Nouns
 A noun is a word used to name a person, place, thing or
idea.
 Proper Noun: names a particular person, place, or thing and
is capitalized.

Ex: Chase Utley, Philadelphia, White House
 Common Noun: does not name a particular person place or
thing.

Ex: woman, city, building
Nouns
 A noun is a word used to name a person, place, thing or
idea.
 Concrete noun: names an object that can be perceived by the
senses.

Ex: hat, desk, book, box
 Abstract noun: names a quality, a characteristic, an idea.
 Ex: Beauty, strength, love, courage
 Collective noun: names a group.
 Ex: team, crowd, class
Ex. 25-27
Singular and Plural Nouns
 A singular noun names only one person, place, thing or
idea.
 Ex: sister, school, chair, joy
 A plural noun names more than one person place, thing or
idea.
 Sisters, schools, chairs, joys.
Singular and Plural Nouns
 1) To form the plural of most singular nouns, add –s.
 Grape
grapes
 House houses
 2) To form the plural of nouns ending with: ch, sh, ss, z, or
x, add –es.
 Church churches
 Glass
 Tax
glasses
taxes
 3) To form the plural of nouns ending in a y preceded by a
consonant, change the y to i and add –es.
 Army
 Lady
armies
ladies
Singular and Plural Nouns
 4) To form the plural of nouns ending with y preceded by a
vowel, add –s.
 Donkey
 Day
donkeys
days
 5) For a letter or a numeral, add –s.
X
xs
 100
100s
 6) To form the plural of a noun ending in o, add –s or –es.
 Piano
pianos
 Zero
zeroes
 Potato
Potatoes
Singular and Plural Nouns
 7) To form the plural of some nouns ending in f or fe,
change the f or fe to ve and add –s. For others, simply add –
s.
 Loaf
 Life
 Chief
loaves
lives
chiefs
 8) Some singular nouns change form in the plural.
 Man
men
 Child
children
 9) Some singular nouns are the same in singular and plural.
 Deer
deer
 Sheep
sheep
Singular and Plural Nouns
 10) Compound Nouns are made up of more than one word.
Often compound nouns are separated by a hyphen. The
main word in a compound noun is made plural.
 Sister-in-law
 Great-grandfather
 Man-of-war
29
sisters-in-law
great-grandfathers
men-of-war
Pronouns
 A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun or of more
than one noun.
 Ex: Anglers complained about the weather forecast.

They said it had not warned them of the storm.
 Ex: An umbrella and a book were left in the cafeteria.

