Exercise 10

B)

You probably haven’t heard the words in the list below. Can you use the phonetic symbols to figure out how to say them on your own? Be sure to ask your instructor to check your pronunciation.

6. PARTS OF SPEECH

Dictionaries always include information about the part of speech, usually printed in italics, of the word being defined. You may not recognize these terms yet, but learn them now so that you will know them when you reach that part of the program. Here’s a simple explanation. Some words, like “iron”, “bow”,or “transport” can be used in several positions in a sentence, depending on the meaning you need.

The iron is not hot enough to press that shirt. (noun-naming a thing)

I always iron my pants before work. (verb-an action)

Mark is stalling an iron gate in the fence.(adjective-a describing word)

In the word “carpenter”, you will see that it is followed by the letter “n”. This means that the word is to be used as a noun, a word that names a person, place, or thing.

The carpenter measured the board before he cut it.

The part of speech abbreviations are listed here. You should be familiar with them. More abbreviations can be found on page 36a. Other dictionaries include a list of “Abbreviations”. Look for it in the Table of Contents.