Exercise 01 Exercise 02
Illustrated Worksheet on English Parts of Speech
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TIP Sheet THE EIGHT PARTS OF SPEECH
There are eight parts of speech in the English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. The part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the sentence. An individual word can function as more than one part of speech when used in different circumstances. Understanding parts of speech is essential for determining the correct definition of a word when using the dictionary.
1. NOUN
man... Butte College... house... happiness
A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are often used with an article ( the , a , an ), but not always. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter; common nouns do not. Nouns can be singular or plural, concrete or abstract. Nouns show possession by adding 's . Nouns can function in different roles within a sentence; for example, a noun can be a subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, or object of a preposition.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher , and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the TIP Sheet on "Nouns" for further information.
2. PRONOUN
She... we... they... it
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun, which is called its antecedent. In the sentence above, the antecedent for the pronoun she is the girl. Pronouns are further defined by type: personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things; possessive pronouns indicate ownership; reflexive pronouns are used to emphasize another noun or pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause; and demonstrative pronouns identify, point to, or refer to nouns.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the TIP Sheet on "Pronouns" for further information.
3. VERB
jump... is... write... become
The verb in a sentence expresses action or being. There is a main verb and sometimes one or more helping verbs. (" She can sing." Sing is the main verb; can is the helping verb.) A verb must agree with its subject in number (both are singular or both are plural). Verbs also take different forms to express tense.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared . Oh my!
See the TIP Sheet on "Verbs" for more information.
4. ADJECTIVE
pretty... old... blue... smart
An adjective is a word used to modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. It usually answers the question of which one, what kind, or how many. (Articles [a, an, the] are usually classified as adjectives.)
See the TIP Sheet on "Adjectives" for more information.
5. ADVERB
gently... extremely... carefully... well
An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but never a noun. It usually answers the questions of when, where, how, why, under what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly.
See the TIP Sheet on "Adverbs" for more information.
6. PREPOSITION
by... with.... about... until
(by the tree, with our friends, about the book, until tomorrow)
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence. Therefore a preposition is always part of a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase almost always functions as an adjective or as an adverb. The following list includes the most common prepositions:
See the TIP Sheet on "Prepositions" for more information.
7. CONJUNCTION
and... but... or... while... because
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses, and indicates the relationship between the elements joined. Coordinating conjunctions connect grammatically equal elements: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Subordinating conjunctions connect clauses that are not equal: because, although, while, since, etc. There are other types of conjunctions as well.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the TIP Sheet on "Conjunctions" for more information.
8. INTERJECTION
Oh!... Wow!... Oops!
An interjection is a word used to express emotion. It is often followed by an exclamation point.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my !
See the TIP Sheet on "Interjections" for more information.
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The different parts of speech are the breakdown and classification of words in English that show their unique functions and properties. In core language, a single word can function as two or more parts of speech.
Differentiating between the 9 parts of speech is the first step to building your grammar skills and writing tools. Keep reading to learn the definitions and examples of each category!
A noun is any place, person, idea, or thing. Some examples of nouns include:
There are various classifications of nouns you can use in your writing. Proper nouns are specific names for places, persons, ideas, or things. Meanwhile, common nouns are generic class nouns. A possessive noun is another type of noun that demonstrates belonging.
We can also classify this part of speech as an abstract noun, concrete noun, count noun, and uncountable noun.
The placement of the noun in a sentence also determines its function. A noun can be in the nominative or objective case. The nominative functions include subject and subject complement. And the types of objects are direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition.
A quick introduction to pronouns shows they are classes of words that take the place of nouns. Some examples of pronouns include he, that, whoever, myself.
This quick guide to pronouns shows they can be classified as:
Pronouns can further be divided into first-person pronoun, second-person pronoun, and third-person pronoun.
A verb is a word that conveys time while showing a condition, an action, or the fact that something exists. All complete sentences should contain at least one verb unless using an interjection.
Verbs can be treated as either lexical verbs/action verbs (study, love, drink) or auxiliary verbs (seem, is, have).
A verb phrase combines verbs with linking verbs and lexical categories of verbs. Some examples include:
Phrasal verbs are forms of verbs that consist of two or more words. Here are some examples:
When you add “up with” after the simple verb “put,” you create a brand-new verb with a new meaning. Therefore, phrasal verbs should be treated as complete verbs because of their unique definitions.
Some verbs are reflexive. A reflexive verb is where the subject and object are one since the sentence uses reflexive pronouns like “himself” or “itself.”
Whether you’re using a lexical or auxiliary verb, this part of the speech always expresses time through the different tenses. For instance, the verb “eats” is a present-tense verb, and its past form is “ate.”
Another part of speech is the adjective , which modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. It typically answers the questions “what kind,” “which one,” or “how much.” For example:
The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are sometimes categorized as adjectives. “The” is a definite article, and “a” and “an” are indefinite articles.
Adjective classes include:
Adverbs are a word class that modifies adjectives, verbs, and fellow adverbs. One frequent adverb marker is the suffix -ly, such as “healthily,” “badly,” and “swiftly.”
But the discussion of adverbs goes beyond words that describe actions. There are also adverbs of degree, place, time, and frequency. The English language also considers “most days,” “to visit my friend,” “very loudly,” and other adverbial phrases as adverbs.
Adverbial phrases are under the phrasal categories, including verb phrases, adjective phrases, etc.
A conjunction is a word that binds words, clauses, and phrases. “And,” “but,” “because,” and “consequently” are some examples of conjunctions.
Conjunctions make it easy to construct more complex sentences because you can easily add new clauses. The category distinctions of this part of speech are:
Prepositions show relations of space, time, and role between nouns, pronouns, and other words. They are at the start of prepositional phrases. Here are some examples of prepositions:
A determiner is like an adjective because it also modifies nouns. However, these words are essential for proper syntax as opposed to adjectives. They can be classified as indefinite and definite. New grammar rules now treat articles as determiners. Examples of determiners include:
The last part of speech is the interjection which may have standalone functions in sentences. “Whoops,” “ouch,” “ah,” and “hooray” can be an entire sentence on their own.
Analyzing the parts of speech is different for every individual language. Here’s an overview of the different categories in English.
Noun | Person, thing, place, or event | She is the new . |
Pronoun | Replaces a noun | is the new assistant. bag is missing. |
Verb | Expresses time while demonstrating a condition, action, or the fact that something exists | She the new assistant. I what she that day. |
Adjective | Modifies a noun or a pronoun | She is the assistant. Jane is selling her apartment. |
Adverb | Modifies a verb, adjective, or fellow adverb. | remove your makeup. |
Conjunction | Connects clauses, words, or sentences | I like candles I like reed diffusers. She asked me not to attend she won’t be there. |
Preposition | Connects a noun to another word | My dog went the neighbor’s house. |
Determiner | Determines a noun | buzzcut suits your face shape. |
Interjection | Short exclamation | ! That was an impressive performance. |
Sometimes, words have more than one role in the English language. For example, some nouns can also act as adjectives called adjectival nouns. In the phrase “race car,” “race” modifies “car,” so its usage is as an adjective instead of a noun.
