PARTSOFSPEECH

(Compiler:MargaretDickerson)

PARTSOFSPEECHaretheeightclassesintowhichwordsaregroupedaccording
to[their]function,place,meaninganduseinasentence.

Wordstraditionallygroupedintoeightclassesorpartsofspeechinclude:

nouns,verbs,adverbs,adjectives,pronouns,
prepositions,conjunctions,andinterjections.

Nouns,adjectives,verbs,andadverbs(calledvocabularyorlexicalwords)...make
upmorethan99percentofallwordslistedinthedictionary(Hodges,et.al.12).
Dictionariescontainmorenounsthananyotherkindofword;theyarethemostfrequent
elementinEnglishexpression(Morsberger40).

However,pronouns,prepositions,andconjunctionsalthoughsmallinnumberare
alsoimportantbecausethesewordsareusedoverandoverinourwritingandspeaking.
Prepositionsandconjunctions(calledfunctionorstructurewords)connectandrelateto
otherpartsofspeech.Oftheeightwordclasses,onlythreeprepositions,conjunctions,
andinterjectionsdonotchangetheirform.

FORMCHANGE

Formchangeorinflectionisachangeintheformofavocabularyorlexical(ofor
pertainingtothewordsorvocabularyofaspecificlanguage)wordtoshowaspecific
meaningorgrammaticalrelationshiptoanotherwordorgroupofwords.

Examples: verbgrasp,grasps,grasped
nouncat,cats,cat'scats'
pronounI,me,my,mine,we,us,our,ours
adjectivelight,lighter,lightest
adverbcarefully,morecarefully,mostcarefully

FORMVERSUSFUNCTION

Manywordscannotbeconfinedtoonepartofspeech,butfunctioninseveralcapacities.
Forinstance,dogthoughconventionallylabeledanoun,canbeusedasanadjective
(dogbiscuit),andadverbialprefix(dogtired),atransitiveverb(doghis
footsteps),oraninterjection(hotdog!).
Anotherexample: water =noun

waterthegrass=transitiveverb

hismouthwatered=intransitiveverb

waterbuffalo=adjective

watertight=adverbialprefix

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NOUNS

Anounnamesaperson,place,thing,oridea.
N N N
Example: Repetitiondoesnottransformalieintotruth.

Nounscanbedescribedas:

a) thekindofwordthatisoftenmarkedwithanarticle(aspoon,
anapple,thenewspaper);
b) thekindofwordthatcanusuallybemadeplural(onekitten,
twokittens)orpossessive(thekitten'spaw);
c) thekindofwordthatcanfilloneofthesepositionsinasentence:
subject,directobject,indirectobject,subjectcomplement,
Objectcomplement,objectofthepreposition.

ProperNounsandCommonNouns:

Propernounsarethenamesofspecificpersons,places,andthings.Allothernounsare
commonnouns.

(Examples)

ProperNouns CommonNouns

BookofJeremiah abook
Father(usedasaname) myfather
LakeSuperior alake
Biologyl0l biology
DeclarationofIndependence atreaty

Exercise:Insertanounintoeachofthefollowingblanks.

1. Theshoplifterstolea_______________fromthesportsstore.

2. __________________threwthefootballtome.

3. Confusingmessageswerescrawledonthe_______________.

4. A__________________crashedthroughthewindow.

5. Givethe___________________toSusan.

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CollectiveNouns

Acollectivenounstandsforagroupusuallyofpeople,sometimesofanimalsbutitis
notatrueplural.Collectivescanworkwitheithersingularorpluralverbs,orpronouns,
withoutchangingtheirform.

Ifacollectiveworksasasingleunit,ittakesasingularverborsingular
pronountorefertoit.Iftheindividualsareworkingseparately,thenoun
takespluralverbsorpronouns.

Examples: Thejurywasagreedonitsverdict.
(juryactingaltogether;
singularverbandpossessivepronoun)

Thejurywerearguingabouttheirviews.
(individualsonjurysayingdifferentthings;
treatedasplural)

CommonCollectiveNouns

audience class crew faculty family

flock group herd jury mob
Congress U.S.Senate team troop committee

Exercise:Labelcolaboveeachcollectivenoun.Keepinmind
thatcapitalizednounscanbeconsideredonepropernoun
andthatagroupofpeoplemayhaveacapitalizedtitle.

