Page 471
Understanding Our Language
All the words in our language have been divided into eight groups. These word groups are called the parts of speech, and each group includes words that are used in the same way in a sentence.
Parts of Speech
Nouns Words that name a person, a place, a thing, or an idea baseball, Bill, office, billboard, confusion
Pronouns Words used in place of nouns I, me, her, them, who, which, those, myself, some
Verbs Words that express action or a state of being is, are, run, jump, swim
Adjectives Words that describe a noun or pronoun fast, tall, quiet, three, neat
Adverbs Words that describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb gently, easily, fast, very
Interjections Words that show emotion, set off by commas or exclamation points wow, oh, ugh!
Prepositions Words that show position or direction and introduce prepositional phrases on, near, over, on top of
Conjunctions Words that connect words or groups of words and, or, because
What's Ahead
- I, me, her, them, who, which, those, myself, some
Verbs Words that express action or a state of being is, are, run, jump, swim
Adjectives Words that describe a noun or pronoun fast, tall, quiet, three, neat
Adverbs Words that describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb gently, easily, fast, very
Interjections Words that show emotion, set off by commas or exclamation points wow, oh, ugh!
Prepositions Words that show position or direction and introduce prepositional phrases on, near, over, on top of
Conjunctions Words that connect words or groups of words and, or, because
What's Ahead
- fast, tall, quiet, three, neat
Adverbs Words that describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb gently, easily, fast, very
Interjections Words that show emotion, set off by commas or exclamation points wow, oh, ugh!
Prepositions Words that show position or direction and introduce prepositional phrases on, near, over, on top of
Conjunctions Words that connect words or groups of words and, or, because
What's Ahead
- wow, oh, ugh!
Prepositions Words that show position or direction and introduce prepositional phrases on, near, over, on top of
Conjunctions Words that connect words or groups of words and, or, because
What's Ahead
- and, or, because
What's Ahead
WE 472
Page 472
Nouns
A noun is a word that names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.
- Person: ballplayer, Nadia, friend, Josh, parent
- Place: home, Miami, city, backyard
- Thing: baseball, homework, secret
- Idea: happiness, trouble, friendship
Kinds of Nouns
Common Nouns |
A common noun is any noun that does not name a specific person, place, thing, or idea. Common nouns are not capitalized. woman
park
team
holiday |
Proper Nouns |
A proper noun names a specific person, place, thing, or idea. Proper nouns are capitalized. Coco
Gauff
Chicago |
Concrete Nouns |
A concrete noun names a thing that can be seen or touched. Concrete nouns are either common or proper. magazine
cactus
Washington Monument |
Abstract Nouns |
An abstract noun names something that cannot be seen or touched. Abstract nouns are either common or proper. love
democracy
Christianity
Buddhism |
Number of Nouns
Singular Nouns |
A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea. room
paper
BFF
hope |
Plural Nouns |
A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea. rooms
papers
BFFs
hopes |
WE 473
Page 473
Special Types of Noun
Compound Nouns |
A compound noun is made up of two or more words. backyard
blue jeans
two-wheeler
sister-in-law
|
Collective Nouns |
A collective noun names a collection of persons, animals, or things. Personsclass
team
clan
group
family Animalsherd
flock
litter
pack
colony Thingsbunch
batch
collection |
Specific Nouns |
Specific nouns are used to make your writing come to life. Tip See page 104 for more on specific nouns. |
Gender of Nouns
The gender of a noun refers to its being feminine (female), masculine (male), neuter (no gender), or indefinite (undetermined).
