Parts of speech and sentence components

1. Parts of speech

The smallest unit of language that can be used freely is called a word. The classification based on the form, meaning and function of words in sentences is called parts of speech.

English words are usually divided into ten categories, namely nouns, articles, pronouns, numerals, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. The descriptions are as follows:

(1) Nouns

Nouns (nouns) are names that represent people, things, places or abstract concepts. For example:

foreigner soap Newton

law law freedom peace peace

English nouns can be divided into two categories:

< p>1. A common noun is the name of a certain type of person, thing, substance or abstract concept. For example:

teacher teacher market rice rice

magazine sound production production

2. A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place or institution. The first letter of a proper noun must

be capitalized. For example:

Hemingway Russia Russia

New York New York United Nations United Nations

Nouns can be divided into countable nouns and uncountable nouns ( uncountable noun) two kinds. Countable nouns are singular or plural. The plural form of most nouns is formed by adding -s or -es after the singular noun. For example:

shop→shops store bus→buses bus ***car library→libraries library

toy→toys toys leaf→leaves leaves

English Some nouns have irregular plural forms. For example:

man→men tooth→teeth datum→data data

For specific rules on the formation of plural forms of nouns, please refer to the relevant English grammar book.

(2) Article

The article (article) is placed before a noun to help explain the object that the noun refers to. Articles are divided into two types: indefinite article (indefinite article) and definite article (definite article).

The indefinite article is a/an, which is used before a singular noun to express "one" of a certain type of person or thing. a is used before nouns starting with a consonant, and an is used before nouns starting with a vowel. For example:

a hotel a chance a chance

a double room a useful book a useful book

an exhibition an exhibition an honest manAn honest person

There is only one article, namely the, which refers to a specific person or group of people or things of a certain type. It can be used before singular or plural nouns, or before uncountable nouns. For example:

the TV programs those TV programs the house that house

the Olympic Games

(3) pronouns

Pronouns (pronoun) is a word used to refer to a person or thing. Pronouns include:

1. Personal pronouns, such as: I, you, they, it, etc.;

2. Possessive pronouns, such as: my, his, their, our, mine, hers, etc.;

3.

Reflexive pronouns, such as: myself, yourself, itself, ourselves, oneself, etc.;

4. Mutual pronouns, such as: each other, one another, etc.;

5. Demonstrative pronouns, such as: this, that, these, those, such, same, etc.;

6. Interrogative pronouns, such as: who, whom, whose, which, what, etc.;

7. Relative pronouns, such as: who, whom, whose, which, that, etc.;

8. Indefinite pronouns, such as: some, any, no, all, one, every, many, a little, someone, anything, etc.;

(4) Numerals

Numerical ) is a word that means "quantity" and "order". The former are called cardinal numbers, for example: one (one), twenty (twenty), thirty-five (thirty-five), one hundred and ninety-five (one hundred and ninety-five), etc.; The latter are called ordinal numbers, such as: first (first), twentiethieth (twentieth), fifty-first (fifty-first, etc.)

(5) Adjectives

Adjectives are words used to modify nouns and express the attributes of nouns. For example: yellow (yellow), wonderful (amazing), strong (powerful). Adjectives are usually placed before the noun they modify, such as: busy. streets (busy streets), public relations (public relations), young men (young men), etc.

The comparative levels of adjectives can be divided into three types, namely primary, comparative and ultimate. Advanced. The primary form is the original form of the adjective that has not changed, such as great, big, difficult, etc.; the comparative form is the adjective + suffix -er or more + adjective, such as greater, bigger, more difficult, etc.; the superlative form is the adjective + The suffix -est or most + adjective, such as: greatest, biggest, most difficult, etc.

(6) Adverbs

Adverbs can be divided into four types, including:

1. Ordinary adverbs, such as: together (together), well (well), carefully (carefully), etc.;

2. Interrogative adverbs, such as: when (when), where (where) , how (how), why (why), etc.;

3. Connecting adverbs, such as: therefore (therefore), then (then), however (however), otherwise (otherwise), etc.;

4. Relative adverbs, such as where, when, why, etc.

The composition of the comparative level of adverbs is the same as that of adjectives.

