• Unit 1: Understanding What I Read – Parts of Speech

    Unit 1 introduces you to the parts of speech used in Standard American English. In this unit, you will learn how to recognize the different parts of speech, and see when and where they are used. Finally, you will practice identifying the parts of speech and placing them in sentences.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • recognize the 8 parts of speech and demonstrate when to use each.

    • 1.1: What is a “Part of Speech”?

      We start Unit 1 with grammar by learning about the eight English Parts of Speech. Grammar is difficult, but the more comfortable you are with it the easier it will be to read and write in English. We learn the parts of speech for two main reasons:
      1. By knowing the elements of English you’ll have an easier time using them correctly in your writing; and 
      2. English is full of words that look or sound similar, so if you know how they’re being used you can also learn their meaning.
      • The Eight Parts of Speech Page

        This text contains a list of the parts of speech. Review it, then complete the rest of unit one to learn about each part of speech in detail.

    • 1.2: Nouns and Pronouns

      Nouns or pronouns are found in most English sentences. A noun is simply a person, a place, or a thing. Think about concrete items: dog, tree, house, girl. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, and we use these to avoid saying the same word over and over again. Here are some examples of pronouns that can replace nouns:

          • Noun → Pronoun
          • Girl → She
          • Tree → It
          • Children → They
          • Father → He
      • Nouns and Pronouns Page

        Read this text about nouns and pronouns. 

      • ESL001: Nouns and Pronouns Discussion URL

        Look around you and make a list of 5 nouns you see. Then, make a second list with the pronouns that can replace those nouns. Share your list in the class discussion forum and see what lists your classmates came up with. If you wish, reply to your classmates' lists with more noun/pronoun ideas.

    • 1.3: Adjectives

      Sometimes we need to use words to describe nouns. Like a brown dog, a large car, or a happy child. The words we use to describe nouns are adjectives.

      • Grammar Essentials: Adjectives Page

        Read the following text about adjectives. 

      • ESL001: Adjectives Discussion URL

        Look at your list of nouns from earlier and add an adjective to each noun. Share your list in the class discussion forum and see what lists your classmates came up with. If you wish, reply to your classmates’ lists with more adjective ideas. 

    • 1.4: Verbs and Adverbs

      Verbs and adverbs add action to sentences. A verb is a word that shows action: run, walk, sleep. An adverb is a word that describes the verb: quickly, slowly, well, bad. When we put them together we can tell a reader more about an action: slowly drive, sing beautifully, behave badly.

      • Verbs and Adverbs Book

        Read these pages about verbs and adverbs. 

      • ESL001: Verbs and Adverbs Discussion URL

        Make a list of 5 verbs that you've done today (for example: wake, eat). Then add an adverb to each verb to describe it (for example: wake slowly, eat quickly). Share your list in the class discussion forum and see what lists your classmates came up with. If you wish, reply to your classmates' lists with more verb/adverb ideas.

    • 1.5: Prepositions and Conjunctions

      Now that you've had some practice using nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs, let's try putting them together to make sentences. Prepositions and conjunctions can help you do that. A preposition is a word that connects other words in a sentence. For example, if you write "The dog walked" you can use the preposition "in" to say where the dog walked: "The dog walked in the park". A conjunction can add another phrase to the sentence. For example, the conjunction "and" can tell you what the dog did at the park: "The dog walked in the park and chased a ball".

      • Prepositions and Conjunctions Book

        Read this text about prepositions and conjunctions. 

      • ESL001: Prepositions and Conjunctions Discussion URL

        Look back at the nouns, verbs, and adjectives you wrote earlier. Connect a word or phrase using a preposition or a conjunction. Share your list in the class discussion forum and see what sentences your classmates came up with. If you wish, reply to your classmates' lists with more sentence ideas. 

    • 1.6: Interjections

      You now have the tools to write simple sentences in English. But have you ever come across a one-word sentence? Oops! No! Yuck! What about a word that interrupts a sentence? I wondered what to do, hmm, with all the extra food. These are interjections. We use these words to add emotion to a sentence.

      • Interjections Page

        Read this resource and think of what interjections you hear during your day.

    • Putting It All Together

      You have learned about many different parts of speech and some basic guidelines to correct usage. This is a lot to take in for sure! This section will help you review what you have learned in Unit 1.

      • Let's Review Unit 1 Page

        Go through the presentation, which provides a basic overview of what you have learned about the parts of speech. Then, read the passages on the second slide and  complete the exercise by selecting from the options you have to correct the passage.

    • Unit 1 Assessment

      • Parts of Speech Page

        In this activity,  you will match a word in a sentence to its correct part of speech.