A noun can be used in verbal senses. Consider the word “work” in these sentences.
The two classifications of the parts of speech include open and closed classes. The open classes can be changed and added as the language changes.
Meanwhile, closed classes are parts of speech that do not change. These include:
In some languages, verbs and adjectives form closed classes. This closedness of verbs is common in Basque and Persian verbs .
Linguistics , or the study of language, does not recommend the label “part of speech” anymore. Instead, the discipline favors “syntactic category” or “word class.”
In the stricter sense, the only use of “with” is as a preposition. You can find it before a noun or a pronoun to form prepositional phrases. Use it to show togetherness, associations, and connections between people and objects.
The conjunction “and” connects words, clauses, and phrases. It can also combine sentences that need to be presented at once.
“My” is a possessive pronoun that can also act as an adjective, determiner, or interjection.
This guide has shown you the nine parts of speech and their grammatical functions. By now, you should already be able to give definitions and examples of each category, so they make sense.
To correctly use the parts of speech, ask yourself, “what is the function of this word in the sentence?” Keep practicing until you master the traditional grammar rules of English!
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Author: sarah perowne, more content, why understanding parts of speech is important , the 8 parts of speech: definitions, examples, and rules, 2. pronouns, 3. adjectives, 6. prepositions, 7. conjunctions, 8. articles, takeaways - tips.
Parts of speech are like Legos. Instead of being made into houses or spaceships, they’re the building blocks we use to form written and spoken language.
Every word you speak or write is a part of speech. In the English language, there are 8 parts of speech: nouns , pronouns , adjectives , verbs , adverbs , prepositions , conjunctions , and articles (determiners). These parts of speech represent categories of words according to their grammatical function.
Having a basic understanding of the parts of speech in the English language gives you a specific terminology and classification system to talk about language. It can help you correctly punctuate a sentence, capitalize the right words, and even understand how to form a complete sentence to avoid grammatical errors.
Part Of Speech | Function | Example Vocabulary | Example Sentences |
---|---|---|---|
Part Of Speech Noun | Function is a person or thing. | Example Vocabulary Birthday, cake, Paris, flat | Example Sentences Today is my birthday. I like cake. I have a flat; It's in Paris. |
Part Of Speech Pronoun | Function is a noun substitute. | Example Vocabulary I, you, she, her, him, some, and them. | Example Sentences Susan is my neighbor; She is charming. |
Part Of Speech Adjective | Function describes the noun in a sentence. | Example Vocabulary Happy, small, cozy, hungry, and warm. | Example Sentences She lives in a small cottage. Her home is cozy and warm. |
Part Of Speech Verb | Function is an action word or state of being. | Example Vocabulary Run, jump, sleep, can, do, (to) be, or like | Example Sentences The teacher is happy; she likes her students. |
Part Of Speech Adverb | Function describes a verb, adverb, or adjective. | Example Vocabulary Merrily, slowly, softly, or quickly | Example Sentences The girl spoke softly. She walked away slowly. |
Part Of Speech Preposition | Function connects a noun or pronoun to another word. Shows the direction, location, or movement. | Example Vocabulary In, on, at, to, after. | Example Sentences We left by bus in the morning. Conjunction,"connects words, sentences, or clauses. |
Part Of Speech Article | Function shows whether a specific identity is known or unknown. | Example Vocabulary A, an, and the. | Example Sentences A man called today. The cat is on the table; get it off! |
Still with us? Now, we will break down each of these English grammar categories and give some examples.
Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing, or idea. They can be further classified into different types of nouns .
There are some nouns we can count and others we cannot. Take a look at this table.
Type Of Noun | Definition | Examples |
---|---|---|
Type Of Noun Proper Nouns | Definition Name a specific person, place, or thing. Always start with a capital letter. | Examples Egypt, Paul, Eiffel Tower, Chicago |
Type Of Noun Common Nouns | Definition Don’t name a specific person, place, or thing. Don’t start with a capital letter unless they are placed at the beginning of a sentence. | Examples dog, houses, sleep, homes, cup |
Type Of Noun | Definition | Examples |
---|---|---|
Type Of Noun Concrete Nouns | Definition Identify material things. | Examples apple, boy, clock, table, window |
Type Of Noun Abstract Nouns | Definition Express a characteristic or idea. | Examples happiness, tranquility, war, danger, friendship |
Rule | Add | Singular Noun Examples | Plural Noun Examples |
---|---|---|---|
Rule For most common nouns… | Add -s | Singular Noun Examples Chair | Plural Noun Examples Chairs |
Rule For nouns that end in -ch, -s, -ch, or x… | Add -es | Singular Noun Examples Teach | Plural Noun Examples Teaches |
Rule For nouns ending with -y and a vowel… | Add -s | Singular Noun Examples Toy | Plural Noun Examples Toys |
Rule For nouns ending with -y and a consonant… | Add Remove -y and add -ies | Singular Noun Examples Lady | Plural Noun Examples Ladies |
Rule For nouns ending in -o and a vowel… | Add -es or -s | Singular Noun Examples Tomato | Plural Noun Examples Tomatoes |
Rule For nouns ending in -f or -fe… | Add Remove -fe or -f and add -v and -es | Singular Noun Examples Leaf | Plural Noun Examples Leaves |
Rule For nouns ending in o- and consonant… | Add -es | Singular Noun Examples Echo | Plural Noun Examples Echoes |
Exceptions To The Rule
Some nouns are irregular, and it’s a case of learning their plural form as they don’t always follow specific rules. Here are some examples:
Singular Irregular Noun | Plural Form |
---|---|
Singular Irregular Noun Man | Plural Form Men |
Singular Irregular Noun Woman | Plural Form Women |
Singular Irregular Noun Tooth | Plural Form Teeth |
Singular Irregular Noun Child | Plural Form Children |
Singular Irregular Noun Person | Plural Form People |
Singular Irregular Noun Buffalo | Plural Form Buffalo |
Countable Nouns | Uncountable of Mass Nouns | Countable and Uncountable Nouns |
---|---|---|
Countable Nouns Singular and Plural | Uncountable of Mass Nouns Cannot be pluralized | Countable and Uncountable Nouns Depends on the context of the sentence |
Countable Nouns Table / Tables | Uncountable of Mass Nouns Hair | Countable and Uncountable Nouns Chicken / A chicken |
Countable Nouns Chair / Chairs | Uncountable of Mass Nouns Air | Countable and Uncountable Nouns Coffee / Two coffees |
Countable Nouns Dog / Dogs | Uncountable of Mass Nouns Information | Countable and Uncountable Nouns Paper / Sheet of paper |
Countable Nouns Quantifiers: some, many, a few, a lot, numbers | Uncountable of Mass Nouns Quantifiers: some, any, a piece, a lot of, much, a little | Countable and Uncountable Nouns |
Possessive nouns.
Possessive nouns possess something and usually have ‘s or simply ‘ at the end. When the noun is singular, we add an ‘s. When the noun is plural, we add an apostrophe.
Here are examples of possessive nouns :
Collective nouns refer to a group or collection of things, people, or animals. Such as,
A noun phrase is two or more words that function as a noun in a sentence. It also includes modifiers that can come before or after the noun.