They have not been claimed.
 An antecedent is the word to which a pronoun refers.
 Sometimes a pronoun takes the place of another pronoun.
 Ex: One of the film projectors is broken. It has been sent out
for repair.
 76-67
Pronouns
 Personal Pronouns as subjects
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
78-68
Singular
I
you
he, she, it
Plural
we
you
they
Pronouns
 Personal Pronouns as objects.
First Person
Second Person
Third Person
80-71
Singular
me
you
him, her, it
Plural
us
you
them
Pronouns
 Possessive Pronouns
 Possessive pronouns show ownership.
– Some are used alone:
Mine
Yours
Ours
Theirs
Ex: That computer is hers.
His
Hers
Possessive pronouns show ownership.
– Some are used as adjectives to describe a noun:
My
Your
His
Her
Its
Our
Their
Ex: That is her computer.
90-83
Pronouns
 Possessive Pronouns
 Those pretzels are mine.
 My dog ate a wheel of cheese.
 His father works for the government.
 Where is your homework?
 Laura gave me her slice of pizza.
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
 First Person
 Second Person
 Third Person
Singular
myself
yourself
himself, herself
itself
Plural
ourselves
yourselves
themselves
These are not acceptable: hisself, theirself, theirselves
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
 Reflexive – ends in –self or –selves and indicates that
someone or something performs an action to, for, or upon
itself (that the subject performs AND receives the action.)
 Joy helped herself to some turkey.
 They poured some milk for themselves.
 Intensive – ends in –self or –selves and simply adds
emphasis to a noun or pronoun in the same sentence.
 The mayor herself attended the carnival.
 Frank fixed the refrigerator himself.
 (Hint: If you omit an intensive pronoun, the sentence will contain
the same basic information.)
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
 Reflexive –
• I gave myself plenty of time to get to work.
• You should let yourself into the house.
• Jim bought a shirt for himself.
• Jill read to herself.
• The dog scratched itself.
• We treated ourselves to pizza.
• You can make yourselves at home.
• The children are able to dress themselves.
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
 Intensive –
• I myself am sick of the heat.
• You yourself are responsible for this mess!
• The president himself appeared at the rally.
• The actress wrote those lines herself .
• The cat caught the mouse itself .
• We ourselves made the meal.
• You yourselves can win this game.
• The troops themselves helped the people escape the
burning building.
Interrogative Pronouns
 Interrogative Pronouns – used to begin a question.
 An interrogative pronoun may or may not have a
specific antecedent.
 What, which, who, whom, whose
 What do you mean?
 Which of the vegetables do you want?
 Who is always used for subjects.
 Ex: Who is coming to the party?
 Whom is always used for objects.
 Ex: Whom did you meet after school?
 Ex: For whom did you buy that gift?
Demonstrative Pronouns
 Demonstrative Pronouns – help specify one of many
different people, places or things.
 Singular: this, that
 Plural: these, those
 May come before or after their antecedents.
 Ex: Those books shouldn’t be on the table.
 Ex: Of all the celebrations in the world, that is my favorite.
Relative Pronouns
 Relative Pronouns – relate clauses. Begins a
subordinate clause and connects it to another idea in
the sentence.
 that, which, who, whom, whose
 (Use who or whom when referring to a person. Do not use
that)
 Independent Clause
Subordinate clause
We planted a shrub
I saw a cicada
Tyler is the player
that attracts ladybugs.
which was a surprise.
who pitched first.
Relative, Demonstrative, or
Interrogative
 We planted a shrub that attracts ladybugs. (Relative)
 That shrub attracts ladybugs. (Demonstrative)
 Who won the pie-eating? (Interrogative)
 Jim is the student who won the pie-eating contest.
(Relative)
 Is that the woman who won the award?
Indefinite Pronouns
 May refer to people, places, or things, often without
specifying which ones.
 Some may have an antecedent, but many do not.
 Ex.
 Everyone in the building must be evacuated.
 Something is making noise in the attic.
 Many students are going to the football game.
 Few will miss it.
Pronouns
5. Which of you, upon returning home from a trip, suddenly
notices how different all of the rooms look to you?
6. Some of your possessions may look unfamiliar to you, and a
few of them may seem totally alien.
7. Eventually, the impression of newness wears off, and your
house takes on its familiar appearance.
8. Each of us can regain the ability to see freshly if we make
full use of our sense of sight.
Pronouns
9. We must see the shapes of the objects themselves
instead of thinking about their function.
10. According to Claude Monet, a French impressionist
painter whose works are world-famous, in order to see as
an artist, we must forget the names of the things that we
are looking at.
Adjectives
 Words used to describe a noun or pronoun or to give a
noun or pronoun a more specific meaning.
 The process by which an adjective describes a word or
makes it more specific is called modification.
Adjectives
 Answer the questions
 What kind?
rare coin
lucky one
 Which one?
first try
that dog
 How many?
seven days
few people
 How much?
adequate time
no money
 107-96
Adjectives
 Small work boats were sailed extensively for pleasure in
early colonial times.
 The first pleasure schooner was built in 1816.
 It was built specifically as a large, luxurious yacht.
 American yacht clubs started around the 1840s.
 Six members of the New York Yacht Club financed
America’s first racing yacht.
Predicate Adjectives
 A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a
linking verb and describes the subject of the sentence.
 Ex:
 Jill was happy over the outcome of the game.
 Today, the waves are wild and rough.
Articles
 Three adjectives – the, an, and a – are called articles.
 The = a definite article
 Indicates the noun it modifies refers to a specific person,
place, or thing.
 The batter stepped into the batter’s box.
 A, an = indefinite articles
 Indicate the nouns they modify refer to any one of a class of
people, places, or things.
 Ex: Give me a baseball.
Give me an umbrella.
Home Depot is having a one-day sale.
Nouns used as Adjectives
 A noun used as an adjective answers the question
“What kind?” or “Which one?” about the noun that
follows it.
 Ex:
 She bought chocolate ice cream

