Chapter 7 Verbal and Written Communications 155
Vowels and Consonants
When formulating words in the English language, the most basic build-
ing blocks are vowels and consonants. Written English has fi ve vowel let-
ters—a, e, i, o, and u (y may substitute for i). Consonants in the English
language are the remaining letters of the alphabet—b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m,
n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, and z. Together, vowels and consonants form words.
There are distinct sounds for each letter, depending on where it appears in
the word.
Parts of Speech
Words in the English language are divided into eight different parts
of speech. Parts of speech can be combined to form a complete thought,
or sentence. A sentence can combine any or even all of the parts of speech
listed in Figure 7.14.
Is Grammar an Advantage?
Jenny and Drew are applying for the same job. They have each put
together a résumé and fi lled out an application for the position. Drew took
a considerable amount of time to craft his résumé and to fi ll out the appli-
cation, paying close attention to grammar and spelling. Jenny has a very
busy schedule. She didn’t take the time to carefully review her résumé and
application for grammar and spelling mistakes, but felt that her qualifi cations
would be enough to get the job. Who is at an advantage if their qualifi cations
are similar?
Real Life Scenario
vowels
fi ve letters in the English
language: a, e, i, o, and u
(sometimes y is substituted
for i)
consonants
all letters of the English
alphabet except a, e, i, o,
and u
parts of speech
collective term for eight
classifi cations of words
that denote each word’s
function; in English these
include noun, pronoun,
verb, adjective, adverb, con-
junction, preposition, and
interjection
Parts of Speech
Part Defi nition Examples
noun a word naming a person, place, or thing patient, clinic, medication
pronoun a word taking the place of a noun he, it, they
verb a word showing action or state of being help, run, is
adjective a word describing a noun or pronoun healthy, young, happy
adverb a word describing a verb, adjective, or
another adverb
rapidly, very, nearby
conjunction a word connecting words, phrases, or
sentences
and, or, but
preposition a word relating nouns or pronouns to other
words in a sentence
above, to, for
interjection a word expressing strong emotion STAT!
Figure 7.14 All English words can be categorized as one of the eight parts of speech.