Here are examples of noun phrases:
If you want to know where to find nouns in a sentence, look for the subject or a direct object, and they will stand right out. For example:
(Mary = Subject) (Chocolate cake, and ice cream = direct objects)
This is an easy way to identify nouns in a sentence.
Pronouns are words used in the place of a noun or noun phrase. They can be further classified into different types of pronouns , such as personal, reflexive, and possessive.
Subject | Person Pronoun | Examples |
---|---|---|
Subject 1st Person Singular | Person Pronoun I | Examples I am walking. |
Subject 2nd Person Singular | Person Pronoun You | Examples You are walking. |
Subject 3rd Person Singular | Person Pronoun She, He, and It | Examples It is walking. |
Subject 1st Person Plural | Person Pronoun We | Examples We are walking. |
Subject 2nd Person Plural | Person Pronoun You (all) | Examples You are walking. |
Subject 3rd Person Plural | Person Pronoun They | Examples They are walking. |
Some examples of reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, herself, and itself.
Here are examples of reflexive pronouns in sentences:
Reflexive pronouns can also be used for emphasis, as in this sentence:
Some examples of possessive pronouns are my, mine, your, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs. We use these words when we want to express possession. Such as,
Mine, yours, and his are examples of the independent form of possessive pronouns , and when showing possession, these pronouns never need an apostrophe.
Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. They make the meaning more definite. When we want to talk about what kind of a house we have, we can use adjectives to describe it, such as big, red, or lovely.
We can use adjectives to precede the word it modifies, like this;
Or we can use adjectives following the word they modify, like this;
There are many types of adjectives, one being possessive . The seven possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. These words modify a noun or pronoun and show possession. Such as,
Verbs are words that express an action or a state of being. All verbs help to make a complete statement. Action verbs express a physical action, for example:
Other verbs express a mental action, for example:
These can also be called lexical verbs .
Sometimes lexical verbs need the help of another type of verb . That’s where helping verbs , or auxiliary verbs , come into action; they help to make a statement or express action.
Examples of auxiliary verbs are am, are, is, has, can, may, will be, and might have.
When we use more than one verb when writing or speaking to express an action or state of being, it’s a verbal phrase consisting of the main verb, lexical verb, and one or more auxiliary verbs.
Some examples of verbal phrases:
Here are examples of verbal phrases used in a sentence.
Adverbs are used to describe an adjective, verb, or even another adverb . They can express how something is done, as in splendidly or poorly .
Here are some examples of adverbs in use:
The adverb extremely modifies the adjective fast , expressing just how rapid the runner was.
The adverb hardly modifies the verb see , expressing how much is visible, which in this case is not much at all.
The adverb surprisingly modifies the adverb poorly, expressing the surprise at how badly the car has been cleaned.
They are used to show relationships between words, such as nouns or pronouns, with other words in the sentence. They can indicate spatial or time relationships. Some common prepositions are about, at, before, behind, but, in, off, on, to, and with.
Here are some examples of common prepositions in sentences:
Prepositions are followed by objects of prepositions, a noun, or a noun phrase that follows to give it meaning.
Groups of words can also act as prepositions together, such as in spite of .
Conjunctions link words or groups of words together. We often use them to create complex sentences. There are three types of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions , correlative conjunctions , and subordinating conjunctions.
Examples of coordinating conjunctions are and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet. Such as:
Correlative conjunctions are used in pairs. Some examples are;
Here is an example of the conjunctions above in use:
We use subordinating conjunctions to begin subordinate clauses or sentences.
Some examples of common subordinating conjunctions are after, before, then, when, provided, unless, so that, and while. Such as,
There are three articles in the English language: a, an, and the. Articles can indicate whether a specific identity is known or not.
A and an are called indefinite articles and refer to a general group. Such as,
The is a definite article and refers to a specific thing or person. Such as,
Getting these right to know if we’re talking about a specific item, person, or thing, in general, is important.
Many words can also be used as more than one part of speech..
Once you get the hang of it, identifying the various parts of speech in a sentence will be second nature, like riding a bike. And just think, it can help you craft stronger sentences!
Parts of speech are categories of words that perform similar grammatical roles in phrase and sentence structures. You might wonder what the different parts of speech are and how to identify them. This reference explains parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, determiners, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections, with examples.
You’ll also learn about open and closed word classes, how to determine a part of speech in a sentence, and their roles in simple and complex sentence constructions. This guide includes a useful picture, a video, and a quiz on parts of speech to help solidify your understanding.
Parts of speech are word categories defined by their roles in sentence structures. These categories are organized by the functions and meanings they convey. In English, there are around ten common parts of speech: nouns , verbs , adjectives , adverbs , pronouns , prepositions , conjunctions , interjections , determiners , and articles .
Closed word classes are parts of speech that do not have newer words introduced over time. These include pronouns, conjunctions, determiners, and prepositions.
Open word classes are parts of speech that can have newer words introduced over time. These include nouns, verbs, adjectives, interjections, and adverbs.
The noun (n.).
A noun gives a name to something. There are different types of nouns like proper, collective, possessive, and common nouns.
Jeffrey, Korea, pen, New Year, dog, cat, elephant, garden, school, work, music, town, Manila, teacher, farmer, Bob, Sean, Michael, police officer, France, coffee, football, danger, happiness…
Example sentences:
Common Noun : Names a general item.
Proper Noun: Names a specific item.
Collective Noun: Refers to a group.
Possessive Noun: Shows ownership.
A verb describes an action. There are three main types: action, linking, and modal verbs.
Walk, is, seem, realize, run, see, swim, stand, go, have, get, promise, invite, listen, sing, sit, laugh, walk…
Action Verb : Describes an action.
Linking Verb: Connects the subject to a noun, adjective, or pronoun.
Modal Verb: Helps the main verb and shows the speaker’s thoughts.
A pronoun replaces a noun. There are various types of pronouns like reflexive, indefinite, possessive, and relative pronouns.
I, me, we, you, he, she, yours, himself, its, my, that, this, those, us, who, whom
Reflexive Pronoun: Refers to self.
Indefinite Pronoun: Refers to a non-specific person or item.
Possessive Pronoun: Shows ownership.
Relative Pronoun: Introduces an adjective clause.
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun.
Beautiful, seven, cute, second, tall, blue, angry, brave, careful, healthy, little, old, generous, red, smart, two, small, tall, some, good, big, useful, interesting…
An adverb modifies an adjective, verb, or another adverb. Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all do.
Neatly, tomorrow, very, badly, fully, carefully, hardly, nearly, hungrily, never, quickly, silently, well, really, almost…
Determiners and articles help clarify the nouns they introduce. Articles can be definite ( the ) or indefinite ( a , an ).
The, a, an, this, that, these, those, many, few, each, every, some, any, no, which, what
A conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses. Some common conjunctions are and , but , or , so , because , and although .
And, but, or, so, because, although, if, until, while, since, when, after, before, as
A preposition shows the relationship of a noun (or pronoun) to another word. Common prepositions include at , on , in , by , with , and about .
At, on, in, by, with, about, above, below, between, during, for, from, over, under, through
An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion or sudden exclamation. Common interjections include wow , ouch , oh , and hey .
