Understanding Verbs, Adverbs, and Other Word Classes

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are action verbs that have an object to receive that action. For example, in the sentence "He hit the ball", the direct object ball received the action of the verb hit.

Examples:

• I baked some cookies.
• I rode the bicycle.
• I moved the chair.
• I stitched a quilt.

Intransitive verbs are action verbs, but unlike transitive verbs, they do not have an object receiving the action. For instance, in the sentence "I sang", there are no words after the verb sang.

Examples:

• I laughed.
• I cried.
• The book fell.
• The horse galloped.
• The sun set.

Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary Verbs (also known as helping verbs) are the verbs be, do, have, and will when they are followed by another verb (the main verb) in order to form a question, a negative sentence, a compound tense, or the passive voice. For example, "Alex must wait a while longer because the muffins are cooling by the window, Alexis is sitting at the kitchen table, anticipating his first bite."

Adverbs

Adverbs are one of the four major word classes, along with nouns, verbs, and adjectives. We use adverbs to add more information about a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a phrase.

Examples:

• Don't go so fast.
• Actually, I don't know her.

Other Important Word Classes and Concepts

Grammar

Grammar is the set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses.

Articles

Articles are words (a, an, the) used with nouns to form noun phrases, classifying those things.

Adjectives

Adjectives are words used, typically with nouns, to provide more information about the things referred to (people, objects, etc.).

Prepositions

Prepositions are words used with nouns in phrases, providing information about time, place, and other connections.

Verbs

Verbs are words used to refer to various kinds of actions and states involving people and things in events.

Diphthongs

A diphthong is the combination of two vowel sounds.

Phonetics

Phonetics is the general study of the characteristics of speech sounds.

Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

• Voiced sound: You feel the vibration of the sound.
• Voiceless sound: There should be no vibration.

Phonology

Phonology is essentially the discipline of the system and pattern of speech sounds in a language.

Semantics

Semantics is the study of meaning in language.

Syntax

Syntax is the way in which linguistic elements (such as words) are put together to form constituents (such as phrases or clauses).