OCG533, Fall 2002
Homework assignment 1, due 6 September 2002
Parts of speech
Here is a typical scientific paragraph written in popular style. Write the part of speech of each word (numbers, too) underneath each word. Use the abbreviations listed below. This warm-up exercise might not be as easy as you think! (Also, feel free to comment on any matters of language that catch your eye. I can find at least five items to discuss. And by the way, the central thesis of the paragraph is false!)
N = Noun Adj = Adjective Prep = Preposition Part = Participle
Pro = Pronoun Art = Article C = Conjunction Ger = Gerund
V = Verb Det = Determiner Int = Interjection Inf = Infinitive
Adv = Adverb
From Narragansett Bay Journal 1(1), Summer 2002:
The surface water temperature in the lower reaches of
Art Adj(nom) N N Prep Art Adj N Prep
Narragansett Bay south of Prudence Island is warming at
N (Prop) Prep N (prop) V Prep
a rate of approximately 0.3º Celsius (0.5ºF) per decade.
Art N Prep Adj N Prep N
Over the past 45 years, the average annual temperature for
Prep Art Adj Adj(nom) N Art Adj Adj N Prep
the Bay has increased 1.35ºC (2.5ºF). The warming is
Art N V Adv Art N (Ger) V
believed to be related to global climate changes, the result
V V (Inf) Adj (Part) Prep Adj Adj (nom) N Art N
of altered atmospheric gases produced by human
Prep Adj (Part) Adj N Adj (Part) Prep Adj
activities.
N