Parts of Speech — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
In the sentence "Wow, that was amazing!" the word wow is a pronoun.
Corrected: In the sentence "Wow, that was amazing!" the word wow is an interjection.
"Wow" expresses surprise and excitement, which makes it an interjection -- not a pronoun, since pronouns replace names like he, she, or they.
2. Fix the sentence:
In the sentence "The bird flew over the fence," the word over is a verb.
Corrected: In the sentence "The bird flew over the fence," the word over is a preposition.
"Over" shows the bird's path relative to the fence (above it), so it is a preposition -- the verb in this sentence is "flew."
3. Fix the sentence:
In the sentence "We laughed and cheered," the word and is an adverb.
Corrected: In the sentence "We laughed and cheered," the word and is a conjunction.
"And" joins the two verbs "laughed" and "cheered" together, making it a conjunction -- adverbs describe how actions happen, which is not what "and" does.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. An interjection is a word like wow, ouch, or hooray that shows strong feeling.
An interjection is a word that bursts out to show strong emotion -- words like wow, ouch, and hooray express surprise, pain, or joy.
2. In "She smiled at him," the word him is a pronoun.
"Him" takes the place of a person's name, which makes it a pronoun -- it tells us who she smiled at without repeating the name.
3. Words like but, yet, and so are called conjunctions because they join ideas.
But, yet, and so are conjunctions because their job is to connect two ideas or parts of a sentence together.
4. In "The dog barked fiercely," the word fiercely is an adverb that tells how the dog barked.
"Fiercely" describes how the dog barked, and since it modifies the verb "barked" by telling how the action was done, it is an adverb.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. What is an interjection? Give two examples used in everyday speech.
Sample answer: An interjection is a word that expresses strong emotion or surprise, such as "Yay!" or "Oops!" They often appear at the start of a sentence.
A good answer includes: An interjection is a word that expresses strong emotion or surprise, such as "Yay!" or "Oops!" They often appear at the start of a sentence.
2. Explain the difference between a preposition and a conjunction with an example of each.
Sample answer: A preposition shows location or direction, like "under the table." A conjunction joins words or ideas, like "bread and butter."
A good answer includes: A preposition shows location or direction, like "under the table." A conjunction joins words or ideas, like "bread and butter."