1. Thiscompanyhasdecidedtoencouragecarpooling.

2. Eachfamilymustworkoutascheduleforusingthefamilycar.

3. SouthernCollegewillgraduate200studentsinJanuary.

4. Eachclassdecoratesaroomofthecollegefortheholidays.

5. TheStatemayvotetochargeforparkingattheirworkplace.

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PossessiveNouns:

Possessivenounsarenounformsthatshowownership,possession,and
similarrelationships.

Basicrule:Watchfortwonounsinarow,withansonthefirstone.
Ifanounfollowsanothernounornounphraseinasentence,thefirst
nounisusuallyapossessiveandneedsanapostrophebeforeorafterthes.

Examples: Incorrect: Theboysfootwashurt.

Correct: Theboy'sfootwashurt.

Basicrule:Tochangesingularnounsintoplurals,andmakethempossessive:
Puttheapostropheonthelastnoun,movetheothernountofollowit,and
removeof.Addsifyouneedthesound.

Examples: singulartheearofthedonkey thedonkey'sear

plural theearsofthedonkeys thedonkeysears
singulartheeyeoftheman theman'seye
plural theeyesofthementhe
menseyes

Exercise: Placeapostropheswhereneededinthesentences.

1. Thestudentsmindsarenotfullyontheirworkthisweek.

2.Sallyseyeshaveadreamylook.

3.Tomshandsareidlysketchingreindeer.

4. Theteachersdeskiscoveredwithdecorations.

5.Somepeoplebelievethatstudentstestscoreshavefallenin

years.

6. Atriptothecountrywouldntbecompletewithoutastopat

JoansCafandDeli.

7. Theviewsfromthemountains1300footsummitcantbe

surpassed;youllseeawildernessstretchingoutbefore

youreyesineverydirection.

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PRONOUNS

Apronounisawordusedinplaceofanoun.Usuallythepronoun
substitutesforaspecificnoun,knownasitsantecedent,whichmeans
thewordsbefore.

Pronounsmustagreeinnumber(sheorthey),inperson,(I,you,him),
andingender(he,she,it)withtheirantecedents.

Herearesomecommonpersonalpronouns:

Subject(Nominative) Object(Objective) Possessive

Subjectorequalto Objectofactionverb Ownershipof
subjectwithbeingverb. orpreposition. nounorpronoun.

I me my,mine
you you your,yours
he him his
she her her,hers
it it its
we us our,ours
they them their,theirs

Thesubjectpronouns(exceptit)endinlongvowels,makingthemeasytopronounce
withverbs.Mostofthepronounswithminthemareobjectpronouns,whichareused
attheendsofphrases,wherethemiseasytopronounce.

TypesofPronouns:

Demonstrative:Refertothings(this,that,these,those)
Intensive:Endinself,selves(myself,itself,herself,himself,yourself)

Indefinite:Indefinitereferencetonouns(each,one,all,anybody,

some,everyone)

Interrogative:Usedinquestions(who,which,what,whose,whom)

Personal:Refertopeopleorthings(I,you,he,she,it,we,they)

Possessive:Doesnottakeanapostrophe(its,her,theirs)
Reciprocal:Referbacktoindividualpartsofpluralterms
(eachother,oneanother)
Reflexive:Intensifynounstheyreferbackto(yourselves,themselves)
Relative:Relateddependentclausetoanoun
(who,which,that,what,whom)

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Exercise:Circlethecorrectpronounsintheparentheses.

1. WhenRichardand(I/me)wenttoapplyforjobs,welookedfor

(them/they)inthenewspaperadvertisements.

2. Ceciliasaidthatshewantedtobeawordprocessor,but(I/me)was

moreinterestedinjobsthatmighttake(I/me)overseas.

3.(She/Her)appliedforacomputerjobwhen(I/me)found(it/them)

inanadvertisement.

4.Everyonewhoappliedexcept(she/her)didn'tknowWordPerfect.

5. Theinterviewerssaid(they/them)wantedanexperiencedworkerforthe

job,but(he/they)couldn'tfindanyone.