(What kind of ice cream?)
 He broke his ring finger

(Which finger?)
Proper Adjectives
 A proper adjective is a proper noun used as an adjective
or as an adjective formed from a proper noun.
 Ex:
 Boston newspaper
Bostonian dialect
 India ink
Indian curry
Compound Adjectives
 A compound adjective is an adjective made up of more
than one word.
 Hyphenated
 long-distance runner
 saber-toothed tiger
 Combined examples
 bedtime story
 household goods
Action Verbs
 An action verb is a verb that tells what action someone
or something is performing.
 The king rules.
 Famine struck the people.
p. 49 ex. 44
 Action verbs show mental action as well as visible
action.
 Visible = We chose two books about Alaska.
 Mental = They remember the film about Alaska.
Action Verbs: Transitive
 An action verb is transitive if it directs action toward someone or
something named in the sentence.
 The receiver of the action of a transitive verb is called the
object of the verb.
 Examples
 Pat carried her books to the lecture.
 Beth dropped the hot pizza on the floor.
 We saw Grandma at the store
 To determine whether a verb is transitive or intransitive, ask
Whom? or What? After the verb. If you can find the answer in
the sentence, the verb is transitive. If you cannot, the verb is
intransitive.
Action Verbs: Intransitive
 An action verb is intransitive if it does not direct action
toward someone or something named in the sentence.
 Intransitive verbs have no receiver.
 Examples
 The temperature fell quickly.
 Wilber worked late.
 Jane studies in the morning.
 I sleep in class.
 Note:
 Intransitive verbs are frequently followed by adverbs or
prepositional phrases.
Transitive or Intransitive?
 Most action verbs can be transitive in one sentence and
intransitive in another.
 Bill reads books about Alaska.
 Bill reads every night.
 I drive to school.
 I drive the truck.
 Can you create your own examples of verbs that can be both
transitive and intransitive?
Linking Verbs
 A linking verb is a verb that connects a word at or near the
beginning of the sentence with a word at or near the end.
 Few in number but widely used.
 Do NOT show action.
 Examples
 Sarah is an astronaut. (renames)

Sarah = astronaut.
 She is happy. (describes)
 She = happy
 Sometimes a verb can be an action verb in one sentence and
linking in another.
 Robbie grew taller. (describes)
 Robbie grew tomatoes (transitive)
Transitive, Intransitive, Linking?
 1) Find the verb in the sentence.
 2) Does this verb show action? If so, proceed to step 3; if not,
proceed to step 4.
 3) If the verb shows action, ask what? or whom? after the verb.
 If you have a direct answer that receives the action = transitive.


James caught the ball.
James saw Jim at the game.
 If you do have a direct answer that renames or describes the subject =
linking.

James felt sick.
 If you don’t have a direct answer = intransitive.
 James ran to the bathroom.
 4) If the verb doesn’t show action, but is a being verb that links a
noun or adjective with the sentence’s subject, then you have a
linking verb.
Transitive, Intransitive, Linking?
 1) Timmy found a dollar on the floor in the hallway.
 2) Timmy looked for the dollar’s owner.
 3) Timmy felt confused.
 4) Timmy is happy with his dollar.
Helping Verbs
 Helping verbs are verbs that can be added to another verb
(main verb) to make a single verb phrase.
 A single verb phrase is formed from as many as four words.
 Verb phrases include the main verb and all of its helpers.
 Any of the forms of “be” as well as some other verbs can be
used as helping verbs.

Memorize them!
 Examples
 Without helping verbs: They sing in the morning.
 With helping verbs: They will sing in the morning.
They might sing in the morning.
Helping Verbs
 Verb phrases are often interrupted by other words.
 Words together:
 They will be flying in the morning.
 Words separated
 They will definitely be flying in the morning.
 You should not leave without a pass.
 I have always been wary of flying.
Adverbs
 An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or
another adverb.
 Often, adding –ly to an adjective creates an adverb.
 Ex: loud crying; baby cried loudly
 An adverb modifying a verb answers the questions
 Where?

Fell below, move aside
 When?
 Arrived today; left early
 How? In what way?
 Happily ran; ended abruptly.
 To what extent? (How often? or how much?)
 Wash completely; have not completed; partially understands
Adverbs
 Examples:
 She drives carefully.

Carefully tells how she drives.
 She drives early and late.

Early and late tell when she drives.
 She drives everywhere.

Everywhere tells where she drives.
 She can almost drive.

Almost tells to what extent she can drive.
 She drives daily.

