WEEK 1: 17TH – 21ST, 2020

FDN 1102 – ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS

PARTS OF SPEECH

INTRODUCTION•
This handout is the first of three that focuses on the basics of English grammar you need to
speak and write as effectively as possible. Everyone already knows a lot about grammar and
uses it correctly most of the time. Whenever people read, write, speak, or listen, they are using
their knowledge of grammar. How did they learn it? When they were learning to talk, they
learned the names of things (vocabulary), the different forms of a word (sings, sang, singing,
sung, songs), and they learned how to put them into sentences in the right order (syntax) so they
would be understood and get what they wanted.

WHAT IS GRAMMAR? •
Dictionaries define grammar as the rules and explanations which deal with the forms and
structure of words (morphology1), their arrangement in phrases and sentences (syntax 2), and their
classification based on their function (parts of speech). Like many dictionary definitions, this
makes grammar sound more difficult than it really is.
Look at this picture, and then write a simple sentence (about 6
or 7 words) to explain what you see. Be sure to write the
sentence in your notebook.

Your sentence probably looks something like this.

The man is throwing the ball.
The pitcher is going to throw the ball.

You might even have written

The ball is being thrown by the pitcher.

Whatever you wrote, it probably includes the word ball, the action throw, and a word that meant
a man. You certainly didn’t write
Ball throwing man the the is.
_________________________________________________________

The root word “morph” means form.

The etymology of “syntax” shows it meanings “putting together”.

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 That wouldn’t make sense and people hearing or reading your message would be
confused. You wrote the sentence the way you did because you already know and use
the basic rules of grammar.

Here’s what probably happened at lightning speed in your head. First, you saw the picture, and
your brain understood the ideas the picture presented. Then you thought the names
(vocabulary) for the things you just saw and arranged them (syntax) in an understandable
order. Finally, you translated each sound in each word into letters (spelling) and wrote the
entire sentence. In fact, you probably started your sentence with a capital letter and ended it
with a period (punctuation). You see you really do know lots about grammar!

WHY STUDY GRAMMAR? •

Although you do write “good sentences” most of the time, you may make a few mistakes.
Studying grammar is really just learning a new vocabulary so that you can talk about and
learn how to correct these mistakes. Understanding grammar also helps you write new kinds
of sentences that are more effective and more persuasive.

Speaking and writing correctly are very important. Usually the first impression someone,
including a possible employer, has of us comes from what we say or write and how we say it.
People judge us and our abilities by the way we use the language. For example, some people
say, “He sure done good!” or “He should of went to the dance” or “Hunters didn’t shoot a
big amount of deer this year.” While the meaning is very clear, the way it was said (or written)
may encourage others to think that the speaker/writer probably doesn’t have much “schooling”
or else isn’t very good at expressing him/herself.

This module gives you a chance to find and correct any grammar mistakes you may be
making. Unless you correct those errors in grammar, you may be unfairly judged, and your
true abilities may go unrecognized.

WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF SPEECH? •

Although English has hundreds of thousands of words, everyone can be placed into at least one
of eight groups, or classifications. The system of classifying words based on their function is
known as the parts of speech.

The eight parts of speech are

noun
pronoun
verb
adjective
adverb
preposition
conjunction
interjection

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 Learning about the eight parts of speech will help you understand the
grammar explanations of some of the mistakes you make and figure
out how to correct them.
Because some words can be used in several different ways, you have to
look at what a word is doing in a specific sentence before you can classify
it (name its part of speech). For example, look at these sentences.
He ran fast so he wouldn’t be late. (describes how he ran...adverb)
They will fast to raise money for UNICEF. (tells about an action...verb)
Their fast lasted for three days. (names a thing...noun)
The word “fast” is spelled the same, but it functions differently in each
sentence.
II THE BASICS OF PARTS OF SPEECH• NOUNS•

Words that name people, places and things are called nouns. The following table lists a variety
of nouns.

EXAMPLES OF NOUNS
PEOPLE cashier Carol boys
PLACES: province New Brunswick lake
THINGS: ANIMALS: cat Dalmatian bug
OBJECTS: fork television car
SUBSTANCES: iron air gold
ACTIONS: (a) race (the) dance (the) hits
MEASURES: kilogram centimeter day
QUALITIES: happiness honesty beauty

Nouns can be found anywhere in a sentence, and most sentences contain several nouns. One
way to find nouns is to look for the little words a, an, the. The naming word that comes after
them is probably a noun. Sometimes nouns appear without these little words, but you can
usually insert them without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Paul and his children visited the continent of Africa and saw some lions.