Wow, ouch, oh, hey, ah, ugh, ew, hmm, yay, yikes, whoa, oops, aha, hurray, ew, oh no
In this section, you’ve learned about different parts of speech with examples and sample sentences. Each part of speech plays a unique role in creating meaningful sentences.
To determine a part of speech in a sentence, look at the word being used, its context, and what meaning it brings to the sentence structure. Here are some questions you can ask about a particular word:
By asking these questions, you can identify the correct part of speech for any word in a sentence.
Simple/basic sentences.
In its simplest form, a sentence can have one independent clause .
For example, the sentence “I walk to the store” contains one clause.
This entire sentence “I walk to the store” is an independent clause, expresses one subject doing one action — and is known as a simple sentence .
Knowing this, apply the fact that nouns and pronouns will often be the subjects or objects of simple sentences, while verbs will convey actions. So once again:
Complex sentences contain an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. These sentences use conjunctions such as because, since, which, or who to connect clauses. Consider the structure and an example below:
By combining these clauses, one forms a complex sentence: She reads a book because she wants to learn.
Other examples of complex sentences:
Learn all parts of speech in English with a useful video lesson.
Here are some Parts Of Speech exercises for you to practice:
A. In the sentence “I ran to the tallest tree”, what part of speech is the word “tallest”?
B. In the 2000s, the word staycation described the act of staying home for a vacation. Since “staycation” is a noun and a new word, what class of words does it belong to?
C. In the sentence “I’ll have a few tacos”, what part of speech is the phrase “a few”?
Answers: A) 3, B) 1, C) 3
This article is part of the ultimate guide to language for teachers and students. Click the buttons below to view these.
Just as a skilled bricklayer must get to grips with the trowel, brick hammer, tape measure, and spirit level, the student-writer must develop a thorough understanding of the tools of their trade too.
In English, words can be categorized according to their common syntactic function in a sentence, i.e. the job they perform.
We call these different categories Parts of Speech . Understanding the various parts of speech and how they work has several compelling benefits for our students.
Without first acquiring a firm grasp of the various parts of speech, students will struggle to fully comprehend how language works. This is essential not only for the development of their reading comprehension but their writing skills too.
Parts of speech are the core building blocks of grammar . To understand how a language works at a sentence and a whole-text level, we must first master parts of speech.
In English, we can identify eight of these individual parts of speech, and these will provide the focus for our Complete Guide to Parts of Speech .
A complete unit on teaching figurative language.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE is like “SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR AUTHORS.” It is a powerful tool to create VIVID IMAGERY through words. This HUGE UNIT guides you through completely understanding FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE .
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Often the first word a child speaks will be a noun, for example, Mum , Dad , cow , dog , etc.
Nouns are naming words, and, as most school kids can recite, they are the names of people, places, and things . But, what isn’t as widely understood by many of our students is that nouns can be further classified into more specific categories.
These categories are:
Proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, countable nouns, uncountable nouns.
All nouns can be classified as either common or proper .
Common nouns are the general names of people, places, and things. They are groups or classes on their own, rather than specific types of people, places, or things such as we find in proper nouns.
Common nouns can be further classified as abstract or concrete – more on this shortly!
Some examples of common nouns include:
People: teacher, author, engineer, artist, singer.
Places: country, city, town, house, garden.
Things: language, trophy, magazine, movie, book.
Proper nouns are the specific names for people, places, and things. Unlike common nouns, which are always lowercase, proper nouns are capitalized. This makes them easy to identify in a text.
Where possible, using proper nouns in place of common nouns helps bring precision to a student’s writing.
Some examples of proper nouns include:
People: Mrs Casey, J.K. Rowling, Nikola Tesla, Pablo Picasso, Billie Eilish.
Places: Australia, San Francisco, Llandovery, The White House, Gardens of Versailles.
Things: Bulgarian, The World Cup, Rolling Stone, The Lion King, The Hunger Games.
As mentioned, all common and proper nouns can be further classified as either concrete or abstract .
A concrete noun is any noun that can be experienced through one of the five senses. In other words, if you can see, smell, hear, taste, or touch it, then it’s a concrete noun.
Some examples of concrete nouns include:
Abstract nouns refer to those things that can’t be experienced or identified through the five senses.
They are not physical things we can perceive but intangible concepts and ideas, qualities and states.
Some examples of abstract nouns include:
A collective noun is the name of a group of people or things. That is, a collective noun always refers to more than one of something.
Some examples of collective nouns include:
People: a board of directors, a team of football players, a cast of actors, a band of musicians, a class of students.
Places: a range of mountains, a suite of rooms, a union of states, a chain of islands.
Things: a bale of hay, a constellation of stars, a bag of sweets, a school of fish, a flock of seagulls.
Countable nouns are nouns that refer to things that can be counted. They come in two flavors: singular and plural .
In their singular form, countable nouns are often preceded by the article, e.g. a , an , or the .
In their plural form, countable nouns are often preceded by a number. They can also be used in conjunction with quantifiers such as a few and many .
Some examples of countable nouns include:
a driver | two drivers |
the house | the houses |
an apple | a few apples |
dog | dogs |
Also known as mass nouns, uncountable nouns are, as their name suggests, impossible to count. Abstract ideas such as bravery and compassion are uncountable, as are things like liquid and bread .
These types of nouns are always treated in the singular and usually do not have a plural form.
They can stand alone or be used in conjunction with words and phrases such as any , some , a little , a lot of , and much .
Some examples of uncountable nouns include:
Advice |
Money |
Baggage |
Danger |
Warmth |
Milk |
Without a verb, there is no sentence! Verbs are the words we use to represent both internal and external actions or states of being. Without a verb, nothing happens.
There are many different types of verbs. Here, we will look at five important verb forms organised according to the jobs they perform:
Stative verbs, transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, auxiliary verbs.
Each verb can be classified as being either an action or a stative verb.
Dynamic or action verbs describe the physical activity performed by the subject of a sentence. This type of verb is usually the first we learn as children.
For example, run , hit , throw , hide , eat , sleep , watch , write , etc. are all dynamic verbs, as is any action performed by the body.
Let’s see a few examples in sentences:
If a verb doesn’t describe a physical activity, then it is a stative verb.
Stative verbs refer to states of being, conditions, or mental processes. Generally, we can classify stative verbs into four types:
Some examples of stative verbs include:
Senses: hurt, see, smell, taste, hear, etc.
Emotions: love, doubt, desire, remember, believe, etc.
Being: be, have, require, involve, contain, etc.
Possession: want, include, own, have, belong, etc.
Here are some stative verbs at work in sentences:
Sometimes verbs can fit into more than one category, e.g., be , have , look , see , e.g.,
Each action or stative verb can also be further classified as transitive or intransitive .
A transitive verb takes a direct object after it. The object is the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that has something done to it by the subject of the sentence.
We see this in the most straightforward English sentences, i.e., the Subject-Verb-Object or SVO sentence.
Here are two examples to illustrate. Note: the subject of each sentence is underlined, and the transitive verbs are in bold.
Most sentences in English employ transitive verbs.
