Identifying the Parts of Speech

A. Tell whether each italicized word in the following paragraph is used

as a noun, pronoun, adjective, verb or adverb. If the word is used as
an adjective or an adverb, give the word or words it modifies.
EXAMPLES I consider my aunt Laurette [1] one of my [2] best friends.
1. one—pronoun
2. best—adjective—friends

My aunt Laurette is just about the nicest [1] grown-up [2] that I know. I do [3]
not get to see her [4] very often because she [5] works in Chicago, but when she
comes [6] here to visit, I’m in heaven. [7] What do I like about her? For one thing,
we share [8] many interests—both of us play the piano, [9] sew our own clothes,
and love to make [10] puns. She is also a sympathetic listener and lets me tell about
[11] myself without interrupting or criticizing me. Aunt Laurette shares [12] her
own [13] career stories with me, and sometimes she even asks me for [14] some
advice. A day with Aunt Laurette [15] is sometimes silly and sometimes [16]
serious, but it’s always a delight. I [17] always feel relaxed with my aunt Laurette.
She’s living proof that a person [18] can go through adolescence and [19] still
emerge as a happy, [20] highly competent adult!

B. Identify the part of speech of each italicized word or word group in

the following paragraphs.

EXAMPLE Playing on the radio was a [1] piano sonata by Beethoven.

1. piano—adjective

Suddenly the radio announcer interrupted the [1] musical selection. “A [2]
funnel cloud [3] has been sighted. [4] All people should take immediate [5]
precautions!” [6] Those were the [7] last words Denise Moore heard [8] before the
electricity went off and the [9] terrible roar came closer. [10] She and her two
children [11] ran to the basement [12] quickly. When they [13] emerged forty-five
minutes later, [14] they weren’t sure what they might see. [15] Oh, the terrible
wind had [16] truly per-formed freakish tricks! It had driven a fork [17] into a
brick up to the handle. It had sucked the [18] wallpaper from a living room wall
[19] but had left the picture hanging [20] there intact. It [21] had driven a blade
of grass into a neighbor’s [22] back. Nevertheless, the citizens of the [23] town
considered [24] themselves lucky because
[25] no one had been seriously injured.

C. Identify each italicized word in the following paragraph as a noun, a

pronoun, an adjective, a verb, an adverb, a preposition, a conjunction,
or an interjection.

Our English teacher gave us an [1] unusual writing assignment. He asked [2]
each of us to rewrite a well-known [3] saying. [4] Although the sentences we
wrote were quite [5] unfamiliar, we all knew the proverbs. [6] These are some
examples of our work:
a. The feathered, egg-laying animal that is [7] among the first to rise
invariably [8] captures the small, [9] elongated, and legless creature.
b. A person will not be able to retain possession of his or her sweet, baked
[10] batter and devour [11] it also.
c. [12] Never place your total [13] number of small, oval objects that are laid
by female birds [14] into a single receptacle made of woven material.
[15] If these sentences [16] sound strange, read the original versions.
a. The early bird catches the worm.
b. You can’t have your cake [17] and eat it, too.
c. Don’t put [18] all of your eggs in one basket.
[19] Well, the originals sound [20] much better!