B. Foundations of Language · Reading Longer Words and Sentences

Parts of Speech That Help Us Understand

B3.2About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can tell who owns something by reading possessive nouns (the dog's bowl, the dogs' bowls).
I can find linking verbs like is, are, was, seem and feel and tell what they connect.
I can tell when an action was, is or will be going on by reading the progressive tense.
I can use question words like which, whose, how, when, where and why to understand questions.
I can use prepositions to picture where and when things happen, and read interjections with feeling.

Words to know

possessive noun
A noun that shows who or what owns something, using an apostrophe: Ava's hat, the birds' nests.

linking verb
A verb that links the subject to a word that describes or names it: The soup is hot.

progressive tense
A verb form that shows an action going on for a while: is running, was running, will be running.

interrogative
Used for asking. Interrogative words help ask questions: which, whose, what, how, when, where, why.

preposition
A word that shows where or when something is, compared to something else: under, behind, during, after.

interjection
A word or short phrase that shows a sudden feeling: Wow! Oops! Ouch!

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you learned about nouns, pronouns, the verb to be (is, are, was, were), adjectives and adverbs. You also learned that 's can show that something belongs to someone.

In Grade 3, you'll learn more parts of speech. Each one has a job. When you know the job, you understand the sentence better.

1. Possessive nouns: who owns it?

An apostrophe in a noun can show belonging.

One owner: add 's: the dog's bowl (one dog, one bowl). Ava's skates.
More than one owner, ending in s: add just ' after the s: the dogs' bowls (many dogs). the girls' team.
More than one owner, not ending in s: add 's: the children's books, the men's hats.

When you read, look carefully: is the apostrophe before or after the s? It tells you if there is one owner or more than one.

Worked example

Let's read possessive nouns

Read: The bird's nest was in the maple tree. The birds' songs filled the park.

How many birds own the nest? How many birds are singing?

bird's: the apostrophe is before the s. That means one bird owns the nest.
birds': the apostrophe is after the s. That means more than one bird. The songs belong to many birds.

One bird owns the nest. Many birds are singing.

Look where the apostrophe sits. Before the s means one owner; after the s means more than one owner.

2. Linking verbs: connecting words

Some verbs don't show action. They link the subject to a word that describes it or names it.

The lake is frozen. (lake → frozen)
My uncle was a firefighter. (uncle → firefighter)
The cookies smell delicious. (cookies → delicious)
She seems tired. (she → tired)
I feel happy. (I → happy)

Common linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, seem, become, feel, look, smell, taste, sound.

Tip: if you can swap the verb for is (or are, was) and the sentence still makes sense, it's probably a linking verb. The cookies are delicious. ✅

3. Progressive tense: action that keeps going

The progressive tense shows an action that is going on for a while. It uses a form of be plus a verb ending in -ing.

Time	Form	Example
Past progressive	was / were + -ing	We were skating* when it started to snow.*
Present progressive	am / is / are + -ing	The puppy is chewing* my mitten!*
Future progressive	will be + -ing	Tomorrow I will be visiting* my kokum.*

Progressive tense

The progressive tense shows an action that keeps going: in the past, right now, or in the future. Each one uses a form of be plus a verb ending in -ing.

Kokum

Kokum (also spelled kohkum) is a word for grandmother in Cree, used by many Cree and Métis families.

4. Question words: interrogative adjectives and adverbs

Question words tell you what kind of answer to look for.

Interrogative adjectives come right before a noun:

Which hat is yours? (choose one)
Whose boots are these? (who owns them)
What colour is the sky? (what kind)

Interrogative adverbs ask about the action:

How did the fox escape? (in what way)
When does the bus come? (time)
Where do beavers live? (place)
Why do leaves change colour? (reason)

5. Prepositions and interjections

Prepositions show where or when something is, compared to something else. They help you picture the scene.

