By Mary Morel
I discovered this childhood poem that I hadn’t read before.
Every name is called a noun as field and fountain, street and town.
In place of a noun the pronoun stands as he and she clap their hands.
The adjective describes a thing, as magic wand or bridal ring.
The verb means action, something done, to read and write to jump and run.
How things are done the adverbs tells us as quickly, slowly, badly or well.
Preposition shows relation as in the street or at the station.
Conjunction joins in many ways, sentences, words or phrase and phrase.
The interjection cries out hark! I need an exclamation mark!
There are other variations of this childhood poem on the internet. Pity it doesn’t include determiners.
It’s a bit like my childhood version of parts of speech:
- nouns are naming words
- verbs are doing words
- adjectives are describing words
- adverbs tell you how and when
- conjunctions are joining words
- prepositions are usually little words that tell you where
- pronouns replace nouns
Online grammar programs
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