Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives
Website: www.towson.edu/ows
(the marks : 9/10 10/10 10/15 11/15)
NOUNS
Traditional grammarians define a noun as "a person, place, thing, or idea."Child designates a person; therefore, child is a noun.
Similarly, democracy designates an idea; therefore, democracy is a noun.
In addition, nouns can be identified by the presence of signal words such as the.
Word order can also provide clues about nouns. For example, in the following sentence, it is clear that the part of speech that will fit into slot #1 and slot #2 must be nouns:
Often, suffixes will suggest that a word is a noun. For example, -tion, -ness, -ment, or -er at the end of a word usually signify that the word is a noun, as in suggestion, happiness, involvement, and diner.
Nouns may be made plural, usually with the suffix -s or -es, as in books and foxes.
Nouns show ownership with the addition of an apostrophe and, sometimes, an additional -s, as in a book's pages, twenty students' essays.
Common nouns such as school, business, or person designate an entire class.
Proper nouns, on the other hand, designate a specific example of a class: Towson University, Black and Decker Company, Joe. Proper nouns are capitalized.
Nouns may be countable (1 fork, 2 forks, 3 forks, etc.) or non-countable (sugar, oil).
Nouns may signify concreteness (computer, fingernail) or abstractness (peace, friendship).
Functions of Nouns
A subject
1. does an action with an action verb
2. exists with a verb of being
3. is renamed or described after a verb of being or a linking verb
4. is acted upon with a passive verb
Object of Preposition (OP) - a noun or pronoun answering "whom" or "what" after a preposition in a a prepositional phrase.
Direct Object (DO) - a noun or pronoun answering "whom" or "what" after an action verb. A direct object "receives" or is the "object" of the action.
Retained Object (RO) - a noun or pronoun answering "whom" or "what" after a passive verb.
Indirect Object (IO) - a noun or pronoun answering "to whom/what" or "for whom/what" after an action verb.
An indirect object
Subjective Complement (SC) - a noun, pronoun, or adjective that renames or describes (equals) the subject after a verb of being or a linking verb.
Objective Complement (OC) - a noun, pronoun, or adjective that renames or describes (equals) the direct object.
Test for OC: insert "to be" between the DO and the OC
Appositive (App) - a noun or pronoun that renames another noun; An appositive is usually placed next to the noun it renames..
Gourmet renames the noun Joe. Therefore, gourmet is an appositive of Joe.
When an appositive is not placed next to the noun it renames, the appositive is called a delayed appositive.
A delayed appositive may rename the word it in some sentence constructions.
In the above sentence, the appositive to meet you renames it. It (to meet you) is a pleasure.
Therefore, it = pleasure = to meet you.
VERBS
Verbs have traditionally been defined as words that show action or state of being.
Verbs can also sometimes be recognized by their position in a sentence.
In the following two sentence frames, only a verb can be put into the empty slot.
NOUN __________ THERE ________ NOUN
(verb) (verb)
Often, prefixes and suffixes (affixes) will signify that a word is a verb. For example, the suffixes -ify, -ize, -ate, or -en usually signify that a word is a verb, as in typify, characterize, irrigate, and sweeten. Prefixes such as be-, de-, or en- may signify that a word is a verb, as in bestow, dethrone, and encourage.
These affixes, often inconsistent from verb to verb, are called derivational affixes. Added to a word, they either change the word's part of speech
Example:
or change the word's meaning
Example:
The base form of a verb is derived from the verb’s infinitive: to + verb
Four suffixes consistently added to a verb’s base create all forms of a verb used in all tenses:
1. -s creates 3rd person singular / present tense (He talks.)
2. -ing creates the present participle / used with be (He is talking.)
3. -ed creates the simple past (He talked.)
4. -en creates the past participle / used with have (He has talked.)
Note: | The -en verb ending used with a form of to have as an auxiliary is generally written -ed, as in has talked. |
Unlike the derivational affixes, these inflectional suffixes are consistently used with all verbs, even though their form may look different from verb to verb.
Because many verbs in English are irregular; as result, their –ed and/or –en endings may not follow any obvious pattern.
