Parts of Speech Flashcards

Which word functions as a relative pronoun in 'The book that I borrowed was excellent'?

Answer: that

'That' introduces a relative clause modifying 'book,' making it a relative pronoun.

In 'He is a fast runner and runs fast,' what is the difference between the two uses of 'fast'?

Answer: First is adjective, second is adverb

In 'fast runner,' 'fast' modifies the noun 'runner' (adjective); in 'runs fast,' it modifies the verb 'runs' (adverb).

What part of speech is 'however' in 'It was raining; however, we continued'?

Answer: Conjunctive adverb

'However' connects two independent clauses and can be moved within the second clause, marking it as a conjunctive adverb.

A TEFL student asks why 'police' takes a plural verb ('The police are here'). The best explanation involves which concept?

Answer: Collective noun treated as plural in British English

'Police' is a collective noun that in British (and often American) English refers to multiple officers, so it takes a plural verb.

Which sentence contains a participial phrase functioning as an adjective?

Answer: Exhausted by the race, he sat down.

'Exhausted by the race' is a participial phrase modifying 'he,' functioning as an adjective.

In teaching parts of speech, a TEFL teacher says 'Every sentence must have these two core parts of speech.' Which pair is meant?

Answer: Noun (or pronoun) and verb

A grammatical sentence requires a subject (noun/pronoun) and a predicate (verb) at its core.

What is the part of speech of 'to' in 'She wants to sing'?

Answer: Infinitive marker

When 'to' precedes a base verb to form an infinitive ('to sing'), it acts as an infinitive marker, not a preposition.