by R. S. Karunaratne

Parts of speech

We use words to express our ideas. These words are divided into different groups according to the work they do in a sentence.

The term used for this division of words is called 'parts of speech'.

The parts of speech are eight in number: 1. Noun, 2. Adjective, 3. Pronoun, 4. Verb, 5. Adverb, 6. Preposition, 7. Conjunction, 8. Interjection.

1. Noun

The noun is a name of a person, place or thing.

Anusha is a beautiful girl. (person)

Sri Jayewardenepura is the capital of Sri Lanka. (place)

The rich man slept in a comfortable bed. (thing)

The Noun is further divided into four different groups.

(a) Proper Nouns

Proper Nouns are names of persons or places.

The Merchant of Venice was written by Shakespeare. (person)

Kolonna is a small town. (place)

According to rules of punctuation, Proper Nouns are always written with a capital letter.

(b) Common Nouns

A Common Noun is a name given in common to every person, animal or thing of the same kind.

Saratchchandra was a great writer. (person)

The dog is a four-footed animal. (animal)

Heat melts butter. (thing)

Common Nouns are further divided into Collective Nouns and Abstract Nouns.

(c) Collective Nouns

A Collective Noun is the name of a collection of persons or things taken together.

An army is a collection of soldiers.

A fleet is a collection of vehicles or ships.

A jury is a body of people giving a verdict in a court of law.

A parliament is an assembly that makes laws for a country

A mob is a disorderly crowd.

(d) Abstract Nouns

An Abstract Noun is the name of a quality, action or state. She was well-known for her

kindness. (quality)

Laughter is the best medicine. (action)

Sickness and death strike people at unexpected moments. (state)

Abstract Nouns can be made from Adjectives, Verbs and Common Nouns.

From Adjectives:

Adjective Abstract Noun
long length
young youth
cruel cruelty
bitter bitterness
ugly Ugliness
happy happiness
sad Sadness
crooked crookedness
True truth
short shortness

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From Verbs:

Verb Abstract Noun
laugh Laughter
obey obedience
live life
excel excellence
know knowledge
recognise recognition
disobey disobedience
sleep sleep
believe belief
serve service
hate hatred
please pleasure
act action
starve starvation

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From Common Nouns:

Common Noun Abstract Noun
king kingship
man manhood
thief theft
woman womanhood
bankrupt bankruptcy
girl girlhood
workman workmanship
president presidency
infant infancy
owner ownership
author authorship
regent regency
baby babyhood

(More next week)

Test your vocabulary

Here are 12 phrases with a word in bold type in each. Find the closest definition and underline it. Check your answers with the solution.

1. dishevelled appearance

(a) untidy (b) fierce (c) timid (d) sad

2. a baffling problem

(a) simple (b) puzzling (c) difficult (d) old

3. a cantankerous old man

(a) bad-tempered (b) happy (c) shy (d) sick

4. premium quality

(a) good (b) poor (c) very bad (d) very high

5. tawdry jewellery

(a) brilliant (b) badly made (c) gold (d) expensive

6. a country’s underbelly

(a) developed area (b) high ground (c) the weakest part (d) low-lying areas

7. in mellifluous tones

(a) sweet and smooth (b) loud (c) silent (d) rare

8. a murky night

(a) memorable (b) pleasant (c) violent (d) gloomy

9. a multilingual country

(a) prosperous (b) using many languager (c) developing (d) large

10. perjorative remarks

(a) expressing contempt (b) expressing satisfaction (c) serious (d) direct

11. a peerless performance

(a) substandard (b) brave (c) superior to all others (d) poor

12. a posthumous degree (a) postgraduate (b) honorary (c) first (d) received after one’s death

Solution: 1. (a), 2. (b), 3. (a), 4. (d), 5. (b), 6. (c), 7. (a), 8. (d), 9. (b), 10. (a), 11. (c), 12 (d).