Recognizing Parts of Speech (Basic)




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This exercise tests your knowledge of the basic parts of speech such as "noun," "verb," "adjective," and "adverb." These are terms that someone should know as he or she begins a serious study of scientific writing. Many terms tested for in this exercise come from E. D. Hirsch's book Cultural Literacy. It is not necessary that you have a "textbook definition" of each term, but you should have a working knowledge of these terms so that you can understand discussions in which these terms are used. For this exercise to be effective, do not override this document's choice of colors. Also, if possible, remove your browser's option to underline links.





  1. Click on the subject of the second sentence.

    Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes the cloud devastated 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. Although the effects of the eruption were well documented, its origin is not well understood. To understand the origin of volcanic eruptions, we have to determine how much water the magma contains.

    Give up?



































    Congratulations, you have answered #1 correctly.

    Exercise: Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas.

    Discussion: The word "mountain" is the subject, and the word "emitted" is the verb. The word "cloud" is the object.



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  2. Click on at least one adjective that appears in the first three sentences.

    Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes the cloud devastated 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. Although the effects of the eruption were well documented, its origin is not well understood. To understand the origin of volcanic eruptions, we have to determine how much water the magma contains.

    Give up?



































    Congratulations, you have answered #2 correctly.

    Exercise: Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes the cloud devastated 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes.

    Discussion: Adjectives are defined on page 274 in The Craft of Scientific Writing.



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  3. Click on at least one adverb.

    Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes the cloud devastated 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. Although the effects of the eruption were well documented, its origin is not well understood. To understand the origin of volcanic eruptions, we have to determine how much water the magma contains.

    Give up?


































    Congratulations, you have answered #3 correctly.

    Exercise: Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes the cloud devastated 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. Although the effects of the eruption were well documented, its origin is not well understood. To understand the origin of volcanic eruptions, we have to determine how much water the magma contains.

    Discussion: The words "well," "not," and "well" are adverbs. Note that although many adverbs end in -ly, not all adverbs do, as this example shows. Adverbs are defined on page 274 in The Craft of Scientific Writing.



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  4. Click on at least one prepositional phrase.

    Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes the cloud devastated 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. Although the effects of the eruption were well documented, its origin is not well understood. To understand the origin of volcanic eruptions, we have to determine how much water the magma contains.

    Give up?



































    Congratulations, you have answered #4 correctly.

    Exercise: Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. Its slope collapsing, the mountain emitted a cloud of hot rock and gas. In minutes the cloud devastated 500 square kilometers of forests and lakes. Although the effects of the eruption were well documented, its origin is not well understood. To understand the origin of volcanic eruptions, we have to determine how much water the magma contains.

    Discussion: A discussion of prepositions and prepositional phrases can be found at the following link. To return from this site, simply click on the "back" button on your browser.



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  5. Click on the subject of the following sentence.

    In support of this theory, several witnesses reported a brilliant flash, a long pause, and then a fireball.

    Give up?




































    Congratulations, you have answered #5 correctly.

    Exercise: In support of this theory, several witnesses reported a brilliant flash, a long pause, and then a fireball.

    Discussion: The word "witnesses" is the subject, and the word "reported" is the verb. The words "flash," "pause," and "fireball" are objects of the verb, the word "support" is the object of the preposition "in," and the word "theory" is the object of the preposition "of."



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  6. Click on at least one verb in the following sentence.

    Despite the testimonies of these witnesses, this theory has not gained wide acceptance because no distinctively shattered metal has been found in the wreckage.

    Give up?




































    Congratulations, you have answered #6 correctly.

    Exercise: Despite the testimonies of these witnesses, this theory has not gained wide acceptance because no distinctively shattered metal has been found in the wreckage.

    Discussion: The words "has gained" form the verb of the independent clause (the word "not" is just an adverb), and the words "has been found" constitute the verb of the dependent clause.



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  7. Click on at least one adverb.

    This section presents three theories to explain the explosion of TWA Flight 800. The first theory, which the FBI has pursued vigorously, was that a bomb on board the plane exploded. In support of this theory, several witnesses reported a brilliant flash, a long pause, and then a fireball. However, this theory has not gained wide acceptance.

    Give up?







































    Congratulations, you have answered #7 correctly.

    Exercise: This section presents three theories to explain the explosion of TWA Flight 800. The first theory, which the FBI has pursued vigorously, was that a bomb on board the plane exploded. In support of this theory, several witnesses reported a brilliant flash, a long pause, and then a fireball. However, this theory has not gained wide acceptance.

    Discussion: The words "vigorously," "however," and "not" are adverbs. Note that although many adverbs end in -ly, not all adverbs do, as this example shows. Adverbs are defined on page 274 of The Craft of Scientific Writing.



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  8. Click on at least one prepositional phrase.

    Earlier tests on a Boeing 747 revealed that the fuel temperature in the tank could have been high enough to vaporize, allowing a spark to create a fire, but military experts insist that creating an explosion in a fuel tank is difficult.

    Give up?




































    Congratulations, you have answered #8 correctly.

    Exercise: Earlier tests on a Boeing 747 revealed that the fuel temperature in the tank could have been high enough to vaporize, allowing a spark to create a fire, but military experts insist that creating an explosion in a fuel tank is difficult.

    Discussion: A discussion of prepositions and prepositional phrases can be found at the following link. To return from this site, simply click on the "back" button on your browser.





You have reached the end of this exercise.

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