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 Narragansett Bay south of Prudence Island is warming at a rate of approximately 0.3º Celsius (0.5ºF) per decade. Over the past 45 years, the average annual temperature for the Bay has increased 1.35ºC (2.5ºF). The warming is believed to be related to global climate changes, the result of altered atmospheric gases produced by human activities.