31/10/2020
English Grammar
🔸Grammar refers to the way words are used, classified, and structured together
to form coherent written or spoken communication.
This guide takes a traditional approach to teaching English grammar, breaking
the topic into three fundamental elements: Parts of Speech, Inflection, and
Syntax. Each of these is a discrete, individual part, but they are all intrinsically
linked together in meaning.
Parts of Speech
🔸In the first part of the guide, we will look at the basic components of English—
words. The parts of speech are the categories to which different words are
assigned, based on their meaning, structure, and function in a sentence.
We’ll look in great detail at the seven main parts of speech—nouns, pronouns,
verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions—as well as other
categories of words that don’t easily fit in with the rest, such as particles,
determiners, and gerunds.
By understanding the parts of speech, we can better understand how (and why)
we structure words together to form sentences.
Inflection
🔸Although the parts of speech provide the building blocks for English, another
very important element is inflection, the process by which words are changed in
form to create new, specific meanings.
There are two main categories of inflection: conjugation and declension.
Conjugation refers to the inflection of verbs, while declension refers to the
inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Whenever we change a
verb from the present tense to the past tense, for example, we are using
conjugation. Likewise, when we make a noun plural to show that there is more
than one of it, we are using declension.
Syntax
🔸The third and final part of the guide will focus on syntax, the rules and patterns
that govern how we structure sentences. The grammatical structures that
constitute syntax can be thought of as a hierarchy, with sentences at the top as the largest cohesive unit in the language and words (the parts of speech) at the
bottom.
We’ll begin the third part by looking at the basic structural units present in all
sentences—subjects and predicates—and progressively move on to larger
classes of structures, discussing modifiers, phrases, and clauses. Finally, we
will end by looking at the different structures and categories of sentences
themselves.
Using the three parts together
🔸The best way to approach this guide is to think of it as a cross-reference of itself;
when you see a term or concept in one section that you’re unfamiliar with, check
the other sections to find a more thorough explanation. Neither parts of speech
nor inflection nor syntax exist as truly separate units; it’s equally important to
examine and learn about the different kinds of words, how they can change to
create new meaning, and the guidelines by which they are structured into
sentences.
When we learn to use all three parts together, we gain a much fuller
understanding of how to make our speech and writing not only proper, but
natural and effective.
🚩Parts of Speech
Definition
The parts of speech are the primary categories of words according to their
function in a sentence.
English has seven main parts of speech. We’ll look at a brief overview of each
below; continue on to their individual chapters to learn more about them.
Nouns
🔸Nouns are words that identify or name people, places, or things. Nouns can
function as the subject of a clause or sentence, an object of a verb, or an object
of a preposition. Words like cat, book, table, girl, and plane are all nouns.
Pronouns
🔸Pronouns are words that represent nouns (people, places, or things).
Grammatically, pronouns are used in the same ways as nouns; they can function
as subjects or objects. Common pronouns include I, you, she, him, it, everyone,
and somebody.
Verbs
🔸Verbs are words that describe the actions—or states of being—of people,
animals, places, or things. Verbs function as the root of what’s called the
predicate, which is required (along with a subject) to form a complete sentence;
therefore, every sentence must include at least one verb.
Verbs include action words like run, walk, write, or sing, as well as words
describing states of being, such as be, seem, feel, or sound.
Adjectives
🔸Adjectives are words that modify (add description to) nouns and (occasionally)
pronouns. They can be a part of either the subject or the predicate. Common
adjectives are red, blue, fast, slow, big, tall, and wide.
Adverbs
Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or even entire
clauses. Depending on what they modify (and how), adverbs can appear
anywhere in the sentence. Adverbs are commonly formed from adjectives by
adding “-ly” to the end, as in slowly, quickly, widely, beautifully, or commonly.
Prepositions
🔸Prepositions are words that express a relationship between a noun or pronoun
(known as the object of the preposition) and another part of the sentence.
Together, these form prepositional phrases, which can function as adjectives or
as adverbs in a sentence. Some examples of prepositional phrases are: on the
table, in the shed, and across the field. (The prepositions are in bold.)
Conjunctions
🔸Conjunctions are words that connect other words, phrases, or clauses,
expressing a specific kind of relationship between the two (or more) elements.
The most common conjunctions are the coordinating conjunctions: and, but,
or, nor, for, so, and yet.
Other Parts
You will face with other parts of Parts of Speech 🔜🔜
