Shannon Falls, August 2012

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Parts of Speech Poems/Raps

I couldn't resist not sharing, so here goes! I took some creative liberty, but for the most part, these should be accurate!

NOUN
A noun is a person, place, or thing,
Like the President, Mississippi, or a ring.

Very few people know there are 9 types of nouns,
Like singular, plural, possessive, and compound.

But wait, we're still not quite complete, for
There's collective, common, proper, abstract, and concrete.

When we think parts of speech we first think noun.
A word that replaces one is called a pronoun.

Nouns are found everywhere and in everything
From the mountains of Chile to the crowded streets of Beijing.

There's one last thing before I go
That I really believe you should know.

Don't forget that nouns can be an idea,
Like the hope for democracy in North Korea.

PRONOUN
Sentences can become so monotonous
When certain nouns are repetitious.

You need a replacement for a tiresome word,
One that won't change the meaning when it's heard.

Fur types of pronouns will be introduced
To help keeps nouns from being overused.

Personal pronouns are I, me, my, he, she, and it,
While each, any, and other are indefinite.

This, that, these, and those make up the demonstrative,
But what, which, who, whom, and whose round out the interrogative.

Pronouns keep sentences from being boring,
So when they're read you won't find yourself snoring!

VERB
A verb is more than just what you do;
They work like linkers and helpers, too.

An action verb tells what action a subject is performing.
He sleeps soundly and rises early in the morning.

Action verbs can show ownership or possession;
These fall under mental action.

Linking verbs are not just the form of "be"
Because you have to connect discriptors to words like "he."

Grow, seem, stay, feel, taste, and turn...
How can I determine what type of verb?

Action or linking, how do I tell?
There's a little trick I knwo quite well.

Replace the word in question with another form of "be";
If your statement makes sense, a linking verb it was meant to be.

ADJECTIVE
To describe a noun or pronoun
You need a modifier like tall or brown.

This modifier has a special name,
And no two ever need be the same.

I find absolutely no reason to fib,
When I tell you these words are called adjectives.

What kind? Which one? How many? How much?
Adjectives answer these questions and such.

Adjectives are quite the fun words
If you'll allow yourself some creativity,
For there's more than one way to describe stupidity!

ADVERB
How? When? Where? or To what extent?
How do I describe how I vent?

I must use another modifier
Like often, right now, sometimes, or never.

An adverb is a word that describes a verb,
But it also modifies an adjective or fellow adverb.

Many adverbs end in -ly,
Though that's not the only ending, so don't even try.

Some common adverbs are almost, seldom, quite, and very,
Again, away, down and already.

One word that's also this part of speech
Is the word "not" and that's no exception.
Don't let there be any misconception.

Adverbs can be quite the pill,
But don't you worry,
You'll get it still!

PREPOSITION
What do you do in a sticky situation?
Why, my dear, you use a preposition!

Where is my old, reliable car?
In the garage, on the road, or beneath the stars?

How do I show the subject's and verb's relation?
By using a cleverly placed preposition.

About, above, across, around,
Between, beyond, but, by, and down.

Over, past, since, through, throughout,
Up, upon, with, within, without.

These are just common prepositions
To help you along your mission.

Show the relationship between your subject and other sentence words,
Like where in placement to the tree are the birds?

INTERJECTION
Sometimes life leaves you reeling,
So you need a word to express strong feeling.

An interjection is what you need,
Like "Ow!" "Wow!" "Gee-whiz!" and "Please!"

Usually found at the beginning,
But not excluded from the ending.

So when life is in a happy state,
And you really want to celebrate,

Let out a loud "Yippee--ki--yi--yay!"
And maybe follow it with a little "Hurray!"

CONJUNCTION
Oh, conjunction, conjunction,
What is your function?

To connect words
Like sparrows with birds.

You have three kinds,
So I do not mind,

Putting together words or groups
Like luau and hula hoops.

Correlative and coordinating,
Not forgetting subordinating.

Each serves a unique function
That's why they are called
A conjunction.

And, but, or, and yet
Are always used to connect.

Both/and, and either/or,
Don't forget neither/nor.

To start an adverb clause
Might just for a minute
Give you pause.

Until you use a little mate,
Like after, since, or when
To help subordinate.

Copyright 2010 Jamie Ainsworth

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi,
I came accross your parts of speech poems/raps and just had to show them to my 3rd grade students. They love learning the poems. I'd like to teach them how to rap to the noun and pronoun poems, but can't think of a good beat. Do you have any suggestions? Hope so.
Thank you,
Minerva Garcia

Carissa Peck said...

I grew up on a version that was different and has eroded throughout time, but I dug up what I remembered...changed it and made it a mad libs esque activity for my students: http://eslcarissa.blogspot.mx/2012/06/diy-pars-of-speech-poem.html

This way the poem that they memorize will be theirs!