(7) Verbs

Verbs are words that express actions or states, such as: sign, support, have, exist, etc.

Verbs have meanings and meanings. Functions can be divided into substantive verbs, linking verbs, modal verbs and auxiliary verbs.

Substantial verbs have complete meanings and can be used as independent predicates, such as explain, stay, have. (to have), etc. When the copula is used as a predicate, it must be followed by a predicate. Common English copulas include: be (be), seem (seem), look (look), become (become), appear (appear), get (become), feel (feel), turn (become), remain (still be), etc.

Modal verbs express the speaker's tone and emotion such as ability, obligation, necessity, speculation, etc. Modal verbs can only form predicate verbs together with original action verbs.

The main modal verbs in English include can (can), may (can, maybe), must (must) and their past forms could, might, etc.

Auxiliary verbs often work together with the main verb to form various tenses, voices, moods and other verb forms, and are used in structures such as negation and questions. The main auxiliary verbs in English include shall, will, have, be, should, would, do, etc.

Content verbs can also be divided into transitive verbs and intransitive verbs according to whether they require an object.

Transitive verbs must be followed by an object to complete their meaning. For example:

You muxt consider the matter carefully.

You must consider the matter carefully. (the matter is the object of the transitive verb consider)

Have you received the letter?

Have you received the letter? (the letter is the object of the transitive verb receive)

The intransitive verb itself has a complete meaning and does not need to be followed by an object, for example:

The old man walked very slowly.

The old man walked very slowly. (walked is an intransitive verb)

He didn't sleep well last night.

He didn't sleep well last night. (sleep is an intransitive verb)

Verbs have four basic forms, namely verb base, past tense, past participle and present participle. For example:

Original past tense past participle present participle

live lived lived living

build built built building

have had had having < /p>

There are two types of formations of the past tense and past participle of verbs: regular and irregular. The past tense and past participle of regular verbs are formed by adding the suffix -ed or -d after the base verb. The past tense and past participle of irregular verbs are irregular, such as eat, ate, eaten. Although there are not many of these verbs, they are all commonly used and must be memorized.

The present participle is formed by adding -ing after the base form of the verb. For the method and pronunciation of adding -ed and -ing to the verb base form and the changes of irregular verbs, please refer to the relevant dictionary or grammar book.

(8) Prepositions

Prepositions (prepositions) are also called prepositions. They are placed in front of nouns, pronouns or words equivalent to nouns to indicate that the words following them are related to other words in the sentence. relationship between components.

Prepositions are generally not stressed in sentences and cannot be used as separate sentence components.

According to their composition, prepositions can be divided into simple prepositions, such as in, at, for, since, etc.; compound prepositions, such as into, as for, out of ; Double prepositions, such as: until after (until...after), from among (from...); Phrase prepositions, such as: according to (according to), because of (because), in front of (in. ..before), in the event of(if); participle prepositions, such as: considering(about), considering(taking into account), including(including).

The noun or pronoun following the preposition is called the object of the preposition. The preposition and the preposition object are collectively called a prepositional phrase.

(9) Conjunctions

A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, clauses or sentences. Conjunctions are function words and are generally not stressed in sentences, nor can they be used as separate sentence components in sentences.

According to the meaning of the conjunction itself and the nature of the components it connects, it can be divided into coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions are conjunctions that connect words, phrases, clauses or sentences with a coordinating relationship, such as: and (and), or (or, otherwise), but (but), for (because), not only ...but also (not only...but also), neither...nor (ie neither...nor). Subordinating conjunctions are conjunctions that connect the main clause and the subordinate clause of a compound sentence, for example: that, if, whether, when, although, because, so that(result).

From the structural form of the conjunctions themselves, they can be divided into: simple conjunctions, such as: but, because, if; correlative conjunctions, such as: not only...but also, as...as( Same as...); participle conjunctions, such as supposing (if), provided (if); phrase conjunctions, such as: as if (as if), as soon as (once... then), in order that (so that ).

