ThePartsofSpeech

A review for ESOL students

There are nine parts of speech. They are articles, nouns, pronouns,
adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and
interjections. A word of caution, however, a word can be more
than one part of speech. You can find out more information on the
parts of speech by checking the sources listed at the bottom of
this review.

N ouns

A noun is a word used to name something: a person/animal,

a place, a thing, or an idea. For example, all of the following are nouns.

o Leah, Ignacio, Lan, Marek

o Japan, Venezuela, Atlanta, Kroger, the Gap
o pencil, store, music, air
o biology, theory of Relativity, Pythagorean theory

Hint: They are sometimes preceded by noun markers. Noun markers are also
called determiners and quantifiers. They are words like a, an, the, this, that,
these, those, each, some, any, every, no, numbers (1,2,3,etc.), several, many, a
lot, few, possessive pronouns (his, her, etc). See determiners for more
information.

Nouns are classified in several ways

1. Nouns can be singular or plural.

Singular nouns name only one person, place, thing or idea.

One apple, a pencil, the book

 Plural nouns name two or more persons, places, things or ideas. Most singular nouns
(Not ALL) are made plural by adding s. For example, (pencil is a singular noun. The
word pencils is a plural noun.)

Exception #1: If a noun ends with the s, sh, ch, or x like the words, kiss,
church, ash or box, then they are made plural by adding es (kisses, churches, ashes,
and boxes).

Exception #2:There are also irregular nouns that do not follow any rules. For
example, the plural form of the word child is children.

o Nouns can be Proper Nouns or Common Nouns

A. Proper nouns refer to specific people, places, things and ideas. A

person's name (Leah Graham) is a proper noun, for example. Other
examples are names of places (Atlanta, Georgia) and names of things (the
Navy). They are always capitalized!

o Peoples names and titles- King Henry, Mrs. Smith

o Names for deity, religions, religious followers, and
sacred books- God, Allah, Buddha, Islam, Catholicism,
Christians
o Races, nationalities, tribes, and languages- African
American, Polish-American, Black, Chinese, Russian
o Specific Places like countries, cities, bodies of water,
streets, buildings, and parks
o Specific organizations- Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA), .
o Days of the week, months, and holidays,
o Brand names of products
o Historical periods, well-known events, and documents-
Middle ages, Boston Tea Party, Magna Carta
o Titles of publications and written documents

b. Common nouns are all other nouns. For example: cat, pencil, paper, etc.
They are not capitalized unless they are the first word in the sentence.
Nouns can also be collective.

Collective nouns are nouns that are grammatically considered singular,

but include more than one person, place, thing, or idea in its meaning.
Words like team, group, jury, committee, audience, crowd, class, troop,
family, team, couple, band, herd, quartet, and society.

Generally, collective nouns are treated as singular because they emphasize the group
as one unit.
 The committee is going to make a decision.

Nouns can also be either count or non-count.

Nouns that are non-count cannot be counted. For example,

one cannot go outside to have two fresh airs. One goes outside for fresh air.

5. Nouns can be Abstract or concrete

Concrete nouns are nouns that you can touch. They are people, places,
and some things. Words like person, court, Georgia, pencil, hand, paper,
car, and door are all examples of concrete nouns.
Abstract nouns are nouns that cannot be physically held. For example,
things like air, justice, safety, Democracy, faith, religion, etc.

6. Nouns can be Gerunds

A gerund is the ing form of the verb and is used as a noun. For example,

Running is good for you.

Running is the noun/gerund and is is the verb.

My crying upset him.

Crying is the subject and upset is the verb

Note: A noun can fit into more than one of these categories. For example, the noun
Angela is a singular, concrete, count, proper noun.

P ronouns

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. They eliminate the need for repetition.
For Example:

Instead of Emma talked to Emma's child, you might say Emma talked to her child.
Her is the pronoun. It renames the antecedent, Emma.

There are several types of pronouns.

Personal Pronouns refer to specific persons or things. Personal pronouns can act as
subjects, objects, or possessives.

Singular: I, me, you, she, her, he, him, it

Plural: we, us, you, they, them

 I, you, she, he, it, we, and they are used as subjects of sentences.

For example, She knew the grammar rules very well.

The personal pronouns that can be used as objects are:

Me, you, him, her, it, them

For Example:

The teacher gave all of them good grades.

Tommy gave his poetry book to her.
Then, Azra gave it to me.

Them, her and me are personal pronouns used as objects. They are NEVER the
subjects of the sentences.
Possessive Pronouns indicate ownership or possession.

Singular: my, mine, your, yours, hers, his, its

Plural: yours, ours, theirs,

For Example: She returned my pencil to me because it was mine.

3. Reflexive Pronouns name a receiver of an action who is identical to the doer of the action.

Singular: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself

Plural: ourselves, yourselves, themselves

For example: Manuela congratulated herself on her good grades.

Here, Manuela is both the doer and the receiver of the action.

Q: So, who did Manuela congratulate? A: Herself.

4. Intensive Pronouns emphasize a noun or another pronoun.

Singular: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself

Plural: ourselves, yourselves, themselves
For Example: I saw Brad Pitt himself at the mall.
Here, himself emphasizes the antecedent, Bradd Pitt.

5. Reciprocal Pronouns express shared actions or feelings. They are:

Each other One another

For Example:

Yan Ko and Tai help each other with their homework.

Leon and his girlfriend dance with one another when they go clubbing.

6. Indefinite Pronouns refer to non-specific persons and things.

All, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each, either,

everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, neither, nobody, none, no
one, nothing, one, several, some, somebody, someone, something
For Example:

Many believe that UFOs exist, but nobody can prove it.

No one can be sure if aliens really exist, but only few wonder if Elvis is still alive.

The underlined indefinite pronouns do not refer to any one person. They are referring to
people in general.

7. Demonstrative Pronouns are also considered noun markers. They "point" towards nouns.

this, that, these those

For Example:
That woman attends Gainesville College.
That points out which woman.

The woman attends Gainesville College.