Where: on, under, behind, beside, between, above, through, across, inside
When: before, after, during, until

The cat hid under the bed during the storm.

Interjections show a sudden feeling. They often have an exclamation mark, or a comma if the feeling is milder. Read them with feeling!

Wow! Look at that rainbow!
Oops! I spilled the juice.
Ouch! That snowball was hard.
Hmm, I'm not sure.

Prepositions tell where the ball is compared to the table or the boxes. They help you picture the scene.

Worked example

Let's use parts of speech to understand

Read: Wow! Sam's kite was flying above the trees. It looked enormous. Where did it land?

Wow! is an interjection: read it with excitement.
Sam's is a possessive noun: the kite belongs to Sam.
was flying is past progressive: the kite was in the air for a while.
above is a preposition: the kite was higher than the trees.
looked is a linking verb: it links It (the kite) to enormous.
Where is an interrogative adverb: the answer will be a place.

Each part of speech helped us understand who, what, when, where and how it felt.

Just for fun

Wow! Oops! Hmm... Yikes! Interjections get so excited that they can't even wait for a whole sentence!

Hands-on activity

Grammar scavenger hunt

You need: a favourite storybook or magazine, sticky notes or paper, and a pencil.

Make six labels: possessive noun, linking verb, progressive tense, question word, preposition, interjection.
Hunt through a few pages and find one example of each. Write it on a sticky note.
For each one, tell your grown-up what job the word is doing: "Grandpa's tells who owns the truck."
Then play Preposition Hide-and-Seek: a grown-up hides a small toy. Ask questions with prepositions: "Is it under the couch? Behind the door?"

Your turn

Who owns it? the cat's toy

Who owns them? the cats' toys

Find the linking verb: The water feels cold.

Is the action past, present or future? The kids were building a snowman.

What kind of answer does when ask for?

Find the preposition: The fox ran across the field.

Find the interjection and read it with feeling: Yikes! The bus is leaving!

More practice: warm-up

Which question word asks for a reason: why or where?

Add 's to show Leo owns the bike.

Name two prepositions that tell where.

Is is jumping progressive tense?

Is Oops! an interjection?

More practice: on your own

Read: The children's mittens were on the radiator. Who owns the mittens? How do you know there's more than one owner?

Change to future progressive: I am reading.

Find the linking verb and what it links: Our new teacher seems kind.

Which question word fits? ___ backpack is this? (Whose / Where)

Picture it and draw it: The owl sat between two pine trees above the cabin. Which words helped you picture it?

Challenge

Explain the difference: the teacher's desks and the teachers' desks.

What's the difference in meaning? Mia walked to school. / Mia was walking to school when she saw a deer.

Is looks a linking verb in each sentence? A) The pie looks delicious. B) Ben looks for his skates.

Check your understanding

Quiz

In the girls' hockey team, how many girls are on the team?

Which sentence has a linking verb?

Which is the present progressive?

A question that starts with where wants an answer about:

Which word is a preposition?

Which word is an interjection?

In Whose scarf is this?, whose asks about:

For parents and teachers

Big idea: In Grade 3 (B3.2), students learn the jobs of possessive nouns, linking verbs, the progressive tense, interrogative adjectives and adverbs, prepositions and interjections, and use them to understand what they read and to communicate clearly. The focus here is on reading for meaning; the writing unit practises using them in writing.

How to help at home:

While reading, point to an apostrophe and ask: "One owner or more than one?"
Play preposition hide-and-seek, or give directions using prepositions: "Put the cup beside the plate."
Ask question-word questions about stories: "Why did...? Where did...? Whose...?"

Common difficulties:

Plural possessives (dogs') vs. singular (dog's). Count the owners first.
Mixing up it's (it is) and possessive its. Contractions are covered in the next lesson.
Thinking all verbs are action words. Use the "swap it for is" test for linking verbs.

You don't need to drill the labels. Understanding what each word does in a sentence matters more than the name.