An intransitive verb does not take a direct object after it. It is important to note that only nouns, noun phrases, and pronouns can be classed as direct objects.
Here are some examples of intransitive verbs – notice how none of these sentences has direct objects after their verbs.
Auxiliary verbs, also known as ‘helping’ verbs, work with other verbs to affect the meaning of a sentence. They do this by combining with a main verb to alter the sentence’s tense, mood, or voice.
Auxiliary verbs will frequently use not in the negative.
There are relatively few auxiliary verbs in English. Here is a list of the main ones:
Here are some examples of auxiliary verbs (in bold) in action alongside a main verb (underlined).
She is working as hard as she can.
The Subject-Auxiliary Inversion Test
To test whether or not a verb is an auxiliary verb, you can use the Subject-Auxiliary Inversion Test .
Is she working as hard as she can?
She is not working as hard as she can.
The job of an adjective is to modify a noun or a pronoun. It does this by describing, quantifying, or identifying the noun or pronoun. Adjectives help to make writing more interesting and specific. Usually, the adjective is placed before the word it modifies.
As with other parts of speech, not all adjectives are the same. There are many different types of adjectives and, in this article, we will look at:
Demonstrative adjectives, possessive adjectives, interrogative adjectives, proper adjectives.
Descriptive adjectives are what most students think of first when asked what an adjective is. Descriptive adjectives tell us something about the quality of the noun or pronoun in question. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as qualitative adjectives .
Some examples of this type of adjective include:
In sentences, they look like this:
Descriptive adjectives have three degrees to express varying degrees of intensity and to compare one thing to another. These degrees are referred to as positive , comparative , and superlative .
The positive degree is the regular form of the descriptive adjective when no comparison is being made, e.g., strong .
The comparative degree is used to compare two people, places, or things, e.g., stronger .
There are several ways to form the comparative, methods include:
The superlative degree is typically used when comparing three or more things to denote the upper or lowermost limit of a quality, e.g., strongest .
There are several ways to form the superlative, including:
There are also some irregular adjectives of degree that follow no discernible pattern that must be learned off by students, e.g., good – better – best .
Let’s take a look at these degrees of adjectives in their different forms.
beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
delicious | less delicious | least delicious |
near | nearer | nearest |
happy | happier | happiest |
bad | worse | worst |
Let’s take a quick look at some sample sentences:
Comparative
Superlative
Quantitive adjectives provide information about how many or how much of the noun or pronoun.
Some quantitive adjectives include:
A demonstrative adjective identifies or emphasizes a noun’s place in time or space. The most common demonstrative adjectives are this , that , these , and those .
Here are some examples of demonstrative adjectives in use:
Possessive adjectives show ownership, and they are sometimes confused with possessive pronouns.
The most common possessive adjectives are my , your , his , her , our , and their .
Students need to be careful not to confuse these with possessive pronouns such as mine , yours , his (same in both contexts), hers , ours , and theirs .
Here are some examples of possessive adjectives in sentences:
Interrogative adjectives ask questions, and, in common with many types of adjectives, they are always followed by a noun. Basically, these are the question words we use to start questions. Be careful however, interrogative adjectives modify nouns. If the word after the question word is a verb, then you have an interrogative adverb on hand.
Some examples of interrogative adjectives include what , which , and whose .
Let’s take a look at these in action:
Please note: Whose can also fit into the possessive adjective category too.
We can think of proper adjectives as the adjective form of proper nouns – remember those? They were the specific names of people, places, and things and need to be capitalized.
Let’s take the proper noun for the place America . If we wanted to make an adjective out of this proper noun to describe something, say, a car we would get ‘ American car’.
Let’s take a look at another few examples:
Though it may come as a surprise to some, articles are also adjectives as, like all adjectives, they modify nouns. Articles help us determine a noun’s specification.
For example, ‘a’ and ‘an’ are used in front of an unspecific noun, while ‘the’ is used when referring to a specific noun.
Let’s see some articles as adjectives in action!
Descriptive | |
Comparative | |
Superlative | |
Quantitative | |
Demonstrative | |
Possessive | |
Interrogative | |
Proper | |
Articles |
Traditionally, adverbs are defined as those words that modify verbs, but they do so much more than that. They can be used not only to describe how verbs are performed but also to modify adjectives, other adverbs, clauses, prepositions, or entire sentences.
With such a broad range of tasks at the feet of the humble adverb, it would be impossible to cover every possibility in this article alone. However, there are five main types of adverbs our students should familiarize themselves with. These are:
Adverbs of time, adverbs of frequency, adverbs of place, adverbs of degree.
Adverbs of manner describe how or the way in which something happens or is done. This type of adverb is often the first type taught to students. Many of these end with -ly . Some common examples include happily , quickly , sadly , slowly , and fast .
Here are a few taster sentences employing adverbs of manner:
Adverbs of time indicate when something happens. Common adverbs of time include before , now , then , after , already , immediately , and soon .
Here are some sentences employing adverbs of time:
While adverbs of time deal with when something happens, adverbs of frequency are concerned with how often something happens. Common adverbs of frequency include always , frequently , sometimes , seldom , and never .
Here’s what they look like in sentences:
Adverbs of place, as the name suggests, describe where something happens or where it is. They can refer to position, distance, or direction. Some common adverbs of place include above , below , beside , inside , and anywhere .
Check out some examples in the sentences below:
Adverbs of degree express the degree to which or how much of something is done. They can also be used to describe levels of intensity. Some common adverbs of degree include barely , little , lots , completely , and entirely .
Here are some adverbs of degree at work in sentences:
Pronouns are used in place of a specific noun used earlier in a sentence. They are helpful when the writer wants to avoid repetitive use of a particular noun such as a name. For example, in the following sentences, the pronoun she is used to stand for the girl’s name Mary after it is used in the first sentence.
Mary loved traveling. She had been to France, Thailand, and Taiwan already, but her favorite place in the world was Australia. She had never seen an animal quite as curious-looking as the duck-billed platypus.
We also see her used in place of Mary’s in the above passage. There are many different pronouns and, in this article, we’ll take a look at:
Object pronouns, possessive pronouns, reflexive pronouns, intensive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, interrogative pronouns.
Subject pronouns are the type of pronoun most of us think of when we hear the term pronoun . They operate as the subject of a verb in a sentence. They are also known as personal pronouns.
The subject pronouns are:
Here are a few examples of subject pronouns doing what they do best:
Object pronouns operate as the object of a verb, or a preposition, in a sentence. They act in the same way as object nouns but are used when it is clear what the object is.
The object pronouns are:
Here are a few examples of object pronouns in sentences:
Possessive pronouns indicate ownership of a noun. For example, in the sentence:
These books are mine .
The word mine stands for my books . It’s important to note that while possessive pronouns look similar to possessive adjectives, their function in a sentence is different.
The possessive pronouns are:
Let’s take a look at how these are used in sentences:
Reflexive pronouns are used in instances where the object and the subject are the same. For example, in the sentence, she did it herself , the words she and herself refer to the same person.
The reflexive pronoun forms are:
Here are a few more examples of reflexive pronouns at work:
This type of pronoun can be used to indicate emphasis. For example, when we write, I spoke to the manager herself , the point is made that we talked to the person in charge and not someone lower down the hierarchy.