6.BothCeciliaand(I/me)hadexcellenttraininginourbusinessclasses.

7.TherewasgreatcompetitionbetweenJonathanand(I/me).

8.Allof(us/we)hadgoodreferences.

9.Nowit'stimefor(us/we)tocelebrate.

10.(SheandI)(Herandme)havebothbeenselectedfornewjobs.

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ADJECTIVES

Amodifierthatdescribesnounsandpronouns.Anadjectiveusuallyanswersoneofthese
questions:Whichone?Whatkindof?Howmany?

Examples: thetameelephant(whichelephant?)
rarevaluableold(whatkindofstamps?)
sixteencandles(howmanycandles?)

KindsofAdjectives:

Therearethreekindsofadjectives:descriptive(graysky,beautifulgarden),proper
(Buddhist,Italian)andlimitingorpossessive:theseadjectivesdonotdescribequalities,
butinsteadidentifyorspecifythewordstheymodify:

(thissky,mygarden,itsname)

Adjectivescanalsobedefinedaccordingtotheirformandtheirtypicalpositionina
sentence:
thekindofwordthatusuallycomesbeforeanounina
nounphrase(afriskypuppy,anamiableyoungman);

thekindofwordthatcanfollowalinkingverbanddescribe
thesubject(theshipwasunsinkable;talkischeap);

thekindofwordthatwhenderivedfromanotherpartof
speechtypicallytakesoneoftheseendings:wonderful,
courteous,lucky,foolish,pleasurable,colonial,helpless,
defensible,urgent,disgusting,friendly,spectacular,secretive.

AdjectivesasComplements:

Subjectcomplements:Whenanadjectivefunctionsasasubjectcomplement,
itdescribesthesubject:Example:Justiceisblind.

Objectcomplements:Whenanadjectivefunctionsasanobjectcomplement,
itdescribesthedirectobject.
good
Example:Lauralookedwellinhernewraincoat.

Note: Donotrepeatanobjectoradverbinanadjectiveclause.

Why?Whenarelativepronounfunctionsastheobjectofaverbortheobjectofa

preposition,donotaddanotherwordwiththesamefunctionlaterintheclause.

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Example:Thepuppyranafterthecarthatwewereridinginit.

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Note: Adjectivesdonotchangeform:singular plural
newstudentnewstudents
tallboy tallboys
happyman happymen

Note:Whenanounfollowsanadjective,useanbeforetheadjectiveiftheadjective
beginswithavowelsound:

Example:He'saninterestingactor.

Note: Useabeforetheadjectiveiftheadjectivebeginswitha
consonantsound:

Example:She'sastrongathlete.

Note: Donotuseaoranwhentheadjectiveisnotfollowedbyanoun:

Example:Itisimportant.
Heistall.

AdjectiveForms:

Adjectives(andadverbs)appearinthreeforms:positive,comparative,
andsuperlative.Thepositiveorsimpleformistheformmostcommonly
usedinspeechandwriting.Thecomparativeandsuperlativeformsof
adjectives(andadverbs)areusedtomakecomparisons:

Positive Comparative Superlative

hungry hungrier hungriest
small smaller smallest
usefully lessusefully leastusefully
soft softer softest
fast faster fastest
careful morecareful mostcareful
good better best
old older oldest

Note: Usethecomparativetocomparetwothings,thesuperlativetocomparethree
things.

Examples: HebrewisamucholderlanguagethanEnglish.
(adjectivecomparative)

Chineseisoneoftheworld'soldestlanguages.
(adjectivesuperlative)
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Exercise:

Underlinetheadjectivesinthefollowingsentences.

Example:Johnhasaterribletemper.

1. Vandalscoveredthenewcarwithblackpaint.

2. Scientistsareconstantlylookingfornewmethodsofspacetravel.

3. Thebrokenwristwatchneedsanewwindingstem.

4. Proficientsecretariesareinvaluableemployees.

5. Communitycollegesprovideaccessibleandeconomicaleducation.

6. Threemenwerewashingtheoldtruck.

7. Statecollegesanduniversitiesarethebackboneofhighereducation.

8. RalphKincaidisanoutstandingstudentbutpoorathlete.

9. Wouldyouratherhaveacrystalmicrophoneoradynamicmicrophone?

10. DukeUniversityisafineexampleoftheprivatecollegesinthiscountry.

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VERBS

Averbisawordthatindicatesactionorexistence,expressingwhatasubjectdoesoris.

