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English Grammar 101
1.1 Parts of Speech: Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, and so on
When putting your words together to form sentences, would you agree that it is important to know “the parts of speech” used in the sentence or paragraph you are writing? This means knowing if the word in the sentence is a noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, gerund, conjunction, preposition, or interjection.
QUIZ YOURSELF
What parts of speech are the following words (noun, verb, adjective, etc.)?
- 1. analyzing ____________
- 2. beaker ____________
- 3. to measure ___________
- 4. red _________
Answers to the above:
- 1. Gerund, analyzing is an action word, where a verb is transformed into a noun.
- 2. Noun, a beaker is an object.
- 3. Verb, measure is used in its infinitive form.
- 4. Red describes the color of an object, and therefore is an adjective.
Parts of Speech – Sector Keywords
| Interjection | Interjektion |
| Punctuation marks (part of grammar, yet related to this topic) | Interpunktionszeichen |
1.1.1 Noun = Subject (Person, Place, Thing)
- The cat sat on the mat.
- George Washington was America's first President.
1.1.2 Pronoun = Expresses a Distinction of a Person
| Pronoun as subject | Pronoun as object | Possessive pronoun | Reflexive pronoun |
| They | Them | Theirs | Themselves |
1.1.3 Adjective = Words That Describe or Modify a Noun
- The good, the bad, and the ugly.
- The idea is cool, yet crazy!
- She has five shirts, and two are red and the rest are green.
1.1.4 Verb = Action Word
- She washed her automobile.
- Did you bring your language dictionaries to this workshop?
- To be or to have, shall/should, will/would, can/may, and so on.
Verb infinitives (the verb in its basic form: To be, to love, to have, to perceive, to say, to speak, to ski, to run, and so on.
1.1.4.1 The Use of the Two Verbs; Can vs. May
| Can (können) | May (dürfen) |
| • Can you work in my lab today? (ability) | • You too may borrow my HPLC. (permission) |
| • Can you do me a favor? (could) | • Due to the late scheduling of the symposium,I may arrive late. (possibility) |
| • Reminder.…May, the month is a noun!(months are capitalized!) |
QUIZ YOURSELF: Can or May
When using the rules from above, the choice between can or may, is not so obvious in the sentences below.
- Which word would you choose?
- 1. Can or May I have food served in the conference room?
- 2. Yes, you can or may make arrangements with the onsite cafe.
- 3. Restaurant guests can or may have their parking tickets validated.
- For the sentences above, does the meaning involve ability, possibility, or permission?
- Some people would say each one involves ability. For example:
- 1. Am I able to have food served in the conference room?
- 2. Yes, you are able to make arrangements with the onsite cafe.
- 3. Restaurant guests are able to have their parking tickets validated.
- Yet, some people would say each one involves ability. For example:
- 1. Am I permitted to have food served in the conference room?
- 2. Yes, you are permitted to make arrangements with the onsite cafe.
- 3. Restaurant guests are permitted to have their parking tickets validated.
Can vs. May – Mr. H's Grammar Tip
- can – ability, could
- may – permission, possibility or to be courteous (höflich) in your answer or reply.
1.1.5 Adverb = Words That Modify a Verb
- Quickly, the oil flowed through the drilling pipe.
- The meeting went well.
- The concert was beautifully performed.
- Sam asked Jean, “How are you doing after surgery?” Jean replied, “I'm doing incredibly well!”
Mr. H's Special Tips
- 1. Many adverbs in English langauge end with the suffix, -ly, i.e., similarily, honestly, currently, justifiably, brilliantly
- 2. Consider the fact that in German language many adverbs end with the Nachsilbe, -lich, i.e., ehrlich
- 3. Some adverbs of frequency; always, often, sometimes, daily, weekly, monthly, again.
1.1.5.1 Good (adj.) vs. Well (adv.)
Two special words, which are easily confused
| Incorrect usage | Correct usage |
| I did good on the test. | I did well on the test. |
| She played the game good. | She played the game well. |
Mr. H's Grammar Tip
- Use good when describing something or someone.
- Use well when describing how something is done or how someone does something.
Usage of Good versus Well – exceptions
- 1. “Well” may be used when describing if something is proper, healthy, or suitable. As in, “I am well (healthy) today.” However, an exception to this is the following: How are you feeling? I feel good. (think of James Brown's soul song, “I Feel Good”)
- 2. Another way well may be used is when starting a sentence such as, “Well, that explains everything.” In this case, well means “Of course” or “Yes.”
1.1.6 Gerund = Using -ing, an Action Word, a Verb Becomes a Noun
Swimming and reading are both fun!
1.1.7 Prepositions Indicate a Relation Between Things
Common prepositions used: of, in, with, on, about, beneath, against, beside, over, during, throughBrE versus thruAmE.
- The weather in May in Chicago is generally quite pleasant.
- On Tuesday, she was declared the winner of the election.
- The biochemistry book was taken away from the student.
Mr. H's Grammar Tip
Two prepositions which have homonyms (words which sound the same, but are spelled differently and have other meanings) are the following:
- to vs. too (also) vs. two (2)
- for vs. four (4).
1.1.7.1 Between (zwischen) vs. Among (unter); two confusing prepositions
- 1. between (used with either two people or things)
- a. Between you and me, I think we can solve the problem easily!
- b. The Pyrenees mountain chain lies between Spain and France.
- 2. Among, amongst (used with three or more people or things).
- a. Among the three of us, I am sure we can resolve the issue between them.
- b. Living in the rain forest amongst other wild animals, gorillas continue to endure.
1.1.8 Conjunctions Connect Two Words, Phrases, or Clauses
- And: presents non-contrasting item(s) or idea(s); “They gamble, and they smoke.”
- But: presents a contrast or exception; “They gamble, but they don't smoke.”
- Nor...
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