Examine the following sentences carefully until you feel satisfied that you can identify
the nouns in most sentences.
Paul and his sister went to the zoo to see the elephants.

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 Her lawyer bought an old house in Moncton last year.
Finish your work before the big game starts on TV.
The Smiths lived on a farm until a week ago when the family moved to town.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and Fredericton is the capital of this province.
Sometimes people eat more food than their bodies need.
French is the first language of some citizens of Ontario.

Complete Exercise 1 and 2 in the Grammar Practice Booklet and check your answers in
the Answer Key. If you made more than one or two mistakes, you should do more
exercises from other textbooks. You may also choose to use any of the exercises in the
Grammar Practice Booklet to find nouns.

Exercise 1: Nouns
Copy these sentences into your notebook and then underline all the nouns you
can find. Check your answers in the answer key.
1. The dog chased the cat under the porch.
2. Muffins made with blueberries are delicious.
3. My daughter sold her computer to a friend.
4. Robert drove his car to Saint John and shopped for a new truck.
5. So much snow covered the roads, that even truck drivers pulled into motels.
6. The passengers on the ship witnessed the collision with the iceberg.
7. The Titanic sank in a few hours; many husbands and wives were separated.
8. Penguins live near the South Pole, but these birds aren’t bothered by the cold.
9. Many retired couples move to Florida where the weather is warmer.
10.Shediac is closer to the Confederation Bridge than Riverview is.

Exercise 2: Nouns
A. Copy these sentences into your notebook and then underline the nouns.
1. From the top of a small hill, we saw the Northumberland Strait.
2. The ocean was calm, and the clouds were beautiful.
3. Then, the little boats began to appear.
4. The fishermen were out checking their traps for lobster.
5. Many people in this area spend most of their lives on the sea.
6. Local markets are full of mussels, clams, scallops, and lobster.
7. In small villages, canneries prepare seafood for shipment to Japan.
8. When their boats are full, the fishermen return to their harbours for the night.
9. If the weather is good, their catch is usually large.
10.Storms make life on the water dangerous.

WEEK 1 – CONT.
PRONOUNS•

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Pronouns refer to and replace nouns (the names of people, places, and things) that have
already been mentioned, or that the speaker/writer assumes are understood by the
listener/reader. For example, “I want you to read this again.” The words I, you, and this are
pronouns. In this sample sentence, it isn’t necessary to actually see the nouns (writer, reader,
and sentence) because the writer’s/speaker’s meaning is obvious

Examine the sentences below. For each pronoun printed in bold type, think of a noun it
could replace.

She saw it when they bought it.

(e.g., Sue saw the dog when the boys bought the dog.
Everybody was glad when it was over.
The candy that we gave them was made last year.
What did you buy from them?

It barked loudly and then wagged its tail.

Some of this is important to me
When she heard herself on tape she was embarrassed?
We were surprised when they did the laundry themselves.
Who bought those from you?
Fill it up, please.
Many signed up, but few were chosen.
We planted them, but the birds ate everything.

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Complete Exercise 3 and 4 in the Practice Exercise Booklet. If you need
more practice, find more exercises either in another text or use other
exercises in the Practice Booklet itself.

Exercise 3: Pronouns
Copy these sentences into your notebook, and then underline all the pronouns
you can find in this exercise.
1. Many of them came, but few stayed long.
2. Give everybody something to eat before they leave.
3. What did you bring with you?
4. Did they teach themselves how to speak German?
5. After she cut herself, she went for a tetanus shot.
6. All of those are expensive.
7. Who likes chocolate?
8. The stones on the beach were green, but these are pink.
9. None of us was frightened by that.
10.He gave her several bottles of this.

Exercise 4: Pronouns
A. Copy these sentences into your notebook and then underline the pronouns.
1. Who told us that no one would be at the mall?
2. This belongs to her.
3. She never gave them any of it.
4. Phillip called to tell them about that.
5. What did you give him and his wife for Christmas?
6. We always welcome suggestions.
7. Mine was destroyed by the flood, but the insurance covered it.
8. Give me some!
9. They told about the hardships we survived.
10.Many told about the kindness of strangers.