Gender of Nouns |
Feminine (female)cow
hen
mother
sister
women Masculine (male)bull
rooster
father
brother
men Neuter (no gender)tree
closet
cobweb Indefinite (undetermined)child
pilot
parent
dentist |
WE 474
Page 474
Uses of Nouns
Subject Nouns |
A noun may be the subject of a sentence. The subject is the part of the sentence that does something or is being talked about. Joe gave Nadia a note. (The noun Joe did something, gave Nadia a note.) |
Predicate Nouns |
A predicate noun follows a form of the verb “be” (is, are, was, were, etc.) and renames the subject. The book is a mystery. (The noun mystery renames the subject book.) |
Possessive Nouns |
A possessive noun shows ownership. To form a possessive noun, use an apostrophe and s. The book’s ending is a big surprise. (The ’s added to book shows that the ending belongs to the book.) |
Nouns as Objects
Direct Objects |
A noun is a direct object when it receives the action of the verb. Nadia read the book. (Book is the direct object because it receives the action of the verb read. (Nadia reads what? The book.) |
Indirect Objects |
A noun is an indirect object when it names the person to whom or for whom something is done. Joe gave Nadia the book. (The book is given to whom? The book is given to Nadia, the indirect object.) |
Objects of a Preposition |
A noun is an object of a preposition when it is part of a prepositional phrase (on the shelf). Nadia put the book on the shelf. (The noun shelf is the object of the preposition on.) |
WE 475
Page 475
Pronouns
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.
- Carlotta rescued an injured sandpiper.
- She took it to a veterinarian.
- (She is a pronoun that replaces the proper noun Carlotta. It is a pronoun that replaces the noun sandpiper.)
Antecedents |
An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to or replaces. All pronouns have antecedents. Anju’s skateboard glides easily now that it is oiled.
|
Agreement of Pronouns |
The pronouns in your sentences must agree with their antecedents in number and person. Anju’s skateboard glides easily now that it is oiled.
The other kids’ boards look like they could use some oil, too.
|
Number of Pronouns |
Pronouns can be either singular or plural. I flipped my skateboard. We flipped our skateboards. Personal PronounsSingular: I, me, you, he, she, him, her, it Plural: we, us, you, they, them |
WE 476
Page 476
Person of Pronouns
First-Person Pronouns |
A first-person pronoun is used in place of the name of the speaker. I like cookie dough ice cream.
|
Second-Person Pronouns |
A second-person pronoun is used to name the person or thing spoken to. Su, have you decided on a flavor?
|
Third-Person Pronouns |
A third-person pronoun is used to name the person or thing spoken about. Jon said that he wants chocolate ice cream.
|
Singular Pronouns
|
Subject Pronouns |
Possessive Pronouns |
Object Pronouns |
|
|
First Person |
I |
my, mine |
me |
|
Second Person |
you |
your, yours |
your |
|
Third Person |
he, she, it |
his, her, hers, its |
him, her, it |
My, your, our, its, and their come before nouns and function as possessive adjectives. Mine, yours, hers, ours, and theirs do not come before nouns. His, her, and its may or may not come before nouns.
Plural Pronouns
|
Subject Pronouns |
Possessive Pronouns |
Object Pronouns |
|
|
First Person |
we |
our, ours |
us |
|
Second Person |
you |
your, yours |
you |
|
Third Person |
they |
their, theirs |
them |
WE 477
Page 477
Uses of Pronouns
Subject Pronouns |
A subject pronoun is used as the subject of a sentence. I like to tell jokes. They really make people laugh. Singular: I, you, he, she, it Plural: we, you, they |
Object Pronouns |
An object pronoun is used as a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of the preposition. Mr. Otto encourages me.
Mr. Otto often gives us extra help with math.
My friends made a funny card for him.
Singular: me, you, him, her, it Plural: us, you, them |
Possessive Pronouns |
A possessive pronoun shows ownership. It can be used before a noun, or it can stand alone. Gloria finished writing her story.
The idea for the plot was mine.
Before a noun: my, your, his, her, its, our, their Stand alone: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs |
WE 478
Page 478
Other Types of Pronouns
Relative Pronouns |
A relative pronoun connects one part of a sentence with a word in another part of the sentence. Any fifth grader who wants to join our band should see Carlos. |
Interrogative Pronouns |
An interrogative pronoun asks a question. Who is going to play the keyboard? |
Demonstrative Pronouns |
A demonstrative pronoun points out or identifies a noun without naming it. That sounds like a great idea! |
Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns |
An intensive pronoun stresses the word it refers to. A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject. Carlos himself teaches each student.
