Directions: Given below are a few sentences. Identify the part of speech of the underlined words. Choose the response (a), (b), (c) or (d) which is the most appropriate expression.The son writes meaningless letters to his father.

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Understanding Parts of Speech: Identifying 'meaningless'

The question asks us to identify the part of speech of the underlined word "meaningless" in the sentence: "The son writes meaningless letters to his father."

To determine the part of speech, we need to look at how the word functions within the sentence. The word "meaningless" comes before the noun "letters" and describes the quality or characteristic of these letters.

Analysing the Word 'meaningless'

The word is formed by adding the suffix "-less" to the noun "meaning". The suffix "-less" often transforms a noun into an adjective meaning "without" or "lacking".
In the sentence, "meaningless" is directly modifying the noun "letters". It tells us what kind of letters the son writes.

Words that describe or modify nouns are called adjectives.

Evaluating the Options

Let's consider the given options:

Adverb: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Examples: quickly, happily, very. "Meaningless" does not modify the verb "writes" or any other adjective/adverb in the sentence.
Verb: Verbs are words that show an action or state of being. Examples: writes, is, runs. "Meaningless" is not an action or state.
Pronoun: Pronouns are words used in place of a noun. Examples: he, she, it, they. "Meaningless" does not replace a noun.
Adjective: Adjectives describe or modify nouns or pronouns. Examples: happy, red, large. In the sentence, "meaningless" describes the noun "letters".

Based on its function in the sentence, "meaningless" is an adjective because it describes the noun "letters".

Therefore, the most appropriate part of speech for "meaningless" is Adjective.

Revision Table: Parts of Speech

Part of Speech	Function	Examples	In the Sentence
Noun	Names a person, place, thing, or idea	son, father, letters	son, letters, father
Verb	Shows action or state of being	writes	writes
Adjective	Describes a noun or pronoun	meaningless	meaningless (describes letters)
Adverb	Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb	quickly, very	N/A in this sentence
Pronoun	Replaces a noun	he, she, it	N/A in this sentence
Preposition	Shows relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word	to	to
Conjunction	Connects words, phrases, or clauses	and, but	N/A in this sentence
Interjection	Expresses strong emotion	Oh!, Wow!	N/A in this sentence

Additional Information: Identifying Adjectives

Adjectives add detail and specificity to sentences by providing more information about nouns and pronouns. Here are some tips for identifying adjectives:

Ask "What kind?" or "Which one?": Adjectives often answer these questions about the noun they modify. In "meaningless letters", "meaningless" answers "What kind of letters?"
Position: Adjectives typically appear before the noun they describe (attributive position) or after a linking verb (predicative position, e.g., "The letters are meaningless"). In this sentence, "meaningless" is in the attributive position.
Endings: Some common adjective endings include -ful, -less, -y, -ous, -able, -ible, -al, -ic, -ive. "Meaningless" has the -less ending.

Understanding the function of words in a sentence is key to correctly identifying their part of speech.