Some grammar learnings

apposition - two nouns (or noun phrases) placed side by side, with one modifying the other.
Two types exist - restrictive and non-restrictive:
John, the guitar player, is....
My friend Bob is....

4 types of pronouns:
- personal
- demonstrative ($this, that)
- reflexive (allow a noun to be the direct object of the sentence in which it is already the subject: myself, yourself...)
- relative (used to further describe a noun without the use of adjectives, participles, or a separate sentence: who, that...)

(to set things straight)
Adverbs describe the manner in which an action was done

Prepositions--words which describe the location at which or in which an action is performed or takes place.

Gerunds are nouns built from a verb with an '-ing' suffix

Participles are forms of verbs which are used as adjectives. ( -- modifiers, or used in compound tenses or voices)
A Participle is a word derived from a verb, participating the properties of a verb, and of an adjective or a noun; and is generally formed by adding ing, d, or ed, to the verb: thus, from the verb rule, are formed three participles, two simple and one compound; as, 1. ruling, 2. ruled, 3. having ruled.
-- present: "The talking dog"
-- past: "The opened can"

another way of looking at it (ripped straight from wikipedia)

The present participle ( active, imperfect, or progressive participle ) in English is active. It has the following uses:

• forming the progressive aspect: Jim was sleeping.
• modifying a noun: Let sleeping dogs lie.
• modifying a verb or sentence: Broadly speaking, the project was successful.

(note that the gerund is different -- in that case, the verb acts as a noun)

The past participle ( also passive or perfect participle ) has both active and passive uses:

• forming the perfect aspect: The chicken has eaten.
• forming the passive voice: The chicken was eaten.
• modifying a noun, active sense (certain intransitive verbs only): our fallen comrades
• modifying a noun, passive sense: the attached files
• modifying a verb or sentence, passive sense: Seen from this perspective, the problem presents no easy solution.

(note that the preterite/past form differs for some irregular verbs - ate / eaten, etc.)