FormsofaVerb:

VerbCharacteristics

Person Indicateswhoorwhat firstperson:Iwalk.

experiencesorperforms secondperson:Youwalk.
theactiontheperson thirdperson:He/She/It
speaking,thepersonspokenwalks.
to,orthepersonorthing
spokenabout.

Number Specifieshowmanysub singular:Itwalks.

jectsexperienceorperform plural:Theywalk.
theaction.

Tense Signalsthetimeofthe past:Ilookedoutside.

action. present:Ilookoutside.
future:Iwilllookoutside.

Voice Indicateswhetherthe activevoice:Thefans

subjectperformsor watchedthegame.
receivestheverb'saction. passivevoice:Thegame
waswatchedby
thefans.

Mood Denotestheattitude imperative:Listentome!

expressedtowardtheverb. indicative:Youare
listeningtome.
subjunctive:Iwishyou
wouldlistentome.

PrimaryVerbForms:

AllEnglishverbs,withtheexceptionofbe,havefiveprimaryforms:

Base PresentPresent PastPast

FormTenseParticipleTenseParticiple
looklookslookinglookedlooked
walkwalkswalkingwalkedwalked
watchwatcheswatchingwatchedwatched

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Thebaseform(simpleform)isusedforthepresenttensewhenthesubjectoftheverbis:
I,you,we,they,orapluralnoun.
Example:Italkandyoulisten.

Thepresenttense(orsform)indicatesactioninthepresentwhenthesubjectisthird

personsingular(he,she,itorasingularnoun).

Example:Hewalkswhileshetalks.

Thepresentparticipleindicatescontinuingaction,creatingbyaddingingtothebase

formoftheverb.Inordertofunctionasthemainverbinasentence,aparticiplemustbe

accompaniedbyaformoftheverbbe.

Example:Maryislookingforalargeapartment.

Whenapresentparticiplefunctionsasthegrammaticalsubjectorobjectinasentence,it
isagerund.
Example:Swimmingisgoodexercise.(Swimming=subject)
Jonathanenjoyedfishing.(fishing=directobjectof
enjoyed)
Apresentparticiplecanalsofunctionasanadjectiveinasentence.
Example:Thedefensefurnishedsupportingevidence.
(supportingmodifiesevidence)

Thepasttenseusuallyindicatesactionthatoccurredinthepast.Averb'spasttensecan
almostalwaysberecognizedbyitsdoredending.Thepasttensedoesnotchangeform
toindicatepersonornumber.
Example:Richardagreedwithheraboutthecostofthecar.

Someirregularverbsformtheirpasttenseinotherwaysandarecalledirregularverbs.
Example:HisparentswenttoParisandsawtheEiffelTower.

Thepastparticipleisidenticaltothepasttenseformoftheverb,exceptinsome
irregularverbs.Likethepresentparticiple,thepastparticiplemustbeaccompaniedbya
formoftheverbbetofunctionasthemainverbinthesentence,anddoesnotchange
formtoindicatepersonornumber.Thepastparticipleisapartintheperfectverbtenses,
andthepassivevoiceverbs.Itcanalsofunctionasanadjective.
Examples:Eachhadwaitedfortheotherperson.
(pastperfecttense)
Nearlyeveryonewashelpedatthescene.
(passivevoiceverb)
OnlyoccasionallywillIeatanovercookedsteak.
(adjective)

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AuxiliaryVerbForms:

Someverbsdonotmakesenseasmainverbsofasentencewithouttheaidof
anauxiliaryverb(orahelpingverb).Themostcommonauxiliaryverbsare
be,have,do.Formsofbe,have,do:
Present Past Past
BaseForm PresentTense Participle Tense Participle
be Iam being I/he/she/itwasbeen
he/she/itis we/you/theywere
we/you/theyare

have Ihave having Ihave had

he/she/ithas he/she/ithad
we/you/theyhave we/you/theyhad

do Ido doing did done

he/she/itdoes
we/you/theydo

LinkingVerbs:

Alinkingverbjoinsthesubjectofasentencetoasentencecomplement,whichdescribes
orrenamesthesubject.Linkingverbsusuallydescribestatesofbeing,notactions.

