STRUCTURING OF

WORDS
MODULE 1- LESSON 1( CONTINUATION)
OBJECTIVES:

• - define the concept of a word in general;

• -distinguish words as a symbol;
• - identify the different classification of words;
• - differentiate the usage of the words;
• - determine the word order;
• - explain the word formation;
MEANING

• Word

- may consists of a letter or several letters, are the smallest elements of a sentence.
- a sound or combination of sounds that has meaning and is spoken by a human being.
- A word refers to a speech sound, or a mixture of two or more speech sounds in both written and verbal form
of language. A word works as a symbol to represent/refer to something/someone in language to communicate a
specific meaning.
Example: ‘love’, ‘cricket’, ‘sky’ etc.
-"[A word is the] smallest unit of grammar that can stand alone as a complete utterance, separated by spaces in
written language and potentially by pauses in speech." (David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English
Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003)
CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

• 1. Naming words- the noun and pronoun

• 2. Asserting words- the verbs
• 3. Modifying words- the adjectives and adverbs
• 4. Joining Words- the conjunctions and prepositions
• 5. Exclamatory words- interjections
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

• 1. Abstract words.- These words do not suggest any tangible image or impression
• 2. Ambiguous words.- these are words that permit in context more than one meaning.
• 3. Antonyms.- These words mean the opposite of other words. There is no such thing as
absoloutely precise antonym , though broadly opposing categories are common.
• 4. Archaic words. – Being tools of an earlier age, these words have no place in present-
day writing. They are old fashioned words that have passed from everyday use.
• 5. Back formation. –These are words formed from what are mistakenly assumed to be
derivatives. Some of these words have survived and are accepted as legitimate words
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

• 6. Back slang. – A form of slang in which words are spelled and pronounced in the
reverse order.
• 7. Barbarisms- these words are irregularly formed and alien to established custom. They
are called “ illiteracies.”
• 8. Buzz words. – These words come into fashion for a time and find their way into
everyone’s writings.
• 9. Clichés.- These words are expressions of ideas that have become trite , hackneyed,
over-used, or weak through constant repetition.
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

• 10. Colloquial words. – These are the body of language between standard English and slang.
Colloquial words are more appropriate and informal than in formal writing and more common
in speech than in writing.
• 11. Concrete words.- These words express something tangible, usually perceivable by the
senses.
• 12.Confusibles.- These words have similar sound with but have slightly different meanings
from other words. They are also called “ homophones” or “ homonyms.”
• 13. Euphemisms.- These words are mild or polite expressions used to replace words that might
be considered blunt, indelicate or offensive.
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

• 14. Foreign words.- These words may be anglicized and become part of everyday use in
English; otherwise, they remain foreign and are italicized.
• 15. Goobledygooks.- These are high-sounding words and phrases that becloud the
meaning of writing.
• 16. Hypallage.-These are words used as figures of speech in which the proper subject is
displaced by what rightfully would be the object.
• ex. “ This was the most unkindest cut of all” . It was not the cut that was unkind but
the assailant.
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

• 17. Illiteracies.- These words are variations of words like “ irregardless” or “

disregardless” from “ regardless”.
• 18. Jargon.- These words refer to specialized terms of a profession that the general reader
would not understand. They are the technical vocabulary of scientists, professionals, and
technologists who need a private language as a short hand peculiar to their profession.
• 19. Melapropisms. – These words used incorrectly and which produce a humorous effect.
• 20. Palindormes.- These words have the same spelling whether read from left to right and
right to left.
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

• 21. Pleonasmic words.- These are words repeated to perform the same grammatical
functions.
• 22. Richochet words.- These are echoic or reduplicative words which are coined for
humorous effect.
• 23. Shoptalk.- These are words used by people in the same work or field of activity.
• 24. Slang words. – Slang consists of current words having a forced meaning. These words
do not conform to current standards of acceptability.
OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

25. Solecisms. - These words or expressions deviate from good idiomatic usage ( e.g between you
and I” for “ between you and me”)
26. Sub-standard expressions. - Word usage considered unacceptable in speech or writing by
writers and speakers is evaluated a substandard.
ex. at that point in time ( compound) - then ( simple) , as a matter of fact - in fact
27. Syllepsis. - ex.
 OTHER CLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

28. Tautalogical words- is the needless repetition of the same thought in different words.\
ex. actual facts- all facts are actual, advance planning- plan means “ to foresee” or “devide ahead”
29. Vogue word. - It is a fashionable word or phrase that tends to lose its effectiveness through
overuse. Also called a voguism. Vogue words are technical words clumsily applied to other fields.
ex. parameter, bottom line, interface, mode, and space; phrases like immediate feedback and close
the loop; and, in a sense, ballpark figure, and touch base with you."
30. Weasel Words. -words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading. It something
that someone says either to avoid answering a question clearly or to make someone believe
something that is not true.
 USAGE OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL ENGLISH

Formal language is used in situations that are serious or that involve people we don't
know well.
Informal language is more commonly used in situations that are more relaxed and
involve people we know well.