Q: Which woman? A: That woman.

8. Interrogative Pronouns introduce questions.

Who, Whom, Whose, Which, What

For Example:

Who is going on vacation? To whom will the teacher give an "A"?

What are you doing?

9. Relative Pronouns introduce dependent clauses and refers to a

person or thing already mentioned in the sentence (i.e. the antecedent).
Who, whoever, whom, whomever, whose, which, that

For Example:

The English that we learn in class will help us pass English 1101.
that we learn in class is the adjective clause that describes English. And, that is the relative
pronoun.

Q: Which English?
A: The English that we learn in classas opposed to the English we learn around our friends.
 Note: Adjectives clauses modify nouns or pronouns, and usually answer one of the
following questions: Which one? What kind of? They begin with a relative pronoun or a
relative adverb (when or where).

A djectives

An adjective modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun.

Normally in English, the adjective comes before the noun. For example:

The smart student earned an "A".

They also come after linking verbs. For example:

I feel happy.

Adjectives can be used to make comparisons.

For most adjectives of one or two syllables, you can add er. For example,
greater, faster, stronger.
For adjectives longer than two syllables, you should use the word more.

For example, He was more intelligent than his sister was.

Adjectives can also be used as superlatives.

This is usually done by adding est to the end of an adjective that is one or
two syllables.

For example, the loudest, the coolest, the smartest.

If an adjective is three syllables or longer, you must use the words the
most. For example:

Katsu is the most intelligent person in the world!

WARNING- Never use both an er ending and the word

more or an

est ending and the word most.

 For example, I am the most happiest when my students learn. Instead, it should be: I
am the happiest when my students learn.

There are some irregular adjective and adverb forms. For example:

Adje Ad Comparing two Comparing

ctive verb three or more

Bad ba Worse worst

dly

Goo We Better Best

d ll

Little Less Least

Muc Ma More Most

h ny

Punctuation Note: Adjectives are not usually capitalized unless they are the first word in
a sentence. BUT, nationalities are also adjectives and should be capitalized. For example:

Ricky Martin is Puerto Rican and Michelle Yeoh is Chinese.

These are called proper adjectives. And, like proper nouns, proper adjectives are always
capitalized in English. They are derived from proper nouns and are words like: African-
American, Vietnamese, Latino, Italian, Japanese, Korean, etc. They can also include
adjectives like Catholic, Jewish, Republican, Democrat, etc.

When they are used together, they are arranged in a certain order.

Det O S A C O M N
erminer* pinion ize ge olor rigin aterial oun

The Pr B N B P L S
, This etty ig ew lue uerto eather ofa
Rican
Some Tall Thin Old Purple Wood
My E S A B C S S
xpensive mall ncient lack hinese ilk carf

For Example:

I saw that tall, thin, old, blue, silk scarf at the store and I bought it.
Leon drives an expensive old Italian car.

You wouldnt ordinarily use so many adjectives in just one sentence.

*Note: Determiners include articles, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns and

possessive pronouns.

A dverbs

An adverb is a word that modifies an action verb, an adjective or

another adverb.
The teacher carefully graded the homework.

Carefully is an adverb that modifies the action verb to grade.

Tommy was extremely enthusiastic about doing his homework.

Extremely is an adverb that modifies the adjective enthusiastic.

Yan Ko ran out of the classroom very quickly.

Very is an adverb that modifies the adverb quickly.

Warning: You need an adjective after linking verbsNEVER an

adverb!

For example, Tai feels bad (guilty) when he has to leave class.

Here, bad is an adjective that modifies the proper noun Tai. It is an adjective because it
follows the linking verb to feel.

HOWEVER, verbs like look, sound, smell, feel, and taste can function as either an action
verb or a linking verb.

Tai feels badly (to the touch) after swimming in a chlorinated pool. His skin is really dry.

Here, bad is used in its adverbial form since it follows an action verb, to feel.

Types of Adverbs:

Relative Adverbs introduce questions and dependent adverbial clauses.

They answer the questions When? and Where? They are:

When Where
 For Example:
When I was young, I liked to play outside.

Q: When did I like to play outside? A: When I was young.

Adverbs of Frequency indicate answer the question how often? They

are:

Always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never

The students in ESOL 98 always study very hard.

They rarely forget to do their homework.

NOTE: Generally, these adverbs come before the verb; however there is an
exception. In the case of the verb to be, the adverb of frequency comes after the verb.
For example:Azra is always on time for class.

C onjunctions are the scotch tape of the grammatical world. They join together
words and phrases. There are three kinds of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions,

correlative conjunctions, and subordinating conjunctions.

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

There are seven coordinating conjunctions in English. You can use the mnemonic device
fanboys to remember them.

For

And

Nor

But

Or
 Yet

So

They can be used with commas to create compound sentences. For example:

Ignacio loves to dance, but Roco has no rhythm.

Kyong Mee works hard, yet she still earns low grades.

Note: A compound sentence is a sentence made up of two independent clauses. That is, a
compound sentence is simply two complete sentences joined by a comma and a coordinating
conjunction (i.e. a fanboys).

2. Correlative Conjunctions also join ideas, but they work in pairs. They
are:

Bothand

neithernor

whetheror

eitheror

not onlybut also

For Example:

Not only am I happy about the grades, but I am also excited that you are learning!

3. Subordinating Conjunctions join an independent clause to a subordinate clause. That is,

they join a clause that can stand alone with a clause that cannot stand alone. Some frequently
used subordinating conjunctions are:

after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, since, so that, though,
unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, whether, while.

For Example:

Although the students were tired, they still came to class.

I nterjections
Interjections are words used to express emotional states. They can usually be found in
narrative writing, interviews, and in spoken English. They can stand alone. For example:

Oh!, wow!, Ouch! Oops! Hey!

Punctuation Note: They are punctuated with either commas or exclamation marks. Mild
interjections are followed by a comma, but stronger interjections are punctuated with an
exclamation mark (!) .

Oh, were late for the movie.