Similar to the reflexive pronouns above, we can easily differentiate between reflexive and intensive pronouns by asking if the pronoun is essential to the sentence’s meaning. If it isn’t, then it is used solely for emphasis, and therefore, it’s an intensive rather than a reflexive pronoun.
Often confused with demonstrative adjectives, demonstrative pronouns can stand alone in a sentence.
When this , that , these , and those are used as demonstrative adjectives they come before the noun they modify. When these same words are used as demonstrative pronouns, they replace a noun rather than modify it.
Here are some examples of demonstrative pronouns in sentences:
Interrogative pronouns are used to form questions. They are the typical question words that come at the start of questions, with a question mark coming at the end. The interrogative pronouns are:
Putting them into sentences looks like this:
| ||||||
I | me | my | myself | myself | this | what |
you | you | your | yourself | yourself | that | which |
he | him | his | himself | himself | these | who |
she | her | her | herself | herself | those | whom |
it | it | its | itself | itself | whose | |
we | us | our | ourselves | ourselves | ||
you | you | your | yourselves | yourselves | ||
they | them | their | themselves | themselves |
Prepositions provide extra information showing the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another part of a sentence. These are usually short words that come directly before nouns or pronouns, e.g., in , at , on , etc.
There are, of course, many different types of prepositions, each relating to particular types of information. In this article, we will look at:
Prepositions of place, prepositions of movement, prepositions of manner, prepositions of measure.
It’s worth noting that several prepositional words make an appearance in several different categories of prepositions.
Prepositions of time indicate when something happens. Common prepositions of time include after , at , before , during , in , on .
Let’s see some of these at work:
Sometimes students have difficulty knowing when to use in , on , or at . These little words are often confused. The table below provides helpful guidance to help students use the right preposition in the right context.
Centuries YearsSeasonsMonthsTime of day | ||
DaysDatesSpecific holidays | ||
Some time of day exceptionsFestivals |
The prepositions of place, in , at , on , will be instantly recognisable as they also double as prepositions of time. Again, students can sometimes struggle a little to select the correct one for the situation they are describing. Some guidelines can be helpful.
A few example sentences will assist in illustrating these:
Usually used with verbs of motion, prepositions of movement indicate movement from one place to another. The most commonly used preposition of movement is to .
Some other prepositions of movement include:
Here’s how they look in some sample sentences:
Preposition of manner shows us how something is done or how it happens. The most common of these are by , in , like , on , with .
Let’s take a look at how they work in sentences:
Prepositions of measure are used to indicate quantities and specific units of measurement. The two most common of these are by and of .
Check out these sample sentences:
These prepositions indicate the causal relationship between a noun or pronoun and an action. They show the cause of something happening. The most commonly used prepositions of agency are by and with .
Here are some examples of their use in sentences:
Prepositions of possessions indicate who or what something belongs to. The most common of these are of , to , and with .
Let’s take a look:
Prepositions of source indicate where something comes from or its origins. The two most common prepositions of source are from and by . There is some crossover here with prepositions of agency.
Here are some examples:
Phrasal prepositions are also known as compound prepositions. These are phrases of two or more words that function in the same way as prepositions. That is, they join nouns or pronouns to the rest of the sentence.
Some common phrasal prepositions are:
Students should be careful of overusing phrasal prepositions as some of them can seem clichéd. Frequently, it’s best to say things in as few words as is necessary.
Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, and clauses. There are three main types of conjunction that are used to join different parts of sentences. These are:
These conjunctions are used to join sentence components that are equal such as two words, two phrases, or two clauses. In English, there are seven of these that can be memorized using the mnemonic FANBOYS:
Here are a few example sentences employing coordinating conjunctions:
Subordinating conjunctions are used to introduce dependent clauses in sentences. Basically, dependent clauses are parts of sentences that cannot stand as complete sentences on their own.
Some of the most common subordinate conjunctions are:
Let’s take a look at some example sentences:
Correlative conjunctions are like shoes; they come in pairs. They work together to make sentences work. Some come correlative conjunctions are:
Let’s see how some of these work together:
Interjections focus on feelings and are generally grammatically unrelated to the rest of the sentence or sentences around them. They convey thoughts and feelings and are common in our speech. They are often followed by exclamation marks in writing. Interjections include expressions such as:
With a good grasp of the fundamentals of parts of speech, your students will now be equipped to do a deeper dive into the wild waters of English grammar.
To learn more about the twists and turns of English grammar, check out our comprehensive article on English grammar here.
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Parts of speech worksheets terms of use, prepositions worksheets, below you will find our full list of printable prepositions worksheets to be used by teachers at home or in school. just click on a link to open a printable pdf version of the desired worksheet. we hope you find them useful..
Nouns worksheets.
Adjectives worksheets, this section contains printable worksheets on adjectives..
Verbs worksheets, this section contains printable worksheets on verbs..
This section contains printable worksheets on adverbs..
Answers to the identifying adverbs worksheet..
Conjunctions worksheets, this section contains printable worksheets on conjunctions..
Pronouns worksheets, this section contains printable worksheets on pronouns..
Interjections worksheets, this section contains printable worksheets on interjections..
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What are parts of speech? In the American English language, parts-of-speech is a category to which a word is assigned in accordance with its syntactic functions. They exist under the verb , noun, pronoun, interjection , adjective , conjunction, adverb, and preposition forms.
Learn more about parts of the speech in this comprehensive worksheet…
“Parts of speech” refers to the essential words used in sentence formation in the English language.
Every word used in a sentence structure plays an important role in defining the sentence’s meaning. These words use and placement give proper intentions in sentence structures.
Parts of speech are the basic grammar lessons taught during the primary phases of learning English.
Any word used in sentence formation falls into one of these categories for proper sentence structure.
Some of those words can be a part of one or more parts of speech. This topic further explores the essential parts of speech used in the English language.
Watch this as a video lesson
These nine parts of speech are namely: Verbs, Nouns , Adjectives, Determiners, Adverbs , Pronouns, Prepositions , Conjunctions, and Interjections.
Another additional classification is used as a part of speech, i.e. , Articles, a subprogram of determiners.
To comprehend the meaning and use of each word in the English language, it is essential to clearly understand the various parts of speech and select the right parts of speech form at the appropriate place in the sentence.
Here are the nine parts of speech and how they impact the English language.
Noun | name a place, person, thing, or idea. | California, man, park |
Pronoun | Used to replace the name of a person, place, thing or idea. | He, she, it, they |
Verb | A verb expresses what the does. | Leave, do, work put, |
Adverb | Used to describe verb, adverb, or adjective. | Always, silently, quickly |
Adjective | Words that are used to describe qualities or things. | Long, short, tiny, bright, dark |
Preposition | Shows the relationship between other words in a sentence. | In, on, at, with, |
Interjection | Words that express emotions or feelings. | Wow, oh, ah, yikes |
Conjunction | Words that join words or groups of words together. | And, but, , , also |
‘Verbs’ are the words used in a sentence to define the action/state of action being performed. Most of the sentences in sentence formation require the inclusion of verbs.