(10) Interjections

Interjections are words that express emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and joy, such as: oh, well, why, hello, etc.

Among the above ten major word categories, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, numerals, etc. have real meanings, so they are called notioal words; while prepositions, articles, conjunctions, and interjections etc. have no real meaning, so they are called form words.

Many words can belong to several speech categories, for example: smoke (noun) (smoke), (verb) (smoking); own (adjective) (own), (verb) (possession); just (adverb) (just), (adjective) (just); key (noun) (key), (adjective) (main), etc.

2. Sentence components

A language unit that is composed of words of different parts of speech and is combined according to certain grammatical rules to express a complete meaning is called a sentence. A sentence is composed of parts with different functions. These parts are called members of the sentence. There are eight types of sentence components in English: subject, predicate verb, predicate, object, attributive, adverbial, subject complement and object complement. The description is as follows:

(1) Subject

The subject is the person or thing to be explained by the sentence, and is the main body of the sentence. The subject is usually placed at the beginning of the sentence and is generally not omitted. Those that can serve as subjects include nouns, pronouns, numerals, verb infinitives, gerunds and subject clauses. For example:

Walls have ears.

Partition walls have ears. (noun as subject)

He will take you to the hospital.

He will take you to the hospital. (The pronoun serves as the subject)

Three plus four equals seven.

Three plus four equals seven. (Numbers as subjects)

To see is to believe.

Seeing is believing. (The infinitive of the verb is the subject)

Smoking is not allowed in public places.

Smoking is not allowed in public places. (gerund as subject)

Whether or not they will come depends on the weather.

Whether they will come depends on the weather. (The clause is the subject)

(2) Predicate verb

The predicate verb is a sentence component that describes the action or state of the subject. The position of the predicate verb is generally after the subject. The predicate verb is served by a substantive verb or a linking verb.

Auxiliary verbs or modal verbs plus the appropriate forms of other verbs also form predicate verbs. For example:

Action speaks louder than words.

A action speaks louder than a thousand words.

The chance may never come again.

Such an opportunity may never come again.

Tom was very sick at heart.

Tom was very sick at heart.

Mary has been working at the dress shop since 1994.

Mary has been working at the dress shop since 1994.

(3) Predicative

Predicative is used to explain the identity, characteristics and status of the subject. Its position is after the linking verb. Things that can be used as predicates include nouns, pronouns, adjectives and participles, numerals, verb infinitives, prepositional phrases, adverbs and predicative clauses, etc. For example:

My father is a professor.

My father is a professor. (noun as predicate)

Who's that? It's me.

Who's that? It's me. (Pronouns serve as predicatives)

Everything here is dear to her.

Everything here feels dear to her. (adjective as predicate)

The match became very exciting.

The match became very exciting. (participle as predicate)

The story of my life may be of help to others.

My life experience may be of help to others. (Prepositional phrase as predicate)

Three times five is fifteen.

Three times five is fifteen. (Numbers are used as predicates)

His plan is to seek work in the city.

His plan is to seek work in the city. (verb inequality as predicate)

My first idea was that you should hide your feelings.

My first idea was that you should hide your feelings. (The clause is used as a predicate)

(4) Object

The object represents the object of the action and is the recipient of the action. The object is usually placed after the transitive verb. English prepositions are also followed by objects. Things that can be used as objects include nouns, numerals, pronouns, gerunds, etc. The infinitive can also be the object of a transitive verb. For example:

she covered her face with her hands.

She covered her face with her hands. (noun phrase as object)

We haven't seen her for a long time.

We haven't seen her for a long time. (Pronoun as object)

Do you mind opening the window?

Do you mind opening the window? (gerund as object)

Give me four please.

Please give me four. (numerals as objects)

He wants to dream a nice dream.

He wants to dream a nice dream. (verb infinitive phrase as object)

We need to know what others are doing.