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 WEEK 1 - CONT•
VERBS•

The third part of speech presented in this module is the verb, one of the main parts of every
sentence. Here are some hints that may help you locate verbs.
A sentence is not a sentence without at least one verb.
Verbs usually tell about an action.
Verbs are often found in the middle of sentences.
Verbs may consist of one word.
3
Verb phrases may have up to five words.
Verb phrases can be interrupted by small words like not, never, always.
Verbs change their form to tell about actions taking place at different times. For example: We
walked to the store yesterday can be changed to show the action happening in the
future: We will walk to the store tomorrow. The word walked became will walk;
therefore, they are verbs.

Here are some sentences that show verbs at work. Notice that some verbs have more than one
word and are sometimes interrupted by small words that are not part of the verb.

 The pitcher threw the ball to the catcher.

 The runner flew down the racetrack.
 The farmer used all the water in his pond.
 The dog was chasing its tail.
 I have finished the laundry.
 Have you written that letter?
 They had already bought her present.
 I have never seen anything like that before.
 Paul can do anything.
 Tracy will be buying her wedding dress in New York.
 My dad thought that he could sell his old car for more.
 She might have been being chased before her car smashed into the bridge.
 Most students are usually sitting on the steps when the teacher arrives.

Some special verbs are a little more difficult to find because they do not show any action. When
you find the words am, are, is, was, and were used in a sentence between two nouns, you have
found one of these special kinds of verbs.
 My sister is a nurse; I am a teacher; our father was a millwright.

Sometimes these special verbs are used to show how a person is feeling or to describe a
quality.
 Alex and Jim were unhappy with their marks.
 She is beautiful and talented.
 They were always honest.

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Learning to identify verbs takes lots of practice. Complete Exercises 5, 6, and 7
in the Practice Exercise Booklet. Find more exercises if necessary and use them
until you feel satisfied that you can accurately pinpoint verbs in most sentences.

Exercise 6: Verbs
Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the verbs.
1. Sue sat on the bench as we were jogging through the park.
2. John ate his lunch slowly.
3. He was enjoying a ham and cheese sandwich.
4. After work, we decided on a movie.
5. Since his accident, he has been driving more carefully.
6. You will never guess the answer.
7. Are you reading that magazine, or have you finished it?
8. Lucy will send you her new address.
9. Finally, the dealer agreed to our price.
10.Everyone wants a lucky lottery ticket.

Exercise 7: Verbs
A. Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the verbs.
1. We learned about the effects of the storm from Norma.
2. Many branches had been broken by the wind.
3. Heavy icy was still bringing down many power lines.
4. Only a few people could stay in their houses without electricity.
5. After three days, food became scarce.
6. Volunteers arrived with emergency supplies.
7. People from nearby communities brought many loads of firewood.
8. Soon, life was returning to normal.
9. They are calling it the storm of the century.
10.We hope that we will not have another ice storm this year.

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 WEEK 2: Feb. 1st – 5th, 2020
ADJECTIVES

To talk or write about a person place or thing, you use nouns like girl, house, or tree. To add
descriptions to those nouns that give the reader a clearer picture of what you mean, you add
“detail” words in front of the noun like little, blue, rich, old. Words that tell more about nouns or
pronouns are called adjectives.

An adjective is a word which describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. A modifier is a word

that limits, changes, or alters the meaning of another word. Therefore, an adjective limit,
changes, or alters the meaning of a noun or pronoun. Adjectives are usually placed before the
noun.
the white, puffy clouds
a happy, carefree child
some tall, stately trees
a rich dark chocolate layer cake
five huge leafy bushes

Here’s another way of thinking of adjectives.

Imagine that you are in a large meeting room full of people. Your boss tells you, “Give this piece
of paper to the woman”. The only problem is that there are twenty-three women in the room. To
which one should you give the paper? Your boss might have said “the tall woman”. The word
tall is an adjective and somewhat helpful, as only six of the women are tall. To which tall women
should you give the paper? Perhaps your boss said, “the tall, blond woman with the red dress”.
The words tall and blond are adjectives that help you pick out a specific woman from a large
group. In other words, these adjectives limit the noun woman to one specific person.

The group of words “with the red dress” is also a form of adjective that helps limit the meaning
to one particular person. You will learn about these groups of words later in this module.
Examine the sample sentences below for a better understanding of adjectives.