Generally, the movies is not an important destination. Therefore, the person making this
statement will sound less urgent than the next example.

Oh! Im late for work.

Work, unlike the movies, is generally considered a very important destination. If one doesnt
arrive on time, there is the possibility of being fired or of losing face. Here, the speaker will
have a greater sense of urgency.

Generally , you do not find interjections in academic writing.

P repositions

Prepositions are words that, like conjunctions, connect a noun or pronoun to another word in
a sentence. Some common prepositions:

About Before Down Into Throug

h

Above Behind During Like To

Across Below Except Of Toward

After Beneat For Of Under

h

Among Beside From On Up

Around Betwee Over With

In
n
 At By Instead Since Withou
of t

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a
noun or pronoun. They can act as adjectives or as adverbs.

Manuela, the student from Germany, wrote an excellent paper on the computer.

V erbs

Verbs generally express action or a state of being. There are several classifications for verbs-
action verbs,/linking verbs, main verbs/auxiliary verbs, transitive/intransitive and phrasal
verbs.

1. Action verbs show action.

He runs. He plays. They study.

2. Linking Verbs link the subject to an adjective.

Ricky Martin is beautiful.

The linking verb is links the adjective beautiful with the subject Ricky Martin.

1. Main verbs can stand alone.

2. Auxiliary verbs, also called helping verbs, serve as support to the main verb.

The most common auxiliary verbs are:

Have, has, had

Do, does, did

Be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been

Should, could, will, would, might, can, may, must, shall, ought (to)

For example:

Tai has runeveryday.

Run is an action verb. The subject can actually "do" it.

Has is the helping verb. It helps the main verb run to be present perfect tense.
Verbs can be transitive or intransitive.

Transitive Verbs require a direct object in order to make sense.

For Example:

Yolanda takes aspirin for her headaches.

Here, takes is a transitive verb since the sentence Yolanda takes has no meaning
without its direct object aspirin.

Intransitive Verbs do not need direct objects to make them

meaningful. For Example:

Julio swims.
The verb swim has meaning for the reader without an object.

Caution: A verb can be either transitive or intransitive depending on its context. For
Example:

The cars race. Here, raceis intransitive. It does not need an object.

My father races horses. Here, races is transitive. It requires the object horses in order to
make sense.

Verbs can be phrasal.

1. Phrasal verbs are made up of a verb and a preposition. The preposition

gives the verb a diferent meaning than it would have by itself. For
example, the verb look has a diferent meaning from the phrasal verb
look up (in the dictionary).

Some more examples:

call up, find out, hand in, make up, put off, turn on, write up

WARNING: The base form of a verb is called the infinitive. It is to + verb. For
example, to do, to win, to study, etc. Under no circumstance can a verb preceded by to be
considered a verb. Infinitives are not verbs.
 A rticlesare the, a, and an.

Q: What do articles do in a sentence?

A: Articles signal that a noun is going to

follow.

Example:

Who invented the telephone? The wheel?

The refrigerator? The airplane?

A cat was chasing a mouse in my back yard.

Modifiers (adjectives & adverbs) can appear between an article and a noun.

Examples:

A sunset.
A spectacular sunset.
An exceptionally spectacular sunset.

The indefinite article a can only appear before nouns that begin with a consonant sound: a
hand, a book, a world, a computer

The indefinite article an can only appear before nouns that begin with a vowel sound: an
apartment, an hour, an article

General Rules for the Use of Articles:

I. Use a/an with singular count nouns whose specific identity is not known to the reader
either because it is being mentioned for the first time, or because its specific identity is
unknown even to the writer.

Examples:

Julia arrived in a limousine. (a = one among many. Not a specific one.)

Were looking for an apartment. (an = any one.)
II. Do not use a/an with non-count nouns. Only use a/an with non-count nouns if you add a count
noun in front of the non-count noun.

Example:

Anh asked her mother for an advice.

Anh asked her mother for apiece of

advice.

III. Use the with most nouns whose specific identity is known to the reader because:

1. the noun has been previously mentioned:

o Yesterday I saw a group of ESL students. The students were playing with a ball.
The ball was white and blue. The ball rolled into a hole. The hole was small.

2. the noun is made specific by a superlative:

o I bought thefastest computer they had.

3. the noun describes a unique person, place, or thing:

o Please give this to themanager.
o Thesun is bright today.
o Rain is falling heavily in theNorth.

4. the context or situation makes the nouns identity clear:

o Please dont slam the door when you leave.
o Bob warned me that the dog playing in his yard is very affectionate and jumps on
every person it meets.

IV. Do not use the with plural or non-count nouns meaning "all" or "in general" (i.e. generic
reference nouns). Do not use the with most singular proper nouns.
The fountains are an expensive element of landscape design.
In some parts of the world, the rice is preferred to all other grains.

V. Do not use articles with other noun markers or determiners, i.e. possessive
nouns (Helens) ; and some pronouns (his, her, its, ours, their, whose, this, that,
these, those, all, any, each, either, every, few, many, more, most, much, neither,
several, some).

Exceptions:

All the

A few

The most
Examples:

The Helens book is on the floor.

A this book belongs to Trung.

A final caution- A word can be more than one part of

speech. For example:
I sat on the sofa.
Above, sofa is used as a noun (object of the preposition).

I slept on the sofa bed.

But, here sofa is used as an adjective to modify the noun bed.

And, native speakers often take poetic license with words in conversation. For example:

Its Sofa city for you!

Here, sofa acts as an adjective to describe the noun city. The meaning of the sentence is that
the person will have to sleep on the sofa, not a bed.

Sources:

Azar, B. (1992). Fundamentals of English grammar 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice
Hall Regents.

Hacker, D. (1989). A writers reference. New York: St. Martins

Press, Inc.

Hayes, C. (1996). English at hand. Marlton, NJ: Townsend Press.

Leahs head.

Shono, S. (Fall 1998). ESL 0650 Articles Handout.

file:///E:/3.%20Part%20of%20Speech/There%20are%20nine%20parts%20of%20speech.html

English Parts of Speech

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs
Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

There are eight diferent English parts of speech, but before we continue
any further...

