A noun is simply a name word. It may signify a person or an animate being (Frank, boy, dog), an object (tree, box), a color (red), an action (walking, step, discussion), a quality (goodness), an abstract idea (truth, space), a general idea (speed, thing), to name only a few kinds of nouns. But it is always the name of an individual or of a class of persons or things.
A pronoun is a substitute or symbol word which signifies a noun which is either expressed near the pronoun or implied by the circumstances (he, it, who, anyone, I, you).
A gerund is a noun made by adding the suffix -ing to a verb (walking, hoping, sitting, being).
An infinitive is a form of a verb, usually preceded by the word to, often used to name the action signified by the verb (to think, to have gone).
A clause is a sentence element consisting of a subject (in the nominative case) and a predicate (with the verb in a finite form—that is, not an infinitive or a participle).
| 1. Noun: | Time flies. |
| 2. Pronoun: | He arrived late. Everybody was late. I can do it. |
| 3. Gerund: | Standing on the corner made him cold. |
| 4. Infinitive: | To tell the truth was easy. |
| 5. Clause: | That he hath wronged me doth appear in this. Where he stood makes no difference. |
Predicates
The fundamental word in the predicate is the verb.
A verb is a word—or a word-group—the function of which is to assert something about the subject.
The tide rises.