VERBS - PART PF SPEECH BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

TUTORIAL ABOUT VERBS. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VERBS

Verbs name an action or describe a state of being. Every sentence must have a verb.

There are three basic types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.

1. Action Verbs
Action verbs tell what the subject does. The action can be visible (jump, kiss, laugh) or mental (think, learn, study).

The cat broke Louise’s china.

Louise considered buying a new china cabinet.

An action verb can be transitive or intransitive. 

Transitive verbs need a direct object.
The boss dropped the ball.
The workers picked it up.

Intransitive verbs do not need a direct object.
Who called?

The temperature fell over night.

Quick Tip
To determine if a verb is transitive, ask yourself “Who?” or “What?” after the verb.

If you can find an answer in the sentence, the verb is transitive.

2. Linking Verbs
Linking verbs join the subject and the predicate. They do not show action. Instead, they help the words at the end of the sentence name or describe the subject.

The most common linking verbs include: be, feel, grow, seem, smell, remain, appear, sound, stay, look, taste, turn, become. Look for forms of to be, such as am, are, is, was, were, am being, can be, have been, and so on.

The manager was happy about the job change.

He is a good worker.

Many linking verbs can also be used as action verbs.

Linking: The kids looked sad.

Action: I looked for the dog in the pouring rain.

Quick Tip
To determine whether a verb is being used as a linking verb or an action verb, substitute am, are, or is for the verb. If it makes sense, the original verb is a linking verb.

3. Helping Verbs
Helping verbs are added to another verb to make the meaning clearer. Helping verbs include any form of to be, do, does, did, have, has, had, shall, should, will, would, can, could, may, might, must.

Verb phrases are made up of one main verb and one or more helping verbs.

They will run before dawn.

They still have not yet found a smooth track.

English has eight parts of speech:
✔Adjectives
✔Adverbs
✔Conjunctions
✔Interjections
✔Nouns
✔Prepositions
✔Pronouns
✔Verbs

The way a word is used in a sentence determines what part of speech it is.

SUBJECT - VERB AGREEMENT BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

This is a simple post about Subject - Verb Agreement.

When you write a sentence you must make sure that the subject and the verb agree.

1. If the subject is a singular noun, or the pronoun he, she or it, you need a singular verb.

Examples:

The zookeeper is feeding the animals.

The children are playing on the swings.

The earth moves round the sun.

Dad always drives to work.

The clerk is wrapping a package.

Does everyone know the answer?

Mom has bought a dress for Sara.

2. Use a plural verb if the subject is a plural noun, or the pronoun we, you or they.

Examples:

The stars shine brightly on a clear night.

Mom and Dad love us a lot.

Do you all know the words?

We have finished our game of tennis.

They have both worked very hard.

Collective nouns may be used with either singular or plural verbs. If the group members are all acting together as one, use a singular verb. If the members of the group are acting as individuals, use a plural verb.

Singular
That family has moved to Texas.
The team is coached by Mr. Clark.

Plural
The family were giving their opinions.
The team are sharing new ideas.

Some plural nouns, such as people, cattle, police, don’t end with -s. Always use a plural verb with these nouns.

For example:

People like to be praised.

The cattle are in the field.

The police have caught the thief.

NOUNS - PARTS OF SPEECH BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

WHAT IS A NOUN?
WHEN TO USE A NOUN?
TYPES OF NOUNS?

Nouns

A noun is a word that names a person, place, or thing. Nouns come in these varieties: common nouns, proper nouns, compound nouns, and collective nouns.

1. Common nouns name any one of a class of person, place, or thing. girl city food

2. Proper nouns name a specific person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are always capitalized. Barbara New York City Rice-a-Roni

3. Compound nouns are two or more nouns that function as a single unit. A compound noun can be two individual words, words joined by a hyphen, or two words combined.

Individual words: time capsule
Hyphenated words: great-uncle
Combined words: basketball

4. Collective nouns name groups of people or things. audience family herd crowd

Possessive Nouns

In grammar, possession shows ownership. Follow these rules to create possessive nouns.

1. With singular nouns, add an apostrophe and an s.
dog → dog’s bone
singer → singer’s voice

2. With plural nouns ending in s, add an apostrophe after the s.
dogs → dogs’ bones
singers → singers’ voices

3. With plural nouns not ending in s, add an apostrophe and an s.
men → men’s books
mice → mice’s tails

Plural Nouns

Here are the guidelines for creating plural nouns.

1. Add s to form the plural of most nouns.
cat → cats computer → computers

2. Add es if the noun ends in s, sh, ch, or x.
wish → wishes inch → inches box → boxes

3. If a noun ends in consonant -y, change the y to i and add es.
city → cities lady → ladies

4. If a noun ends in vowel -y, add s. Words ending in -quy don’t follow this rule (as in soliloquies).
essay → essays monkey → monkeys

CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

WHAT ARE  CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS?
WHEN TO USE CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS?
WHERE TO USE CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS?

