Checksheet - How to identify word class
Identifying open class words
Open Class Words Open class words are extremely large in number and about 90% of the words in our personal vocabularies belong to this class. It is possible to coin new words in this class. e.g. black + box blackbox blackboxed nucleus nuclear nuked dregs dreggy !nd we can combine meaningful meaningful parts of words "morphemes# "morphemes# to generate new words$ e.g. micro microscope microchip phonograph telephone phonology symphony
2O62: 2O62: "2# "2# "eanin# $unction#
$orm#
Closed Class Words losed class words are relatively finite in number. &hey are sometimes referred to as grammatical or function words' and they serve to link up open class words in longer meaningful structures.
,7;: ,7;: "#
"eanin# Types of Closed Class Words (eterminer )ronoun )reposition on*unction !uxiliary erb erb ,numerator Inter*ection
Symbol "d# "pn# "p# "c*# "aux# "e# " i *#
Examples the' a' this' that' some' any' all you' me' she' them' some' it' us in' of' on' at' to' under' from and' but' or' if...then' although can' will' may' may' is' has' does' shall one' three' first' second' eighteenth oh' ah' ugh' hey' oops' gad-ooks' /
Three questions to help identify what class a word belons to!
hat kind of 1,!2I23 does it have4 what does it refer to or express4 hat is its 562&IO24 its purpose or role relative to other words within a phrase' clause or sentence4 hat is its 5O714 its morphological structure "8root and suffix' inflections etc.#
$unction# $orm#
;y far far the most most num numero erous us word word class class &ypically refer to physical phenomena "concrete# or to states' events' occasions' etc. "abstract# &he main element "headword# in a noun phrase which typically occurs as the sub*ect or ob*ect of a sentence. Often preceded by the most common word in ,nglish. "If you can put the in front of it' its likely to be a noun.# &he most varied of all word classes' but they sometimes have characteristic inflections "e.g. singer' runner< fascism' socialism< station' caution< divinity' divinity' masculinity: !=!>: =OO? O6& 5O7 &@, ,7;:/ ,xpress actions' processes' activities' states' etc. Inflections can convey when the action occurs "&,2:,# 1ain verbs always function on their own or as the headword of a verb phrase "preceded by auxiliary verbs#. erbs have characteristic inflections. &hey are the most inflected word class in ,nglish. 1ost ,nglish verbs are regular in inflection "thank heaven/# but there are about A00 irregular verbs. &here are B different forms of the verb$ Infini Infinitiv tive e
Regular to ask to give Irregular to write to think
Presen Presentt
Past Past Partic Participl iple e
askCs giveCs writeCs thinkCs
asked gave wrote thought
Presen Present t Participle asking giving writing thinking
Past asked given written thought
Checksheet - How to identify word class "eanin# &ypically denote a Duality or property attributed to a noun. &hey help to specify or narrow down what the noun refers to. reative language often exploits unexpected collocations between ad*ectives and nouns$ e.g. technicolour yawn, benevolent dicatatorship, complete unashamed wally etc. $unction# 1odifies a noun within a noun phrase at sub*ect or ob*ect of a sentence. an be the head of an ad*ective phrase e.g. :he is %ery nice. $orm# @ave characteristic inflections$ eg. Dopey, funny; comical, cynical; ridiculous, sensuous etc. :ome "not all# ad*ectives can also be gradable E using either inflections or 8submodifiers$ Simple 5unny 3ood ;eautiful
Comparative funnier better more beautiful
Superlative funniest best most beautiful
:ome ad*ectives are formed by using )resent and )ast )articiple forms of verbs$ e.g. the running goat, the hatched egg, the harassed lecturer etc. "eanin#
