WORD CLASSIFICATION The Kinds of Words In doing the work outlined thus far, the children have acquired considerable resources in vocabulary. They have seen all the articles, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, many of the adverbs; and they know many nouns, adjectives, and verbs, which will be increased in number as their culture is widened. They know something also of the use of the parts of speech and their functions in the expression of thought. This is the natural place for a classification in retrospect of those words which the children have in writing before them on the cards and slips of different colors. Separate tables should be used for these exercises in word grouping. This new step is preparatory to a theoretical study of language to be developed in later courses in the second period of their education. WORDS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO FORMATION Root | | words | Derived[3] | | Compound[4] | |
CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS ACCORDING TO INFLECTION There are two kinds of words, thus considered: variable and invariable: INVARIABLES: | | preposition conjunction interjection | | They may be simple or compound, made up, that is, of one word or more. | VARIABLES: | | in gender and number | | nouns | | may be of masculine, feminine, neuter or common gender. form their plurals by adding -s or by changing the root vowel (umlaut) | in gender, number person and case | | pronouns | | have special words for each form: e.g. he, him, who, whom, I, me, etc. | in degree | | adjectives adverbs | | -er for comparative -est for superlative | in person, number, tense and mood | | verbs | | show third person singular by adding -s, and old second person singular by adding -st show moods by adding -ing, -ed or by vowel change for participles: or by special forms (I be, he be, etc.) for subjunctive. show tense by suffix -ed, -t: or by vowel change (I go, I went). show irregular forms. | for phonetic reasons | | definitearticle indefinite | | the has two pronunciations according to the following word. a becomes an before a vowel. | CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS ACCORDING TO THEIR USE (Parts of Speech) Article | Verb | Pronoun | Noun | Adverb | Conjunction | Adjective | Preposition | Interjection | Note: In actual usage the parts of speech perform not only their own functions, but also the functions of other parts of speech, for instance, the adjective, verb, adverb, conjunction, etc., may be used as nouns. The participles, etc., may be used as adjectives, or as clauses, etc. THE NOUN Proper | Common | Concrete | Abstract | Collective | Individual | THE ARTICLE Definite—the Indefinite—a, an THE ADJECTIVE Descriptive: Properties, qualities of things and living beings. Quantitative: | | Definite (numeral) | | cardinal: one, two, three, four, etc. ordinal: first, second, third, fourth, last, etc. multiple: single, double, triple, quadruple, etc. fractional: half, third, etc. | Indefinite | | many, all, some, much, enough, no, more, most, other, little, few, whatever, each, every, certain, several, somewhat, etc. | Demonstrative (position in space): this, that, these, those, such, same. Possessive: my, thy, his, her, its, our, your, their. Interrogative: what? which? VERB The verb indicates: existence: to be. state or condition: nominal predicate (copular): e.g., She is beautiful. action: verbal predicate: e.g., I run. Transitive (action upon an object different from subject) | | lay, throw, toss, hurl, roll, raise, lower, attach, touch, tie, cover, uncover, undo, invert, rub, spread, collect, scatter, sprinkle, stir, beat, mix, dissolve, flavor, arrange, clean, dust, sweep, button, lace, hook, brush, wash, wipe, embrace, etc., etc. | Intransitive (action remains in subject) | | grow, die, smile, laugh, stare, walk, stagger, march, sing, whistle, speak, hum, dance, shout, dine, bark, think, burst, blossom, remain, stand, rise, go, run, breathe, sigh, hesitate, weep, sleep, etc., etc. |
Note: Certain verbs may be by nature both transitive and intransitive (incomplete predication). Impersonals (the subject is it without reference to a specific object): | | rain, snow, hail, dawn, lighten, thunder, etc. | ADVERBS ofManner: | | slowly, rapidly, silently, noisily, abruptly, loudly, strongly, weakly, moderately, well, ill, better, worse, otherwise, differently, thus, so, lightly, heavily, etc., etc. | ofPlace: | | here, there, elsewhere, up, down, forward, backward, upstairs, downstairs, etc., etc. | ofTime: | | always, ever, never, again, still, yesterday, tomorrow,today, now, occasionally, before, afterwards, soon, etc., etc. | ofQuantity: | | much, little, enough, nothing, more, less, least, most, about, only, too, very, etc. | ofComparison: | | more, less, than, etc. | ofAffirmation: | | yes, certainly, precisely, indeed, surely, assuredly, truly, even, etc. | ofNegation: | | no, never, not, at all, etc. | ofDoubt: | | perhaps, perchance, almost, probably, etc. | PREPOSITION Simple: | | of, to, by, from, in, with, on, among, above, through, under, around, beside, behind, save, except, near, next, like, during, off, etc. | Compound (preposition phrases): in place of, out of, away from, as to, on board, with regard to, etc. PRONOUN Personal: | | subject: | | I, thou, he, she, it, we, you, they | object: | | me, thee, him, her, it, us, you, them | Demonstrative: | | definite: | | this, this one, that, that one, these, those | indefinite: | | one, ones, some, somebody, everyone, each, each one, no one, nobody, none, nothing, etc. | Relative: | | of person: | | subject: who, that possessive: whose object: whom, that | of thing: which, that | indefinite: whoever, which ever | compound (antecedent understood): what (that which), whereof, wherewith, etc. | Interrogative: | | of person: | | who whose whom which | of thing: | | what which | Possessive: mine, yours (thine), his, hers, ours, yours, theirs. CONJUNCTION Disjunctive: or, or else, otherwise, rather. Copulative: and, also, too, besides, moreover, further, furthermore, nor, etc. Adversative: but, nevertheless, notwithstanding, yet, still, while, however, only, on the contrary, instead, etc. Declarative: namely, in other words, that is, etc. Relative: that. Illative: hence, therefore, wherefore, then, accordingly, so, with the result that, etc. Temporal: while, when, as soon as, after, before, until, till, hardly, etc. Concessive: though, although, even if. Purpose (Final): that, in order that, to the end that, etc. Conditional: if, unless, provided, provided that, etc. Causal: as, because, for, since, seeing that, etc. Result: that, so that, etc. Locative: where, whence, whither, whereto, wherefrom, etc. Degree and Comparison: as, than. INTERJECTION See list already given on pp. 122-123.
|
|