Conjunctions
Conjunctions connect words or groups of words and show how the words are related. There are three kinds of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions.

1. Coordinating conjunctions link similar words or word groups. There are seven coordinating conjunctions: for and nor but or yet so

2. Correlative conjunctions also link similar words or word groups, but they are always used in pairs. Here are the correlative conjunctions:

both . . .and either . . . or
neither . . . nor not only . . . but also whether . . . or

3. Subordinating conjunctions link an independent clause (complete sentence) to a dependent clause (fragment). Here are the most often used subordinating conjunctions:

after although as as if
as long as as soon as as though because
before even though if in order that
since so that though till
unless until when whenever
where wherever

Interjections
Interjections show strong emotion. Since interjections are not linked grammatically to other words in the sentence, they are set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma or an exclamation mark.

For example:

Oh! What a shock you gave me with that gorilla suit.
Wow! That’s not a gorilla suit!

ADVERBS - PART OF SPEECH BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

What is an ADVERB?

Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adverbs answer the questions: When? Where? How? or To what extent?

When? left yesterday begin now
Where? fell below move up
How? happily sang danced badly
To what extent? partly finished eat completely

Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. For example:

Adjective - Adverb
Quick — quickly
Careful — carefully
Accurate — accurately

Here are some of the most common non-ly adverbs:

afterward almost already also back even
far fast hard here how late
long low more near never next
now often quick rather slow soon
still then today tomorrow too when
where yesterday

Follow these guidelines when you use adverbs:

1. Use an adverb to describe a verb.
Experiments using dynamite must be done carefully. verb adv.

2. Use an adverb to describe an adjective.
Sam had an unbelievably huge appetite for chips.
adv. adj.

3. Use an adverb to describe another adverb.
They sang so clearly.
adv. adv.

ADJECTIVES - PARTS OF SPEECH BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

Adjectives are words that describe nouns and pronouns.

Adjectives answer the questions:

What kind? How much? Which one? How many? For example:

What kind? red nose gold ring
How much? more sugar little effort
Which one? second chance those chocolates
How many? several chances six books

There are five kinds of adjectives: common adjectives, proper adjectives, compound adjectives, articles, and indefinite adjectives.

1. Common adjectives describe nouns or pronouns.
strong man
green plant
beautiful view

2. Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns.
California vegetables (from the noun “California”)
Mexican food (from the noun “Mexico”)

3. Compound adjectives are made up of more than one word.
far-off country
teenage person

4. Articles are a special type of adjective. There are three articles: a, an, the. The is called a “definite article” because it refers to a specific thing.

A and an are called “indefinite articles” because they refer to general things. Use a with consonant sounds; use an before vowel sounds.

5. Indefinite adjectives don’t specify the specific amount of something.

all another any both
each either few many
more most neither other
several some

Follow these guidelines when you use adjectives:

1. Use an adjective to describe a noun or a pronoun.
Jesse was unwilling to leave the circus.
noun adj. adj. noun

2. Use vivid adjectives to make your writing more specific and descriptive.
Take a larger slice of the luscious cake.
adj. noun adj. noun

3. Use an adjective after a linking verb. A linking verb connects a subject with a descriptive word.

The most common linking verbs are be (is, am, are, was, were, and so on), seem, appear, look, feel, smell, sound, taste, become, grow, remain, stay, and turn.

Chicken made this way tastes more delicious (not deliciously).

BASIC GRAMMAR INFORMATION - WHAT IS GRAMMAR?

Here’s an old children’s rhyme about the eight parts of speech of English grammar. It gives you an idea of what grammar is about. Read and remember it.

Every name is called a noun,
As field and fountain, street and town.
In place of noun the pronoun stands,
As he and she can clap their hands.
The adjective describes a thing,
As magic wand or bridal ring.
Most verbs mean action, something done,
To read and write, to jump and run.
How things are done the adverbs tell,
As quickly, slowly, badly, well.
The preposition shows relation,
As in the street or at the station.
Conjunctions join, in many ways,
Sentences, words, or phrase and phrase.
The interjection cries out, “Heed!
An exclamation point must
follow me!”


In the Middle Ages, grammar meant the study of Latin, the language of choice for educated people. In fact, grammar was so closely associated with Latin that the word referred to any kind of learning. This meaning of grammar shows up when people of grandparent-age and older talk about their grammar school, not their elementary school.

The term grammar school is a leftover from the old days. The very old days. These days grammar is the study of language, specifically, how words are put together. Because of obsessive English teachers and their rules, grammar also means a set of standards that you have to follow in order to speak and write better.

However, the definition of better changes according to situation, purpose, and audience. In this chapter, I show you the difference between formal and informal English and explain when each is called for. I also tell you what your computer can and can’t do to help you write proper English and give you some pointers about appropriate language for texting, tweeting, instant messaging, and similar technology.