I have a car. I have a blue car. I have a small dark blue car.
The first sentence does not tell anything about my car, only that I have one. The second adds
the adjective blue. This descriptive word makes the sentence more interesting and helping the
reader “see” your car in his/her mind’s eye. The meaning of the word car has been limited from
all the cars in the world to only those that are blue. The third sentence adds even more details.
Other adjectives like shiny, new, cool, powerful could be added that would further limit the
meaning of the word car or tell what kind it is.

One of the secrets of good writing is to include lots of details (adjectives),so the
reader can accurately see the picture you are describing in his/her mind’s eye.

Adjectives also tell how many, as in many people, several candies, and four children. Words
which limit the noun by telling which one or ones are also adjectives. Such adjectives include

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this, that, these, and those, as in this car, that coat, these boots, and those houses. These are
demonstrative adjectives.
This book belongs to Pete; those pencils are Ted’s.

This and those are adjectives because they come in front of the nouns book and pencils. This
and those modify or limit the meaning of the nouns book and pencils.
The words this, that, these, and those can be used as either adjectives or pronouns. Compare
these two sentences to clarify the difference between their use as adjectives and pronouns.
This belongs to Pete; those are Ted’s. (pronouns)
Pete bought this Ford, and Ted bought that Chevy. (adjectives)
This and those are pronouns in the first sentence because there are no nouns in the sentence for
them to modify. The nouns they “stand for” or replace were probably mentioned in an earlier
sentence. In the second sentence, this modifies the proper noun Ford; that modifies the proper
noun Chevy.
Compare the meaning of these two sentences.
I have a blue car. I have the blue car.

The words a and the change the meaning of the word car. Although some grammar books call
them indefinite (a, an) and definite articles (the), others called them adjectives. Either is
correct.

A REVIEW OF WHAT YOU HAVE READ SO FAR ABOUT ADJECTIVES:

 An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun.
 An adjective tells what kind, as in old man, new clothes, bad taste, and cold day.
 An adjective tells how many, as in many days, few hours, couple of dollars, and two
cities.
 An adjective tells which one or ones, as in those books, this restaurant, these computers,
that building.
 Articles are also adjectives - a, the, and an.

Sometimes nouns can be used as adjectives. Glass, kitchen, and school are usually nouns.
Used in the following ways, however, many grammar books call them adjectives:

o I could see that he had a glass eye.

o Hang the kitchen clock above the refrigerator.
o Do you know the value of that schoolbook?

In cases like these, if you are asked to identify the part of speech for glass, kitchen, or school,
there are two right answers: noun and/or adjective.
Examine these sentences that demonstrate this use of adjectives.
The big orange school bus pulled up beside those leafy maple trees.

Adjectives are sometimes hard to find. A good “trick” to remember is

that adjectives are almost always placed next to the nouns that they
modify. 7: Verbs
Exercise

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A. Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the verbs.
1. We learned about the effects of the storm from Norma.
2. Many branches had been broken by the wind.
3. Heavy icy was still bringing down many power lines.
4. Only a few people could stay in their houses without electricity.
5. After three days, food became scarce.
6. Volunteers arrived with emergency supplies.
7. People from nearby communities brought many loads of firewood.
8. Soon, life was returning to normal.
9. They are calling it the storm of the century.
10.We hope that we will not have another ice storm this year.

Exercise 8: Adjectives
A. Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the adjectives
1. The little girl ran along the dusty road.
2. Six delicious cookies were cooling on the rack.
3. The dark brown painted dripped on the new white carpet.
4. A beautiful red rose bloomed in a quiet corner of that flower garden.
5. The old curtains were torn and faded, and they flapped in the light breeze.
6. After a few hours, they arrived at the train station, nine miles from Minto.
7. The hockey arena is located on Water Street beside the steel mill.
8. They used paper plates for the annual picnic.
9. These apples are juicy and red.
10.The long summer months are usually hot and dry.

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 WEEK 3: Feb. 1st – 4th, 2022
ADVERBS•

You have just learned that adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Another type of describing
word or modifier is the adverb. Adverb’s limit, change, or alter the words they modify.

ADVERBS MODIFY VERBS•

 He is driving.

This sentence tells you only that a person is doing an action. If an adverb is added, you will
find out how he is driving, where he is driving, or when he is driving
How is he driving? He is driving quickly.
Where is he driving? He is driving away.
When is he driving? He is driving now.

ADVERBS MODIFY ADJECTIVES

In the following sentence, the noun sunset is described as beautiful. What part of speech is
the word beautiful?
 The campers saw a beautiful sunset.

