Word Classes

8 Grade 10 English questions on Word Classes, with worked marking schemes. 8 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   3 marks

   Identify the interjection, the preposition and the conjunction in the sentence below. Oh! We waited at the stage for an hour but the bus never came.

   (3 marks)

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2. Question 2

   2 marks

   Read the sentence below and state the word class of 'chilly' and of 'quickly'. The chilly morning wind swept across the Kinangop plateau quickly.

   (2 marks)

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3. Question 3

   1 mark

   The tea pickers looked tired after the long shift. What word class is 'tired' in this sentence?

   A. An adjective describing the pickers

   B. An adverb of manner

   C. A verb in the past tense

   D. A noun naming a condition

   (1 mark)

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4. Question 4

   1 mark

   Surprisingly, the maize harvest in Kitale was heavy this season. To which word class does the word 'surprisingly' belong?

   A. A noun, because it names a feeling

   B. A conjunction, because it joins the sentence to the one before it

   C. An adjective, because it describes the harvest

   D. An adverb, because it comments on the whole statement

   (1 mark)

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5. Question 5

   4 marks

   Distinguish between a determiner and an adjective, and illustrate each with an example.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   1 mark per point, maximum 4. - A determiner introduces a noun and limits or specifies it – showing definiteness, quantity, possession or distance (e.g. the, some, three, her, those). - An adjective describes the quality of a noun and can usually be graded or compared (ripe, riper, very ripe). - In a noun phrase the determiner comes before any adjective, and a determiner cannot normally be graded (we do not say 'very those'). - Example correctly labelled: 'Those ripe mangoes came from Malindi.' – 'Those' is the determiner, 'ripe' is the adjective. Accept any equivalent correct examples.

6. Question 6

   1 mark

   Every evening the girls water the kale in the school garden. What word class does 'water' belong to in this sentence?

   A. An adjective, because it tells us more about the kale

   B. A preposition, because it comes before 'the kale'

   C. A noun, because it names a liquid

   D. A verb, because it states the action the girls perform

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   3 marks

   Write three sentences of your own using the word 'round', and label in each sentence whether 'round' is working as a noun, as a verb or as an adjective.

   (3 marks)

   Marking scheme

   1 mark for each class correctly illustrated and correctly labelled, maximum 3. - Noun: e.g. 'The boxer from Kariobangi won the third round.' - Verb: e.g. 'The matatu will round the corner near Salgaa slowly.' - Adjective: e.g. 'She bought a round sisal mat at the market.' Award the mark only where the sentence is grammatical AND the class is correctly named. Any suitable original sentence is acceptable; accept inflected verb forms such as 'rounded'.

8. Question 8

   1 mark

   We sheltered under the mugumo tree until the rain stopped. What word class is 'until' as used in this sentence?

   A. An adverb, because it tells us when we sheltered

   B. A conjunction, because it introduces the clause 'the rain stopped'

   C. A relative pronoun, because it refers back to 'tree'

   D. A preposition, because it is followed by a noun phrase

   (1 mark)

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