays basketball after school.

7. Marcia should have gone to the park.

8. Your hobbies interest me.

*9. Do you have any more money?

*10. Has the girl next door been introduced?

Steinberg 15
 MEMORIZE THESE WORDS. THEY ARE ALWAYS VERBS.

has
had
have
was
were
may
might
must
shall
should
can
could
will
would
is
am
are
be
being
been
do
does
did

Steinberg 16