Beautiful is an adjective modifying the noun sunset. If you want to tell how beautiful it
was, you can add something in front of the adjective.
 The campers saw a very beautiful sunset.
 The campers saw a truly beautiful sunset.

When a word is added that expresses how beautiful the sunset was, or to what extent it was
beautiful, that word is called an adverb. Thus, very and truly are adverbs modifying the
adjective beautiful.

Here are some of the words that can be used as adverbs in front of adjectives.
extremely somewhat
a little completely
really tremendously
particularly especially
perfectly unusually

11. ADVERBS MODIFY OTHER ADVERBS

Adverbs may also be used to modify other adverbs.

 The dog ate quickly.

The adverb quickly modifies the verb ate and shows how the dog ate. By adding another
adverb, we can find out how quickly the dog ate, as follows:
How quickly did the dog eat? The dog ate very quickly.

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WORDS THAT ARE ALWAYS ADVERBS•
Some words can only be used as adverbs, never as adjectives. A list of these words follows. The only
way to remember these words is to memorize them and learn to recognize them in sentences.
4
well often
quite surely
very not
almost never
always so (He was so happy.)
usually

In the section on verb phrases, you learned that some small words can be found in the middle of
verb phrases, but they are not verbs. Those words are adverbs.
 He was always asking questions.
 He will never tell another lie.
 Eric will not shop on Sundays.
 I have often wondered about the moon.

WORDS THAT MAY BE ADVERBS OR ADJECTIVES

A few words can be used as adverbs or adjectives. Three examples of such words are early,
fast, and late.
The train arrived early. (adverb)
Penny drives fast. (adverb)
A student is late. (adverb)

WORDS ENDING IN “LY”•

Many adverbs are often made by adding ly to an adjective.

ADJECTIVE ADD -LY ADVERB

bright brightly

easy *first, change y to i easily

soft softly

full *first, change ll to l fully

careful carefully

quick quickly

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WORDS THAT ARE ALWAYS ADVERBS•

Some words can only be used as adverbs, never as adjectives. A list of these words follows. The only
way to remember these words is to memorize them and learn to recognize them in sentences.

4
well often
quite surely
very not
almost never
always so (He was so happy.)
usually

In the section on verb phrases, you learned that some small words can be found in the middle of
verb phrases, but they are not verbs. Those words are adverbs.
He was always asking questions.
He will never tell another lie.
Eric will not shop on Sundays.
I have often wondered about the moon.

WORDS THAT MAY BE ADVERBS OR ADJECTIVES

A few words can be used as adverbs or adjectives. Three examples of such words are early,
fast, and late.

The train arrived early. (adverb) It was an early train. (adjective)

Penny drives fast. (adverb) Penny is a fast driver. (adjective)
A student is late. (adverb) There is a late student. (adjective)

usually an adverb - can be an adjective to describe

a person's health

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Complete Exercises 9 and 10 on adverbs in the Practice Exercise Booklet.
Find more exercises if necessary and use them until you feel satisfied that you
can accurately pinpoint adverbs in most sentences.

Exercise 9: Adverbs
Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the adverbs.
1. They arrived early for class.
2. Can you come soon?
3. She placed the crystal vase carefully on the table.
4. You cannot drive there!
5. The bus will arrive here at noon tomorrow.
6. Yesterday, the strikers blocked the driveway effectively
7. Rick gave his girlfriend an extremely expensive gift.
8. Kate is a truly courageous woman.
9. They finished their work surprisingly quickly.
10.The weather turned really hot at the beach during this last week.

Exercise 10: Adverbs

Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the adverbs.
1. Computers are relatively new devices.
2. Many businesses use them daily.
3. Today, very fast computers are needed.
4. They produce statistics quickly and accurately.
5. Generally, they are quite easy to use.
6. Many people have never used a computer.
7. The baby has been very cranky lately.
8. Finally, she wrote the very last sentence correctly.
9. She smiled brightly and said that she was really sorry.
10.Politely, he asked for a second helping.

WEEK 2: CON.
PREPOSITIONS•
Preposition are joining words, sometimes called connectives, which are used to show a time,
place, or ownership relation between two nouns/pronouns or a noun and a verb. Prepositions and
the nouns/pronouns that follow them are always grouped together and treated as a single
grammar unit, called prepositional phrases.

preposition + noun or pronoun = prepositional phrase

Time: after + the party = (after the party)
Place: under + the table = (under the table)
Ownership: of + our town = (of our town)

Prepositions are always the first word in a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases are used
to add more detail to a sentence. The following sentence gives no details about the person or
her actions:
The girl walked.