Formal language is more common when we write; informal language is more common
when we speak.
USAGE OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL ENGLISH

Formal language and informal language are associated with particular choices of
grammar and vocabulary.

Contractions, relative clauses without a relative pronoun and ellipsis are more
common in informal language.
We often choose to use certain modal verbs to be more formal and polite:
Ex.
Can I suggest you try this new model? (neutral)
May I suggest you try this new model? (more formal)
Might I suggest you try this new model? (very formal)
USAGE OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL ENGLISH

Here's a look at lesser-known formal and informal expressions

Formal: How do you do?

Informal: What's up?

Formal: Firstly...
Informal: To start with/ for a start..

Formal: Give my regards to...

Informal: Say hello to....
 WORD ORDER

Word order is important: it’s what makes your sentences make sense! So, proper word
order is an essential part of writing and speaking—when we put words in the wrong order,
the result is a confusing, unclear, and an incorrect sentence.

ex.
I am in middle school. CORRECT
In middle school I am. INCORRECT

How are you today? CORRECT

You are how today? INCORRECT
 WORD ORDER

Types of Word Order

a. Standard Word Order

A sentence’s standard word order is Subject + Verb + Object (SVO). Remember, the
subject is what a sentence is about; so, it comes first. For example:

The dog (subject) + eats (verb) + popcorn (object).

 WORD ORDER
Types of Word Order
B. Questions

When asking a question, we follow the order auxiliary verb/modal auxiliary + subject +
verb (ASV). Auxiliary verbs and modal auxiliaries share meaning or function, many which
are forms of the verb “to be.” Auxiliary verbs can change form, but modal auxiliaries
don’t. Here’s a chart to help you:auxiliary-verbs.png
Examples:

Can he cook? “Can” (auxiliary) “he” (subject) “cook” (verb)

Does your dog like popcorn? “Does” (A) “your dog” (S) “like” (V) “popcorn” (O)

Are you burning the popcorn? “Are” (A) “you” (S) “burning” (V) “popcorn” (O)
WORD ORDER
4. Parts of Word Order

a. Indirect Objects

When we add an indirect object, a sentence will follow a slightly different order. Indirect
objects always come between the verb and the object, following the pattern SVIO, like
this:
Example:

I fed the dog some popcorn.

This sentence has “I” (subject) “fed” (verb) “dog” (indirect object) “popcorn” (direct
object).
 WORD ORDER
4. Parts of Word Order

b. Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases also have special positions in sentences. When we use the prepositions like “to” or
“for,” then the indirect object becomes part of a prepositional phrase, and follows the order SVOP, like this:

I fed some popcorn to the dog.

Other prepositional phrases, determining time and location, can go at either the beginning or the end of a
sentence:

He ate popcorn at the fair. -Or- At the fair, he ate popcorn.

 WORD ORDER
4. Parts of Word Order

c. Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, adding things like time, manner, degree; and often end
in ly, like “slowly,” “recently,” “nearly,” and so on. As a rule, an adverb (or any modifier) should be as close
as possible to the thing it is modifying. But, adverbs are special because they can usually be placed in more
than one spot in the sentence and are still correct. So, there are rules about their placement, but also many
exceptions.

In general, when modifying an adjective or adverb, an adverb should go before the word it modifies:

The dog was extremely hungry. CORRECT adverb modifies “hungry”

Extremely, the dog was hungry. INCORRECT misplaced adverb

WORD ORDER
4. Parts of Word Order

c. Adjectives

adjectives-word-order-english-osascomp.jpg
WORD ORDER

How to Use Avoid Mistakes with Word Order

The subject is what a sentence is about, so it should come first.

A modifier (like an adverb) should generally go as close as possible to the thing it is
modifying.
Indirect objects can change the word order from SVO to SVIO
Prepositional phrases have special positions in sentences
 WORD FORMATION

word formation refers to the ways in which new words are formed on the basis of other words or
morphemes. This is also known as derivational morphology.

There are four main kinds of word formation: prefixes, suffixes, conversion and compounds.

Prefixes - add prefixes before the base or stem of a word.

Suffixes - add after the base or stem of a word. The main purpose of a suffix is to show what class of word
it is (e.g. noun or adjective).

Conversion involves the change of a word from one word class to another.

Compounding is to link together two or more bases to create a new word. Normally, the first item identifies
a key feature of the second word
REFERENCES:

Isagani et.al ( 2004 ). Fundamentals of English Grammar.Rex Bookstore. Quezon City, Phillipines

https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/grammar-vocabulary/story/difference-between-formal-and-
informal-english-and-its-usage-1590471-2019-08-22

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/word-formation_2

https://www.woodwardenglish.com/lesson/adjectives-word-order/

https://englishsentences.com/word-order/