Examples:
Columbuswasanexplorerwithaplan.
KingFerdinandremaineduncertain.
QueenIsabellafeltconfidentaboutColumbus
chancesofsuccess.

Commonlinkingverbsincludeallformsoftheverbbe:
am,is,was,are,were,be,being,andbeen.

Transitive/intransitiveVerbs:

Atransitiveverbtransfersitsactionfromasubjecttoadirectobject.

Example:Angelaclimbedthemountain.

Anintransitiveverbdoesnottakeadirectobject.

Example:Angelaclimbedexpertly.

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Verbals:

Verbalsareverbformsthattypicallyendiningored.Verbalscanfunctionas"nouns"

(skiingisfun)orasmodifiers(thestolengoods)(thedesiretosucceed).

Averbalcannotstandaloneasthemainverbinasentence.

(theclownsmiling)(thebooksread)arenotcompletesentencesbutsentence

fragments.Averbalmustalwaysbeaccompaniedbyanauxiliaryverbwhenit

servesasthepredicateofasentence.

EXERCISESUSINGVERBS

PracticeSentences:

Inthefollowingsentences,underlinethecorrectprincipalpartoftheverb.

Example:I(showed,shown)thephotographsatthemeeting.

1. Thesunhasnot(rose,risen)yetthismorning.

2. Thechild(threw,thrown)theballwell.

3. Ihave(chose,chosen)mylife'spartner.

4. Joeis(search,searching)diligentlyforajob.

5. Thepriceofthestockhas(fallen,falling).

6. Myteam(lead,led)inthetournament.

7. Iam(return,returning)homesoon.

8. Jim(eat,ate)quickly.

9. Theneighborshave(brought,brung)mefood.

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PREPOSITIONS

Aprepositionisawordplacedbeforeanounorpronountoformaphrasemodifying
anotherwordinasentence.

Examples:inthehouse,tothestore,overthehill

Example:Ajourneyofathousandmilesbegins
withasinglestep.

CommonPrepositions:

about despite opposite under

above down out underneath
after during outside unlike
among except over until
at for past unto
before from plus up
behind in regarding upon
below into respecting with
beside inside round without
between like since
beyond near than
but next through
by off throughout
concerning on to
considering onto toward

MultiplewordPrepositions:

accordingto exceptfor inspiteof

aheadof inadditionto ontopof
alongwith inbackof otherthan
apartfrom incaseof outof
awayfrom infrontof togetherwith
becauseof insideof

Note:Prepositionalphrasesmaycontaintwoormorenounsorpronouns,plusa
conjunctionsuchasand.

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Exerciseusingprepositionsandprepositionalphrases:

Directions:Underlineprepositionsandplace(parentheses)aroundprepositional

phrases.

1. Inthewinter,campingrequirescarefulplanningandextragear.

2. Youneedspecialsleepingbagsforbelowzerotemperatures.

3. Mostpeoplereservetentswithwoodenfloorsforwintercamping.

4. Theygreatlyprefercampsitesnearhotshowersandindoorplumbing.

5. Onthebreakfasttable,thedrinkingwaterfreezes.

6. Yourmilkandmeatwillbequitecoldwithoutanicechest.

7. Crosscountryskiingisnowverypopularinthemountains.

8. Thissportwillexerciseeverymuscleinyourbody.

9. Youskidownonesmallhill;thenyoustruggleupthenexthill.

10. Aftertheskiing,youwantaverywarmfireandsomehotcocoa.

11. Haveyoureadanygoodbooksaboutwildanimalslately?

12. Mostcountiesaretryingtosavethenaturalenvironmentandthe

animalslivinginit.

13. ThegrizzlybearisnearlyextinctinNorthAmerica,exceptinAlaska.

14. Manypeopleliketogoontripstoseeanimalsintheirnaturalhabitats.

15. Infiftyyears,wemayhavenomorewildanimalslikethezebra,giraffe,

elephant,orrhinoceros.

