English Language

Phonetics

the study and classification of the speech sounds occurring in language

Phonology

the study of the way speakers of a particular language systematically use a selection of these sounds to express meaning. 

Morphology

= the study of the internal structure of words and the processes by which words are formed. 

• morphemes are the smallest unit of linguistic meaning or function

Lexicology

= the study of words within a specific language (the lexicon)

• is a unit of meaning in a language, typically one Word Class

• Each word class serves a different grammatical purpose

• Each word class will have its own unique grammatical and morphological features

Syntax

= the study of the set of conventions and processes by which words are ordered to create grammatically well-formed phrases, clauses, and sentences.

Discourse & Pragmatics

= the study of how the meaning of spoken and written language is related to the context in which speech and writing occurs.

• Includes the study of conversation as well as non-verbal communication

Semantics

= the study of linguistic meaning in language and involves studying sense relations and word meanings

Noun (Word Class)

= traditionally known as naming words. They name people, places, things, qualities or actions.

To find a noun:

• Try to place ‘the’ or ‘a’ in front of it 

• See if it will fit into the structure ‘do you know ___?’

Common Nouns

= classify things into types or general categories

• E.g. car, house, school

Proper Nouns

= specific people and places and are usually written with an initial capital letter. 

• E.g. Milla, Eastland, Macbook

Concrete Nouns

= refer to physical things like people, objects, and places. Things that can be observed and measured

• Boy, water bottle, charger

Abstract Nouns

= refer to ideas, processes, occasions, times, and qualities. They cannot be touched or seen. 

• Love, happiness, peace

Count Nouns

= can be counted and therefore have a plural form. They cannot be used after the determiner ‘much’

• E.g. Ant, dog, couch

Non-Count Nouns

= refer to substances and qualities that cannot be counted. They have no plural form and cannot follow the determiner ‘a’, but many can be used after quantity words such as ‘some’, ‘any’, ‘all’, or ‘much’.

• E.g. bravery, information, 

Collective Nouns

= the names for groups of animals, people, and things

• E.g. pod, murder, swarm

Adjectives (Word Class)

= are describing words. They provide extra information about nouns by giving details of physical or psychological qualities. 

• Green, brave, heavy

To find an adjective…

• Put the word between ‘the’ and a noun

• Place the word ‘very’ before i

Adverbs (Word Class)

= modifying words that give info about time, place, and manner. They can modify verbs and adjectives

Types of Adverbs

• Time (soon, now, later)

• Frequency (always, occasionally, never)

• Manner (unconvincingly, slowly, torrentially)

• Place (around, everywhere, here, there)

• Degree (completely, totally, very, somewhat)

Verbs (Word Class)

= words that express actions and states

To find a verb…

• Add an ‘ing’ at the end

• Place the word after ‘I’ or ‘we’

Auxiliary Verbs

= referred to as helping words. ‘Be’, ‘have’, ‘do’ and all other forms of those words.

Modal Verbs

= convey a range of attitudes and moods about the likelihood of attitudes and moods about the likelihood of an event taking place

• E.g. can/could, may/might, must/shall/should, and will/would

Pronouns (Word Class)

= short words that can replace nouns in a sentence

Subject pronouns

= ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘they’, ‘you’, ‘she’, ‘he’, ‘it’

SUBJECT Pronoun + Verb	SINGULAR	PLURAL
FIRST PERSON	I	We
SECOND PERSON	You	You
THIRD PERSON	She/He/It	They

Object pronouns

= ‘me’, ‘us’, ‘them’, ‘you’, ‘her’, ‘him’, ‘it’ 

OBJECT Pronoun + Verb	SINGULAR	PLURAL
FIRST PERSON	me	us
SECOND PERSON	You	You
THIRD PERSON	Her/Him/It	them

Possessive pronouns

= ‘mine’, ‘ours’, ‘theirs’, ‘yours’, ‘hers’, ‘his’, ‘its’

POSSESSIVE Pronoun + Verb	SINGULAR	PLURAL
FIRST PERSON	My	Ours
SECOND PERSON	You	You
THIRD PERSON	Her/Him/It	them

Relative Pronouns

= ‘that’, ‘who’, ‘whoever’, ‘whom’, ‘whomever’, ‘which’, ‘whichever’

Demonstrative Pronouns

= ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘these’, ‘those’

Prepositions (Word Class)

= words that show the relationship between pro/nouns and other words in a sentence. Indicate where, when, or how.

Types of prepositions

• Place (‘at’, ‘on’, ‘by’, ‘beside’, etc)

• Time (‘at’, ‘before’, ‘in’, ‘after’, etc)

• How (‘towards’, ‘past’, ‘out of’, ‘’through’, etc)