৪৯তম BCS (বিশেষ) — Parts of Speech
এই পরীক্ষায় এই টপিক থেকে ৫টি প্রশ্ন — যা এই পরীক্ষার সবচেয়ে বেশি-আসা টপিক। সর্বদা শব্দের
কাজ (function) দেখুন, রূপ (form) নয়।
প্রশ্ন ১৯: 'better' is an adverb in—
Options: (a) We're helping of better weather tomorrow • (b)
Sound travels better in water than in air ✓ • (c) It's hard to decide which one is better • (d) He joined the gym to better his health
One-line rule
A word's part of speech depends on its FUNCTION, not its dictionary form. 'Better' can be adjective, adverb, noun, or verb.
Analysis of all 4 options
| Option |
Function of 'better' |
Part of Speech |
| (a) |
modifies 'weather' (noun) |
adjective |
| (b) |
modifies 'travels' (verb) — answers 'how does sound travel?' |
adverb ✓ |
| (c) |
predicate complement after 'is' |
adjective |
| (d) |
infinitive verb 'to better' = to improve |
verb |
'Better' — multi-role chameleon
| Role |
Example |
| Adjective (comparative of 'good') |
She is a better singer. |
| Adverb (comparative of 'well') |
He sings better than her. |
| Noun |
Your betters know more. (plural, archaic) |
| Verb |
To better oneself = to improve. |
প্রশ্ন ৭৮: 'After lunch we went for a leisurely stroll.' Here 'leisurely' is—
Options: (a) adverb • (b)
adjective ✓ • (c) noun • (d) conjunction
Trap analysis
'Leisurely' ends in
-ly — students immediately assume adverb. WRONG.
Here 'leisurely' precedes the noun 'stroll' and modifies it → adjective.
'-ly' adjectives (BCS-trap list)
| Word |
Adjective example |
Adverb example |
| leisurely |
a leisurely stroll |
strolled leisurely |
| friendly |
a friendly dog |
(no adverb form) |
| lovely |
a lovely song |
(no adverb form) |
| lonely |
a lonely night |
(no adverb form) |
| daily |
a daily routine |
I exercise daily |
| early |
an early bird |
She came early |
| weekly |
a weekly meeting |
I write weekly |
Rule of thumb: Position before a noun → adjective. Position modifying verb/adj → adverb.
প্রশ্ন ৮২: 'Someone sneezed loudly at the back of the hall.' Verb 'sneezed' is—
Options: (a) causative • (b)
intransitive ✓ • (c) transitive • (d) factitive
One-line rule
Transitive = has direct object. Intransitive = has NO direct object.
Test: 'Sneezed what?'
- You don't 'sneeze something' — the verb 'sneeze' itself completes the action.
- 'loudly' = adverb (HOW), not object.
- 'at the back of the hall' = prepositional phrase (WHERE).
- No direct object → intransitive.
Verb classification (BCS-favourite)
| Type |
Definition |
Example |
| Transitive |
needs object |
She wrote a letter. |
| Intransitive |
no object |
The baby slept. |
| Causative |
causes someone to act |
I made him cry. |
| Factitive |
assigns identity |
They elected him president. |
| Linking |
connects subject + complement |
He is happy. |
| Auxiliary |
helps main verb |
She has gone. |
| Modal |
mood/possibility |
You must try. |
Common intransitive verbs (BCS-list)
sneeze • cough • laugh • cry • smile • sleep • die • arrive • sit • stand • come • go • run • walk • swim • fall
Some verbs can be BOTH
- 'He ran fast.' (intransitive)
- 'He ran the company.' (transitive — object 'company')
প্রশ্ন ৮৪: Which gender is the noun 'neighbour'?
Options: (a) Masculine • (b) Feminine • (c) Neuter • (d)
Common ✓
One-line rule
Common gender = noun used for BOTH male and female (refers to people whose gender is unspecified).
4 Genders in English
| Gender |
Definition |
Examples |
| Masculine |
male only |
king, father, uncle, lion, hero |
| Feminine |
female only |
queen, mother, aunt, lioness, heroine |
| Common |
either sex |
parent, friend, doctor, teacher, student, neighbour, child, baby, cousin |
| Neuter |
lifeless/inanimate |
book, chair, room, country, river |
Common gender — quick recognition
If you can put 'he' OR 'she' before it, and both feel natural → common gender.
- 'My neighbour' could be male or female → common ✓
- 'My king' → only male → masculine
- 'My book' → no gender → neuter
প্রশ্ন ৯৭: 'They talked about going on a vacation.' 'going' is a/an—
Options: (a) participle • (b) infinitive • (c) verbal noun • (d)
gerund ✓
One-line rule
-ing form after preposition = GERUND (noun-equivalent). This is the most reliable rule.
Why gerund here?
'about' = preposition. After a preposition, a verb must take the -ing form → gerund.
Test: replace with a noun — 'They talked about the trip' — works perfectly.
-ing form: gerund vs participle vs verbal noun
| Type |
Function |
Example |
| Gerund |
noun (subject/object/after preposition) |
I love swimming. (object) |
| Present Participle |
adjective (modifies noun) |
The running boy fell. (modifies 'boy') |
| Verbal noun |
pure noun, often with 'the' + 'of' |
the singing of birds |
4 Common positions of GERUND
| Position |
Example |
| Subject |
Swimming is fun. |
| Object of verb |
She enjoys reading. |
| After preposition |
He is good at cooking. (This question's pattern!) |
| After certain verbs |
avoid, enjoy, finish, mind, suggest + -ing |
Exam shortcut for 'parts of speech' identification
Step 1: Find what the word modifies/relates to in the sentence.
Step 2: Apply position rule:
- Before noun? → Adjective
- Modifying verb? → Adverb
- After preposition + -ing? → Gerund
- Object of verb? → Noun
- Acting as predicate? → Adjective or Noun
General Tips
- '-ly' ≠ always adverb (leisurely, friendly, lovely are adjectives)
- Test verb transitivity by asking 'verb + what?'
- For genders: think 'he or she or it or both?'
- Gerund after preposition is the most common BCS pattern
টপিকটি গভীরে শিখুন
Parts of Speech — মূল লেকচার শিট — All 8 parts of speech with their subtypes, conversion rules, common -ly adjective traps, gerund-participle-infinitive distinctions, transitive-intransitive-causative-factitive verbs, all gender types, and BCS-favourite 50+ parts of speech questions.