Parts of Speech and Their Function in the Sentence

noun (n.): subject (S), direct object (DO), indirect object (IO), subject complement (SC), object of preposition (OP)

verb: predicate verb (V), "transitive" or "intransitive" (takes DO), "action" (sleep, eat, think, vote, etc.) or "linking" (often a form of the verb "to be," followed by SC), sometimes consisting of a phrase (was reading, can swim, etc.).

pronoun (pron.): substitutes for a noun as above.

adjective (adj.): descriptor, modifying nouns.

adverb (adv.): descriptor, modifying verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, never nouns.

conjunction (conj.): connector (or words, phrases, or clauses), either coordinate (coordinating) or subordinate (subordinating).

preposition (prep.): connector, introducing prepositional phrase, often indicating spatial relationships.

interjection: "oh," "wow," etc.

          1.   Dogs bark. S V

          2.  Dogs chew bones. S V DO

          3.  Dogs are mammals. S V SC(n.)

          4.  Young dogs are energetic. S(adj.,n.) V SC(adj.)

          5.  Old dogs are less energetic. S(adj.,n.) V SC(adv.,adj.)

          6.   Dogs are canines, and cats are felines. S V SC, conj. S V SC

          7.   Dogs and cats have different needs. S(n.,conj.,n.) V DO(adj.,n.)

          8.   Dogs are very sociable, and they require frequent attention.

                    S V SC(adv.,adj.), conj. S(pron.) V DO(adj.,n.)

          9.  Cats prefer their independence; most live quite happily in a separate world.

                    S V DO(pron.,n.); S(pron.) V adv. adv. prep. OP([article],adj.,n.)

        10.   Fido gives his owner affection. S V IO(pron.,n.) DO

Questions to ask for identifying the function of words in the sentence.

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