Here's the text of
something I recorded for the Wednesday edition of NPR's "Day to Day" show:
[Lead in Written by Howard Berkes
of NPR]:
The Nobel Prize for
Literature is due out tomorrow. The
annual award goes to masters of the written word. Each of these "big" writers started as little
writers, in a classroom perhaps, struggling with the fundamentals of
grammar. In fact, right now, future
Nobel laureates are moving deeper -- or is it more deeply -- into frustrating
grammar lessons. Writer and teacher, Roy
Peter Clark means to ease their pain….
[Read as a monologue]:
Good morning, students.
Today's lesson is on the parts of
speech. Can anyone name them? Wally?
No, not the teeth, tongue and lips.
They are body parts that help you speak, but are not the parts of
speech.
Hermione? Very good, young lady. Yes, you've got them all. There are eight parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb,
preposition, conjunction, and "Pshaw!" my all time favorite, the interjection.
Say that with me, class. Yes, with vigor: IN-TER-JEC-TION! Brilliant.
Now let me give you an example of
each. Let's begin with the adjective –
that's a word that changes or (quote fingers) “modifies” a noun. So "red" is an adjective because it tells us
what kind of "barn" it is. So barn is
the noun and red is the adjective.
Yes, Hermione?
You think red is a noun because
it's the name of a color – and you think barn could be an adjective – as in
barnyard, because it "modifies" yard.
Hmmmm.
OK, let's move on to the
adverb. This is a word that changes or --
class? -- "modifies" a verb. Let me see
those quote fingers. You can always
recognize the adverb because it ends with the letters -LY.
What is it, Hermione? No, you are correct, July is not an adverb,
it's a proper noun. No, you're right, "lovely" isn't one either. It's an
adjective, as in the lovely flowers.
Well, we're almost out of time for
this lesson, but I did want to leave you with some of my favorite interjections -- which is a word that you blurt out to express anger, surprise, or, perhaps,
frustration.
OK.
Are you ready, class? Here goes:
"Tiddleywinks!" Ha, ha, ha.
I shouted that once after I hit my thumb with a hammer. What is it now, Hermione. Yes, Tiddlywinks is the name of a children's
game, which means YES, it's a noun.
I suppose you have a better example
of an interjection, you insufferable little know-it-all.
Yes, that IS an interjection,
Missy, and for that you can march yourself right down to the principal's
office.
-- Roy
Peter Clark, vice president & senior scholar