Carlos taught himself.
|
Indefinite Pronouns |
An indefinite pronoun refers to people or things that are not named or known. Nobody is here to record the concert. |
Types of Pronouns
Relative
who, whom, whose, which, what, that, whoever, whatever, whichever
Interrogative
who, whose, whom, which, what
Demonstrative
this, that, these, those
Intensive and Reflexive
myself, ourselves, yourself, himself, herself, itself, themselves
Indefinite
all
another
any
anybody
anyone
anything
both
each
each one
either
everybody
everyone
everything
few
many
most
much
neither
nobody
none
no one
nothing
one
other
several
some
somebody
someone
something
such
WE 479
Page 479
Verbs
A verb shows action or links the subject to another word in the sentence. The verb is the main word in the predicate part of the sentence.
- The boys hike along the river.
- (The verb hike shows action.)
- I am happy about that.
- (The verb am links the subject I to the word happy.)
Action Verbs
An action verb tells what the subject is doing.
- I read novels whenever I can.
- I write my own novels, too.
Transitive Verbs |
An action verb is called a transitive verb if it is followed by an object (noun or pronoun). The object makes the meaning of the verb complete. Anne Cameron writes books about Julian.
|
Verbs Followed by a Direct Object |
A direct object receives the action of a transitive verb. The direct object answers the question what? or whom? after the verb. Raffi composes songs for little children.
|
Verbs Followed by an Indirect Object |
An indirect object receives the action of a transitive verb, indirectly. An indirect object names the person to whom or for whom something is done. Books bring children joy.
|
WE 480
Page 480
Linking and Helping Verbs
Linking Verbs |
A linking verb links a subject to a noun or an adjective in the predicate part of the sentence. That car is a convertible.
Mom’s new car looks incredible.
The most common linking verbs are forms of the verb be: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been Other linking verbs include the following: smell, look, taste, remain, feel, appear, sound, seem, become, grow, stand, turn |
Helping Verbs |
Helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs) include has, had, and have; do, does, and did; and forms of the verb “be” (is, am, are, was, were, etc.). Lee will write in his journal later.
Lee has been writing in his journal every day.
The most common helping verbs are listed below: can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, has, have, had, do, does, did The forms of the verb be are also helping verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been |
WE 481
Page 481
Tenses of Verbs
The time of a verb is called its tense. Tense is shown by endings (talked), by helping verbs (did talk), or by both (have talked).
Present Tense Verbs |
The present tense of a verb states an action that is happening now or that happens regularly. I play soccer. We practice every day. |
Past Tense Verbs |
The past tense of a verb states an action or state of being that happened at a specific time in the past. Anne kicked the soccer ball. She was the goalie for our last game. |
Future Tense Verbs |
The future tense of a verb states an action that will take place. It is formed by using will or shall before the main verb. I will play soccer this summer. We shall practice every day. |
Perfect Tenses
Present Perfect Tense Verbs |
The present perfect tense states an action that extends into the present. Add has or have before the past participle form of the main verb. Alexis has slept for two hours. |
Past Perfect Tense Verbs |
The past perfect tense states an action that began and was completed in the past. Add had before the past participle form of the main verb. Jondra had slept for eight hours. |
Future Perfect Tense Verbs |
The future perfect tense states an action that will begin in the future and end at a specific time. Add will have before the past participle form of the main verb. Riley will have slept for ten hours. |
WE 482
Page 482
Forms of Verbs
Singular and Plural Verbs |
© Thoughtful Learning 2024
A singular verb is used when the subject in a sentence is singular. Ben likes black olives on his pizza.
A plural verb is used when the subject is plural. Black olives taste salty.
Tip When a subject and verb are both singular or both plural, they agree in number. (See page 467.) |
Active and Passive Verbs |
A verb is active if the subject is doing the action. Kara threw a fastball.
A verb is passive if the subject does not do the action. A fastball was thrown by Kara.
|
Regular Verbs |
Most verbs in the English language are regular. Add ed to regular verbs to state a past action; use has, have, or had with the ed form to make perfect tenses. I play. He calls. Yesterday I played. Yesterday he called. I have played. He has called. |
Irregular Verbs |
Some verbs in the English language are irregular. Instead of adding ed, the word changes to state a past action. (See the chart on page 483.) I speak. She runs. Yesterday I spoke. Yesterday she ran. I have spoken. She has run. |
WE 483
Page 483
Common Irregular Verbs
The principal parts of some common irregular verbs are listed below. The part used with the helping verbs has, have, or had is called the past participle.
