Parts of speech aren't going to be something you get without practice. There are plenty of fun games online to test your knowledge. Here are some I have found:
http://www.toonuniversity.com/flash.asp?err=487&engine=2
http://users.netrover.com/~kingskids/noun/noun.html
http://www.fun4thebrain.com/English/pandaMayhem.html
Also, I really meant when I said that the Schoolhouse Rock cartoons helped me remember my parts of speech.Even 25 years or so later I remember the songs. Check out these videos on YouTube and see if you don't agree:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7CxWNY829Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg9MKQ1OYCg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4QEzJe6_ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYzGLzFuwxI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7wnT8iiR8w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkO87mkgcNo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhHpJ45_zwM
Grammar Tips and Hints
Monday, October 18, 2010
Interjections
The easiest and most fun part of speech is interjections. Interjections express excitement or emotion. Because they end in exclamation points or commas, they are easy to find. Also, they are just kind of fun to say.Just say these words and see if you don't smile: Hooray! My goodness! What! Oh no!
Conjunctions
Conjunctions join words and sentences together. The good thing about conjunctions is that there are only 3 people use with regularity: AND, BUT, OR. Of course, there are more than those such as: nor, for and yet, but and, but, or get the job done most of the time.
Sometimes though, you will need a pair of conjunctions working together. For example: NEITHER Allison NOR Marie were able to go to the dance.
Sometimes though, you will need a pair of conjunctions working together. For example: NEITHER Allison NOR Marie were able to go to the dance.
Prepositions
Let's say you broke your arm, and I decided to help you out by washing your dishes. Only problem, I have no idea where you keep the dish soap.With the help of prepositions, you can can tell me: It's UNDER the sink, It's ON TOP OF the counter, It's NEXT TO the dish drainer.Prepositions tell you where one thing is in relation to something else. Words like under, on top of, and next to are prepositions.Without prepositions, you and your dishes are out of luck.
Adverbs
What is the difference between these two sentences:
He went to class.
He went very reluctantly to class.
If you said that one was more descriptive, you are right. Congratulations! A world without adverbs is like a world without adjectives: boring and nondescript.
Adverbs answer the following questions:
Where? We met outside.
When? We met yesterday.
How? We met briefly.
How much? We met very briefly.
Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.If you want to describe nouns, that's a job for an adjective
He went to class.
He went very reluctantly to class.
If you said that one was more descriptive, you are right. Congratulations! A world without adverbs is like a world without adjectives: boring and nondescript.
Adverbs answer the following questions:
Where? We met outside.
When? We met yesterday.
How? We met briefly.
How much? We met very briefly.
Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.If you want to describe nouns, that's a job for an adjective
Adjectives - Special Edition
Some adjectives are known as special adjectives because they may not be as easy to find as most other adjectives.
ARTICLES - the words a, an, the are adjectives
NOUNS AS ADJECTIVES - some words can go from being nouns to adjectives. Think about the word shoe.Most of the time, it is a noun. I need new shoes. Where's my shoe? I can't find my shoe. But, if you use the word shoe to describe a noun, it has become an adjective. I want to go to the shoe store. I can't find the shoe salesman. Same word, two different parts of speech. Just make sure to look at the word in context before deciding how it functions in a sentence.
ARTICLES - the words a, an, the are adjectives
NOUNS AS ADJECTIVES - some words can go from being nouns to adjectives. Think about the word shoe.Most of the time, it is a noun. I need new shoes. Where's my shoe? I can't find my shoe. But, if you use the word shoe to describe a noun, it has become an adjective. I want to go to the shoe store. I can't find the shoe salesman. Same word, two different parts of speech. Just make sure to look at the word in context before deciding how it functions in a sentence.
Adjectives
Without adjectives, life would be boring. Imagine reading a book without know what the characters looked like or even something as simple as what the weather was like. It's the difference between a sentence like this, "It was a day." And a sentence like this,"It was a warm, sunny beautiful spring day." Adjectives help you describe exactly what you want to say.
Also, if we didn't have adjectives, imagine how confusing life would be. If I wanted to tell you how to find my car in the parking lot without adjectives, it would be nearly impossible. It's a car. It is a color. It is in a row. It is a size. But with adjectives, the task becomes easier: It's the tiny red sports car in the fifth row. All of those italicized words are adjectives.
Adjectives answer the following questions:
What kind? The purple shirt.
Which one? I want that cookie.
How many? The movie cost ten dollars.
How much? I have no time to get it done.
Remember, adjectives only describe nouns and pronouns. Which means they only describe people, places, things, and ideas. If you want to describe something else, look at the adverb post.
Also, if we didn't have adjectives, imagine how confusing life would be. If I wanted to tell you how to find my car in the parking lot without adjectives, it would be nearly impossible. It's a car. It is a color. It is in a row. It is a size. But with adjectives, the task becomes easier: It's the tiny red sports car in the fifth row. All of those italicized words are adjectives.
Adjectives answer the following questions:
What kind? The purple shirt.
Which one? I want that cookie.
How many? The movie cost ten dollars.
How much? I have no time to get it done.
Remember, adjectives only describe nouns and pronouns. Which means they only describe people, places, things, and ideas. If you want to describe something else, look at the adverb post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)