Writing Instruction Tutorial

Grammar

Parts of Speech Quiz

Use the following abbreviations for the exercises:

  • S = Subject
  • V = Verb
  • D.O. = Direct Object
  • adv = adverb
  • adj = adjective
  • n = noun
  • pron = pronoun
  • cc = coordinate conjunction
  • sc = subordinate conjunction
  • () = entire prepositional phrase
  • part = participial
  • inf = infinitive
  • ger = gerund

Bracket [ ] the entire phrase for participials, infinitives and gerunds. Identify the way these phrases function in the sentence.

  • [Faced with a backlash] {modifies mayor, past part. an adj}, the mayor {S} decided {V} (against a second term) {prep.}.

Identify all the parts of speech in the following sentences and insert internal punctuation when needed.

  1. Mr. President our city needs help.
  2. Caffeine a principal ingredient in coffee and cola drinks has been linked with heart disease.
  3. In the past cosmetics were created only for women but today men use cosmetics to make themselves attractive to women.
  4. The day before he married his horse was stolen.
  5. Warts are caused by a virus however callouses are not.
  6. The lady whose purse was stolen went to the police to report the crime but they ignored her.
  7. Jerome keen-eyed and alert caught the thief it was lucky for the lady that he saw the incident.
  8. Solutions cannot be found to many of our problems while the war continues to rage.
  9. Nations no longer declare war or wage war they declare or wage mutual suicide.
  10. Maria Jason and I gave the money credit cards and checks to them.
  11. Looking at the number of women's names in an encyclopedia gives an indication of women's place in history.
  12. The one thing never to forget is to hold your head high.
  13. Running along the street, he felt frozen but he knew that he must reach the doctor to save his mother's life.
  14. Analysts of the job market predict that there will be massive layoffs by the year 2000.
  15. Joan and Roger students in the class of 1980 are planning a reunion although they are not sure where to hold the event.
  16. Open the cabinet in the kitchen and take out a can of tuna for lunch.
  17. Talking on the phone is an art and I have learned to cultivate that pastime.
  18. Are you going to complete this exam in a timely fashion and more importantly have you followed all the directions carefully?
  19. I was reading at the kitchen table when the lights in the house went out.
  20. Television has been called the "boob tube" for years I wonder what the Internet will be called in the future.