Present Tense
I hide.
She hides.
Past Tense
Yesterday I hid.
Yesterday she hid.
Past Participle
I have hidden.
She has hidden.
Present Tense |
Past Tense |
Past Participle |
|
am, are, is |
was, were |
been |
|
begin |
began |
begun |
|
bite |
bit |
bitten |
|
blow |
blew |
blown |
|
break |
broke |
broken |
|
bring |
brought |
brought |
|
burst |
burst |
burst |
|
catch |
caught |
caught |
|
come |
came |
come |
|
dive |
dove, dived |
dived |
|
do |
did |
done |
|
draw |
drew |
drawn |
|
drink |
drank |
drunk |
|
drive |
drove |
driven |
|
eat |
ate |
eaten |
|
fall |
fell |
fallen |
|
fight |
fought |
fought |
|
fly |
flew |
flown |
|
freeze |
froze |
frozen |
|
give |
gave |
given |
|
go |
went |
gone |
|
grow |
grew |
grown |
|
hang |
hung |
hung |
|
hide |
hid |
hidden, hid |
|
know |
knew |
known |
|
lay (place) |
laid |
laid |
|
lead |
led |
led |
|
lie (recline) |
lay |
lain |
|
make |
made |
made |
|
ride |
rode |
ridden |
|
ring |
rang |
rung |
|
rise |
rose |
risen |
|
run |
ran |
run |
|
see |
saw |
seen |
|
set |
set |
set |
|
shake |
shook |
shaken |
|
shine (light) |
shone |
shone |
|
shrink |
shrank |
shrunk |
|
sing |
sang, sung |
sung |
|
sink |
sank, sunk |
sunk |
|
sit |
sat |
sat |
|
speak |
spoke |
spoken |
|
spring |
sprang, sprung |
sprung |
|
steal |
stole |
stolen |
|
swear |
swore |
sworn |
|
swim |
swam |
swum |
|
swing |
swung |
swung |
|
take |
took |
taken |
|
tear |
tore |
torn |
|
throw |
threw |
thrown |
|
wake |
woke |
woken |
|
wear |
wore |
worn |
|
weave |
wove |
woven |
|
write |
wrote |
written |
WE 484
Page 484
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns or pronouns. Adjectives tell what kind, how many, or which one.
- Male peacocks have beautiful feathers.
- The feathers are colorful.
- (An adjective after a linking verb is called a predicate adjective.)
Articles |
The words a, an, and the are adjectives called articles. Owlet is the name for a baby owl. |
Proper and Common Adjectives |
Proper adjectives are formed from proper nouns. They are capitalized. Common adjectives (in italic) are any adjectives that are not proper. On a cold Wisconsin day, a Hawaiian vacation sounds wonderful. |
Forms of Adjectives
Positive Adjectives |
The positive (base) form of an adjective describes a noun without comparing it to another noun. A hummingbird is small. |
Comparative Adjectives |
The comparative form of an adjective compares two people, places, things, or ideas. A hummingbird is smaller than a sparrow.
Hummingbirds are more colorful than sparrows.
|
Superlative Adjectives |
The superlative form of an adjective compares three or more people, places, things, or ideas. The hummingbird is the smallest bird I’ve seen.
The parrot is the most colorful bird in the zoo.
|
WE 485
Page 485
Irregular Forms of Adjectives
Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
|
good |
better |
best |
|
bad |
worse |
worst |
|
many |
more |
most |
|
little |
less |
least |
Special Kinds of Adjectives
Compound Adjectives |
Compound adjectives are made up of more than one word. Some compound adjectives are spelled as one word; others are hyphenated. Many white-throated sparrows live in our evergreen bushes. |
Demonstrative Adjectives |
Demonstrative adjectives point out specific nouns. This and these point out nouns that are nearby, and that and those point out nouns that are distant. This nest has four eggs and that nest has two. These eggs will hatch before those eggs will. |
Indefinite Adjectives |
Indefinite adjectives tell approximately (not exactly) how many or how much. Most students love summer. Some days are rainy, but few days are boring. |
Predicate Adjectives |
Predicate adjectives follow linking verbs and describe subjects. The apples are juicy. They taste sweet. |
Two-Syllable Adjectives |
Some two-syllable adjectives show comparisons either by their er/est endings or by modifiers like more and most. friendly friendlier friendliest friendly more friendly most friendly |
WE 486
Page 486
Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify (describe) verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adverbs tell how, when, where, how often, and how much.
