English Grammar Demystified

In the past, you may have studied parts of speech in class and found it easy, or maybe the concept sounded very confusing.  The truth is, nothing is mystifying about parts of speech. This is a friendly reminder that they are only the very foundation of the language you use daily and take for granted. Why is It Necessary to Learn Them? 

Comprehension 

Firstly, knowing your parts of speech will help in comprehension. Verbal or oral communication is enhanced through gestures. Written communication depends on correctly identifying the speaker and the person spoke to, and the clarity of the message depends on the proper use of words. Parts of speech help us make our message clear and to the point. 

Ability to Decipher 

Secondly, in working with a difficult passage of prose, knowledge of parts of speech allows us to identify the different components of the writing and can help us tease out the main points of the passage.  For example, a course may be so complex that we are unable, after reading it, to tell who the speaker is or what his or her message is. We can figure out what is being said and what is being said about it by determining the subject and object of a sentence. We can identify the action or ‘being’ words and tell what is happening in the passage. 

Better Writing 

If we know the uses and functions of the various parts of speech, we can then communicate more effectively and even enhance our writing skills.  We can then develop our own authentic voice through our writing and be better equipped to self-correct when we write.  We won’t have to guess whether something we wrote was grammatically correct. 

What are Parts of Speech? 

Parts of speech are the primary classifications of the words used in language. Eight (8) different vocabulary categories can be found in English, including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. This means that every word in the English language fits into one of these classifications. Think of parts of speech as neat categories for studying the language. When you write, you write in groups of words or sentences. By tackling the errors in your sentences according to the parts of speech involved, you will find that it is much easier to write correctly. Parts of speech, errors in parts of speech, and sentences will be discussed below.

Common Grammatical Errors

Correct these sentences. 

1. John is one of those students who (is, are) always coming in late. 
2. One of the students (is, are) coming to the movies with us. 
3. Melissa is one of the girls who (want, wants) to become a scientist. 
4. One of the people in the office (is, are) the principal of my school. 
5. Sam is one of the best players who (have, has) ever played for our team. 
6. There (is, are) Mandy and Len. 
7. There (go, goes) Sam and Eddie. 
8. My friend is one of the dancers who (go, goes) to Europe each year. 
9. There (jump, jumps) the athlete. 
10. Each of the athletes (play, plays) different positions. 
11. Each student (has, have) a notebook. 
12. Each person (get, gets) a prize. 
13. The longest day of the year (is, are) in June. 
14. The largest of the boxes (contain, contains) the specimen.

Answers- Common Grammatical Errors

1. John is one of those students who are always coming in late.
2. One of the students is coming to the movies with us.
3. Melissa is one of the girls who want to become a scientist.
4. One of the people in the office is the principal of my school.
5. Sam is among the best players to ever suit up for our squad.
6. There are Mandy and Len.
7. There goes Sam and Eddie.
8. My friend is one of the dancers who go to Europe each year.
9. There jumps the athlete.
10. Each of the athletes plays different positions.
11. Each student has a notebook.
12. Each person gets a prize.
13. The longest day of the year is in June.
14. The largest of the boxes contains the specimen.