Examples: | |
(to write) | Smith writes short stories at home. (-s ending) |
Smith is writing short stories at home. (-ing ending) | |
Smith wrote short stories at home. (-ed ending) | |
Smith has written short stories at home. (-en ending) | |
* | |
(to buy) | Jones buys a newspaper each day. (-s ending) |
Jones is buying a newspaper today. (-ing ending) | |
Jones bought a newspaper yesterday. (-ed ending) | |
Jones has bought newspapers every day. (-en ending) | |
* | |
(to go) | Students go to the library often. (-s ending) |
Students are going to the library often. (-ing ending) | |
Students went to the library often. (-ed ending) | |
Students have gone to the library often. (-en ending) | |
The majority of verbs are regular and consistently use -ed and -en to form their simple past tense and past participles. (e.g. talked, has talked)
Many verbs are irregular, however, and follow no consistent pattern in creating their -ed and/or -en forms. A list of the major irregular verbs is shown below.
Past (-ed form) | Past Participle (-en form) | |
arise | arose | arisen |
ask | asked | asked |
attack | attacked | attacked |
awaken | awakened OR awoke | awakened |
bear | bore | borne/born |
begin | began | begun |
blow | blew | blown |
break | broke | broken |
bring | brought | brought |
burst | burst | burst |
choose | chose | chosen |
cling | clung | clung |
come | came | come |
dive | dived OR dove | dived |
do | did | done |
drag | dragged | dragged |
draw | drew | drawn |
drink | drank | drunk |
drive | drove | driven |
drown | drowned | drowned |
eat | ate | eaten |
fall | fell | fallen |
fly | flew | flown |
forgive | forgave | forgiven |
freeze | froze | frozen |
get | got | got OR gotten |
give | gave | given |
go | went | gone |
grow | grew | grown |
hang (things) | hung | hung |
hang (people) | hanged | hanged |
happen | happened | happened |
know | knew | known |
lay | laid | laid |
lead | led | led |
lie | lay | lain |
loosen | loosened | loosened |
lose | lost | lost |
pay | paid | paid |
ride | rode | ridden |
ring | rang | rung |
rise | rose | risen |
run | ran | run |
see | saw | seen |
set | set | set |
shake | shook | shaken |
shrink | shrank OR shrunk | shrunk OR shrunken |
sing | sang | sung |
sink | sank OR sunk | sunk |
sit | sat | sat |
speak | spoke | spoken |
spin | spun | spun |
spit | spat | spat |
spring | sprang OR sprung | sprung |
steal | stole | stolen |
sting | stung | stung |
stink | stank OR stunk | stunk |
strive | strove | striven |
study | studied | studied |
swear | swore | sworn |
swim | swam | swum |
swing | swung | swung |
take | took | taken |
tear | tore | torn |
throw | threw | thrown |
wake | woke OR waked | woken OR waked |
wear | wore | worn |
weave | wove | woven |
wring | wrung | wrung |
write | wrote | written |
A verb phrase is defined as the main verb together with all its auxiliaries (helping verbs).
Auxiliary verbs always precede the main verb.
There are two types of auxiliary verbs:
1. Inflected auxiliary verbs:
be | have | do |
2. Modal auxiliaries (considered more fully under (auxiliary verbs)
present | past | no tense |
will | would | must |
shall | should | |
can | could | |
| may | might |
Examples of verb phrases:
He has taken the test. | (auxiliary has + main verb take.) |
He is taking the test. | (auxiliary is + main verb take) |
He did take the test. | (auxiliary do + main verb take) |
He has been taking the test. | (auxiliaries has been + main verb take) |
Verbs may be divided into three types:
A. Action verbs - show an action -- either physical or mental |
B. Verbs of being (forms of be - is, are, was, were, has/have/had been, will be) - show a state of existence: |
(A subjective complement "completes" / "equals" the subject.)
Linking verbs: appear, taste, smell, feel, look, sound, grow, seem, remain, become
NOTE: Most linking verbs can also be used as action verbs.
Action verbs may be either transitive or intransitive.
A. A transitive verb is one that is followed by a direct object.
Example:
B. An intransitive verb is one that is NOT followed by a direct object.
Example:
Caution: An intransitive verb may be followed by adjectives, adverbs, and/or prepositional phrases. As long as the verb is not followed by a noun or pronoun functioning as the direct object, the verb is intransitive.
Example:
NOTE: Some action verbs may be either transitive or intransitive.
Example: (left)
Another example (read):
Verbs have three moods: indicative, imperative, and subjunctive.
