English Grammar & Writing Parts of Speech Syllabus

Parts of Speech syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Parts of Speech in English Grammar & Writing, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Nouns

   5 topics

   • Common and Proper Nouns
   • Countable and Uncountable Nouns
   • Collective Nouns
   • Abstract and Concrete Nouns
   • Possessive Nouns
2. 2

   Pronouns

   6 topics

   • Personal Pronouns
   • Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives
   • Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
   • Relative Pronouns
   • Demonstrative and Indefinite Pronouns
   • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
3. 3

   Verbs

   5 topics

   • Action and Linking Verbs
   • Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
   • Auxiliary and Modal Verbs
   • Regular and Irregular Verbs
   • Phrasal Verbs
4. 4

   Adjectives

   4 topics

   • Descriptive and Limiting Adjectives
   • Order of Adjectives
   • Degrees of Comparison
   • Participial Adjectives
5. 5

   Adverbs

   5 topics

   • Types of Adverbs
   • Adverbs of Manner, Place, and Time
   • Adverbs of Frequency and Degree
   • Comparison of Adverbs
   • Placement of Adverbs
6. 6

   Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections

   6 topics

   • Prepositions of Time, Place, and Direction
   • Prepositional Phrases
   • Coordinating Conjunctions
   • Subordinating Conjunctions
   • Correlative Conjunctions
   • Interjections

Parts of Speech flashcards for English Grammar & Writing

20 of 51 cards from the Parts of Speech deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the difference between a common noun and a proper noun?

   A common noun names a general person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., city, dog, teacher) and is not capitalized unless it starts a sentence. A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing (e.g., London, Rex, Ms. Lee) and is always capitalized.

2. Give three examples that show a common noun being converted into a proper noun.

   river -> Nile River; ocean -> Pacific Ocean; woman -> Marie Curie. The specific, capitalized name is the proper noun; the general category word is the common noun.

3. What is a countable noun, and how does it behave grammatically?

   A countable noun names something that can be counted as separate units. It has both singular and plural forms (book/books), can take a/an, and can be used with numbers (three apples).

4. What is an uncountable (mass) noun, and which determiners and verb form does it take?

   An uncountable noun names something not counted as separate units (water, information, furniture). It has no plural form, cannot take a/an or numbers directly, uses 'much'/'a little'/'some', and takes a singular verb.

5. How do you quantify an uncountable noun so it can be counted?

   Use a partitive/unit expression: a glass of water, two pieces of information, three slices of bread, a bar of chocolate. The counting is applied to the container/unit word, not the uncountable noun itself.

6. Which quantifiers pair with countable nouns versus uncountable nouns?

   Countable: many, few, a few, several, a number of, fewer. Uncountable: much, little, a little, a great deal of, less. 'Some', 'any', 'a lot of', and 'plenty of' work with both.

7. What is a collective noun? Give five examples.

   A collective noun names a group of individuals as a single unit. Examples: team, family, committee, herd, flock (also jury, staff, crowd).

8. How is subject-verb agreement decided with a collective noun?

   If the group acts as a single unit, use a singular verb (The team wins). If members act as individuals, a plural verb may be used (The team are arguing among themselves). British English uses plural more freely than American English.

9. What is the difference between a concrete noun and an abstract noun?

   A concrete noun names something perceivable by the five senses (table, music, rose, thunder). An abstract noun names an idea, quality, state, or emotion that cannot be physically sensed (freedom, love, honesty, courage).

10. Name common suffixes that often form abstract nouns.

    -ness (kindness), -tion/-sion (creation, decision), -ment (enjoyment), -ity (ability), -ship (friendship), -hood (childhood), -dom (freedom), -ance/-ence (patience).

11. What is a possessive noun, and how is it formed for a singular noun?

    A possessive noun shows ownership or a relationship. For a singular noun, add apostrophe + s: the dog's leash, James's book (or James' in some styles).

12. How do you form the possessive of a regular plural noun versus an irregular plural noun?

    Regular plural (ends in -s): add only an apostrophe -> the dogs' leashes. Irregular plural (does not end in -s): add apostrophe + s -> the children's toys, the men's room.

13. How do you show joint possession versus separate possession with two nouns?

    Joint possession (shared item): mark only the last noun -> Tom and Jerry's house (one shared house). Separate possession: mark both nouns -> Tom's and Jerry's houses (each has one).

14. What is a personal pronoun, and what grammatical categories distinguish its forms?

    A personal pronoun replaces a noun referring to people or things. Its forms vary by person (1st/2nd/3rd), number (singular/plural), gender (he/she/it), and case (subject vs. object).

15. List the subject personal pronouns and the object personal pronouns.

    Subject: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. Object: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.

16. When do you use a subject pronoun versus an object pronoun?

    Use a subject pronoun when it performs the action (She called). Use an object pronoun when it receives the action or follows a preposition (Call her; give it to me). Test: 'between you and me' (object after preposition), not 'between you and I'.

17. What is the difference between a possessive pronoun and a possessive adjective?

    A possessive adjective comes before a noun and modifies it (my book, her car). A possessive pronoun stands alone and replaces the noun phrase (The book is mine; The car is hers).

18. List the possessive adjectives and the matching possessive pronouns.

    Adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its (rare), ours, theirs. Note: none take an apostrophe.

19. Distinguish 'its' from 'it's' and 'their/theirs' from 'there/they're'.

    'Its' = possessive (the dog wagged its tail); 'it's' = it is/it has. 'Their/theirs' = possessive; 'there' = place; 'they're' = they are. Possessive pronouns never use apostrophes.

20. What is a reflexive pronoun, and when is it required?

    A reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) is used when the subject and object are the same person or thing (She taught herself French). It is required as the object referring back to the subject.

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