correct-writing

lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -1- lesson 1 The Parts of Speech 1 Nouns 2 Pronouns 3 Adjectives 4 Verbs 5 Adverbs 6 Prepositions 7 Conjunctions 8 Absolute Expressions lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -2- NOUNS The sentence is the basic unit of discourse - either written or spoken. Sentences are made up of words, and words have dif- ferent functions to perform. And on the basis of the different functions to perform, words are grouped into different parts of speech. In other words, words in a sentence do not come together in a haphazard way or manner, in fact, they are arranged together according to certain syntactic rules. It then follows that a good knowledge of different parts of speech and different functions they perform will help us to produce correct sentences, either written or spoken. On the basis of the various functions they perform, words are separated into 8 parts of speech as follows: (1) nouns (2) pronouns (3) adjectives (4) verbs (5) adverbs (6) prepositions (7) conjunctions (8) absolute expressions I. N OUNS A noun is a word that names a person, a thing or a place. A. C OMMON N OUNS AND P ROPER N OUNS Nouns generally fall into two general classifications: common nouns and proper nouns A common noun names any one of a class of people, things or place. lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -3- NOUNS A doctor A house A park A proper noun (always capitalized) names a particular person, thing or place. Washington DC * United Kingdom * J.F. Kennedy B. C ONCRETE N OUNS A ND A BSTRACT N OUNS Nouns are further divided into concrete nouns and abstract nouns. A concrete noun names an object normally found in nat- ural world. The jar of fruits and vegetables are stored in the cupboard. An abstract noun names an idea, a quality or an action. Happiness, democracy, loneliness, heaven, hell, patience, kind- ness, skiing, learning English etc. Tư do va cöng băng la nhưng cơ sơ ₫ï̉ xêy dưng nï̀n dên chu. X Freedom and equality are the bases on which a democracy is built. Tònh ban cua chung töi băt ₫ều tư thơi trung hoc. X Our friendship began in high school. Tiḯng chim hot lam töi thưc giếc. X The singing of a bird in the garden woke me up. C. C OLLECTIVE N OUNS A collective noun names a group of collection of people or things regarded as a single unit. Family / committee / team / jury / crowd / assembly / meeting / crew / faculty etc. Gia ₫ònh chung töi dư ₫ịnh don ₫i Đa lat. X Our family is planning to move to Dalat. Uy ban hop măt ba lền möt tuền. lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -4- NOUNS X The district committee meets three times a week. Đöi banh cua chung ta tö́i nay bay vï̀ nươc. X Our team is flying home tonight. Bö̀i thểm ₫oan cho răng bị cao co töi. X The jury has declared/found the defendant guilty. NOTE D. S INGULAR N OUNS A ND P LURAL N OUNS Nouns may be singular or plural in number Cat - cats Man - men Child - Children Woman - women E. N OMINATIVE - O BJECTIVE - P OSSESSIVE C ASE Nouns may be in nominative case, objective case or possessive case. Her mother's worries The mother's worries The child's mother The children' mother(s) Mary and John's car (Marry and John share the same car) Mary's and John's car When refer to a group as a single unit, verbs used with them must be singular in number. lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -5- PRONOUNS II. P RONOUNS WHAT IS A PRONOUN? Pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun. The noun for which a pronoun is used is called the antecedent of the pronoun. X In the winter of wet years, the streams ran full-freshet, and they swelled the river until sometimes it raged and boiled . (John Steinbeck, East of Eden) X The Salinas Valley is in South California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay. On the basis of the forms and functions, pronouns are classified as: (1) Personal Pronoun (2) Relative Pronoun (3) Interrogative Pronoun (4) Demonstrative Pronoun (5) Emphasizing Pronoun (6) Reflexive Pronoun (7) Reciprocal Pronoun (8) Indefinite Pronoun A. P ERSONAL P RONOUNS A personal pronoun is a direct substitute for a noun. It usually indicates a person, a thing, or a place. PERSON NOMINATIVE CASE POSSESSIVE CASE OBJECTIVE CASE 1st I My Me SINGULAR 2nd You Yours You 3rd He/She/It His/Hers/Its Him/Her/It lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -6- PRONOUNS Giưa töi va cö ta khöng con gò nưa. X There is nothing left between her and me . B. R ELATIVE P RONOUNS A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a dependent clause which normally functions as an adjective. The most com- mon relative pronouns are: WHO, WHOM, WHICH and THAT. We need to learn also the emphatic form: WHOEVER, WHOMEVER, WHICHEVER, and WHATEVER. Ngươi yïu töi bêy giơ cach xa ngan dăm. X The woman/man (whom) I love is now a thousand miles away. X The man who loves me is now a thousand miles away. Ba töi, ngươi töi ₫a thương yïu va kñnh phuc suö́t ₫ơi, nay ₫a gền 60 tuö̉i. X My father, whom I have loved and admired all my life, is now almost 60. Bết cư ₫öi nao bị ₫a bai trong bết cư vong nao trư vong chung kḯt phai vï̀ nươc trong vong 24 giơ. X Any team which is defeated in any round except the finals is to leave for home in 24 hours. NOTE PLURAL 1st We Our Us 2nd You Yours You 