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CONJUNCTIONS

Aconjunctionisanywordthatispowerfulenoughtoconnectsentences.Todecide
whetherawordcanfunctionasaconjunction,tryusingittojointwoshortsentences:

Examples: ShestudiesEnglishconstantly,and
sheknowsitbettereveryday.

IwenttothestorebecauseIneededsomesupplies.

MainCoordinatingConjunctions:

For But So
And Or
Nor Yet

Thesemaincoordinatingconjunctionsjoinindependentclauses(possiblesentences)
tocreateacompoundsentence.

Asecondtypeofconjunctionisthesubordinatingconjunction,whichjoinsa
subjectverbcombinationtoanothersubjectverbcombination,butmakesonepart
subordinatetoordependentupontheother.Theseconjunctionstakepossible
sentencesandturnthemintosubsentences,somethinglessthansentences,called
subordinateordependentclauses.

MainSubordinatingConjunctions:

after before providedthat when

although evenif since whenever
as for sothat where
asif how than wherever
assoonas if that whether
asthough incasethat unless while
because inorderthat until why

Note:Someofthesewordsalsofunctionasprepositions;however,whenthey
areNOTjoiningsentences,theyfunctionasprepositions.

CorrelativeConjunctions:

Correlative(fromcorelated)conjunctions,thethirdtypeofconjunctions,
comeinpairs.Theyareusedtojoinequalwords,phrases,orclauses(possible
sentences)withoneconjunctionbeforeonepartandtheotherbeforetheotherpart.

MainCorrelativeConjunctions: notonly/butalso both/and

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either/or neither/nor

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Exercise:UsingConnectors(PrepositionsandConjunctions):

Directions:Putprepositionalphrasesin(parentheses),andunderlineconjunctions.

1. Areyouagoodswimmer?

2. Swimmingisgoodexerciseforthewholebody.

3. Manypeoplelearnswimmingwhentheyareveryyoung.

4. Theirparentshaveswimmingpools,ortheyaretakentopublicpools

orthehomesoffriends.

5. Smallbabiesautomaticallyholdtheirbreathunderwaterforshortperiods

oftime.

6. Someadultsareafraidofthewater,becausetheyhadfrightening

experienceswhentheywereyoung.

7. Theycanstilllearnswimming,iftheygotoclassesattheY.

8. Swimmingnotonlyisfunbutalsoincreasessafety.

9. Allnonswimmersshouldlearndrownproofingswimmingand

floatingonthesurfaceforfairlylongperiodsoftime.

10. Withtheproperequipment,mostpeoplecanenjoyboththebeautiful

underwatersceneryandthetropicalfishinwarmvacationwaters.

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INTERJECTIONS

Interjectionsarewordsorsmallgroupsofwordsthatareusedbeforeexclamationpoints
toexpressstrongfeelingofanykind.

Examples: Wow! Hurrah! Waytogo!

Ifanexclamatorygroupofwordsistooshorttobecalledasentence,callitan
interjection,andwriteitseparatelyfromthemainsentence.

Examples: Congratulations!You'vejustwonthe
lottery!

Oh,Sure!Thatcomesineveryone'smail!

Notmine!Doyoureallybelievethat?

Note: Usetheexclamationpointsparingly.Overusediminishesitsvalue.Acomma
isbetteraftermildinterjections.

Aperiodisbetteraftermildlyexclamatoryexpressions.

Example:Herefusedit.

Aperiodisbetteraftermildimperatives[requestorcommand]

Example:Refusetheoffer.

Exercise:Addexclamationpoints(interjections),otherendingpunctuation,and
capitalletterswherenecessaryinthesentences.

1. Wowwhatatimethatwas

2. Don'truninthestreet

3. Stop

4. Cantyoustopthatirritatingnoise

5. Faroutyoureallydiditthattime

6. Ofcoursenot

7. Ithoughtthosegrapeswereripe

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ADVERBS

Anadverbisawordthatdescribesaverb,anadjective,oranotheradverb.Mostadverbs
willendinly.