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All
English Tenses
 What is a Part of Speech?
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 diferent
categories. Each category has a diferent role/function in the sentence.

The English parts of speech are:

Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions,
conjunctions and interjections.

Click here to learn the diferent parts of a sentence.

Same Word Several Parts of Speech

In the English language many words are used in more than one way. This
means that a word can function as several diferent parts of speech.

For example, in the sentence "I would like a drink" the word "drink" is a noun.
However, in the sentence "They drink too much" the word "drink" is a verb. So it
all depends on the word's role in the sentence.

Click here for video grammar lessons (including the Parts of Speech
Made Simple Videos)

English Parts of Speech Navigation:

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs
Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

Nouns

Click here for the complete illustrated page on English nouns.

A noun is a word that names a person, a place or a thing.

Examples:
Sarah, lady, cat, New York, Canada, room, school, football, reading.

Example sentences:
People like to go to the beach.
Emma passed the test.
My parents are traveling to Japan next month.

The word "noun" comes from the Latin word nomen, which means "name," and
nouns are indeed how we name people, places and things.

Abstract Nouns
An abstract noun is a noun that names an idea, not a physical thing.
Examples:
Hope, interest, love, peace, ability, success, knowledge, trouble.

Concrete Nouns
A concrete noun is a noun that names a physical thing.

Examples:
Boy, table, floor, cofee, beach, king, rain, children, professor.

Common Nouns
A common noun is a noun that names a general thing, not a specific thing.

Examples:
Boy, girl, city, country, company, planet, location, war.

Proper Nouns
A proper noun is a noun that indicates the specific name of a thing. It
begins with a capital letter.

Examples:
Robin, Alice, London, Sweden, Google, Earth, Eifel Tower, Civil War.
(Compare these examples to ones in the "Common nouns" section to see the
diference.)

Countable Nouns
A countable noun is a noun that indicates something you could actually
count.

For example, you could count pigs: one pig, two pigs, three pigs...
However, you couldn't count water: one water, two water no, it doesn't work...

A countable noun has both a singular and a plural form, and it can be used with
the indefinite articles (a/an).

Examples:
Window, teacher, tree, lion, eye, cloud, pencil, heart, movie.

Uncountable Nouns
An uncountable noun is a noun that indicates something you cannot count.

For example, you could count pigs: one pig, two pigs, three pigs...
However, you couldn't count water: one water, two water no, it doesn't work...

An uncountable noun has only one form (no plural), and it cannot be used with
the indefinite articles (a/an).

Examples:
Furniture, advice, mail, news, equipment, luggage, work, cofee, information.
 Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs
Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

Pronouns

Click here for the complete illustrated page on English pronouns.

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun. For example, you could say,
"Lisa is a nice girl."
Then you could replace the noun "Lisa" with the word "She" and get the following
sentence: "She is a nice girl."
"She" is a pronoun.

Examples:
I, he, it, we, them, us, mine, itself.

Example sentences:
He doesn't want go with them.
Would they help us?
His house is bigger than ours.
Who is she?

The word "pronoun" comes from "pro" (in the meaning of "substitute") + "noun."

Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns represent people or things. The personal pronouns are:
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them.

Demonstrative Pronouns
"Demonstrative" means "showing, making something clear."

Demonstrative pronouns point to things. The demonstrative pronouns are: this,

that, these, those.

Use "this" and "these" to talk about things that are near in space or in time.
Use "that" and "those" to talk about things that are farther away in space or
time.

Example sentences:
This cannot go on.
That was beautiful!
He wanted those, but decided to compromise on these.

Interrogative Pronouns
"Interrogative" means "used in questions."
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. The interrogative pronouns
are: who, whom, which, what, whoever, whatever, etc.

Use "who" and "whom" to talk about people.

Use "which" and "what" to talk about animals and things.

Example sentences:
Who is your father?
Whom did you speak to?
Which bag did you buy?
What are my choices?

Possessive Pronouns
"Possessive" means "showing ownership."

Possessive pronouns indicate that something belongs to somebody/something.

The possessive pronouns are: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, mine, yours, his,
hers, ours, theirs.

Example sentences:
I've lost my wallet.
He married his girlfriend.
This place is theirs.
Is that cat yours?
My car is slow. Hers is much faster.

Relative Pronouns
"Relative" means "connected with something."

Relative pronouns are pronouns that link diferent parts of a sentence.

The relative pronouns are: who, whom, which, that, whoever, etc.

Examples sentences:
The girl who called yesterday came to see you.
The teacher whom you wrote has answered your questions.
She lives in Kiev, which is the capital city of Ukraine.
I really liked the book that you gave me.

Reflexive Pronouns
"Reflexive" means "going back to itself."

Reflexive pronouns show that the action afects the person who performs the
action. Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural). The
reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves,
themselves.

Example sentences:
He cut himself while shaving.
I sent myself to bed.
He could hurt himself!
We must help ourselves.
She trusts herself.
 Intensive Pronouns
"Intensive" means "giving force or emphasis."

An intensive pronoun is a pronoun used for emphasis. In other words, intensive

pronouns emphasize the subject of the sentence. They are written exactly the
same way as the reflexive pronouns, but their function is diferent.

I myself baked the cake.

The queen herself recommended this restaurant.
Have you yourself been there?
The project itself wasn't difficult.
We will do it ourselves.

Reciprocal Pronouns
Reciprocal means that two people or groups do the same thing to each
other. They treat each other in the same way.

For example, Joe loves Kate, and Kate loves Joe. So we can say, "Kate and Joe
love each other."

Another example: Mike helps Lucy, and Lucy helps Mike. So we can say, "Mike
and Lucy help each other."

There are two reciprocal pronouns in English:

Each other and one another.

The cat and the dog like each other.

The two politicians hate each other.
We must stop fighting one another.
They gave each other Christmas presents.
They can't hear one another.

