Still on parts
Natasha Thomas-Francis, Contributor

Hello, once again! I hope that you have done the homework I gave to you last week. Please check your answers with mine:

1. People must pay taxes if their earnings exceed a specified amount.
(third person plural, possessive).

2. When the accused was confronted with the evidence, he confessed.
(third person singular, personal)

3. Despite his active involvement in co-curricular activities, Jeremy still maintained an A average.
(third person singular, possessive)

4. Ours is the red car behind the blue one.
(first person plural, possessive)

5. We moved to Trelawny two years ago.
(first person plural, personal)

6. Please fasten your seat belt.
(second person plural, possessive)

7. Dogs pant because they do not perspire like us humans.
(third person plural, personal)

8. I am amazed at how fast Usain Bolt can run!
(first person singular, personal)

Today, we continue our lesson on parts of speech by looking at the following:

• Verbs
• Adjectives
• Adverbs

Verbs

I am sure that when you were in primary school, your teacher told you that a verb expresses an action; it is a 'doing' word. I want to add, though, that a verb also expresses a state of being and is necessary to make a statement. For example, in the sentence 'Shelly-Ann won the 100m race in Berlin', 'won' is the verb (it is expresses an action). Additionally, in the sentence 'Michael is an expert', the word 'is' is also a verb (it expresses a state of being).

There are, therefore, two main types of verbs: action verbs and linking verbs.

An action verb tells what someone or something does. This verb can express action that is either physical or mental. For example,

• The choir sang the new song.
  (physical action)
• The audience liked the new song.
  (mental action)

A linking verb joins the subject of a sentence (often a noun or pronoun) with a noun, a pronoun or an adjective that identifies or describes the subject. (Remember that a linking verb does not show action). Take a look at some examples:

• Mr Francis is a teacher of mathematics. (verb links to a noun)
• This month has been rainy.
  (verb links to an adjective)
• These flowers are rare.

Adjective

Last week I presented a lesson on nouns and pronouns. In this section of today's lesson, you will see how these parts of speech can be enhanced by the use of adjectives.

So, what is an adjective? An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun by specifying its meaning.

The description of an adjective answers one of the following questions:

• What kind?
  purple dress
  new car

• Which one?
  second attempt
  last door

• How many?
  thirty pages
  several improvements

• How much?
  any trouble
  some sand

Please note that two verb forms can also act as adjectives: the present participle, which ends in -ing, and the past participle, which ends in -ed, or is irregularly formed. For example:

A dancing clown

The crumpled paper

A broken dish

Here is an activity to reinforce what you have learnt so far. For each sentence below, underline the adjective and circle the word it modifies (ie the noun or pronoun):

1. The apple pie is delicious.

2. Several large trees fell in the storm.

3. Quiet music is soothing to babies.

4. A talented hairstylist will never be out of a job.

5. The flowers in Mrs Brown's garden are beautiful.

Adverbs

Earlier, you learnt about the verb and the adjective. The adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb by making its meaning more specific. For example:

• Modifying a verb
  Usain Bolt ran quickly towards the finish line. (The word 'quickly' modifies the verb 'ran').

• Modifying adjectives
  Shelly-Ann is a very talented athlete.
  (The word 'very' modifies the adjective 'talented').

• Modifying adverbs
  Asafa almost always runs quite fast.
  (The words 'almost' and 'quite' modify the adverbs 'always' and 'fast', respectively).

A final point that you should know about the adverb is that it tells when, where, how and to what degree. For example:

• When

I got your letter earlier.

• Where

The driver turned left.

• How

Play your music softly and sweetly

To what degree

• This chair has been dangerously placed here.

I have one final activity for you this week. For each of the following sentences, underline the adverb and circle the word it modifies (ie, the verb, adjective or another pronoun):

1. Samoya often shops at the mall.

2. Please set the table properly.

3. The air conditioner is barely working.

4. In the summer, the grass grows too quickly.

5. Peter is an unusually good driver.

In next week's lesson we will finish our discussion on parts of speech by looking at prepositions and conjunctions. Remember to do both activities I have given to you in this lesson and you can compare your answers with mine in next week's lesson.

Until then, be good and remember to place God at the forefront of everything you do! Blessings!

Sashane Stewart (left) and Claudia Scott, past students of St Jago High, help remove garbage near the roadway during National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) International Coastal Clean-up Day at the Half Moon Bay beach in Hellshire, Portmore, St Catherine, on September 19. More than 200 persons, drawn from church groups, schools, environmental clubs and organisations, volunteered their services in the four-hour exercise. - Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer