Answers to PARTS OF SPEECH

n pro v adj adj n prep n v def

1. Samuel Johnson, who published his famous dictionary in 1755, defined a

n prp det adj n

lexicographer as “a harmless drudge.”

Note that “as,” usually a subordinate conjunction here functions the same as the
preposition “like” would.

det n adv pro v adj pro v det n prep n v adv n prep det
2. The town where I was born, which has a population of 3,000, offers very little in the
n prep n prep n
way of entertainment for teenagers.

adv n prep n pro v adv v n pro v adj prep pro conj

3. As director of personnel, you must often make decisions that are painful to you and
adj n
your employees.

Note: Here, “as” is also functioning in the same way as in item 1.

det n adv prep n v det n pro v prep det

4. The hurricane bearing down on Florida frightened the residents who lived along the
n
coast.

det n v prep n v v det n pro adv v

5. Any book printed before 1501 is called an incunabulum which literally means

adj n
“swaddling clothes.”

det adj n prep adj n prep adj n adj n

6. Having been a police officer in downtown Nashville for thirty years, my neighbor

v adj conj adj prep pro v prep det n

grew restless and bored after he retired from the force.

det n v adj adj n adv det adj n prep n

7. This invitation thwarted his latest plan, to buy up a controlling number of stocks.
 prep det n n prep adj n v
8. According to the U.S. Customs Service, smuggling birds from the Caribbean has
v det adj n
become a big business.

prep det n prep adj adj n v v det n prep n

9. To search for the causes of lower SAT scores would be an exercise in conjecture.

prep n pro adv v adv adj det adj n v v

10. Until yesterday, I never realized how awesome a redwood tree could be.
 Answers for parts of sentence:
s s v do obp v
1. Samuel Johnson, who published his famous dictionary in 1755, defined a
adj ph prep ph
do oprp
lexicographer as “a harmless drudge.”
prp ph

s s v p.adj s v p.adj oprp v do

2. The town where I was born, which has a population of 3,000, offers very little in the
adj cl adj cl prp ph
oprp oprp oprp
way of entertainment for teenagers.
prp ph prp ph

oprp oprp s v v do s v padj

3. As director of personnel, you must often make decisions that are painful to
prp ph prp ph adj cl prp
oprp oprp
you and your employees.
ph

s part oprp v do s v
4. The hurricane bearing down on Florida frightened the residents who lived along the
part ph prp ph adj cl prp
oprp
coast.
ph

s part oprp v v do s v
5. Any book printed before 1501 is called an incunabulum which literally means
prp ph adj cl

do
“swaddling clothes.”
 part oprp oprp s
6. Having been a police officer in downtown Nashville for thirty years, my neighbor
part ph prp ph prp ph
v padj padj s v oprp
grew restless and bored after he retired from the force.
adv cl

s v do inf oprp
7. This invitation thwarted his latest plan, to buy up a controlling number of stocks.
inf ph prp ph

part oprp ger oprp v

8. According to the U.S. Customs Service, smuggling birds from the Caribbean has
prp ph ger ph = s prp ph
v pn
become a big business.

inf oprp oprp v v pn oprp

9. To search for the causes of lower SAT scores would be an exercise in conjecture.
inf ph = s prp ph prp ph

oprp s v p. adj s v v
10. Until yesterday, I never realized how awesome a redwood tree could be.
prp ph n cl = do

Note: the noun clause uses an inversion of the usual subject-verb-object order. The
way the clause would read in usual grammatical order would be: “how a redwood
tree could be awesome.”