A. The indicative mood states a fact, asks a question, or exclaims.
B. The imperative mood gives a command. The subject is always "you" understood.
C. The subjunctive mood occurs in two instances:
1. The sentence indicates a situation contrary to fact. |
2. The sentence |
|
|
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ADJECTIVES
What kind? Which one? How many? |
For example, in the phrase |
 |
Tall is an adjective describing the noun man. |
Tall answers the question "which man?" or "what kind of man?" |
Similarly, in the phrase, |
 |
Easy is an adjective describing the noun assignment. |
Easy answers the question, "what kind of assignment?" |
Adjectives are usually placed before the nouns they describe, as in the examples, tall man and easy assignment, above.
Thus, one may identify an adjective by using the following word-order test:
 |
* |
* |
Adjectives may also follow the noun they describe. |
Example: |
Finally, adjectives may follow a verb of being or a linking verb, thus completing the noun subject |
Examples |
 Like nouns, adjectives are often recognizable by their suffixes. |
Endings such as -ous -ful -ish -able usually designate adjectives. |
Examples: |
Single-syllable adjectives use -er and -est endings to designate comparative and superlative forms: |
Examples: |
Adjectives of two or more syllables use more and most for comparative and superlative forms. |
 |
Examples: |
Note: | Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y may also use the -er / -est endings to designate comparative and superlative. |
 | |
Examples: | |
Note: the following adjectives do not follow the regular rules for forming comparative and superlative forms: good, bad, little, ill.
To create negative comparative and superlative forms, use | ||
less for –er | and | least for –est |
Examples:
Noun Functions - Exercise 1
Directions: In each box provided, identify the function of the underlined noun (or pronoun, or adjective) as one of the following:subject direct object indirect object appositive
objective complement subjective complement object of preposition
When you have completed the exercise, click on the "Check My Answers" button to see the answer key.
Verbs of Being, Linking Verbs, and Action Verbs
Directions: Identify the subject and predicate for each sentence. Then identify the verb type as linking, action, or being.
Type your answers into the boxes below the sentence. When you are finished, click the "Check My Work" button at the bottom of the page to check your answers.
Note: Include auxiliary (helping) verbs when identifying predicates.
1. After several days in bed, Alice felt much better.
subject =
predicate =
type =
2. Manny tasted the wine in its cup.
subject =
predicate =
type =
3. Children often look cute in their Halloween costumes.
subject =
predicate =
type =
4. Each person felt the soft fur on the rabbit.
subject =
predicate =
type =
5. I have looked everywhere for the key to the basement.
subject =
predicate =
type =
6. The post man is early today.
subject =
predicate =
type =
7. Quasimodo sounded the bells for the last time.
subject =
predicate =
type =
8. Does Quasimodo feel up to par today?
subject =
predicate =
type =
9. The four people remained in the hotel until May.
subject =
predicate =
type =
10. Where have you been?
subject =
predicate =
type =
11. Every summer we grow several rows of tomato plants.
subject =
predicate =
type =
12. An angel appeared on the horizon.
subject =
predicate =
type =
13. Jim has grown taller in the last year.
subject =
predicate =
type =
14. Your essay on the civil war was too long.
subject =
predicate =
type =
15. Could you be a little earlier for the next meeting?
subject =
predicate =
type =
Verbs of Being, Linking Verbs, and Action Verbs - Exercise 2
Directions: Identify the subject and predicate for each sentence. Then identify the verb type as linking, action, or being.
Type your answers into the boxes below the sentence. When you are finished, click the "Check My Work" button at the bottom of the page to check your answers.
Note: Include auxiliary (helping) verbs when identifying predicates.
1. Did John look handsome in that picture?
subject =
predicate =
type =
2. Despite the excitement all around her, the young gymnast remained calm.
subject =
predicate =
type =
3. Four students in Mr. Brown's art history class borrowed books on Monet from the library.
subject =
predicate =
type =
4. We were spending too much money on silly things.
subject =
predicate =
type =
5. We smelled the smoke at least an hour before the actual fire.
subject =
predicate =
type =
6. The manual for the stereo will be in the drawer next to the TV.
subject =
predicate =
type =
7. The woman in the red dress looked absolutely beautiful.
subject =
predicate =
type =
8. Did you buy that piece of jewelry for me?
subject =
predicate =
type =
9. The artist has been at her studio since 11 a.m.
subject =
predicate =
type =
10. Where are you going?
subject =
predicate =
type =
11. The baker has been making specialty cakes for years.
subject =
predicate =
type =
12. Bill had appeared sad earlier in the day.
subject =
predicate =
type =
13. I have looked everywhere for my lost keys.
subject =
predicate =
type =
14. The plant will grow most easily in a very sunny spot.
subject =
predicate =
type =
15. Will you be staying with us overnight?
subject =
predicate =
type =
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