Some examples of verbs used in the English language are Love, Break, Fall , and Cry . These are the basic forms of verbs and are known as infinitives .
Most of the verbs used have two other major forms called participles . The use of these participles is for the formation of various verb-tense combinations.
These participles define the forms of verbs concerning the time of action/performance. These verb-tense combinations can be used in two types: Active voice and passive voice .
A ‘noun’ are words used in a sentence to give recognition or the name of an object, individual, or animal.
Nouns can be sub-classified into two major categories: Common nouns , which give generic descriptor names to things, and common items, such as a bat, a bicycle , etc. The other category of nouns is Proper nouns , which have specific descriptor names to refer to a specialized object, place, or individual, such as Charley, The Empire State Building, The Telegraph , etc.
Additionally, nouns can be classified as singular nouns and plural nouns based on the number of individuals/objects.
The definition of a Singular Noun is the same as that of a noun when used commonly. It carries the same definition as the noun: “A word referring towards an individual/object/event/material/place.”
The word plural relates to “more than one in certain languages or more than two in certain languages.”
Thus singular nouns can be converted to their plural noun format when there is an implication of more than one or two objects/individuals/places.
A general Singular/Common Noun can be turned into the appropriate form of a Plural Noun by adding a ‘s’/’es’/’ ies’/’ves.’ It is also initiated by changing ‘us’ to ‘i’, ‘is’ to ‘es’ , or ‘on’ to ‘a’ .
Some common nouns do not change when interchanged between their singular and plural noun forms. Some other common nouns do not fall under plural nouns and are called irregular nouns, which are made plural by changing the spelling or adding a suffix to the word.
‘Adjectives’ are words that give a description or modify the scope of nouns/pronouns by being specific. For example, adjectives used to define a noun can be red, small, hot, common, etc.
An adjective is usually placed before a noun or after the verb that it modifies. Three forms of adjectives are used to compare similar characteristics of different individuals/objects. These three degrees of comparison are:
This comparison of adjectives defines the original form of the adjective as stated in English. For example, “this candy is tasty .” This degree of comparison states that no relative subject is available for comparison.
This form of the adjective gives a relative comparison between two objects performing similar actions with identical characteristics. For example, “the candy we had today is tastier than the one we received yesterday.”
This form of the adjective gives the superiority declaration of one object over similar objects possessing similar characteristics. For example, “this candy is the tastiest I have ever had in the last two years .”
Adjectives can be sub-classified based on their function in sentence formation. This sub-classification is:
These adjectives show/represent the possessiveness of an object. For example, mine, my, his/her, their, its, etc.
These adjectives modify the noun/pronoun by interrogation. Only a select few adjectives are available in this form. For example, whose, which, what, and where.
These adjectives describe the current state/position of the noun/pronoun concerning space/time. For example, this, these, those, that.
These adjectives are a result of the combination of two or more adjectives. The resulting adjective modifies the subject in the sentence. For example, hand-dried, heavy-weighted, spike-haired, etc.
‘Determiners’ are the words placed before a noun/pronoun group terms to refer to a single/multiple things. Some commonly used determiners in English are ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘some’, ‘any’, and ‘this.’ Determiners are generally placed before descriptive adjectives . It tells the reader more about the description of the noun being referred to.
Determiners are classified into sub-categories, articles, and demonstratives.
An ‘Article’ can be either definite or indefinite. An article modifies a noun/pronoun without specifying any description of the object. In English, an example of a ‘definite article’ is the , whereas examples of two ‘indefinite articles’ are a and an .
Here, the refers to specific things or things that are identified beforehand. A or a refer to non-specific things that have not been identified beforehand.
A ‘Demonstrative’ is defined as a demonstrative adjective/pronoun based on its usage in the sentence. Some examples of demonstratives are ‘this’, ‘that’, and ‘those’ .
A determiner has the same rules of use as in the case of adjectives in sentence formation. Thus, confusion takes place when carefully choosing the type of parts of speech to assign when given a choice of either a determiner or adjective.
An ‘Adverb’ defines essential information about the verb, similar to what an adjective is to a noun. It provides a descriptor for a verb used in a sentence and some cases, can also describe an adjective or another adverb.
Some adverbs used in sentences with verbs are ‘slowly’, ‘hastily’, ‘unfortunately’, and ‘angrily’.
Adverbs are further sub-classified into various types based on their application in a sentence.
A ‘Pronoun’ is a word used in specifically providing an alternate name for a non/noun phrase. They are alternate words for referring to an object/individual when the requirement of a noun is unnecessary, as the noun has been mentioned previously in some parts of the sentence.
Some examples of pronouns are ‘it’, ‘he/she’, and ‘himself/herself’.
Pronouns are sub-classified into different categories based on their use in the sentence.
A ‘Preposition’ is a word used as a connective between a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun with another word.
A ‘Conjunction’ is a word that combines two/more objects and behaves as connectives in a sentence. These can appear in the beginning/middle/end of the sentence following the location of the objects.
An ‘Interjection’ is a word to convey the expression of a variety of emotions/feelings. As such, there is no specific rule for the use of interjection and where it is to be placed.
However, in most cases, it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. For example, some of the most commonly used interjections are ‘ouch’, ‘phew’, and ‘well’.
Noun | The howled. |
Pronoun | It woke the baby. |
Verb | The loving mother the child. |
Adjective | The father rocked the baby. |
Adverb | The dog howled |
Preposition | The baby cried a long time. |
Conjunction | The baby gazed at his mother father. |
Interjection | , the baby fell back asleep. |
Here are some examples of the parts of speech used in sentences. Note the placement and its relation with other parts of speech present in the sentence format.
See another example in the image below.
See an example in the image below.
Many parts of speech can have more than one function/job in the sentence. This improves the versatility of the words being used and makes the use more situational in its placement and conveyance of meaning.
To see how all the objects work together, see the table below.
She | likes | big | but | I | hate | them |
Here is a chart showing the parts of speech:
In sentence formation, it often becomes difficult to ascertain the parts of speech represented by each word. To help out and to make the process of identification easier, follow these steps:
More parts of speech:
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About the author
Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.
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In the English language , every word is called a part of speech. The role a word plays in a sentence denotes what part of speech it belongs to. Explore the definition of parts of speech, the different parts of speech and examples in this article.
Parts of speech definition, different parts of speech with examples.
Frequently asked questions on parts of speech, what is a part of speech.
Parts of speech are among the first grammar topics we learn when we are in school or when we start our English language learning process. Parts of speech can be defined as words that perform different roles in a sentence. Some parts of speech can perform the functions of other parts of speech too.
Parts of speech include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.
1. Nouns are words that are used to name people, places, animals, ideas and things. Nouns can be classified into two main categories: Common nouns and Proper nouns . Common nouns are generic like ball, car, stick, etc., and proper nouns are more specific like Charles, The White House, The Sun, etc.
Examples of nouns used in sentences:
Also, explore Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns .
2. Pronouns are words that are used to substitute a noun in a sentence. There are different types of pronouns. Some of them are reflexive pronouns, possessive pronouns , relative pronouns and indefinite pronouns . I, he, she, it, them, his, yours, anyone, nobody, who, etc., are some of the pronouns.
