Grammar Essentials 2: Parts of Speech (Word Classes) Exercise Answers
Here are possible answers to the exercises in Grammar Essentials 2: Parts of speech. In some cases more than one right answer might be possible.
1. Place each word in the following sentence in its Word Class using the above tests. Which Word Class(es) is or are missing?:
Over the mountain lived a former mechanic. Suzy forgets his name.
| Form | Word Class | Sample Test(s) |
| Over | Preposition | Followed by Noun Phrase the mountain |
| the | Determiner | First word in a Noun Phrase, the mountain; would precede any adjectives: the [big] mountain, not *[big] the mountain |
| mountain | Noun | You can make the word plural (mountains) or possessive (mountain’s); it is already preceded by a determiner in the sentence (the mountains) |
| lived | Verb | You can change its tense (lived :lives) and number (a former mechanic lived : I lived). |
| a | Determiner | First word in a Noun Phrase, a mechanic; would precede any adjectives: a [funny] mechanic, not *[funny] a mechanic |
| mechanic | Noun | You can make the work plural (mechanics) or possessive (mechanic’s); it is already preceded by a determiner (a mechanic) |
| Suzy | Noun (Proper) | Can be made possessive (Suzy’s) (proper nouns normally are not preceded by Determiners and are not usually plural) |
| forgets | Verb | You can change its tense (Suzy forgets : Suzy forgot); you can change its person (Suzy forgets : I forget) |
| his | Pronoun | It is not a noun (can’t take an article or be replaced by a pronoun), and it is in the possessive); different forms of his can serve as a subject or prepositional object: he is here ; give it to him |
| name | Noun | Can be made plural (names); can be made possessive (name’s); can be preceded by a determiner (the name) |
2. When Hamlet says that bad acting “out-herods Herod” (Hamlet, III.ii), meaning to rage and rant, he is using a proper name for a verb. What tests can we use to show that out-herods is a verb?
We can show that it is possible to change the
- Tense: he out-herods Herod : he out-heroded Herod
- Person: he out-herods Herod : I out-herod Herod
- Number: he out-herods Herod : they out-herod Herod
These are all tests for verbs.
3. Although it is impossible for individuals to create new Closed or Structure Class words, the English language has acquired new pronouns over the course of its history: the entire plural pronoun system they, them, their comes from Old Norse (the original English version was hie, hira and him); she is of unknown origin (the original was heo).
Can you suggest some reasons why it is possible for languages to add or change such words but not for individuals?
One possible explanation is that structure words primarily express relationships (look up the definitions of and or but in a dictionary for example), unlike Open Class words, which are signifiers for some external idea, event, concept, or the like. So a new pronoun for “feminine singular subject” can be introduced into the language only when a group of people understand that the new form expresses this relationship.
Comment [1]
HAULE EVARISTO (Sat May 14, 2011 (07:16:55)) [PermLink]: well understood
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