If your kids can’t tell their adjectives apart from their adverbs or confuse pronouns and nouns, you’ll like the parts of speech mnemonics that I have for you today.
These mnemonics include a rhyme, a poem, and an acronym. They include examples of each part of speech in bold with the exception of the acronym. That is a list of one type of word.
Feel free to print and hang up these handy reminders of parts of speech.
Parts of Speech Mnemonics
Let’s start with a rhyme from 1855.
A Grammar Rhyme
by David B. Tower and Benjamin F. Tweed
A NOUN’s the name of anything;
As, school or garden, hoop or swing.
ADJECTIVES tell the kind of noun;
As, great, small, pretty, white, or brown.
Three of these words we often see,
Called ARTICLES – a, an, and the.
Instead of nouns the PRONOUNS stand;
John’s head, his face, my arm, your hand.
VERBS tell of something being done;
As read, write, spell, sing, jump, or run.
How things are done the ADVERBS tell;
As, slowly, quickly, ill, or well.
They also tell us where and when;
As here, and there, and now, and then.
A PREPOSITION stands before
A noun; as in, or through, a door.
CONJUNCTIONS sentences unite;
As kittens scratch and puppies bite.
The INTERJECTION shows surprise;
As, O, how pretty! Ah, how wise!
* * *
Here’s a poem that many people know but whose origin is unknown.
The Parts of Speech
Every name is called a NOUN,
As field and fountain, street and town.
In place of noun the PRONOUN stands,
As he and she can clap their hands.
The ADJECTIVE describes a thing,
As magic wand and bridal ring.
The VERB means action, something done –
To read, to write, to jump, to run.
How things are done, the ADVERBS tell,
As quickly, slowly, badly, well.
The PREPOSITION shows relation,
As in the street, or at the station.
CONJUNCTIONS join, in many ways,
Sentences, words, or phrase and phrase.
The INTERJECTION cries out, “Hark!
I need an exclamation mark!”
Through poetry, we learn how each
of these make up the parts of speech.
* * *
One acronym that will help your child or teen remember coordinating conjunctions is FANBOYS. It stands for:
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
Know of anyone else who could use these parts of speech mnemonics? Help them out by sharing this post with them.
Many blessings,
