Today's Trivia (May 01, 2015)

Did you know?

"Rhythms" is the longest word in the English language that does not use any vowels (i.e. a, e, i, o, and u).


Reference: "Trivia about the English Language and Word Origins." Available URL: http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/j-triv.html

Word of the Day (May 01, 2015)

Word of the Day (May 1, 2015)

Labor – (n.) physical or mental effort (also: work for which someone is paid)

Example: “Ciriaco has been paid for his labor in the farms.”

Origin: Middle English, from Anglo-French labur, from Latin labor; perhaps akin to Latin labare to totter, labi to slip --more at sleep

First use: 14th century

(Reference: Merriam Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Application. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2015.)

Word of the Day (April 29, 2015)

Word of the Day (April 29, 2015)

Preponderance – (n.) a greater amount or number of something

Example: “In civil cases, the judge’s decision would be based on the preponderance of evidence presented by the winning party.”

First use: 1681

(Reference: Merriam Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Application. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2015.)

Word of the Day

Word of the Day

Brobdingnagian - (n.) marked by tremendous size

Example: Shirley bought a Brobdingnagian desk from an antique shop.

Origin: Brobdingnag, imaginary land of giants in Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift
First Use: 1728  

Identifying Nouns

Nouns: How do we identify them?

Because of the fact that adjectives can be considered as nouns, and that nouns can be considered adjectives, some still find it confusing to identify nouns in sentences. This, therefore, raises the question “how can one identify nouns as they appear in sentences?”

In a nutshell, nouns can be identified based on its location, on its appearance, and on its function. For this discussion, the bolded words pertain to the nouns in the sentences so as to aid the readers in locating the same. It bears stressing that the manner by which this discussion is presented was adopted from the MSA Comprehensive English Handbook (please refer to references). 

I.                 Identifying nouns based on its LOCATION.

A.    After determiners

Example: The women were called to support the troops.

B.    After prepositions

Example: Jose left his toy in the car.

C.    Before and after verbs

Example: Andres left the house yesterday.

D.    After adjectives

Example: The generous businessman

E.     After nouns and noun phrases (i.e. after appositives or appositive phrases)

Example: Bell’s invention, the telephone, was featured in last month’s issue of The Inquirer.

II.               Identifying nouns based on its APPEARANCE.

A word is a noun when it ends with suffixes such as –age (as in reportage), -ce (as in appearance), -cy (as in presidency), -dom (as in kingdom), -ion (as in association), -ism (as in federalism), -ity (as in infidelity), -ment (as in excitement), -ness (as in cleanliness), -or (as in executor), -ship (as in friendship), -sy (as in idiosyncrasy), -tion (as in generalization), -ty (as in realty), -ure (as in curvature).

A noun also has cases. The case nouns indicate how a particular nouns functions in a sentence (i.e. whether it is a subject or an object therein). The subjective case of nouns, on the one hand, indicates that the noun in the sentence is the subject therein and is, therefore, the doer or the one being talked about in the sentence. The objective case of nouns, on the other hand, indicates that the noun in the sentence is the receiver of the action. Lastly, the possessive case of nouns indicates (as its name suggests) possession and/or ownership.

III.             Identifying nouns based on its FUNCTION.

A.    As subject of a verb

Example: The saleslady introduced herself to the customer.

B.    As complement of a linking verb

Example: Manolo is the valedictorian of their class.

C.    As object of a transitive verb

Example: Gregorio hurled the ball towards the wall.

D.    As objective complement

Example: The members elected Teodora Hernandez as Chairperson.

E.     As object of a preposition

Example: They nominated Miriam for the party presidency.

F.     As nominative of a direct address (i.e. nouns used in direct quotations)

Example: Apolinario, take this.

G.    As appositive (i.e. a noun that renames the subject and/or object in the sentence. It is usually placed in between commas)

Example: Bell’s invention, the telephone, was featured in last month’s issue of The Inquirer.

The next time you read a sentence, try identifying the nouns therein using what you have learned in this discussion.