Indefinite Pronouns
"Indefinite" means "not exact, not limited."

Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to any specific person or
thing.

Examples:
Anything, everybody, another, each, few, many, none, some.

Example sentences:
Many have died during the war.
Can anyone call her?
Everybody wants to see you.
Something can be done to help.

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs

Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top
 Adjectives

Click here for the complete illustrated page on English adjectives.

An adjective is a word that describes a person or thing.

Examples:
Big, pretty, expensive, green, round, French, loud, quick, fat.

Example sentences:
He has big blue eyes.
The new car broke down.
The old lady was talking in a quiet voice.

The word "adjective" comes from the Latin word jacere, which means "to throw."

Different Types of adjectives

Adjectives can be divided into several types:

Opinion
Nice, pretty, stupid, original, expensive, etc.

Size
Big, small, large, tiny, enormous, little, etc.

Age
Young, old, new, ancient, antique, etc.

Shape
Round, square, flat, straight, etc.

Color
Blue, red, white, black, dark, bright, yellowish, etc.

Origin
Italian, British, Mexican, western, southern, etc.

Material
Metal, wooden, plastic, golden, etc.

Determiners
A determiner is a word that comes before a noun to show which person or
thing you are talking about.

Examples:
A, an, the, my, your, some, any, several, enough, any.

Example sentences:
I have a red hat.
Please give me my bag.
Some people decided to leave.
She doesn't want any money.
They watched several movies.

Some people consider determiners to be a type of adjective. What's special

about determiners is that you usually can use only one determiner at a time.

Incorrect: He has the my ticket.

Correct: He has my ticket / He has the ticket.

Nouns that act like adjectives

Sometimes nouns function as adjectives. In other words, they come before
another noun and describe it.

Examples:
Sports car
Orange juice
Television station
Coffee shop
Book cover

The order of adjectives

A noun can have several adjectives describing it.

Examples:
"She bought a new red Italian table."
"He is a great, successful father."

There are certain rules on the correct order of those adjectives.

This is the order you should generally follow:

Determiner -> opinion -> size -> age -> shape -> color
-> origin -> material -> a word describing purpose/function

Examples:
A nice little cofee shop
(Determiner -> opinion -> size -> purpose/function word)

My huge new swimming pool

(Determiner -> size -> age -> purpose/function word)

Several Chinese plastic cups

(Determiner -> origin -> material)

The round yellow ball

(Determiner -> shape -> color)

Adjectives of the same type:

When you have several adjectives of the same type, you should separate them
with commas or a conjunction (and, but).

Examples:
A cheap, good meal
A happy, smart man
The beautiful, original painting
My nice and sweet cat
An expensive but important trip

Comparative adjectives
"Comparative" means "comparing something to something else."

Comparative adjective show us which thing is better, worse, stronger,

weaker, and so forth.

Examples:
Better, worse, bigger, smaller, nicer, fatter, thinner, more dangerous.

Example sentences:
She is a better student than her brothers.
The test was worse than I'd expected.
You are stronger than me.
He seems healthier.
You are more beautiful than her.

Superlative adjectives
"Superlative" means "of the highest degree."

Superlative adjectives show us which thing is the best, the strongest, and so
forth.

Examples:
Best, worst, strongest, smallest, cheapest, most expensive.

Example sentences:
You are my best friend.
This is the worst day of my life.
Even the smallest donation helps.
This is the most expensive restaurant I've ever heard of.

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs

Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

Verbs

A verb is a word or group of words that express an action or a state.

Examples:
Go, jump, sleep, eat, think, be, change, become, drive, complete.

Example sentences:
We had a nice lunch.
I think that he is right.
He drove for hours.

The word "verb" comes for the Latin word verbum, which means "word."

Auxiliary Verbs (also called "helping verbs")

Click here for the complete illustrated page on main verbs, auxiliary verbs
(helping verbs) and compound verbs.

Auxiliary verbs are verbs that are used together with the main verb of the
sentence to express the action or state.

Main verb + auxiliary verb = complete idea

The main auxiliary verbs are:

be, am, is, are, was, were, do, did, have, has, had.

Example sentences (the auxiliary verb is in bold, and the main verb is
underlined):
They are jogging.
She was sitting.
We were waiting for hours.
Is she sleeping?
He didn't know the answer.
We have gone a long way.
Has she received any of my letters?
Do you smoke?
Will she help?

Compound Verbs
A compound verb = auxiliary verb + main verb.

Examples:
was playing, has eaten, doesn't want.

They were discussing their future.

He didn't tell us the truth.
I have finished my homework.
She will meet us there.

Stative Verbs
Click here for the complete illustrated page on stative verbs and dynamic
verbs.

Stative verbs are verbs that express a state rather than an action.

Examples:
be, seem, love, own, want, sound, have, know, understand.

Examples sentences:
She is a great wife.
He seems rather strange.
He wanted to see you.
That sounds awesome!
We have enough things to do.

Stative verbs are usually not used in the progressive tenses.

Examples:
Incorrect: He is wanting to see you.
Correct: He wants to see you.

Incorrect: I am knowing what to do.

Correct: I know what to do.

Incorrect: They are seeming nice.

Correct: They seem nice.

However, if the same verb is used to describe an actual action (not a state), then
it can be used in the progressive tenses.

Example:
When the verb "have" means "own" it is a state. So we do not use it in the
progressive tenses.

Incorrect: I am having a laptop.

Correct: I have a laptop.

When the verb "have" means "eat" it is an actual action. So we can use it in the
progressive tenses.

Correct: I am having lunch with Kate.

Correct: I have lunch with Kate.

Dynamic Verbs
Dynamic verbs are the opposite of stative verbs. They express a real
action.

Examples:
Jump, swim, catch, write, call, sleep, hit, open, speak.

Example sentences:
They swam to the other side.
She hit me on the head!
Open the window, please.

The dynamic verbs can be used in the progressive tenses.

Correct: He is drinking water.

Correct: He drinks water.

