Self-Defense Moves

noun a word that functions as the name of a specific person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or a state of being

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it)

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

article a word that is used with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun

• It is highly inappropriate to stick a thumb in someone’s eye during a disagreement.
• Dude, don't stick a thumb in someone’s eye like that!
• She really stuck a thumb in his eye with that comment.
• The new policy really stuck a thumb in the eye of long-time employees.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it, this)

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

interjection an exclamation, especially as a part of speech

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• The company's sudden decision to cut the legs out from under its employees left many without a stable source of income.
• I can't believe they kicked the legs out from under us like that, without any warning.
• She really cut my legs out from under me when she spread that rumor about me.
• The unexpected betrayal by his closest friend felt like having the legs kicked out from under him.