References

Brown, Anne Cole et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.

Celse-Murcia, Marianne and Diane Larsen-Freeman. The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFLTeacher’s Course (2^nd Edition). Singapore: Thomson Learning Asia, 2008.

Forlini, Gary et al. (ed.). Prentice Hall Grammar and Composition (4^th Edition). New Jersey:Englewood Cliffs, 2001.

Haley-James, Shirley et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988.

Hosler, Mary Margaret. English Made Easy (5^th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2005.

Kahn, John Ellison et al. (ed.) “How to Write and Speak Better (3^rd Edition).” Toucan BooksLimited and WoodCraft Editing and Writing Limited. Hong Kong: The Reader’s Digest Association Ltd., 1993.  

Martin, Jerome. English. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1984.

Rivero-Hernandez, Clarissa. et al. MSA Comprehensive English Handbook. Quezon City: MSAAcademic Advancement Institute, 2005.

Winterowd, W. Ross and Patricia Murray. English Writing and Skills. San Diego, CA: CoronadoPublishers, 1985.

Word of the Day (April 24, 2015)

Word of the Day (April 24, 2015)

Indemnify – (v.) to give [someone] money or another kind of payment for some damage, loss, or injury

Example: “The court ordered the accused to indemnify the victims for the injuries they have sustained.”

Origin: Latin indemnis unharmed, from in- +damnum damage

First use: 1611

(Reference: Merriam Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Dictionary Application. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2015.)

Trivia for Today! (April 23, 2015)

Did you know?

Did you know that the first use of the now popular OMG was in the year 1917? 

"O.M.G." first appeared in a letter to Winston Churchill by British Navy Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher. The said letter read as follows:

"I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis--O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)--Shower it on the Admiralty!" 

Admiral Fisher was 71 years old then. 

(Reference: Madrigal, Alex C. "Winston Churchill was the Recepient of the First OMG." The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 2015. Available URL:http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/winston-churchill-was-the-recipient-of-the-first-omg/73054/)

Word of the Day (April 23, 2015)

Word of the Day (April 23, 2015)

Asseverate - (v.) to affirm or declare positively or earnestly.

Example: "Conrado asseverated that he was running for the presidency."

Origin: Latin asservatus, past participle of asseverare, from ad- + severus severe.
First Use:1749


(Reference: Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam Webster Dictionary Application. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2015)

Word of the Day (April 21, 2015)

Word of the Day (April 21, 2015) 

Prima facie - (adj.) law: based on what is known or seen when something is first considered or dealt with (also: self-evident, true, valid, or sufficient at first impression)

Example: "The presence of blood gives a prima facie evidence of the crime committed."
First use: 1800

(Reference: Merriam Webster Dictionary. Merriam Webster Dictionary Application. Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2015)

Kinds of Nouns

 Kinds of Nouns

1. Proper Nouns. These nouns pertain to particular and/or specific names [of persons, places, things, ideas, events, substances, etc.]. It bears stressing that they always start with a capital letter.

Example: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Manila, etc.

2. Common Nouns. These nouns pertain to common names. They are often considered as the “opposite” of proper nouns for they pertain to generic names, that is, those that are not specific or particularized.

Example: teacher, book, school, etc.

3. Mass Nouns. These nouns pertain to names that cannot be directly counted and, because of such fact, are taken as a whole. In this case, pluralizing these words cannot be done by adding –s or –es to them. These nouns tend to name quantities of something rather than naming things that are regarded as a unit.

Example: garbage, evidence, soap, salt, pepper, etc.

4. Count Nouns. These nouns pertain to names that can be directly counted. In this sense, they are the opposite of Mass Nouns. Thus, pluralizing these words can be done by adding –s or –es to them (as the case may be).

5. Abstract Nouns. These nouns pertain to names of concepts, attitudes, emotions, or virtues. Although they are not exactly mass nouns, they cannot be pluralized by adding –s or –es to them.

Example: love, hope, patience, wisdom, faith, etc.

