English 3: Word class grammar sheets

• Engels
• Secundair onderwijs

nouns

>> words that name something: 

• person (Sam)
• place (Antwerp)
• thing (Cat)
• idea (Love)

verbs

• represent actions or states of being 
• the only word class that is absolutely necessary in a sentence
• conjugated to explain when an action takes place (past, present, or future) >>He is - was
• combined with auxiliaries >> He has moved

adjectives

• describe the qualities or states of being of nouns: enormous, doglike, silly, yellow, fun, fast,... 

• describe the quantity of nouns: many, few, millions, eleven,...

attributive adjectives

immediately before the noun they describe

>> The old man came home.

>> The young boy broke a window.

predicative adjectives

follow the verb "to be"

>> The man is old.

>> The boy is young.

absolute - comparative - superlative

The cool girl from school >> absolute

The cooler girl from school >> comparative

The coolest girl from school >> superlative

This is an awful situation >> absolute 

This is a more awful situation >> comparative 

This is the most awful situation >> superlative

adverbs

• modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
• they give more details about the word they describe: WHEN - WHERE - HOW
• usually—but not always—end in -ly.

adverbs that modify a verb

You sing loudly.

>> sing = verb

how do you sing >> loudly

He runs fast!

>> runs = verb

how does he run >> fast

adverbs that modify an adjective

The lake is quite beautiful.

>> lake =noun & beautiful = adjective

>> quite = modifies the adjective

Is the music too loud?

>> music = noun & loud = adjective

>> too = modifies the adjective

adverbs that modify an adverb

The music is way too loud!

how loud is the music >> too loud (adverb 1)

how much too loud >> way too loud (adverb 2)

He runs very fast.

how does he run >> fast (adverb 1)

how fast >> very fast (adverb 2)

more examples

examples of adverbs ending in -(l)y

very, entirely, barely, slightly, totally, incredibly, mostly, fully, really...

other examples

always, almost, too, fast, never, seldom, quite, below, downstairs, somewhere...

from adjective to adverb

types of adverbs

MANNER (how?)

quickly, loudly,...

DEGREE (how intensely?)

extremely, absolutely, slightly, quite, enough, very,...

FREQUENCY & TIME (how often / when?)

always, yesterday, never, often, seldom, today,...

PLACE & MOVEMENT (where(to)?)

below, between, nowhere, forwards, under, inside,...

finding the adverb

first >> find the verb = where is the action?

adverbs specify the activity of the verb:

= where, when, how does the action (= verb) happen?

Annie quickly walked across the street.

what is the verb? 

= Annie walked

next:

HOW?

WHERE?

WHEN?

>> quickly

Tom played the guitar yesterday.

what is the verb? 

= Tom played

next:

HOW?

WHERE?

WHEN?

>> yesterday