We need to know what others are doing. (clause as object)

I lived in Japan in 1986.

I lived in Japan in 1986.

(Nouns and numerals are the objects of prepositions)

(5) Attributive

Attribute is a word, phrase or sentence that modifies a noun or pronoun. When a word is used as an attributive, it is usually placed before the noun it modifies; when a phrase or clause is used as an attributive, it is placed after the noun it modifies. Attributives include nouns, adjectives, numerals, participles and their phrases, inequalities and their phrases, prepositional phrases and attributive clauses, etc. For example:

They are woman workers.

They are women workers. (noun as attributive)

Tom's father didn't write home until yesterday.

Tom's father didn't write home until yesterday. (Possessive nouns serve as attributives)

Equal pay for equal work should be introduced.

Equal pay for equal work should be introduced. (adjective as attributive)

The play has three acts.

The play has three acts. (Numbers are used as attributives)

This is her first trip to Europe.

This is her first trip to Europe. (Pronouns, numerals and prepositional phrases serve as attributives)

China is a developing country.

China is a developing country. (participle as attributive)

You haven't kept your promise to write us often.

You haven't kept your promise to write us often. (The infinitive phrase of the verb is used as an attributive)

My cat has a good nose for milk.

My cat has a keen sense of smell for milk. (Prepositional phrase as attributive)

Those who want to go to Tibet are to sign their names here.

Those who want to go to Tibet are to sign their names here.

Those who want to go to Tibet must sign here. (Clause as attributive)

(6) Adverbial

Adverbial is a sentence component that modifies verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc. Adverbials express place, time, reason, purpose, result, condition, concession, degree, manner, accompanying circumstances, etc. Adverbials include adverbs, nouns, prepositional phrases, participles and their phrases, verb infinitives and their phrases, adverbial clauses, etc. For example:

These products are selling quickly.

These products are now very popular. (Adverb as adverbial)

He is knee deep in snow.

He stepped in knee-deep snow. (noun as adverbial)

The best fish swim near the bottom.

The best fish swim near the bottom.

The best fish swim near the bottom. (Things of value cannot be obtained easily.) (prepositional phrase as adverbial)

She sat there doing nothing.

She sat there doing nothing. (participle phrase as adverbial)

We'll send a car over to fetch you.

We'll send a car over to fetch you. (The infinitive phrase of the verb is used as an adverbial)

She was slow to make up her mind.

She was slow to make up her mind. (The infinitive phrase of the verb is used as an adverbial)

Strike while the iron is hot.

Strike while the iron is hot. (clause as adverbial)

There is no such a word in English so far as I know.

As far as I know, there is no such word in English.

(Clause as adverbial)

(7) Object complement and subject complement

Some transitive verbs in English need to have an object as well as an object complement ( object complement) to make the meaning of the sentence complete. The object and object complement together form a compound object. If the above structure becomes passive voice, the original object becomes the subject, and the original object complement correspondingly becomes the subject complement. Complements include nouns, adjectives, prepositional phrases, verb infinitives, participles, etc. For example:

They elected me captain of the team.

They elected me captain of the team. (noun phrase as object complement)

He made me ashamed of myself.

He made me feel ashamed. (Adjective phrase serves as object complement)

We found everything there in good order.

We found everything there in good order. (Prepositional phrase serves as object complement)

I should advise you not to miss the chance.

I should advise you not to miss the chance.

I should advise you not to miss the chance. (Infinitive phrase serves as object complement)

I could feel my heart beating fast.

I could feel my heart beating fast. (Participle phrase serves as object complement)

Some goods are left unsold.

Some goods are left unsold. (Participle serves as subject complement)

She was elected director of public relations.

She was elected director of public relations. (Noun phrase serves as subject complement)

The substantive verb and linking verb in the verb can serve as the predicate. The infinitive, participle and gerund forms of verbs cannot independently serve as predicates. A preposition is a type of function word and cannot independently serve as a sentence component. However, a prepositional phrase composed of a preposition plus the following object can serve as multiple components in a sentence.