Introducing the Eight Parts of Speech

English grammar uses words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective,
the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the interjection. Each part of speech explains not what the
word is, but how the word is used. The same word can be a noun in one sentence and a verb or adjective in the next.

The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence. A verb or compound verb states something about the
subject of the sentence. The verb depicts actions, events, or states of being.

A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, or abstract concepts. A noun can function in a
sentence as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, a subject complement, an object complement, an
appositive, an adjective or an adverb.

Pronouns can replace a noun or another pronoun.

An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. Many consider articles
"the, a, an'' to be adjectives.

An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. An adverb indicates manner,
time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as ``how, when, where".

A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence.

Conjunctions link words, phrases, and clauses.

An interjection is a word used to show or express emotion.

Parts of Speech, Forms and Functions

VERBS
A transitive verb is sometimes called an action verb passes action on to a direct object. An intransitive verb
does not indicate a transfer of action. A linking verb joins a subject with a word that describes it. A main verb
indicates the primary or principal activity. An auxiliary verb helps the main verb describe an action or state of
being. A modal verb indicates ability, obligation, permission, or possibility. Modals used are: "can, may, must,
should, could, might, ought, would" A finite verb describes a definite and limited action or condition. A non-finite
verb shows an unfinished action or condition.
Verb Forms called Verbals
Infinitives are the word " to + verb" and they act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
Participles in past or present tenses act as adjectives
Gerunds in the "present tense participle form" act as nouns.

NOUNS
Proper nouns are capitalized and include: name of a specific person, place, or thing, days of the week, months of
the year, historical documents, institutions, organizations, religions, their holy texts and their adherents are proper
nouns.
A common noun is a noun referring in general to a person, place, or thing.
A concrete noun is a noun which names anything (or anyone) that you can perceive through your physical senses:
touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell.
An abstract noun is a noun which names anything which you can not perceive through your five physical senses.
A countable noun (or count noun) is a noun with both a singular and a plural form, and it names anything (or
anyone) that you can count.
A non-countable noun (or mass noun) is a noun which does not have a plural form, and which refers to something
that you could (or would) not usually count.
A collective noun is a noun naming a group of things, animals, or persons.
Most nouns change their form to indicate number by adding ``-s'' or ``-es''.
Usually, nouns become possessive by adding a combination of an apostrophe and the letter ``s.''

PRONOUNS
There are several types of pronouns.
A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender,
and case.
A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. The subjective
personal pronouns are ``I, you, she, he, it, we, you, they.''
An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb,
preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: ``me, you, her, him, it, us, you, and them.''
A possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an indication of possession and defines who owns a
particular object. The possessive personal pronouns are ``mine, yours, hers, his, its, ours, and theirs.''
A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. ``This'' and ``these'' refer to things that
are nearby either in space or in time, while ``that'' and ``those'' refer to things that are farther away in space or
time. The demonstrative pronouns are ``this, that, these, and ``those.'' ``This'' and ``that'' are used to refer to
singular nouns or noun phrases and ``these'' and ``those'' are used to refer to plural nouns and noun phrases.
An interrogative pronoun is used to ask questions. The interrogative pronouns are ``who, whom, which, what''
and the compounds formed with the suffix ``ever'' (``whoever, whomever, whichever, whatever'').
You can use a relative pronoun to link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause. The relative pronouns
are: ``who, whom, that, which.'' The compounds ``whoever,whomever, and whichever'' are also relative pronouns.
You can use the relative pronouns ``who'' and ``whoever'' to refer to the subject of a clause or sentence, and
``whom'' and ``whomever'' to refer to the objects of a verb, a verbal or a preposition.
An indefinite pronoun refers to an unspecified person or thing. An indefinite pronoun depicts the idea of all, any,
none, or some. The most common indefinite pronouns are "all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, each,
everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one, several, some, somebody, and someone.''
The reflexive pronouns are "myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.''
An intensive pronoun is a pronoun used to emphasize its antecedent.

ADJECTIVES
An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies. An adjective can be modified by an
adverb, or by a phrase or clause functioning as an adverb. Some nouns, many pronouns, and many participle
phrases can also act as adjectives.
A possessive adjective is similar or identical to a possessive pronoun; however, it is used as an adjective and
modifies a noun or a noun phrase.
The demonstrative adjectives ``this, these, that, those, what'' are identical to the demonstrative pronouns, but
are used as adjectives to modify nouns or noun phrases.
An interrogative adjective (``which, what'') is like an interrogative pronoun, except that it modifies a noun or
noun phrase rather than standing on its own.
An indefinite adjective is similar to an indefinite pronoun, except that it modifies a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase.

ADVERBS
Adverbs have a complex grammatical relationship within the sentence or clause as a whole. An adverb can be
found in various places within the sentence. An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase,
or a clause. An adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as ``how, when,
where".
You can use a conjunctive adverb to join two clauses together. Some of the most common conjunctive adverbs are
``also, consequently, finally, furthermore, hence, however, incidentally, indeed, instead, likewise, meanwhile,
nevertheless, next, nonetheless, otherwise, still, then, therefore, and ``thus.'' A conjunctive adverb is not strong
enough to join two independent clauses with the aid of a semicolon.

PREPOSITIONS
A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence.
A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated adjectives or adverbs. A
prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. The most common prepositions are "about,
above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond,
but, by, despite, down, during, except, 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, upon,with, within, and without.''

CONJUNCTIONS
Coordinating conjunctions (``and, but, or, nor, for, so, or yet'') are used to join individual words, phrases, and
independent clauses. The conjunctions ``but'' and ``for'' are also used as prepositions.
A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of the relationship among
the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s). The most common subordinating conjunctions are after,
although, as, because, before, how, if, once, since, than, that, though, till, until, when, where, whether, and while.
Correlative conjunctions always appear in pairs -- you use them to link equivalent sentence elements. The most
common correlative conjunctions are: "both... and, either...or, neither...nor, not only.., but also, so...as, and
whether...or. Usually correlative conjunctions consist of a co-ordinating conjunction linked to an adjective or
adverb. Some words which appear as conjunctions can also appear as prepositions or as adverbs.