Examples of pronouns used in sentences:
3. Verbs are words that denote an action that is being performed by the noun or the subject in a sentence. They are also called action words. Some examples of verbs are read, sit, run, pick, garnish, come, pitch, etc.
Examples of verbs used in sentences:
4. Adverbs are words that are used to provide more information about verbs, adjectives and other adverbs used in a sentence. There are five main types of adverbs namely, adverbs of manner , adverbs of degree , adverbs of frequency , adverbs of time and adverbs of place . Some examples of adverbs are today, quickly, randomly, early, 10 a.m. etc.
Examples of adverbs used in sentences:
5. Adjectives are words that are used to describe or provide more information about the noun or the subject in a sentence. Some examples of adjectives include good, ugly, quick, beautiful, late, etc.
Examples of adjectives used in sentences:
6. Prepositions are words that are used to link one part of the sentence to another. Prepositions show the position of the object or subject in a sentence. Some examples of prepositions are in, out, besides, in front of, below, opposite, etc.
Examples of prepositions used in sentences:
7. Conjunctions are a part of speech that is used to connect two different parts of a sentence, phrases and clauses . Some examples of conjunctions are and, or, for, yet, although, because, not only, etc.
Examples of conjunctions used in sentences:
8. Interjections are words that are used to convey strong emotions or feelings. Some examples of interjections are oh, wow, alas, yippee, etc. It is always followed by an exclamation mark.
Examples of interjections used in sentences:
Let us find out if you have understood the different parts of speech and their functions. Try identifying which part of speech the highlighted words belong to.
Now, let us see if you got it right. Check your answers.
The term ‘parts of speech’ refers to words that perform different functions in a sentence in order to give the sentence a proper meaning and structure.
There are 8 parts of speech in total.
Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections are the 8 parts of speech.
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Definition: the noun form of the word 'homework' refers to tasks or assignments given to students by their teachers to be completed at home. These assignments are typically meant to supplement classroom learning with additional practice or memorization and are an integral part of any schooling system.
A part of speech (also called a word class) is a category that describes the role a word plays in a sentence.Understanding the different parts of speech can help you analyze how words function in a sentence and improve your writing. The parts of speech are classified differently in different grammars, but most traditional grammars list eight parts of speech in English: nouns, pronouns, verbs ...
Overview of Parts of Speech. In this section, we will provide a brief overview of the eight parts of speech in English. Understanding the parts of speech is essential for anyone learning the English language, as it enables them to construct meaningful sentences and communicate effectively. The eight parts of speech are: Nouns. Verbs.
The 9 parts of speech are adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, determiners, interjections, nouns, prepositions, pronouns, and verbs. (These are also known as "word classes.") A Formal Definition. A "part of speech" is a category to which a word is assigned in accordance with its syntactic functions. In English, the main parts of speech are noun ...
The 8 parts of speech 1 Nouns. A noun is a word that names a person, place, concept, or object. Basically, anything that names a "thing" is a noun, whether you're talking about a basketball court, San Francisco, Cleopatra, or self-preservation.. Nouns fall into two categories: common nouns and proper nouns.
In the English language, it's commonly accepted that there are 8 parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, and prepositions. Each of these categories plays a different role in communicating meaning in the English language. Each of the eight parts of speech—which we might also call the "main ...
The parts of speech refer to categories to which a word belongs. In English, there are eight of them : verbs , nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Many English words fall into more than one part of speech category. Take the word light as an example.
Many words can function as multiple parts of speech. You need to look at each word in the context of a sentence in order to say what part of speech it is. The eight parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections. You just learned about all of the parts of speech. Give yourself a ...
The parts of speech are classified differently in different grammars, but most traditional grammars list eight parts of speech in English: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Some modern grammars add others, such as determiners and articles. Many words can function as different parts of ...
Also known as word classes, these are the building blocks of grammar. Every sentence you write or speak in English includes words that fall into some of the nine parts of speech. These include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections. (Some sources include only eight parts ...
A part of speech is a group of words that are used in a certain way. For example, "run," "jump," and "be" are all used to describe actions/states. Therefore they belong to the VERBS group. In other words, all words in the English language are divided into eight different categories. Each category has a different role/function in the sentence.
The part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the sentence. An individual word can function as more than one part of speech when used in different circumstances. Understanding parts of speech is essential for determining the correct definition of a word when using the dictionary. 1. NOUN
For instance, the verb "eats" is a present-tense verb, and its past form is "ate.". 4. Adjective. Another part of speech is the adjective, which modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. It typically answers the questions "what kind," "which one," or "how much.". For example: Blue.
Knowing the different parts of speech is essential for good grammar. Become an expert at knowing when and what parts of speech to use with these examples.
Every word you speak or write is a part of speech. In the English language, there are 8 parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and articles (determiners). These parts of speech represent categories of words according to their grammatical function.
Parts of speech are word categories defined by their roles in sentence structures. These categories are organized by the functions and meanings they convey. In English, there are around ten common parts of speech: nouns , verbs , adjectives , adverbs , pronouns , prepositions , conjunctions , interjections , determiners, and articles.
Parts of Speech: The Ultimate Guide for Students and Teachers. By Shane Mac Donnchaidh September 11, 2021March 5, 2024 March 5, 2024. This article is part of the ultimate guide to language for teachers and students. Click the buttons below to view these.
Parts of Speech for Homework. Homework is used as a Noun Noun
Below you'll find printable parts of speech worksheets. On these worksheets, students learn to identify the part of speech of a word according to how it is used in a given sentence. Then, they are given opportunity to practice writing sentences using the specified part of speech. All eight parts of speech are covered in this section: Nouns ...
These nine parts of speech are namely: Verbs, Nouns, Adjectives, Determiners, Adverbs, Pronouns, Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections. Another additional classification is used as a part of speech, i.e., Articles, a subprogram of determiners. To comprehend the meaning and use of each word in the English language, it is essential to ...
8 Parts of Speech Definitions and Examples: 1. Nouns are words that are used to name people, places, animals, ideas and things. Nouns can be classified into two main categories: Common nouns and Proper nouns. Common nouns are generic like ball, car, stick, etc., and proper nouns are more specific like Charles, The White House, The Sun, etc.
Parts of Speech. Part of Speech Function or "Job" Example Words Example Sentences Verb action or state of being Sing, jump, love, sleep, be Crystal created this handout. My friend went to Japan. Noun Person, place, thing, or state of being Shaoran, Japan, car, love, homework Love is a beautiful thing. My homework is due today. Adjective ...
The can be one of two parts of speech, depending on how it's used. When it comes before a noun to refer to a specific something or to create a proper noun, it's a definite article. The can also be used as an adverb to modify a verb, an adjective, or a group of words. There are eight parts of speech in English: nouns, pronouns, verbs ...
Parts of Speech Bundle 71 worksheets Grades 3-4 - Grammar, Writing, Word Usage Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are covered in the 71 easy-to-use worksheets in this Grade 3-4 Bundle. These no-prep language skills worksheets are great for both classroom and homeschool, and useful for sub plans.Includes 71 worksheets in 17 resources.