Chapter 1: Review B — Identifying Parts of Speech
Complete Grammar Guide & Interactive Answer Key
Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, and Adverbs • Modifiers in Context • Interactive Self-Check
How Do You Identify Parts of Speech and Modifiers in Review B?
A word's part of speech is determined by how the word functions within a specific sentence. In Review B of Holt Traditions: Warriner's Handbook, Sixth Course (Chapter 1), each italicized word is classified as a noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, or adverb:
| Part of Speech | Core Grammatical Function | Review B Example (Diego Rivera Passage) |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (n.) | Names a person, place, thing, or idea. | muralist, first, Two, Hernán Cortés, conquest, commissions |
| Pronoun (pro.) | Takes the place of one or more nouns or pronouns. | it, who, that, One, him |
| Adjective (adj.) | Modifies a noun or pronoun (what kind, which one, how many). | Mexican (→ artist), This (→ landscape), art (→ show), controversial (→ Rivera), political (→ themes) |
| Verb (v.) | Expresses physical/mental action or a state of being. | worked (action), were (linking) |
| Adverb (adv.) | Modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb (where, when, how, to what extent). | remarkably (→ talented), chiefly (→ famous), only (→ eleven), There (→ experimented) |
Academic Honor Code & Ethical Study Policy
Important Notice for Students, Parents, and Educators: This cumulative grammar review and interactive answer key is published strictly for educational help, academic support, self-checking, and concept mastery—NOT for cheating or copying homework. Study the diagnostic strategies below, write down your answers for Review B (including the words modified by any adjectives or adverbs), and then click Click to Show Answer to verify your work.
Complete Lesson Explanation: Cumulative Review of Rules 1a–1e
Review B synthesizes the first five sections of Chapter 1 in Holt Traditions: Warriner's Handbook, Sixth Course (and Elements of Language, Sixth Course): The Noun (1a), The Pronoun (1b), The Adjective (1c), The Verb (1d), and The Adverb (1e). Because many English words can function as more than one part of speech, you must analyze how each italicized word operates inside its clause.
1. Step-by-Step Strategy for Identifying Modifiers (Adjectives vs. Adverbs)
In Review B, whenever you identify an italicized word as an adjective or an adverb, the directions require you to state what word or words it modifies. Use this two-step check:
| If the Italicized Word Modifies... | Its Part of Speech Is... | How It Works in Review B |
|---|---|---|
| A Noun or a Pronoun | Adjective (adj.) |
• Before a noun: This modifies landscape (Item 2); art modifies show (Item 4); political modifies themes (Item 9). • In the predicate (Predicate Adjective): controversial follows the linking verb was and modifies the subject noun Rivera (Item 9). |
| A Verb, an Adjective, or Another Adverb | Adverb (adv.) |
• Modifying a verb: There modifies the verb experimented, telling where (Item 5). • Modifying an adjective: chiefly modifies the predicate adjective famous (Item 1); only modifies the predicate adjective eleven (Item 3), telling to what extent. |
2. Watch Out for Look-Alike Words in Review B
Several items in Review B test your ability to distinguish words that change parts of speech depending on context:
- This (Adjective vs. Pronoun): In Item 2 ("This landscape is an example..."), This comes directly before the noun landscape and tells which one, making it a demonstrative adjective modifying landscape.
- Art (Noun vs. Adjective): Although art is often a noun, in Item 4 ("his first art show"), it directly precedes and modifies the noun show (telling what kind of show), so it functions as an adjective.
- Number & Order Words (first, Two, One):
- In Item 4 ("he made the first of several lengthy visits"), first is preceded by the article the and functions as a noun (the direct object of made).
- In Item 6 ("Two of Rivera's lifelong interests"), the Teacher's Edition classifies Two as a noun functioning as the subject of were.
- In Item 8 ("One of the works"), One is classified as an indefinite pronoun functioning as the subject of was.
- Relative Pronouns (who, that): In Item 3 ("Rivera, who was born..."), Item 5 ("...that best suited his artistic vision"), and Item 8 ("works that Rivera created"), who and that introduce subordinate adjective clauses and function as relative pronouns.
Review B: Identifying Parts of Speech (Items 1–10)
Directions: Identify the part of speech of each italicized word in the following sentences. If the word is used as an adjective or an adverb, tell what word or words it modifies.
n. = noun; pro. = pronoun; adj. = adjective; v. = verb; adv. = adverb.
Answer:
• Mexican — adjective — modifies artist
• remarkably — adverb — modifies talented
• muralist — noun
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- chiefly — adverb (adv.) — modifies the adjective famous (tells to what extent)
- worked — verb (v.) (intransitive action verb in the relative clause who worked...)
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- This — adjective (adj.) — modifies the noun landscape (demonstrative adjective telling which one)
- it — pronoun (pro.) (third-person singular personal pronoun standing for landscape)
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- who — pronoun (pro.) (relative pronoun referring to the antecedent Rivera)
- only — adverb (adv.) — modifies eleven (tells to what extent)
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- art — adjective (adj.) — modifies the noun show (noun used as an adjective telling what kind)
- first — noun (n.) (preceded by the definite article the, functioning as the direct object of the verb made)
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- There — adverb (adv.) — modifies the verb experimented (tells where)
- that — pronoun (pro.) (relative pronoun introducing the subordinate clause that best suited his artistic vision)
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- Two — noun (n.) (functions as the subject of the sentence; some grammars also classify standalone numbers as pronouns)
- were — verb (v.) (linking verb connecting the subject Two to the subject complements machinery and history)
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- Hernán Cortés — noun (n.) (proper noun naming a historical figure; object of the preposition of)
- conquest — noun (n.) (common noun functioning as the object of the preposition before)
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- One — pronoun (pro.) (indefinite pronoun functioning as the subject of the main clause)
- that — pronoun (pro.) (relative pronoun introducing the adjective clause that Rivera created in the United States)
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- controversial — adjective (adj.) — modifies the subject noun Rivera (predicate adjective following the linking verb was)
- political — adjective (adj.) — modifies the noun themes (tells what kind)
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- him — pronoun (pro.) (third-person singular personal pronoun functioning as the direct object of attacked)
- commissions — noun (n.) (common noun functioning as the object of the gerund accepting)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Review B is a cumulative check of the first five parts of speech introduced in Chapter 1: nouns (n.), pronouns (pro.), adjectives (adj.), verbs (v.), and adverbs (adv.). For every adjective and adverb, you must also identify the word or words it modifies.
In the clause "Rivera was controversial", the verb was is a linking verb. An adjective in the predicate that follows a linking verb and describes the subject is a predicate adjective, so controversial modifies the subject noun Rivera.
In "his first art show", the first first directly precedes and modifies the noun show (telling which one), making it an adjective. In "he made the first of several lengthy visits", the second first is preceded by the article the and acts as the direct object of the verb made, functioning as a noun.