1 a adverbs; b pronouns; c determiners; d nouns; e prepositions; f conjunctions; g verbs; h adjectives.

2 early = adjective; I = pronoun; out = adverb; left = verb; grandfather’s = noun; Henfield = noun; one = determiner; and = conjunction; towards = preposition; pleased = adjective; She = pronoun; my = determiner; quickly = adverb.

Note: Words like out, when they combine with a verb (started out) and do not have an object, are usually classified as adverbs. Words like my are sometimes classified as possessive pronouns or possessive adjectives. Words like pleased and rid originated as verb participles, but are used here adjectivally. To as in to be is not strictly a preposition, since it is followed by a verb, not a noun, and is best classified as part of the verb. In short, none of the conventional categories is completely ‘watertight’: it is the nature of language – essentially a fluid object – to elude tight categorisation. Hence, there are many words that can be classified as different parts of speech, according to context.

3 b back: noun, adverb, adjective

c rest: verb, noun

d light: adjective, noun, verb

e plain: noun, adjective

f round: adjective, adverb, preposition

g long: adverb, adjective

h one: pronoun, pronoun, determiner

Again, the neat pigeon-holing of words into word classes often raises more questions than it answers, especially with words – like round or long – that share a core meaning. Nevertheless, for practical purposes, the ‘naming of parts’ (of speech) may help learners to select and combine words more accurately.

4 Knowing the names of the different word classes can also help in identifying errors, as this exercise demonstrates.

• c Ralph was elected by the other childs as the leader. = wrong form of the noun: the other children

• d I liked the competition, because they played very good. = incorrect adverb: very well

• e I call them parents because it were they who brought me up. = wrong form of the verb: it was they

• f Very often I watch TV in afternoon. = missing determiner: in the afternoon

• g I wasn’t in time to take the flight. I had to wait the next flight. = missing preposition: wait for the next flight