6. Concrete Nouns. These nouns pertain to names that can be perceived by [any of] the [five] senses (i.e. optical, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile). These nouns can either be in count or noncount (i.e. abstract and some concrete nouns) form.

Example: music, air, rain, etc.

7. Collective Nouns. These nouns pertain to names of groups of persons, things, animals, etc. As the name suggests, these nouns are taken collectively as a whole and are therefore considered singular in form.  

Example: audience, team, committee, group, school (i.e. school of fish), club, association, etc.

8. Compound Nouns. These nouns pertain to names that are joined together to form a new word.

Example: ballpen, seaman, workroom, soap opera, commander-in-chief, jack-of-all-trades, etc.   

9. Adjectives that function as nouns.* Although adjectives are considered as a separate part of speech from nouns, they can be considered nouns when they come after the determiner “the” and when they immediately precede verbs (i.e. they come immediately before verbs). They are considered plural in number and, as such, the verbs that come after, and are used corresponding to, them also come in plural form.

Example: The hardworking are always rewarded. 

*It should be noted that there are also nouns that can be regarded as adjectives. In this case, nouns are used to describe and qualify other nouns. Example: Easter egg, Manila boy, Senate inquiry etc. 

References:

Brown, Anne Cole et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.

Celse-Murcia, Marianne and Diane Larsen-Freeman. The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher’s Course (2^nd Edition). Singapore: Thomson Learning Asia, 2008.

Forlini, Gary et al. (ed.). Prentice Hall Grammar and Composition (4^th Edition). New Jersey:Englewood Cliffs, 2001.

Haley-James, Shirley et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988.

Hosler, Mary Margaret. English Made Easy (5^th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2005.

Kahn, John Ellison et al. (ed.) “How to Write and Speak Better (3^rd Edition).” Toucan Books Limited and WoodCraft Editing and Writing Limited. Hong Kong: The Reader’s Digest Association Ltd., 1993.  

Martin, Jerome. English. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1984.

Rivero-Hernandez, C. et al. MSA Comprehensive English Handbook. Quezon City: MSA Academic Advancement Institute, 2005.

Winterowd, W. Ross and Patricia Murray. English Writing and Skills. San Diego, CA: Coronado Publishers, 1985. 

Five (5) Interesting Facts about Nouns

Five (5) Interesting Facts about Nouns

As previously discussed, nouns pertain to words that name persons, places, things, ideas, events, substances, etc.

Here are some things you should know about nouns:

1. Nouns can be used after determiners such as “the” (example: the boy, the tree, the dog, etc.). In which case, they form what we call “noun phrases.”

2. Nouns have different forms for the singular and the plural (example: a boy/two boys, the tree/the trees, the dog/the dogs, etc.).

3. Nouns can be transformed into possessive form by adding apostrophe “s” or simply an apostrophe (in cases of nouns ending with “s”) (example: the boy’s toy, the dog’s house, the tree’s leaves, Amor’s bag, Andres’ bolo, etc). 

4. Nouns can serve as subjects of verbs (example: The dog barked at the mailman.), objects of verbs (example: The mailman kicked the dog), as complements of verbs (Example: That appears to be the dog), and as objects of prepositions (The mailman was bit by the dog).

5. The kinds of nouns include: proper, common, mass, count, abstract, concrete, collective, compound, and adjectives that function as nouns.

References:

Brown, Anne Cole et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.

Celse-Murcia, Marianne and Diane Larsen-Freeman. The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL

Teacher’s Course (2^nd Edition). Singapore: Thomson Learning Asia, 2008.

Forlini, Gary et al. (ed.). Prentice Hall Grammar and Composition (4^th Edition). New Jersey:

Englewood Cliffs, 2001.

Haley-James, Shirley et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988.

Hosler, Mary Margaret. English Made Easy (5^th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2005.

Kahn, John Ellison et al. (ed.) “How to Write and Speak Better (3^rd Edition).” Toucan Books

Limited and WoodCraft Editing and Writing Limited. Hong Kong: The Reader’s Digest Association Ltd., 1993.  

