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Three questions to help identify what class a word belongs to: There are 5 different forms of the verb:
What kind of MEANING does it have? - what does it refer to or
express? Infinitive Present Past Participle Present Past
What is its FUNCTION? - its purpose or role relative to other words Participle
within a phrase, clause or sentence? Regular to ask ask/s asked asking asked
Irregular to give give/s gave giving given
to write write/s wrote writing written
Checksheet - How to identify word class
There are seven main types of closed class words: AUXILIARY Function as auxiliaries to the main verb
VERBS (aux) headword in a verb phrase.
DETERMINERS Introduce noun phrases and function as
(d) modifiers.
MODAL AUXILIARIES - can, will, may, shall,
Include the ARTICLES the, a/an.
could, would, might, should, must, ought to (all
Demonstratives this, that, those, etc.
convey mood)
Submodifiers all, some, every, either (usually
of quantity.)
PRIMARY VERBS - the three most common
PRONOUNS (pn) Can stand for any noun, therefore are dummy
verbs in English. Irregular in form. Can function
nouns or noun phrases.
as an auxiliary or a main verb.
Refer to persons or objects, events, etc., just as
nouns can.
Infinitive Present Past Present Participle Past Participle
Include Wh words which can be RELATIVE
Be am, is, are was, were being been
pronouns or QUESTION markers - who, what,
Have have, has had having had
which etc.
Do do, does did doing done
PREPOSITIONS Introduce prepositional phrases and are followed
(p) by a noun phrase (in, on, to, from, under, with,
ENUMERATORS (e) Cardinal numbers - one, two, three etc.
etc.)
Ordinal numbers - first, second, third etc.
Express relations of possession, place, time, etc.
General types - next, last, further, other etc.
They therefore function in a sentence like
INTERJECTIONS (ij) Somewhat primitive expressions of feeling or attitude!
adverbs.
>
CONJUNCTIONS Most often linking words between phrases and
Include swear words - that colourful part of people's
(cj) clauses.
lexical store: F**k!
Greetings and conversational lubricants such as no
COORDINATING - and, but, or, neither, nor.
way, yes, OK, sure, yup! etc.
SUBORDINATING - a much larger set of words
which often introduce a clause within a sentence
For a full listing - and further nuances - of closed class words, see:
which is related to the main clause in a
Leech, G., M. Deuchar and R. Hoogenraad (1982) English Grammar For
subordinate way.
Today. London: Macmillan. (Chapter 3)
e.g. because, however, if, so that, as though
etc.