:pecifies the circumstances relating to the action' process' etc.' referred to in the verb. &he table below lists different types of adverbs alongside the Duestions we can apply to the action' process "etc.# conveyed by the verb. Adverb Type 1anner )lace &ime (uration 5reDuency (egree
Question @ow4 here4 hen4 @ow long4 @ow often4 &o what
Examples well' badly' cleverly here' there' anywhere now' then' soon' tomorrow briefly' always weekly' daily' always
extent4
rather' Duite' much' hardly
$unction# 1odifies a verb adds circumstantial information "of time' place' manner etc.# !dverbs of degree can modify ad*ectives "submodifiers e.g. very, hardly, rather, fairly, quite# !dverbs are flexible creatures and can easily occur in different places in a clause or sentence whilst other word classes tend to be fixed in the order in which they occur$ e.g. :uddenly he leapt up. @e leapt up suddenly. @e suddenly leapt up. @e leapt suddenly up. 1ost typically' they function on their own as the headword of an adverb phrase at the adverbial element in a sentence. $orm# Often formed by the addition of 8ly to an ad*ective "e.g. Duick E Duickly< nice nicely< enthusiastic enthusiastically#. :ome adverbs can be inflected like ad*ectives to give comparative or superlative forms$ e.g. he ran sat< ...faster< ...fastest he ran Duickly< ...more Duickly< ...most Duickly
&dentifyin closed class words losed class words or 8function words are relatively finite in number. &hey are best identified by the function they serve within phrases' clause or sentences. ery often they occur at the beginning of these larger units' thereby helping to identify the units they introduce.
Checksheet - How to identify word class
There are seven main types of closed class words: 'ETE("&)E(S "d#
*(O)O+)S "pn#
*(E*OS&T&O)S "p#
CO),+)CT&O)S "c*#
Introduce noun phrases and function as modifiers. Include the !7&I=,: 8the' 8aCan. (emonstratives 8this' 8that' 8those' etc. :ubmodifiers 8all' 8some' 8every' 8either "usually of Duantity.# an 8stand for any noun' therefore are 8dummy nouns or noun phrases. 7efer to persons or ob*ects' events' etc.' *ust as nouns can. Include 8h words which can be 7,=!&I, pronouns or F6,:&IO2 markers 8who' 8what' 8which etc. Introduce prepositional phrases and are followed by a noun phrase "in' on' to' from' under' with' etc.# ,xpress relations of possession' place' time' etc. &hey therefore function in a sentence like adverbs. 1ost often linking words between phrases and clauses. OO7(I2!&I23 8and' but' 8or' 8neither' 8nor. :6;O7(I2!&I23 a much larger set of words which often introduce a clause within a sentence which is related to the main clause in a subordinate way. e.g. 8because' 8however' 8if' 8so that' 8as though etc. :ome con*unctions occur in pairs and link two
parts of an utterance or sentence$ 8if...then' 8although...yet' 8both...and' 8either...or etc.
+.&/&(0 1E(2S "aux#
5unction as auxiliaries to the main verb headword in a verb phrase. 1O(!= !6GI=I!7I,: can' will' may' shall' could' would' might' should' must' ought to "all convey mood # )7I1!7> ,7;: the three most common verbs in ,nglish. Irregular in form. an function as an auxiliary or a main verb.
Infinitive )resent ;e am' is' are @ave have' has (o do' does
)ast was' were had did
)resent )articiple )ast )articiple being been having had doing done
,261,7!&O7: "e# ardinal numbers 8one' 8two' 8three etc. Ordinal numbers 8first' 8second' 8third etc. 3eneral types 8next' 8last' 8further' 8other etc. I2&,7H,&IO2: "i*# :omewhat 8primitive expressions of feeling or attitude/ Include swear words that colourful part of peopleJs lexical store$ 85k/ 3reetings and conversational 8lubricants such as 8no way' 8yes' 8O?' 8sure' 8yup/ etc.
Checksheet - How to identify word class 5or a full listing and further nuances of closed class words' see$ =eech' 3.' 1. (euchar and 7. @oogenraad "K9LA# ,nglish 3rammar 5or &oday. =ondon$ 1acmillan. "hapter M#
