Learning the names and functions of the traditional parts of speech probably won't make you a better writer. But you will gain a basic understanding of the English language, which will help you follow the other lessons here at About.com Grammar and Composition. And those lessons will help you to improve your writing.
One of the keys to good writing is understanding the countless ways in which basic sentence structures can be combined and arranged. Let's begin, then, by identifying those basic sentence structures and considering how to use them effectively.
Sentence combining calls on you to experiment with different ways of developing sentences and paragraphs. A detailed knowledge of formal grammar isn't required to complete these exercises.
How to organize paragraphs into various kinds of essays:Those that explain, compare, analyze, classify, and argue. Our goal is to create informative and persuasive compositions that keep our readers interested.
One of the most effective ways to improve our own writing is to spend time reading the best writing of others. Also, learn more about grammar and composition from the best reference works, online writing labs, ESL sites, editors' blogs, Q&A pages, and much more.
Style and rhetoric are ancient arts--of persuasion, expression, and effective communication--that are just as valuable to writers today as they were to students in ancient Greece and Rome.
This is a summary of the 8 parts of speech*. You can find more detail if you click on each part of speech.
part of speech function
1. Noun thing or person pen, dog, work, music, town, London, teacher, John This is my dog. He lives in my house. We live in London 2. Pronoun replaces a noun I, you, he, she, some Tara is Indian. She is beautiful
3. Adjective describes a noun a/an, the, 69, some, good, big, red, interesting My dog is big. I like big dogs
4. Verb action or state be, have, do, like, work, sing, can, must
5. Adverb describes a verb, adjective or adverb quickly, silently, well, badly, very, really My dog eats quickly. When he isvery hungry, he eats really quickly
6. Preposition links a noun to another word to, at, after, on, but We went to school on Monday
7. Conjunction joins clauses or sentences or words and, but, when I like dogs and I like cats. I like cats and dogs. I like dogs but I don't like cats.
8. Interjection short exclamation,sometimes inserted into a sentence oh!, ouch!, hi! Ouch! That hurts! Hi! How are you? :