Regular Verbs
Regular verbs are verbs that follow this rule:
Past form of the verb = present form of the verb + ed / d.
Examples:
Past form of "check" = check + ed = checked.
Past form of "open" = open + ed = opened.
Past form of "bake" = bake + d = baked.

There are certain rules to adding "d" or "ed" to a verb. Read about them in the
Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs section.

Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the above rule, and there are
quite a lot of them!

Examples:
Past form of "drink" = drank.
Past form of "sleep" = slept.
Past form of "bring" = brought.

Phrasal Verbs
Click here for the complete illustrated page on English phrasal verbs.

A phrasal verb is a verb that is combined with an adverb or a preposition. The

combination creates a new meaning.

Examples:
Run = to move very quickly with your legs. ("She can run fast!")
Into = in the direction of something. ("He looked into my eyes.")
Run into = to meet someone by accident. ("I ran into Joe yesterday.")

Make = to create or do something. ("He made a lot of noise.")

Up = to a higher point. ("Look up!")
Make up = invent (a story, an excuse). ("It never happened. He made the whole
thing up!")

Put = to place something somewhere. ("Could you put this upstairs?")

Up = to a higher point. ("Look up!")
With = concerning ("She is happy with her workplace.")
Put up with = to tolerate. ("I cannot put up with his behavior any more!")

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs

Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

Adverbs

Click here for the complete illustrated page on English adverbs.

An adverb is a word that describes or gives more information about a verb, an
adjective, another adverb, or even the entire sentence.

Adverbs usually answer the following questions:

Where? Home. ("I went home.")
When? Yesterday. ("We met yesterday.")
How? Slowly. ("The turtle moves slowly.")
How often? Sometimes. ("Sometimes it stops responding.")
How long? Temporarily. ("She is staying with us temporarily.")
How likely? Surely. ("Our team will surely win!")
To what degree? Very. ("She was very pleased.")

An adverb can describe a verb:

She runs quickly.

An adverb can describe an adjective:

She is so beautiful.

An adverb can describe another adverb:

She smokes very rarely.

An adverb can describe an entire sentence:

Naturally, you don't have to come.

The word "adverb" comes for the Latin ad- (in addition) and verbum (word).

In many cases (but not always!) adverbs have the following form:
Adjective + "-ly"

Examples:
Quick + ly = quickly
Strange + ly = strangely
Dead + ly = deadly
Sudden + ly = suddenly
Clever + ly = cleverly
Brave + ly = bravely
Real + ly = really

When an adjective ends with "y" replace the "y" with an "i":
Heavy + ly = heavi + ly = heavily
Happy + ly = happi + ly = happily

When the adjective ends with an "e" drop the "e":

True + ly = tru + ly = truly

However, there are many adverbs that do not end in "-ly":

Fast, very, hard, home, just, too, well, never, sometimes, and so forth.

We can divide English adverbs into several categories:

Adverbs of degree, adverbs of manner, adverbs of place,
adverbs of time, adverbs of frequency, adverbs of duration,
adverbs of probability, comparative adverbs and superlative adverbs.
 Adverbs of degree
Adverbs of degree show us the strength or degree of the action or state.
They answer the following questions:
How much? To what degree?

Examples:
Very, highly, totally, perfectly, partially, almost.

Example sentences:
He is very concerned with you.
You are totally right.
We almost made it to the train.

Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of manner show us the way the action is done. They answer the
following question:
How?

Examples:
Well, badly, nicely, slowly, loudly, quietly, happily, sadly, secretly, weakly.

Example sentences:
He handled the situation well.
She listened secretly to their conversation.
The children ran happily to their father.

Adverbs of place
Adverbs of place show us the location of the action or state. They answer
the following question:
Where?

Examples:
Home, here, there, outside, inside, away, around, anywhere, abroad, up, down,
out.

Example sentences:
We are here.
He went home.
We found him outside.
She looked up.

Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time show us the time of the action or state. They answer the
following question:
When?

Examples:
Now, soon, later, yesterday, tomorrow, early, before, lately, recently.

Example sentences:
Let's talk now.
I will do it later.
He promised to write back soon.
What are you doing tomorrow?
We haven't met before.

Adverbs of frequency
Adverbs of frequency show us the frequency of the action or state. They
answer the following question:
How often?

Examples:
Always, never, sometimes, often, rarely, usually, occasionally.

Example sentences:
I always brush my teeth after a meal.
We often meet and chat.
He is usually here on time.

Adverbs of duration
Adverbs of duration show us the length of the action or state.
They answer the following question:
For how long?

Examples:
Forever, constantly, temporarily, briefly.

Example sentences:
He is working there temporarily.
We spoke briefly.
I will be forever grateful.

Adverbs of probability
Adverbs of probability show us the chances for the action or state to
happen. They answer the following question:
How likely?

Examples:
Certainly, maybe, probably, possibly, surely.

Example sentences:
She will certainly forget about it.
Maybe we'll come after all.
It will probably not work.
Surely you are not serious!

Comparative adverbs
"Comparative" means "comparing something to something else."

Comparative adverbs show us which action or state is better, worse, stronger,

weaker, and so forth.
Examples:
more, less, better, worse, faster, slower, farther, closer.

Example sentences:
Maggie works out more seriously than Donna.
She eats less than her friends.
You are better than this.
We couldn't go slower even if we wanted to.
Let's get closer.

Superlative adverbs
"Superlative" means "of the highest degree."

Superlative adverbs show us which action or state is the best, the strongest, and
so forth.

Examples:
Best, most, least, worst, strongest, fastest, slowest.

Example sentences:
He knows best.
It was the most boring experience.
He shouted the loudest so he won.
He ran the slowest so he lost.

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs

Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

Prepositions

Click here for the complete illustrated page on English prepositions.

Click here for further explanations and examples on prepositions in English.

A preposition is a word that is used before a noun or a pronoun to connect it to

another word in the sentence. It is usually used to show location, direction, time,
and so forth.

