Intro Flashcards
What are the parts of speech?
- Nouns
- Pronouns
- Verbs
- Adjectives
- Adverbs
- Prepositions
- Conjunctions
- Interjections
What is a noun?
Represent people, places, things, or ideas.
Examples: teacher, city, car, happiness.
What is a pronoun?
Stand in for nouns to avoid repetition.
Examples: he, she, it, they.
What is a verb?
Express actions, occurrences, or states of being.
Examples: run, think, is, become.
What is an adjective?
Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns (people, places, things, or ideas). They provide more information about a noun by telling you what it is like, how many there are, or which one you’re talking about.
For example:
Color: blue (The blue sky)
Size: big (A big house)
Shape: round (A round table)
Quantity: three (Three apples)
Opinion: beautiful (A beautiful painting)
Age: old (An old book)
Adjectives can appear before the noun (as in “a beautiful flower”) or after certain verbs like “be” (as in “The flower is beautiful”). They help to make descriptions clearer and more detailed.
What is an Adverb?
Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They provide more information about how, when, where, to what extent, or in what manner something is done.
Here’s a breakdown of how adverbs function:
- Modifying Verbs
Adverbs can describe how an action (verb) is performed. They answer questions like “How?”, “When?”, “Where?”, or “To what extent?”
Examples:
She sings beautifully. (How does she sing?)
He arrived early. (When did he arrive?)
They walked carefully. (How did they walk?)
- Modifying Adjectives
Adverbs can also modify adjectives, providing more detail about the adjective’s intensity or degree.
Examples:
The movie was extremely interesting. (How interesting was the movie?)
She is very tall. (How tall is she?)
The food is quite delicious. (How delicious is the food?)
- Modifying Other Adverbs
Adverbs can modify other adverbs, often intensifying or changing their meaning.
Examples:
She runs quite quickly. (How quickly does she run?)
He speaks too loudly. (How loudly does he speak?)
The car moves remarkably fast. (How fast does the car move?)
Types of Adverbs:
Manner: Describes how an action is done (e.g., slowly, happily, carefully).
Time: Tells when or how often something happens (e.g., yesterday, soon, always).
Place: Describes where something happens (e.g., here, there, everywhere).
Frequency: Indicates how often something happens (e.g., often, never, seldom).
Degree: Shows the intensity or degree of an action, adjective, or another adverb (e.g., very, too, extremely).
Adverbs are versatile and help give more depth to sentences by modifying verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
What are prepositions?
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word in the sentence, often indicating location, time, direction, or manner. They help to clarify how something is related to something else.
Here are some examples of prepositions and how they work:
Location:
in (The book is in the bag.)
on (The cup is on the table.)
under (The cat is under the chair.)
Time:
at (I will meet you at 5 PM.)
in (She was born in 1990.)
on (We have a meeting on Monday.)
Direction:
to (She walked to the store.)
towards (He moved towards the door.)
into (The cat jumped into the box.)
Manner:
by (He traveled by car.)
with (She wrote the letter with a pen.)
Prepositions are essential for connecting different parts of a sentence and providing more detail about time, place, direction, and other relationships.
What are conjunctions?
Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. They are essential in making ideas flow smoothly in a sentence and showing how different parts of the sentence are related.
There are three main types of conjunctions:
- Coordinating Conjunctions
These conjunctions connect words, phrases, or independent clauses that are of equal importance or structure. The most common coordinating conjunctions are FANBOYS:
F for for
A for and
N for nor
B for but
O for or
Y for yet
S for so
Examples:
She likes to read and write.
I wanted to go, but I didn’t have time.
You can have tea or coffee.
- Subordinating Conjunctions
These conjunctions connect an independent clause (a complete sentence) with a dependent clause (a group of words that cannot stand alone). Subordinating conjunctions show a relationship between the two clauses, such as time, cause, condition, contrast, etc.
Examples:
Because (cause) - I stayed home because it was raining.
Although (contrast) - Although it was late, he went out.
If (condition) - I will call you if I need help.
- Correlative Conjunctions
These conjunctions work in pairs to connect words, phrases, or clauses that are related. Some common pairs include:
Both…and
Either…or
Neither…nor
Not only…but also
Examples:
Both the manager and the assistant were present.
You can either go to the park or stay home.
Not only did she finish the project, but also she submitted it early.
Conjunctions help to create more complex and varied sentence structures, making communication clearer and more cohesive.
What is an interjections?
Express strong emotions or reactions, often standing alone or at the beginning of a sentence.
Examples: wow, ouch, hey.
Whats the difference between does and do?
- Does:
Used with singular third-person subjects (he, she, it).
Example: “Does he like coffee?”
- Do:
Used with plural subjects (we, they) and first- and second-person singular subjects (I, you).
Example: “Do they like coffee?” or “Do you understand?”
When do we add s on verb?
We add -s to the verb in the present tense when the subject is third-person singular (he, she, it, or any singular noun). Here’s how it works:
- Third-person singular subjects: Add -s to the verb.
Example: “She walks to school every day.”
- Other subjects (I, you, we, they, plural nouns): Use the base form without -s.
Example: “They walk to school every day.”
Key Points:
Only present tense verbs take an -s for third-person singular.
Verbs with he, she, it, or singular nouns (like “the dog,” “my friend”) get -s: “He runs,” “The cat sleeps.”
No -s for “I,” “we,” “you,” or “they”: “I run,” “You sleep.”
This rule helps clarify subject-verb agreement in English.
What are the third person singular?
Third-person singular refers to any singular noun or pronoun that is not the speaker (first person) or the person being addressed (second person). In English, third-person singular subjects require verbs to end in -s in the present tense.
Examples of Third-Person Singular:
- Pronouns: he, she, it
- Singular nouns: the cat, my friend, the teacher, a car
For instance:
He runs every morning.
She likes reading.
It rains often in April.
The dog barks loudly.
When do we use “the”?
We use “the” (known as the definite article) when referring to a specific or known item, person, or concept. Here are some common cases where we use “the”:
- When something is already known or previously mentioned:
Example: “I bought a book. The book was very interesting.”
- When there is only one of something (unique items):
Example: “Look at the sun.” (There is only one sun.)
- When describing something specific in context:
Example: “Please pass the salt.” (In this context, both people know which salt is being referred to.)
- With superlatives (like “best,” “only,” “first”):
Example: “She is the best player on the team.”
- With groups or categories (like “the rich,” “the elderly”):
Example: “The poor need support from the government.”
- With specific places, institutions, or bodies:
Example: “He works at the bank.” (refers to a known or specific bank, usually in context).
In contrast, we don’t use “the” with general statements (e.g., “I like cats”) or when we’re talking about something in general rather than something specific.
