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Parts of Speech

The main parts of speech explain the ways words can be used in dif ferent ways. Every word

functions as at least one part of speech; many words can serve as two or more parts of speech,

dependi ng on how they are used.

mnt m @v nqc nq ogq rd sg`s ml dr ` odqrnm+ok bd+sghmf 'Eqdc+Mdv Xnqj +s akd(-

` c idbshud @v nqc nq bnl ahm shnmne v nqcr sg`s l nchehdr ` mnt m'nkc+bdmsq k+rl nnsg(-

oqnmnt m @v nqc sg` s rt arshst sdr enq mnt m`mc qdedqr sn odqrnm+ok bd+sghmf sg`s v `r oqduhnt rkx l dmshnmdc

nq sg`s b`mad ehf t qdc nt s eqnl sgd l d`mhmf ne sgd rdmsdmbd 'gd+rgd+hs+sg` s(

udqa @v nqc nq ogq`r d sg` s dwoqdrrdr ` bshnm'sgqnv +eddk(-

` cudqa @v nqc sg` s l nchehdr udqa+`m`cidbshud+nq mnsgdq cudqa: sgdx nesdmdmc hmkx' rknv kx+narshm sdkx(-

bnmit mbshnm @v nqc sg` s bnmmdbsr nsgdq v nqcr+ogq rdr+nq rdmsdmbdr ' ` mc+at s+nq+adb`t rd(-

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Basic Elements of Every Sentence

SUBJECT PREDICATE

Mary plays tennis-

Simple Sentence

one subject one predicate

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&

Tom and Mary play tennis-

Simple Sentences

compound subject one predicate

Tom and Mary play tennis and swim-

compound subject compound predicate

&&

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Compound Sentence

with Coordinating Conjunctions

SUBJECT PREDICATE

SUBJECT PREDICATE

and

FORAND

NOR

BUT

OR

YET

SO

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Compound Sentence

with Coordinating Conjunctions

Tom swims,

Mary plays tennis.

and

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Compound Sentence

with Conjunctive Adverbs

Tom is atheletic;

he is successful.

moreover,

MOREOVER

OTHERWISE

THEREFORE

HOWEVER

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Tom has benefited from his exercise program; he is fast

and energetic.

Compound Sentence

Semicolon

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Complex Sentence

with Subordinating Conjunctions

SUBJECT PREDICATE

SUBJECT PREDICATE

even though

EVEN THOUGH

WHEN

BECAUSE

UNLESS

WHEREAS

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Complex Sentence

with Subordinating Conjunctions

Tom is overweight

he is athletic.

even though

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Even though Tom is athletic, he is overweight.

Complex Sentence

Subordinating Conjunctions

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Compound Complex

Sentence

Tom is overweight;

he is fast and energetic

however,

he is athletic.

because

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My fr iends and I play tennis and go bowling every weekend.

Simple Sentence

REVIEW

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Native and nonnative English speakers have different needs;however,

some schools fail to distinguish between these groups.

Compound Sentence

Conjunctive Adverb

Compound Sentence

with Coordinating Conjunction

Men may exercise harder, but they may not exercise as

regularly as women do.

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When people had to hunt for food, they had continuous exercise.

People had continuous exercise when they had to hunt for food.

Complex Sentence

Subordinating Conjunction

(Adverb clause)

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Af ter learning to read, becoming a strong wri ter is probably the most important skil l you candevelop. L ike reading, the real -l if e applications of being a clear, effective wr iter are limitless.

Reading is a key ski l l to practice before being able to wri te eff ectively. Someone from England

would have a hard time playing a game of baseball without watching a few games first.

Simil arl y, your abil ity to wr ite wil l be improved tremendously by reading what others have to

say and, more importantly how they say it.

Writing Skills

Types of Writing

Knowing what kind of audience you are writing to, and for what purpose, is important when

deciding how to begin a piece. You wouldn't use the same language to sell a car in theclassifieds, tell a story about the time your car broke down in the desert, or to explain how to

jumpstart a car in the winter. Thus, you need to identify which of the following kinds of

writing is appropriate.

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The five-paragraph essay is the most popular way to learn how to structure a longer piece. Its structure is constant and easily

assessable, so its easy to judge each essay against your prior work or the work of others.

A five-paragraph essay contains an introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion that together discuss

a main point or thesis. It is a little like a sandwich, with two slices of bread keeping the meat of the sandwich together. The

first and last paragraphs hold together each piece of the essay neatly within.

The introduction discusses the subject generally, briefly touches on what the points will be in the next three paragraphs, and

contains the thesis. If the essay's argument is, "The BLT is the best sandwich ever," the introduction might start with a broad

statement about sandwiches, then talk about meat, lettuce, and tomato, and end with a statement about the BLT's superiority. It

should start with the general and move to the specific.

The three main paragraphs explain in detail a single idea, example, or argument that supports the main point or thesis. In the

BLT essay, the second paragraph might talk about the wonders of lettuce, the third about the crispiness of bacon, and the fourth

about the juicy complement of tomato.

The concluding paragraph summarizes, briefly, your main point and supporting ideas. After that, it should discuss more of why

this is important (i.e. because the BLT isn't served at fast food restaurants), what it means to you the author (i.e. my

grandmother and I ate BLTs every Saturday for lunch), or some other larger concept related to the thesis (i.e. if everyone ate

BLTs the world would be a better place). The conclusion is sort of the opposite of the introduction, in that it tends to start with

the specific and become more general.

The last thing to think about when writing a five-paragraph essay is the transitions between paragraphs. The final line of one

paragraph should flow logically into the first sentence of the next. For example, if the second paragraph ended with, "Lettuce

gives the sandwich the perfect crunch." The first line of the third paragraph might begin, "The crunchiest part, though, is the

bacon." Look for relationships that can be formed between the two ideas. Good transitions can be comparisons or contrasts,

using lead-ins like, "Others feel the bacon adds too much crunch" or "Although bacon is important, it's the tomato that makes

the meal."

This basic five-paragraph approach can be adapted to both shorter pieces and longer papers.

The Five Paragraph Essay