Examples: Thepastrychefcarefullyspreadraspberryfrostingoverthecake.
(Theadverbcarefullydescribestheverbspread.)

Thatlampshinesverybrightly.

(Theadverbverydescribestheadverbbrightly.)

Note:Becarefultouseanadverbnotanadjectiveafteranactionverb.
Comparethefollowing;

Incorrect Correct
Thebosssneezedloudathisdesk. Thebosssneezedloudlyathisdesk.
(loudisanadjective)

Speakslowduringyourlecture. Speakslowlyduringyourlecture.
(slowisanadjective)

Rule:Adverbsaddtoactionverbs.Adverbsshowhow,when,where,orwhyactions
aredone.Lookatthesentenceanddecide:Istheverbdoingsomethingorbeing
something?Ifitisdoing,youneedanadverb;ittellshow,when,where,orhowmuchis
happening.

PlacementofAdverbs:

Adverbsmodifyingverbsappearinvariouspositionsatthebeginningorendofthe
sentence,beforeoraftertheverb,orbetweenahelpingverbanditsmainverb.
Example:
Slowly,wedrovealongtherainslickroad.
Maryhandledthechinadishverycarefully.
Martinalwayswinsourtennismatches.
Chrisisrarelylateforourluncheondates.
Mydaughterhasoftenspokenofyou.

Anadverbmaybeplacedatthebeginningorattheendofthesentenceorbeforethe
verb.Itcannotappearaftertheverbbecausetheverbisfollowedbythedirectobjectthe
gift.

Correct:Carefully,Motherwrappedthegift.

Correct:Motherwrappedthegiftcarefully.

Correct:Mothercarefullywrappedthegift.

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Anadverbmaynotbeplacedbetweenaverbanditsdirectobject.

Incorrect:Motherwrappedcarefullythegift.

WordsIntroducingAdverbClauses
SubordinatingConjunctions:after,although,as,asif,because,before,even
though,if,inorderthat,ratherthan,since,sothat,than,that,though,unless,until,
when,where,whether,while.

AdverbialPrepositionalPhrases
Adverbialprepositionalphrasesthatmodifytheverbcanappearnearly
anywhereinasentence.

Donotjudgeabookbyitscover.

Tyrannywillintimeleadtorevolution.

Totheantafewdropsofrainareaflood.

Adverbialwordgroupsusuallyansweroneofthesequestions:When?Where?
How?Why?Underwhatconditions?Towhatdegree?

Donotjudgeabookhow?Byitscover.

Tyrannywillleadtorevolutionwhen?Intime.

Afewdropsofrainareafloodunderwhatconditions.Toanant.

UsingIrregularComparativeandSuperlativeFormsofAdverbs
Someadverbs(andadjectives)changeformtoindicatetheircomparativeand
superlativedegrees.Examplesofirregularmodifiersarelistedbelow:

Adverbs: Positive Comparative Superlative

badly worse worst
ill worse worst
well better best

Exercise:

Underlinetheappropriatemodifier(adverb)ineachofthefollowingsentences.

Example:Theiractionscourageous/courageouslybenefitedmanylives.

1. Thesnowbeganfallinglight/lightlyandthensteady/steadilyintensified.
2. Remembertodriveslow/slowlythroughDevilsPass.
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3. Theywerechargedwithdisorder/disorderlyconduct.
4. Edithguessedcorrect/correctlythatshehadbeengiventhejob.
5. Ouraccountantmadeacostly/costmistakeonourtaxreturn.
6. Weweremorethanslight/slightlyupsetwithhim.
7. Wheneverabirdscreechedloudly/loud,heshiveredviolent/violently.
8. Heactedheroic/heroicallywhencalledupontoaidtheaccidentvictims.
9. Theblanketshergrandmotherwovesoskillful/skillfullywerebeautiful.
10.Theyawaitedthereturnoftheirancestralartifactseager/eagerly.

AdverbClauses
Adverbclausesusuallymodifyverbs,inwhichcasetheymayappearnearlyanywherein
asentence:atthebeginning,attheend,orinthemiddle.Likeotheradverbialword
groups,theytellwhen,where,whyunderwhatconditions,ortowhatdegreean
actionorasituationexisted.