Where did the girl walk? Perhaps she walked around the building:
The girl walked around the building.

The word around is a preposition which tells the relationship between the girl walked and
the building. Other prepositions show different relationships between the girl walked and
the building: Consider these prepositions.
The girl walked through the building.
The girl walked into the building.
The girl walked behind the building.
The girl walked to the building.
The girl walked beside the building.
The girl walked near the building.

In each sentence above, the prepositional phrases give more information about the verb
“walked” by telling where she walked. Adverb phrases can also be used to tell how, in what
way, when. Anything that modifies a verb is an adverb; therefore, these prepositional phrases,
telling where she walked, are called prepositional adverb phrases.

Prepositional phrases can also be used as adjectives to modify a noun or pronoun.

The colour of that paint is just right.
The driver in the 96 Ford was responsible.
The sweaters on the shelf match these jeans.
The books in that bag are yours.
Some boxes from Japan were delivered yesterday.
They rented the house on the corner.
The presents under the tree were delivered this morning.

In each example above, the prepositional phrase adds details about the noun. Because these
phrases function as adjectives, they are called prepositional adjective phrases.
Here are some common prepositions:
 about beyond out
above by outside
across down over
after during past
against except since
along for through
among from toward
at in under
before inside until
below into up
beneath of with
beside off without
between on within

Complete Exercises 10 and 11 on prepositions in the Practice Exercise

Booklet. Find more exercises if necessary and continue to practice until you
can accurately pinpoint prepositions and prepositional phrases in most
sentences.

Exercise 11: Prepositions

Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the prepositions. Draw
a circle around the nouns or pronouns that complete the prepositional phrase.
1. Put your coats on the bed in the guest room.
2. Paula walked through the park and then turned towards home.
3. She hid the presents behind the desk and under the stairs.
4. The colour of her dress was really flattering.
5. The books on airplanes were placed beside those on trains.
6. The chairs on the porch were painted white.
7. Guests with tickets entered first.
8. The sap from maple trees is boiled into a syrup.
9. We saw six pheasant on the road to Stanley.
10.The man with the long scarf just robbed the store in the mall.
12.
Exercise 12: Prepositions
Copy these sentences in your notebook. Underline the prepositions, circle the
nouns/pronouns that complete them, and then decide whether the
prepositional phrase is used as an adjective or an adverb.
1. My aunt in Sackville gave several of the antiques to Gene.
2. The camp beside ours was built in 1966 by John’s brother.
3. Since the crash, many of the survivors have received cash settlements.
4. In his new movie, Brad Pitt drives a car from Toronto to Los Angeles.
5. The time of day doesn’t matter.
6. The supervisor questioned the quality of her work.
7. A few of our friends from school arrived for supper at Julie’s.
8. None of the items on that page are available until July.
9. In 1992, most of the money disappeared.
10.The mine owners from Germany sold all of it to them.
 WEEK 3: Feb. 8TH – 12TH, 2022
INTERJECTIONS•
13.
14. INTERJECTIONS•

Perhaps the easiest part of speech to find is the interjection. An interjection is a word or group
of words used to express strong feeling. It can be an actual word, or merely a sound and is
followed by an exclamation mark (!) or a comma. Unlike all the other parts of speech, the
interjection is not linked in any way to any other word in the sentence. Following are some
examples of interjections:
Wow! Oh!
Oh, no! Ouch!
Never! Fabulous!
Fantastic! Ah!
No! Wow!

Do Exercise 12 in the Grammar Practice Booklet.

Exercise 13: Interjections

Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the interjections.
15.Wow, did you see that jet!
16.Oh no! He lost the puck.
17.Ouch! That hurts.
18.No! Don’t touch the brake.
19.Yuck, I hate boiled cabbage.
WEEK 3: CON
CONJUNCTIONS•
•
Conjunctions, like prepositions, are also joining words or connectives. Conjunctions are
used to join words, phrases, or clauses 5. Conjunctions can be found in any position in a
sentence except the very end. Before you can really understand clauses, you will need to
work through Module 6, Part of the Sentence. For the purpose of this module, you can
use the elimination method to find conjunctions. It works like this: identify all the words
you can in a sentence, those that are left over are probably conjunctions. Look at these
examples.
When lightning struck the old barn, it burned quickly
ù ù ù ù ù ù ù ù ù
? noun verb adj adj noun pronoun verb adverb
The word when looks like it might be an adverb, but does it tell you at what time? No,
the word itself doesn’t add any new information. What it does do is introduce a group of
words that tells specifically when something happened.

