GRAMMAR
BLASTER
BLASTER
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YOUR MISSIONBLAST ANY NOUN
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Grammar Blaster
Student Guide · Parts of Speech Summary
The most important rule: A word’s part of speech depends on the job it is doing in that sentence. Find and shoot one word functioning as the part of speech named in the Mission box.
How the game builds
| Game stage | Parts of speech introduced |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Nouns, pronouns and verbs |
| Level 2 | Adds adjectives and adverbs |
| Level 3 | Adds interjections |
| Level 4 | Adds determiners |
| Level 5 | Adds prepositions |
| Level 10 onward | Adds conjunctions, completing all nine parts of speech |
Quick reference: the nine parts of speech
| Part of speech | Main job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing or idea. | teacher, Sydney, telescope, courage |
| Pronoun | Stands in for a noun or noun group. | I, you, she, it, we, them |
| Verb | Expresses an action, event, state or relationship. | ran, is, has finished, to explore |
| Adjective | Describes or classifies a noun, or describes the subject after a linking verb. | narrow path; the path looks dangerous |
| Adverb | Modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb or sometimes a whole clause. | carefully, very, outside, fortunately |
| Determiner | Introduces a noun and helps show which one, whose one or how many. | the, a, this, my, every, several |
| Preposition | Shows a relationship, often of place, time, direction or means. | under, after, through, with |
| Conjunction | Joins words, groups or clauses. | and, but, because, although |
| Interjection | Expresses a sudden feeling or reaction. | Wow! Oops! Hooray! Alas! |
Important distinctions
- The same spelling can have different jobs. For example, outside is an adverb in We waited outside, but it is a preposition in We waited outside the gate.
- A noun before another noun often remains a noun. For example, kitchen is a noun in kitchen fridge, and finish is a noun in finish line.
- An -ly ending does not guarantee an adverb. For example, friendly and lovely are adjectives in a friendly dog and a lovely day.
- An -ing ending does not guarantee a verb. For example, passing is a noun in The team improved its passing, but a verb in Passing the ball, Ava scored.
- Linking verbs connect the subject to a description. For example, dangerous is an adjective in The path looks dangerous because it describes path.
- To has more than one possible job. It is a preposition in We walked to the classroom, but an infinitive marker—not a verb—in We tried to answer.
- Some words can be determiners or pronouns. For example, those is a determiner in those books, but a pronoun in I chose those.
A reliable way to identify a target
- Read the whole sentence. Do not decide from the word by itself.
- Find the target category named in the Mission box.
- Ask what job each possible word is doing in this particular sentence.
- Choose one word functioning as the target part of speech and shoot that word.
- For verbs, check the complete finite verb group and any genuine infinitive or participial phrases. Do not select the infinitive marker to as a verb.
Game Paused
Your score, lives and current sentence are safe.
Grammar Blaster
Move the pen and shoot one word matching the part of speech in the Mission box. You only need to hit one correct word in each sentence.
You have five lives. Five correct hits in a row advances you to the next level. Complete all 25 levels to win.