Daily tells how often she drives.
Adverbs
 Some adverbs, such as really, actually, truly, indeed, are
mostly used for emphasis. These are classified as adverbs of
extent.
 Ramona can really cook.
 He can actually drive.
 Some nouns may be used as adverbs.
 Examples
 I called her yesterday.
 She is leaving tomorrow.
 We expect them Monday.
Adverbs
 Adverbs modify adjectives by answering one question: To
what extent?
 She is a really good driver. (modifies good)
 He is too eager to start driving. (modifies eager)
 The thunder is very far away. (modifies far)
 My brother was unusually quiet this morning. (modifies
quiet)
Adverbs
 Adverbs modifying other adverbs come directly before the
adverb they modify.
 The electrician worked very carefully. (modifies carefully)
 The hummingbird visits almost daily. (modifies daily)
 The car followed too closely. (modifies closely)
 She left extremely quickly. (modifies quickly)
Adverbs
 Follow these steps to finding all the adverbs in a sentence.
 1) Find the verb and ask: When? Where? How? To what
extent?
 2) If you find an adverb using step one, look at the word
directly in front of it. Is that word describing the adverb?
 3) Find all adjectives in the sentence. Is the word directly in
front of each adjective describing it by answering: To what
extent?
Adverbs or Adjectives
 Identifying a word as either an adverb or adjective can be
confusing.
 Remember adjectives answer:
What kind?
How many?
Which one?
How much?
 Remember adverbs answer:
When?
Where?
How?
To what extent?
 Just because a word ends in –ly doesn’t mean it’s an adverb.
Prepositions
 A preposition is a word used to show the relation of a noun
or a pronoun to some other word in the sentence.
 The eagle flew above the trees.
 The puppy ran through the yard, around the tree, and into the
house.
Prepositions
 Object of the Preposition
 A preposition always appears in a phrase.
 The noun or pronoun at the end of a prepositional phrase is
the object of the preposition.
 The eagle flew above the trees.
 The puppy ran through the yard, around the tree, and into the
house.
 A group of words may act as a preposition.
 Ex: on account of; in spite of; in front of
 Put the trophy in front of the picture.
Prepositions
 Object of the Preposition
 When pronouns are used as objects of a preposition, they
must be in the objective case.
 Ex:


We gave the book to her.
The disagreement between Tom and me has been settled.
Prepositions
 Practice: Create sentences using the following prepositions.
 1) above
 2) against
 3) below
 4) by
 5) during
 6) for
 7) into
 8) of
 9) until
 10) up
Conjunctions
 Conjunctions are words used to connect other words or
groups of words.
 Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet)
 (FANBOYS)
 Examples






My sister and brother ran the program.
They wrote short yet effective report.
The cup fell but didn’t spill.
Put the bags on the table or in the closet.
Bob left early, so I left with him.
I had to hurry, for I didn’t want to be late.
Conjunctions
 Correlative Conjunctions (always appear in pairs)
 both…and
either…or
neither…nor
not only…but also
whether…or
 Examples
 He watched both the lions and tigers.
 Either take out the trash or wash the dishes.
 We should not only work hard, but we should also take this
seriously.
Conjunctions
 Subordinating Conjunctions – connect two complete ideas
by making one of the ideas subordinate to the other.
(Subordinate means “to place below another in rank or
importance)
 The subordinating conjunction always comes before the
subordinate idea.
 Examples
 We protect the wetlands because they are important to the
ecosystem.
 As soon as the volunteers arrived, the cleanup work began.
Conjunctions
 Subordinating Conjunction or Preposition?
 It is a subordinating conjunction if the word is connecting
two complete ideas.
 At other times, it is simply the first word in a prepositional
phrase.
 Examples
 Until you finish your wetland research, you are not ready to
begin writing. (Subordinating conjunction)
 Until recent decades, people were not as proactive in
preserving the environment. (Preposition)
Conjunctions
 Conjunctive Adverbs – an adverb that acts as a conjunction
to connect complete ideas.
 Examples
 Maureen loves animals; moreover, she is a student of plant
and animal life.
 I arrived late; consequently, I received demerits.
 I completed my homework; however, I left it on the bus.
Interjections
 Interjections are words that express feeling or emotion;
they function independently of a sentence.
 Because an interjection is unrelated to any other words in
the sentence, set it off from the other words by inserting an
exclamation point or a comma.
 Pain – Ouch! That burns.
 Joy – Wow! This is great!
 Contempt – Ugh, that’s gross.
Midterm Exam
 Parts of Speech
 Nouns (Common, Proper, Abstract, Collective), Pronouns
(Personal, Possessive, Reflexive, Intensive, Interrogative, Relative,
Indefinite), Adjectives, Verbs (Transitive, Intransitive, Linking,
Helping), Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjections
 Literature
 Short Story: Elements of a Fiction (Plot, Characters, Conflict,
Setting, Theme), “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Scarlet Ibis,” and “The
Cask of Amontillado.”
 Poetry: Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Meter, Rhyme Scheme,
“I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud,” “The Road Not Taken,” “Dream
Deferred,” “Dreams,” “To be of use,” “Hope is the thing with
feathers”