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Back to word classes
not verbs: complaint, eater, forgetful
V - verbs: arrived, was, called, barking
c - conjunctions: when, because
NounsYes they are correct - a singular collective noun is normally treated like any other singular noun. The verb agrees with the single subject.
Yes they are correct. When the writer wants to stress the individual members of the group, it is possible to treat the collective noun as a plural. The noun is treated as a plural and the verb form is plural.
This is a singular non-collective noun.
This is a singular collective noun.
This is a plural non-collective noun.
This is a plural collective noun.
Verbspresent participle: laughing, walking
infinitive with to: to go, to spend
bare infinitive, without to: go, spend
past participle: opened, finished
This is a verb but not an auxiliary verb.
This verb is part of a verb chain.
This verb is not part of a verb chain.
This is an ordinary, non-modal, auxiliary verb.
This is a modal auxiliary verb.
Adjectives
This is a noun modified by an adjective.
This is not a noun modified by an adjective.
Adverbs... they travelled slowly - The adverb modifies the verb. How did they travel?
Crocodiles can be very gentle. The adverb modifies the adjective. How gentle can a crocodile be?
We had an amazingly good time. - The adverb modifies the adjective. How good?
It’s just above the horizon. - The adverb modifies the preposition. How far above?
We meet quite often. - The adverb quite modifies the other adverb often. How often?
Originally the book must have been bought in the shop.
The book originally must have been bought in the shop.
The book must originally have been bought in the shop.
The book must have originally been bought in the shop.
The book must have been originally bought in the shop.
The book must have been bought originally in the shop.
The book must have been bought in the shop originally.
Either is an adverb in sentences like I don't like it either, but in our example it is paired with the conjunction or so it may be best to treat it as a special kind of conjunction.
Up could possibly be classified as an adverb, but it is often used as a preposition (up the hill) and like a number of other prepositions it is often paired with a verb in idiomatic pairs like blow up so it may be better to treat it as a special kind of preposition.
Yes, this verb is modified by an adverb. You might also say that the adverb modifies the verb chain containing this verb, or even the clause or sentence containing it, but the main point is that this verb's meaning is affected by the adverb.
No, this verb is not modified by an adverb. (If the verb is blown, whether or not it is modified by an adverb depends on how we classify either and up.)
Before (which may also be used as a preposition: before now) modifies all or any of the verbs in the chain have been camping.
So is hard to separate from far and it may not make sense nowadays to separate them. If we do treat them separately, so modifies far, as in so near.
Far (or so far) modifies it modifies have lost (or just have).
PronounsNo, this word is not a pronoun.
This is a demonstrative pronoun.
You refers to people in general.
This word is not a preposition.
To is not a preposition when it is combined with an infinitive as in to pick. It is a matter of debate how it should be classified, but although it used to be a preposition it certainly is not one now.
Until can be used as a preposition (until Christmas) but here it is a subordinating conjunction introducing a subordinate clause until one day they saw an egg hatching ....... finally I came to a story about a fig-tree. This fig-tree grew on a green lawn between the house of a Jewish man and a convent, and the Jewish man and a beautiful dark nun kept meeting at the tree to pick the ripe figs, until one day they saw an egg hatching in a bird's nest on a branch of the tree ...
About modifies (a) story, and its object is a fig-tree.
On modifies grew and its object is a green lawn between the house of a Jewish man and a convent.
Of modifies (the) house, and its object is a Jewish man. (NB Its object does not include a convent, which is part of the object of between: between the house ... and the convent.)
In modifies hatching and its object is a bird's nest on a branch of the tree.
Determiners
This word is not a determiner.
All is a difficult word to classify in examples like this: all of the ..., where it is modified by a preposition of. It could be classified as either a determiner or a pronoun.
ConjunctionsThis word is a subordinating conjunction.
This word is a co-ordinating conjunction.
This word is not a conjunction.
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