Clauses are “mini-sentences stuck into ‘real’ sentences” and which need special joining
words (conjunctions) to attach them.

Exercise 14: Conjunctions

Copy these sentences in your notebook. Underline the conjunctions. Then indicate
whether they are joining words, or groups of words (phrases), or complete ideas
(clauses).
1. Apples and oranges are good for you.
2. It was a life and death situation.
3. Look under the table and in the closet.
4. Apples and oranges are good for you.
5. It was a life and death situation.
6. Look under the table and in the closet.
7. I wanted to travel quickly and cheaply, but I couldn’t get a ride.
8. We bought the tickets, so we went to the concert.
9. After we saw a deer, we drove to Doaktown.
10.Before he gets sicker, he should go to the doctor.
11.We sent you a full and complete refund when you asked for it.
12.We ran home because it was raining.

Exercise 15 Conjunctions
Copy these sentences in your notebook and then underline the conjunctions.
1. Although she missed the bus, she and Lily still arrived on time.
2. Andy bought it because he liked it yet he never wore it.
3. Betty or Fran will bring the books which you wanted.
4. The waiter who served our lunch was really nice but slow.
5. I saw the nests that the robins built both on the porch and in the tree.
6. Until we see it, we won’t believe it.
7. If you are ready, we can leave so we will be on time.
8. When they had finished, they gave it to the teacher.
9. Roller blades and skateboards are very popular.
10.CDs are great because they have good quality sound.
Exercise 16: Review
Identify the part of speech of every word in each sentence.
1. Carol and I travelled to Alberta last year.
2. Our friends in Calgary were surprised when we arrived.
3. The tall, majestic Rocky Mountains are a truly beautiful sight.
4. Their house was built in 1990.
5. No, you should not take your new camera on your trip.
6. We jogged quickly through the dark woods.
7. Most of the students listened politely.
8. She was giving a short but interesting lecture.
9. We bought a very small quantity of food yesterday.
10.The wind was cold, but the sun was really warm.
11.This book cost six dollars.
12.Sheila and he were talking to her when it happened.
13.The American fishermen caught two salmon for lunch.
14.Turn at the lights and go two blocks west.

20.Eric and they learned very quickly.

Exercise 17: Common and Proper Nouns

21.Copy the following sentences into your notebook.
22.Underline all the nouns.
23.Create two columns in your notebook: one for common nouns and one for
24.proper nouns. Place each noun you underlined in the appropriate column.
25.Moonlight flickered on the dried leaves on the path from Black Lake.
26.Marsha sent a parcel to her sister in Regina.
27.Bathurst is a small city on the Bay of Chaleur.
28.Robin and his family moved to Alberta when the mill closed.
29.Do most people in Italy read the newspaper on the weekend?
30.English is a language with many exceptions to the rules of grammar.
31.Maple syrup is produced in rural areas of North America.
32.The hockey arena in Beresford is located near the main street.
33.Early settlers to the Gaspé came from France and England.
34.The stores on Main Street are planning a large sale and carnival to boost their
profits.

EVALUATE YOUR LEARNING

 Evaluate your learning so far! Which
statement below best describes you?

I understand parts of speech.

Yes
No
I can usually identify the parts of speech
correctly.
Yes
No
Sometimes
I am beginning to get the basics of parts of
speech.
Yes
No
I am a little confused about parts of speech.
Yes
No
I am totally lost.
Based on how you rated your understanding of parts of speech, what do you think you
should do next?
Review?
Start again?
Do more practice work?
Go on to the next section?
The words and and but are conjunctions. And joins two nouns; but joins two complete
ideas.

Complete Exercises 13 and 14 on conjunctions in the Grammar Practice Booklet. Then

complete Review Exercise 15 before you continue with this module.

Evaluate your learning so far! Which

statement below best describes you?

I understand parts of speech. ‘

I can usually identify the parts of speech correctly. ‘
I am beginning to get the basics of parts of speech. ‘
I am a little confused about parts of speech. ‘
I am totally lost.
Based on how you rated your understanding of parts of speech, what do you think you
should do next?
Review?
Start again?
Do more practice work?
Go on to the next section?