3rd They Their Them * When a clause functions as an adjective, it may be defining or non-defining. * THAT is used to refer to both people and thing and is never used in non-defining clause. * WHOM, WHICH and THAT can be omitted when they functions as object in defining clause only. * WHICH is usually used to stand for a collective noun. lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -7- PRONOUNS C. I NTERROGATIVE P RONOUNS An interrogative pronoun is used to introduce a question or a dependent clause. The most common interrogative pronouns are WHO, WHOM, WHAT and WHICH. The emphatic forms are WHOEVER, WHATEVER and WHICHEVER. Who was the first to explore the Lang Biang highlands? X Doctor Yersin was. Who was the first to set foot on the moon? X Louis Armstrong was. What are you going to do after leaving college? X I will start my own business. Whom should I marry? X Marry which of them who loves you the most. What did you do it with? X I did it with a knife. What time is it? X It’s half past nine. What is there in your hand? X My future. D. D EMONSTRATIVE P RONOUNS A demonstrative pronoun points out or identifies a place, a per- son or a thing. The common demonstrative pronouns are THIS, THAT, THESE and THOSE. Đêy la nhưng ngươi hang xom cua töi. X These are our neighbors. Đêy chñnh la cai töi muö́n. X This is exactly what I need/want/wish for. Đêy chñnh la vến ₫ï̀ kho khăn cua töi hiïn nay. X That is my problem at present. lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -8- PRONOUNS NOTE Nhưng ngươi nay vưa mơi don ₫ḯn. X These people have just moved in. Töi muö́n cai nay. X I want this one. Chung ta nïn cö́ găng giai quyḯt vến ₫ï̀ ₫o. X We should try to solve that problem Khi co thơi gian, töi se ban vơi anh vï̀ vến ₫ï̀ nay. X When there is time, then I will discuss this issue with you. E. E MPHASIZING (I NTENSIVE ) P RONOUNS An emphasizing pronoun is used to give emphasis to a noun or another pronoun. NOTE Myself / Himself / Herself / Itself / Yourself / Ourselves / Them- selves / Yourselves Chñnh töi ₫a viḯt thư nay cho cö ta. X I myself wrote her this letter. Chñnh öng thềy ₫ang trach trong viïc nay. X The teacher himself is to blame in this case. Chñnh hăn ta quyḯt ₫ịnh khöng lếy cö ta. X He himself has decided not to marry her. F. R EFLEXIVE P RONOUNS A reflexive pronoun refers to the subject of the sentence in which it appears: MYSELF ; YOURSELF ; HIMSELF ; HER- * When they modify nouns, they become adjectives called demonstrative adjectives. * These pronouns should be placed right after the noun or pronoun they emphasize and may be omitted. lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -9- PRONOUNS SELF ; ITSELF ; OURSELVES; YOURSELVES ; THEM- SELVES Em chăng yïu anh ty nao; em chỉ yïu em ma thöi. X You don't love me at all; you love yourself only. Chung ta phai yïu chñnh chung ta ₫ï̉ co thï̉ thưc sư yïu thương ngươi khac. X We must learn to be kind to ourselves to be really kind to oth- ers. Cö ta nhòn mònh trong gương va mĩm cươi. X She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Dong söng tan pha ₫ết ₫ai cua cac nöng trai ven bơ, cươp ₫i ca hecta ₫ết; giêt nga nha cưa, chuö̀ng trai rö̀i cuö́n chung ₫i, nhếp nhö xa tñt . X The river tore the edges of the farm lands and washed whole acres down; it toppled barns and houses into itself , to go float- ing and bobbing away. (John Steinbeck, East of Eden) Hăn thò thềm vơi chñnh mònh băng möt giong khan khan . X He whispered hoarsely to himself . “Ta co cai gò trong tui vêy?” Bilbo buöt miïng thö́t lïn. Thêt ra, hăn ₫ang noi vơi chñnh hăn, nhưng Gollum lai cho ₫o la möt cêu ₫ö́ X ‘What I have in my pocket?’ Bilbo said aloud. He was talking to himself , but Gollum thought it was a riddle . (Tolkien, The Hobbit) NOTE G. 1 I NDEFINITE P RONOUNS An indefinite pronoun refers to a person, a place or a thing gen- erally rather than specifically. ANYTHING, ANYONE, ANYBODY, ANY PLACE, EVERY THING, EVERY ONE, EVERYBODY, EVERY PLACE, * Reflexive pronouns are used as the object of a verb or the object of a preposition and can not be omitted 1. INDEFINITE / in&defInBt / lesson 1 - The Parts of Speech -10- ADJECTIVE SOMETHING, SOMEONE, SOMEBODY, SOME PLACE, NOBODY, NOTHING, ALL, MANY, FEW, SEVERAL, BOTH, EACH, EITHER, NEITHER Ca hai ưng viïn ₫ï̉u ₫u tiïu chuển. X Either of the applicants is qualified for the job. Ca hai ưng viïn ₫ï̀u khöng ₫u tiïu chuển. X Neither of the applicants is qualified for the job. Ca hai giai phap ₫ï̀u tö́t. X Either of the solutions is satisfactory. Ca hai giai phap ₫ï̀u khöng tö́t. X Neither of the solutions is satisfactory. As demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns can be used as adjectives which modify nouns. Chuyḯn ₫i co thï̉ mết tư 5-7 ngay. X The trip may take several days. H. 1 R ECIPROCAL P RONOUNS In formal writing EACH OTHER refers to two persons, and ONE ANOTHER refers to more than two persons. But there is a tendency in modern English to use EACH OTHER for both cases. Töi va Marry biḯt nhau suö́t ₫ơi. X Mary and I have known each other all our lives. Cac con a, cö́ găng yïu thương va săn soc lễn nhau sau khi bö́ chḯt ₫i. X Children, try to love and take care of one anothe r after I die. III. A DJECTIVE An adjective is a word that modifies or adds to the meaning of a noun or pronoun. 1. RECIPROCAL / rI&sIprBkl / 123doc.vn