Examples:
On, in, at, by, under, above, beside, to, out, from, for.
Example sentences:
I sat on the floor.
Let's go into the house.
We will meet at four o'clock.
Have a look under the couch.
He went to school.
This letter is for you.

The word "preposition" comes from the Latin word praeponere (put before). So
prepositions usually come before the noun/pronoun.

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs

Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

Conjunctions

A conjunction is a word that joins parts of a sentence together.

Examples:
And, but, or, because, so.

Example sentences:
I want to come, but I can't.
She is smart and beautiful.
Would you like a cat or a dog?
He didn't pass the test because he didn't understand the subject.
We were hungry, so we ordered pizza.

The word "conjunction" comes from the Latin word conjungere (join together).

Click here to learn more about conjunctions.

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs

Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top
 Interjections

An interjection is a short sound, word or phrase used to express the

speaker's emotion.

Examples:
Oh! Look out! Ow! Hey! Wow! Ah! Um...

Example sentences:
Wow, that's amazing!
Ah, that was a good meal.
Um... I'm not sure what to say.
Oh dear! What happened?
Hello! How are you doing?
Well, that's an option too.

The word "interjection" comes from the Latin word interjicere (throw between).

Nouns | Pronouns | Adjectives | Verbs | Adverbs

Prepositions | Conjunctions | Interjections
English Parts of Speech Summary Table | Exercises | Top

Final Words on the English Parts of Speech

If you ever find yourself wondering which part of speech a certain word is,
the best solution is to check it out in a dictionary. The dictionary will give you the
answer you need, together with examples on how to use the word. And that is
priceless!
 English Parts of Speech
Summary Table
Click here for video grammar lessons (including the Parts of
Speech Made Simple Videos)

Part Exam
Explanation
of Speech ples
Boy,
Nou A word that names a person, a
Sam, cat,
ns place or a thing
Paris
Pro A word that is used instead of a He,
nouns noun my, yourself
Adje A word that describes a person or pretty
ctives thing , easy, fat
go,
Ver A word or group of words that
jump, be,
bs express an action or a state
think
A word that describes or gives
quickl
Adv more information about a verb, an
y, tomorrow,
erbs adjective, another adverb, or even the
outside
entire sentence
A word that is used before a noun
or a pronoun to connect it to another
Pre on, in,
word in the sentence. It is usually used to
positions to, from, of
show location, direction, time, and so
forth.
Conj A word that joins parts of a and,
unctions sentence together or, but
Wow,
Inte A short sound, word or phrase used
hmm, well,
rjections to express the speaker's emotion.
oh dear

So that was the explanation on the English parts of speech. Now let's practice!

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%20Speech%20-%20Explanations,%20Examples%20and%20Exercises.html
Part of Speech Overview

In the English language, words can be considered as the smallest elements that have
distinctive meanings. Based on their use and functions, words are categorized into several
types or parts of speech. This article will offer definitions and examples for the 8 major parts
of speech in English grammar: noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, conjunction,
preposition, and interjection.

1. Noun

This part of a speech refers to words that are used to name persons, things, animals, places,
ideas, or events. Nouns are the simplest among the 8 parts of speech, which is why they are
the first ones taught to students in primary school.

Examples:

Tom Hanks is very versatile.

The italicized noun refers to a name of a person.

Dogs can be extremely cute.

In this example, the italicized word is considered a noun because it names
an animal.

It is my birthday.
The word birthday is a noun which refers to an event.

There are different types of nouns namely:

Proper proper nouns always start with a capital letter and refers to
specific names of persons, places, or things.
Examples: Volkswagen Beetle, Shakeys Pizza, Game of Thrones

Common common nouns are the opposite of proper nouns. These are
just generic names of persons, things, or places.
Examples: car, pizza parlor, TV series

Concrete this kind refers to nouns which you can perceive through your
five senses.
Examples: folder, sand, board

Abstract- unlike concrete nouns, abstract nouns are those which you
cant perceive through your five senses.
Examples: happiness, grudge, bravery

Count it refers to anything that is countable, and has a singular and

plural form.
Examples: kitten, video, ball

Mass this is the opposite of count nouns. Mass nouns are also called non-
countable nouns, and they need to have counters to quantify them.
Examples of Counters: kilo, cup, meter
 Examples of Mass Nouns: rice, flour, garter

Collective refers to a group of persons, animals, or things.

Example: faculty (group of teachers), class (group of students), pride
(group of lions)

This great list of nouns can help you explore more nouns.

2. Pronoun

A pronoun is a part of a speech which functions as a replacement for a noun. Some examples
of pronouns are: I, it, he, she, mine, his, hers, we, they, theirs, and ours.

Sample Sentences:

Janice is a very stubborn child. She just stared at me and when I told her
to stop.
The largest slice is mine.
We are number one.

The italicized words in the sentences above are the pronouns in the sentence.

3. Adjective

This part of a speech is used to describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives can specify the
quality, the size, and the number of nouns or pronouns.

Use this link to get a list of adjectives.

Sample Sentences:

The carvings are intricate.

The italicized word describes the appearance of the noun carvings.

I have two hamsters.

The italicized word two, is an adjective which describes the number of
the noun hamsters.

Wow! That doughnut is huge!

The italicized word is an adjective which describes the size of the noun
doughnut.

4. Verb

This is the most important part of a speech, for without a verb, a sentence would not exist.
Simply put, this is a word that shows an action (physical or mental) or state of being of the
subject in a sentence.

Examples of State of Being Verbs : am, is, was, are, and were

Sample Sentences:
 As usual, the Stormtroopers missed their shot.
The italicized word expresses the action of the subject Stormtroopers.

They are always prepared in emergencies.

The verb are refers to the state of being of the pronoun they, which is
the subject in the sentence.

5. Adverb

Just like adjectives, adverbs are also used to describe words, but the difference is that adverbs
describe adjectives, verbs, or another adverb.

The different types of adverbs are:

Adverb of Manner this refers to how something happens or how an

action is done.
Example: Annie danced gracefully.
The word gracefully tells how Annie danced.

