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Unit 1.1: Parts of Speech (Word Classes)
Module 1.1.1: Overview of Word Classes
1. Nouns
Definition: A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Types:
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Common noun: general names (e.g., teacher, city, book)
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Proper noun: specific names (e.g., Accra, Ghana, Kofi)
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Abstract noun: names of ideas or qualities (e.g., freedom, honesty)
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Collective noun: names a group (e.g., team, class, flock)
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Concrete noun: names tangible things (e.g., table, dog, house)
Example Sentences:
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The teacher is reading a book.
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Ghana is a beautiful country.
2. Pronouns
Definition: A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition.
Types:
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Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
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Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
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Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, themselves
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Relative pronouns: who, which, that
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Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those
Example Sentences:
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She went to the market. (‘She’ replaces the noun ‘Ama’)
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This is mine.
3. Verbs
Definition: A verb is a word that expresses an action, state, or occurrence.
Types:
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Action verbs: physical or mental actions (run, think, write)
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Linking verbs: connect subject to a state (is, seem, become)
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Auxiliary (helping) verbs: support main verbs (have, do, will)
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Modal verbs: express possibility, necessity, ability (can, may, should)
Example Sentences:
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He runs every morning.
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She is happy.
4. Adjectives
Definition: Adjectives describe or modify nouns or pronouns.
Types:
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Descriptive adjectives: beautiful, tall, strong
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Quantitative adjectives: some, many, few
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Demonstrative adjectives: this, those
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Possessive adjectives: my, your, their
Example Sentences:
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The tall building collapsed.
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She gave me some books.
5. Adverbs
Definition: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, giving information about manner, time, place, frequency, or degree.
Types:
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Manner: slowly, quickly
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Time: today, yesterday, now
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Place: here, there
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Frequency: always, often
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Degree: very, quite
Example Sentences:
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He runs fast.
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She will come tomorrow.
Module 1.1.2: Functional Word Classes
1. Prepositions
Definition: Words that show relationship between nouns/pronouns and other words in a sentence.
Examples: in, on, at, by, with, about
Usage:
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She is in the room.
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The book is on the table.
Common GTLE Focus: Correct preposition after verbs, adjectives, nouns (interested in, afraid of, good at).
2. Conjunctions
Definition: Words that link words, phrases, or clauses.
Types:
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Coordinating: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet
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Subordinating: because, although, if, while, since
Examples:
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I like tea and coffee.
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I stayed home because it was raining.
3. Interjections
Definition: Words that express sudden emotion or reaction.
Examples: Wow! Oh! Alas! Hey!
Example Sentences:
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Wow! That was amazing!
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Alas! We lost the game.
Module 1.1.3: Identification in Context
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Activity: Identify word classes in sentences.
E.g., The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.-
quick – adjective
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fox – noun
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jumps – verb
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GTLE Traps:
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Words that can be multiple classes (fast – adjective/adverb)
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Words like like, well, that – identify function by context
Learning Outcomes:
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Correctly identify parts of speech in sentences.
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Distinguish function vs form (e.g., noun vs verb forms).
Unit 1.2: Order of Adjectives
Module 1.2.1: Rules of Adjective Order
Definition: When multiple adjectives describe a noun, they follow a specific order:
Order:
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Opinion – lovely, beautiful
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Size – small, large
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Age – young, old
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Shape – round, square
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Color – red, blue
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Origin – Ghanaian, African
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Material – wooden, plastic
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Purpose – cooking, running
Example:
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She bought a beautiful small old round red Ghanaian wooden cooking pot.
Module 1.2.2: Errors in Adjective Order
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Incorrect: She bought a red beautiful wooden cooking Ghanaian pot.
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Correct: She bought a beautiful red wooden Ghanaian cooking pot.
Learning Outcomes:
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Arrange adjectives correctly.
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Identify errors in adjective order.
Unit 1.3: Concord (Subject–Verb Agreement)
Module 1.3.1: Basic Concord Rules
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Singular subject → singular verb: The boy runs.
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Plural subject → plural verb: The boys run.
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Compound subject → plural verb: John and Mary are friends.
Module 1.3.2: Special Concord Cases
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Collective nouns: treated as singular or plural depending on context.
The team is winning. / The team are arguing among themselves. -
Indefinite pronouns: everyone, someone, nobody → singular verb.
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Titles & measurements: singular → “Ten kilometers is enough.”
Learning Outcomes:
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Apply subject-verb agreement rules.
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Correct concord errors in sentences.
Unit 1.4: Tense and Aspect
Module 1.4.1: English Tenses
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Present: I eat, I am eating
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Past: I ate, I was eating
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Future: I will eat, I will be eating
Module 1.4.2: Aspect
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Simple: actions (I eat)
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Progressive: ongoing actions (I am eating)
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Perfect: completed actions (I have eaten)
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Perfect progressive: ongoing + completed (I have been eating)
Module 1.4.3: Usage in Context
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Time expressions: always, yesterday, tomorrow
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Tense changes meaning:
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I eat lunch at noon. (habit)
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I am eating lunch. (now)
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Learning Outcomes:
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Use tense and aspect correctly.
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Identify incorrect tense usage.
Unit 1.5: Sequence of Tenses
Module 1.5.1: Rules of Tense Sequencing
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Past tense in main clause → past tense in subordinate clause
He said that he was tired.
Module 1.5.2: Reported Contexts
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Direct: “I am hungry.”
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Reported: He said he was hungry.
Learning Outcomes:
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Apply correct tense sequence.
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Detect tense inconsistencies.
Unit 1.6: Conditional Sentences
Module 1.6.1: Types of Conditionals
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Zero: facts – If you heat water, it boils.
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First: real possibility – If it rains, I will stay home.
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Second: hypothetical – If I were rich, I would travel.
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Third: past unreal – If I had studied, I would have passed.
Module 1.6.2: Mixed Conditionals
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Present result of past event: If I had left earlier, I would be on time now.
Learning Outcomes:
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Identify and use conditional sentences correctly.