Examples:

Whenthewellisdry,weknowthevalueofwater.
Venicewouldbeafinecityifthecanalswereonlydrained.

Unlikeadjectiveclauses,adverbclausesarefrequentlymovable.Wecanmovethe
adverbclausewithoutaffectingthemeaningofthesentence:

Weknowthevalueofwaterwhenthewellisdry.
Ifthecanalswereonlydrained,Venicewouldbeafinecity.

Usinggood/wellandbad/badly

Somewritersconfusetheadjectivegoodwiththeadverbwellandtheadjectivebad
withtheadverbbadly.Rule:Usetheadjectivesgoodandbadtomodifynounsor
pronouns:agoodtimeabadplay.Usetheadverbswellandbadlytomodify
verbs,adjectives,orotheradverbs:shespeakswell;hehearsbadly.

Exercises:Inthefollowingsentences,correctthemisuseofgood/wellorbad/badly.
Somesentencesmaybecorrectaswritten.
Example: Shenolongerskatesgood.
Corrected: Shenolongerskateswell.

Revised2/16/07


1. Itwasagoodtime;itwasabadtime.

2. Itdidnotgogood;itdidnotgobadly.

3. Itcouldhavegonebetter,butitwasnotbadly.

4. Theyinvestedtheirmoneygood,sogoodtheydoubledtheirinvestment.

AvoidingDoubleNegatives
Adoublenegativeisanonstandardformusingtwonegativeswhereonlyoneis
necessary.AlthoughfewspeakersofEnglishwouldmisunderstandIdonothaveno
money,thestatementisnonstandardbecauseitcontainstwonegativesandonlyoneis
necessary.Theadverbsbarely,scarcely,andhardlyandtheprepositionbut
(meaningexcept)arenegativeandshouldnotbeusedwithothernegatives.

Examples: Faulty: Wecouldnthardlyseetheband.Theirmusicdidntnever

reachthebackrowsofthestadium.
Revised: Wecouldhardlyseetheband.Theirmusicneverreachedthe
backrowsofthestadium.
Or: Theirsongswouldneverhavebeenheardinthebackrowsof
thestadium.

AlthoughdoublenegativeswereonceacceptableinEnglish(Shakespeareusedthemfor

emphasis),usingtheminyourwritingmayleadyourreaderstobelieveyouarecareless.

Therefore,reviseanydoublenegativesusedinyourwriting.

Revised2/16/07


SelectedResources

Aaron,JaneE.TheLittle,BrownCompactHandbook,3rded.NewYork:
AddisonWesleyEducationPublications,Inc.,1998.

DiYanni,RobertandPatC.HoyII.TheScribnerHandbookforWriters.
Boston:AllynandBacon,1998.

Ebest,SallyBarr,etal.WritingfromAtoZ.MountainView,Ca.:Mayfield
PublishingCompany,1997.

Embree,JeanAnderson.PracticalEnglishGrammar.MountainView,Ca.:
MayfieldPublishingCompany,1997.

Fulwiler,TobyandAlanB.Hayakawa. TheBlairHandbook,2nded.Upper
SaddleRiver,NJ.:PrenticeHall,1997.

Hacker,Diana.TheBedfordHandbookforWriters,4thed.Boston:Bedford
BooksofSt.Martin'sPress,1994.

Harris,Muriel.PrenticeHallReferenceGuidetoGrammarandUsage,3rded.
UpperSaddleRiver,NJ.:1997.

Hodges,JohnC.etal.HarbraceCollegeHandbook,11thed.SanDiego:Harcourt
BraceJovanovich,Pub.,1990.

Lockwood,SaraE.Husted.LessonsinEnglish:AdaptedtotheStudyofAmerican
Classics.Boston:Ginn&Company,1890.

Morsberger,RobertE.CommonsenseGrammarandStyle.NewYork:Thomas

CrowellCompany,1965.

Schoenberg,Irene.FocusonGrammar.Reading,Mass.:AddisonWesley
PublishingCompany,1994.

Selby,Norwood.EssentialCollegeEnglish:AGrammarandPunctuation
Workbook.Boston:Little,BrownandCompany,1982.

Revised2/16/07