Martin, Jerome. English. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1984.

Rivero-Hernandez, C. et al. MSA Comprehensive English Handbook. Quezon City: MSA

Academic Advancement Institute, 2005.

Winterowd, W. Ross and Patricia Murray. English Writing and Skills. San Diego, CA: Coronado

Publishers, 1985.

The Rudiments of Grammar

The Rudiments of Grammar

Every language begins with the very basic: words.

Words make up the foundation by which a language stands. In order to have a better understanding of grammar, it is important that one understand how words work, and how they work when put together to make up a bigger structure.

A study of grammar requires that words be studied. Words are classified in accordance with the functions they play in sentences. Thus, they are classified according to their “parts of speech.” Most grammatical experts enumerate the parts of speech as follows:

1.     Nouns;

2.     Verbs;

3.     Adjectives;

4.     Adverbs;

5.     Pronouns;

6.     Prepositions;

7.     Conjunctions;

8.     Interjections; and

9.     Determiners (although some grammarians no longer add this to the list)

Nouns pertain to the names of people, places, things, ideas, events, substances, etc.

Examples: Jose, Andres, Manila, flag, love, hope, Independence Day, sugar, etc.

Verbs pertain to words of “doing” or words of “being.”

Examples: act, cry, hold, think, worry, etc. 

Adjectives pertain to words that “qualify” or “modify” nouns and/or pronouns.

Examples: beautiful, handsome, smart, etc.

Adverbs, like adjectives, “qualify” or “modify,” but instead of nouns and/or pronouns, it qualifies and modifies verbs.

Examples: slowly, beautifully, quickly, etc.

Pronouns pertain to words that substitute and/or refer [to] nouns. They are sometimes called “noun substitute.” Other grammarians like to refer to them as “nouns in disguise” for they have almost the same use as nouns.

Examples: he, she, it, they, him, her, it, them, etc.

Prepositions pertain to words that express relationships between nouns and/or pronouns with other words in a sentence. They typically come in front of nouns, noun phrases, and pronouns and give additional meanings to sentences.

Examples: in, on, at, above, below, etc.

Conjunctions pertain to words that connect and join together words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. They basically function as connectors, and in some cases, as transitional devices that allow for the smooth transition of thought in and between sentences.  

Examples: and, for, but, after, although, as, etc.

Interjections pertain to words that express emotions (e.g. happiness, anger, pain, sorrow, surprise, exhaustion, hesitation, etc.). They can be considered as separate entities from a sentence (i.e. outside its structure) and can be used on their own.

Examples: Hey! Great! Oh! Yeah! etc.

Lastly, determiners pertain to words that tell the degree of definiteness, quantity, and proximity of nouns and the nouns after them.

Examples: A, An, The, etc.

A lengthier and more comprehensive discussion on each of the different parts of speech will be provided in future posts. Please stay tuned.

References:

Brown, Anne Cole et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.

Celse-Murcia, Marianne and Diane Larsen-Freeman. The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL

Teacher’s Course (2^nd Edition). Singapore: Thomson Learning Asia, 2008.

Forlini, Gary et al. (ed.). Prentice Hall Grammar and Composition (4^th Edition). New Jersey:

Englewood Cliffs, 2001.

Haley-James, Shirley et al. English. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988.

Hosler, Mary Margaret. English Made Easy (5^th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2005.

Kahn, John Ellison et al. (ed.) “How to Write and Speak Better (3^rd Edition).” Toucan Books

Limited and WoodCraft Editing and Writing Limited. Hong Kong: The Reader’s Digest Association Ltd., 1993.  

Martin, Jerome. English. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1984.

Rivero-Hernandez, C. et al. MSA Comprehensive English Handbook. Quezon City: MSA

Academic Advancement Institute, 2005.

Winterowd, W. Ross and Patricia Murray. English Writing and Skills. San Diego, CA: Coronado

Publishers, 1985.