- The softball team practices regularly.
- (regularly modifies the verb practices.)
- Yesterday’s practice was extra long.
- (Extra modifies the adjective long.)
- Last night the players slept quite soundly.
- (Quite modifies the adverb soundly.)
Types of Adverbs
Adverbs of Time |
Adverbs of time tell when, how often, or how long. Max batted first. (when) Katie’s team played weekly. (how often) Her team was in first place briefly. (how long) |
Adverbs of Place |
Adverbs of place tell where. The first pitch curved inside. (where) The batter leaned forward. (where) |
Adverbs of Manner |
Adverbs of manner tell how something is done. Max waited eagerly for the next pitch. (how) |
Adverbs of Degree |
Adverbs of degree tell how much or how little. The catcher was totally surprised. (how much) He scarcely saw the fastball coming. (how little) Tip Adverbs often end in ly, but not always. Words like not, never, very, and always are common adverbs. |
WE 487
Page 487
Forms of Adverbs
Positive Adverbs |
The positive (base) form of an adverb does not make a comparison. Max plays hard from the first pitch to the last out. |
Comparative Adverbs |
The comparative form of an adverb is formed by adding er to one-syllable adverbs or the word more or less before longer adverbs. He plays harder than his cousin plays. He plays more often than his cousin does. |
Superlative Adverbs |
The superlative form of an adverb is formed by adding est to one-syllable adverbs or the word most or least before longer adverbs. Max plays hardest in close games. Max plays most often in center field. |
Special Forms of Adverbs
Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
|
well |
better |
best |
|
badly |
worse |
worst |
|
quickly |
more quickly |
most quickly |
|
fairly |
less fairly |
least fairly |
Tip Do not confuse well and good. Good is an adjective and well is usually an adverb. (See page 485.)
Interjections
Interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotion. Commas or exclamation points are used to separate interjections from the rest of the sentence.
- Wow, look at those mountains!
- Hey! Keep your eyes on the road!
WE 488
Page 488
Prepositions
Prepositions are words that show position or direction and introduce prepositional phrases.
- Our cats do what they please in our house.
Object of a Preposition |
The object of the preposition is the noun or pronoun that comes after the preposition. Smacker watches from the desk drawer.
Then Smacker ducks inside it.
|
Prepositional Phrases |
Prepositional phrases include a preposition, the object of the preposition (a noun or a pronoun), and any words that modify the object. Jo-Jo sneaks toward the gerbil cage.
|
Common Prepositions
aboard
about
above
across
across from
after
against
along
along with
among
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but
by
down
during
except
except for
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
onto
out
outside
over
past
since
through
throughout
till
to
toward
under
underneath
until
up
up to
upon
with
within
without
WE 489
Page 489
Conjunctions
Conjunctions connect individual words or groups of words.
- The river is wide and deep.
- We can fish in the morning or in the evening.
Coordinating Conjunctions |
A coordinating conjunction connects equal parts: two or more words, phrases, or clauses. The river rushes down the valley, and then it winds through the prairie.
|
Correlative Conjunctions |
A correlative conjunction is used in pairs. Either snow or wind can make the trip dangerous.
|
Subordinating Conjunctions |
A subordinating conjunction often introduces the dependent clause in a complex sentence. Our trip was delayed when the snowstorm hit. We stayed in town until the snow stopped. |
Common Conjunctions
Coordinating
and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet
Correlative
either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also, both/and, whether/or, as/so
Subordinating
after, although, as, as if, as long as, as though, because, before, if, in order that, since, so, so that, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whereas, while