7.2 Parts of Speech and Correct Word Usage

Parts of Speech and Correct Word Usage

An essential aspect of the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment is the ability to identify the parts of speech and recognize their correct usage. Paraprofessionals frequently support students in developing vocabulary, classifying words, and constructing sentences. Additionally, understanding the placement of modifiers and knowing how to distinguish between commonly confused words (homophones) are critical skills evaluated on the exam.

Overview of the Eight Parts of Speech

To teach and evaluate writing, you must be familiar with the eight fundamental parts of speech:

1. Nouns: A noun represents a person, place, thing, or idea.

   • Common vs. Proper: A common noun is general (school, teacher), while a proper noun is specific and capitalized (Oak Creek Elementary, Mrs. Smith).
   • Abstract Nouns: These represent concepts or feelings that cannot be experienced physically (courage, knowledge, patience).

2. Pronouns: A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition.

   • Personal Pronouns: Refer to specific people or things (I, you, he, she, it, they, we, us, them).
   • Demonstrative Pronouns: Point to specific things (this, that, these, those).
   • Relative Pronouns: Introduce subordinate clauses (who, whom, which, that, whose).

3. Verbs: A verb expresses an action (run, write), an occurrence (happen), or a state of being (is, are, was, seem).

   • Action Verbs: Describe physical or mental actions (students read, the boy thought).
   • Linking Verbs: Connect the subject to a word that describes or identifies it (The classroom is warm, She feels happy).
   • Helping (Auxiliary) Verbs: Work with a main verb to express tense or voice (has completed, is running, will write).

4. Adjectives: An adjective modifies (describes or limits) a noun or pronoun. It answers questions like which one?, what kind?, or how many?.

   • Example: 'The diligent student finished the difficult puzzle.' (Both bolded words are adjectives modifying the nouns student and puzzle).

5. Adverbs: An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It often answers how?, when?, where?, or to what extent?. Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all.

   • Example modifying a verb: 'She read the passage slowly.' (How did she read?).
   • Example modifying an adjective: 'The classroom was extremely quiet.' (To what extent was it quiet?).
   • Example modifying another adverb: 'He finished the test very quickly.' (How quickly?).

6. Prepositions: A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence. It shows relationships of time, space, or direction.

   • Examples: in, on, under, through, between, during, before, after, to, from.
   • Example: 'The textbook is on the desk under the papers.'

7. Conjunctions: A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses together.

   • Coordinating Conjunctions: Join elements of equal grammatical rank (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
   • Subordinating Conjunctions: Join a dependent clause to an independent clause (because, although, since, if).
   • Correlative Conjunctions: Pairs of conjunctions that work together (either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also).

8. Interjections: An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses sudden or strong emotion. It stands grammatically independent of the sentence.

   • Example: 'Ouch! That pencil point is sharp.' OR 'Wow, you did a wonderful job!'

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Commonly Confused Words (Homophones)

Homophones are words that sound identical or very similar but have different spellings, meanings, and grammatical functions. The GACE exam frequently tests these pairs to ensure you can detect usage errors.

There, Their, and They're

• There: Indicates a place or points to the existence of something.
  • Example: 'Put the books over there.' OR 'There is a new student in class.'
• Their: A possessive pronoun showing ownership by a group.
  • Example: 'The students finished their projects.'
• They're: A contraction for "they are."
  • Example: 'They're going on a field trip tomorrow.'

Its and It's

• Its: A possessive pronoun showing ownership by a singular non-human entity (no apostrophe!).
  • Example: 'The dog wagged its tail.'
• It's: A contraction for "it is" or "it has."
  • Example: 'It's a beautiful day outside.' OR 'It's been a busy afternoon.'

To, Too, and Two

• To: A preposition showing direction, or part of an infinitive verb.
  • Example: 'Walk to the whiteboard.' OR 'I want to read.'
• Too: Means "also" or "excessively."
  • Example: 'Can I go, too?' OR 'This math problem is too difficult.'
• Two: The number 2.
  • Example: 'Please pick two partners.'

Affect and Effect

• Affect: Usually a verb meaning to influence or produce a change in.
  • Example: 'How will the rain affect our recess plans?'
• Effect: Usually a noun meaning a result, consequence, or outcome.
  • Example: 'The new school rule had a positive effect on student behavior.'
  • Tip: Think of RAVEN: Remember: Affect is a Verb, Effect is a Noun.

Accept and Except

• Accept: A verb meaning to receive or agree to.
  • Example: 'Please accept this award.'
• Except: A preposition meaning excluding or leaving out.
  • Example: 'Everyone is going on the trip except Jason.'

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Modifier Placement: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes or adds detail to another part of the sentence. To avoid confusion, a modifier must be placed as close as possible to the word it describes.

Misplaced Modifiers

A misplaced modifier is positioned too far from the word it modifies, making the sentence sound awkward, confusing, or unintentionally humorous.

• Incorrect: 'The teacher served pizza to the students on paper plates.' (Are the students on paper plates? The phrase on paper plates is misplaced).
• Correct: 'The teacher served pizza on paper plates to the students.'

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier occurs when the word or phrase being described is missing from the sentence entirely. This often happens at the beginning of sentences containing introductory participle phrases.

• Incorrect: 'Walking to class, the fire alarm started ringing.' (The phrase Walking to class is dangling. The fire alarm was not walking to class).
• Correct: 'While the students were walking to class, the fire alarm started ringing.'
• Incorrect: 'To pass the exam, study hours are necessary.' (Who is studying? The study hours aren't passing the exam).
• Correct: 'To pass the exam, you must study for several hours.'

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Worked Examples

Example 1: Homophone Correction

• Original: 'Its clear that they're parents want to support the school.'
• Analysis: Its is a possessive, but the sentence requires the contraction It is (It's). They're is a contraction for they are, but the sentence requires the possessive pronoun their to modify parents.
• Correction: 'It's clear that their parents want to support the school.'

Example 2: Modifier Correction

• Original: 'Having finished the reading assignment, the teacher turned off the lights.'
• Analysis: The phrase Having finished the reading assignment is dangling because it seems to modify the teacher. However, it was the students who finished the assignment.
• Correction: 'Having finished their reading assignment, the students watched as the teacher turned off the lights.' OR 'After the students finished the reading assignment, the teacher turned off the lights.'

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Exam Traps and Classroom Connections

A common GACE trap is confusing adjectives and adverbs. For example, the test might present a sentence like "She did good on the test." Here, good is an adjective modifying a noun, but the sentence requires the adverb well to modify the verb did.

• Incorrect: 'He speaks Spanish very clear.' (clear is an adjective).
• Correct: 'He speaks Spanish very clearly.' (clearly is an adverb modifying the verb speaks).

Classroom Application: When helping a student choose between homophones, encourage them to substitute the full words. For example, if a student writes "their going to the gym," ask: "Does 'they are going to the gym' make sense? If yes, then the spelling should be 'they're'."