Adverb of Time- this states when something happens or when it is

done.
Example: She came yesterday.
The italicized word tells when she came.

Adverb of Place this tells something about where something happens

or where something is done.
Example: Of course, I looked everywhere!
The adverb everywhere tells where I looked.

Adverb of Degree this states the intensity or the degree to which a

specific thing happens or is done.
Example: The child is very talented.
The italicized adverb answers the question, To what degree is the child
talented?

6. Preposition

This part of a speech basically refers to words that specify location or a location in time.

Examples of Prepositions: above, below, throughout, outside, before, near, and since

Sample Sentences:

Micah is hiding under the bed.

The italicized preposition introduces the prepositional phrase under the
bed, and tells where Micah is hiding.

During the game, the audience never stopped cheering for their team.
The italicized preposition introduces the prepositional phrase during the
game, and tells when the audience cheered.
7. Conjunction

The conjunction is a part of a speech which joins words, phrases, or clauses together.

Examples of Conjunctions: and, yet, but, for, nor, or, and so

Sample Sentences:

This cup of tea is delicious and very soothing.

Kiyoko has to start all over again because she didnt follow the professors
instructions.
Homer always wanted to join the play, but he didnt have the guts to
audition.

The italicized words in the sentences above are some examples of conjunctions.

8. Interjection

This part of a speech refers to words which express emotions. Since interjections are
commonly used to convey strong emotions, they are usually followed by an exclamation
point.

Examples of Interjections:

Sample Sentences:

Ouch! That must have hurt.

Hurray, we won!
Hey! I said enough!

The bold words attached to the main sentences above are some examples of interjections.

Final Thoughts

You must familiarize yourself with the different parts of speech discussed in this article
because they are among the most fundamental concepts that you will encounter throughout
your study of grammar. An in-depth knowledge of this topic will not only make you a better
writer, but an effective communicator as well.

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Parts of Speech
English Grammar

The parts of speech explain how a word is used in a sentence.

There are eight main parts of speech (also know as word classes): nouns, pronouns,
adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.

Most parts of speech can be divided into sub-classes.Prepositions can be divided into
prepositions of time, prepositions of place etc. Nouns can be divided into proper nouns,
common nouns, concrete nouns etc.

It is important to know that a word can sometimes be in more than one part of speech. For
example with the word increase.

Increase can be a verb e.g. Prices increased

and increase can also be a noun e.g. There was an increase in the number of followers.

The eight main parts of speech in English are:

NOUN - (Naming word)

A noun is the name of a person, place, thing or idea.

Examples of nouns: Daniel, London, table, dog, teacher, pen, city, happiness, hope

Example sentences: Steve lives in Sydney. Mary uses pen and paper to write letters.

Learn more about the different types of nouns.

PRONOUN - (Replaces a Noun)

A pronoun is used in place of a noun or noun phrase to avoid repetition.

Examples of pronouns: I, you, we, they, he, she, it, me, us, them, him, her, this, those

Example sentences: Mary is tired. She wants to sleep. I want her to dance with me.
ADJECTIVE - (Describing word)

An adjective describes, modifies or gives more information about a noun or pronoun.

Examples: big, happy, green, young, fun, crazy, three

Example sentences: The little girl had a pink hat.

VERB - (Action Word)

A verb shows an action or state of being. A verb shows what someone or something is doing.

Examples: go, speak, run, eat, play, live, walk, have, like, are, is

Example sentences: I like Woodward English. I study their charts and play their games.

ADVERB - (Describes a verb)

An adverb describes/modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It tells how, where,

when, how often or to what extent. Many adverbs end in -LY

Examples: slowly, quietly, very, always, never, too, well, tomorrow, here

Example sentences: I am usually busy. Yesterday, I ate my lunch quickly.

PREPOSITION - (Shows relationship)

A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word. They can
indicate time, place, or relationship.

Examples: at, on, in, from, with, near, between, about, under

Example sentences: I left my keys on the table for you.

CONJUNCTION - (Joining word)

A conjunction joins two words, ideas, phrases or clauses together in a sentence and shows
how they are connected.

Examples: and, or, but, because, so, yet, unless, since, if.

Example sentences: I was hot and exhausted but I still finished the marathon.
INTERJECTION - (Expressive word)

An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses a strong feeling or emotion. It is a short

exclamation.

Examples: Ouch! Wow! Great! Help! Oh! Hey! Hi!

Example sentences: Wow! I passed my English test. Great! Ouch! That hurt.

Summary Chart

Sometimes teachers include Articles as a ninth part of speech so we have included it here.
Note, an article is a type of adjective.
ARTICLE - (Defining word)

An article is used before a noun. These are divided into definite (the) and indefinite (a, an).
Articles help define nouns.

Examples: a, an, the

Example sentences: I need a dictionary. The dictionary needs to be in English.

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Parts of Speech Table

This is a summary of the 9 parts of speech*. You can find more detail if you click on each
part of speech.

You can also see these parts of speech examples

part of
function or "job" example words example sentences
speech
(to) be, have, do, like, EnglishClub is a web site. I like
Verb action or state
work, sing, can, must EnglishClub.
pen, dog, work,
This is my dog. He lives in my
Noun thing or person music, town, London,
house. We live in London.
teacher, John
good, big, red, well, My dogs are big. I like big
Adjective describes a noun
interesting dogs.
limits or "determines" a a/an, the, 2, some, I have two dogs and some
Determiner
noun many rabbits.
My dog eats quickly. When he
describes a verb, quickly, silently, well,
Adverb is very hungry, he eats really
adjective or adverb badly, very, really
quickly.
Pronoun replaces a noun I, you, he, she, some Tara is Indian. She is beautiful.
links a noun to another
Preposition to, at, after, on, but We went to school on Monday.
word
I like dogs and I like cats. I like
joins clauses or
Conjunction and, but, when cats and dogs. I like dogs but I
sentences or words
don't like cats.
short exclamation,
Ouch! That hurts! Hi! How are
Interjection sometimes inserted into oh!, ouch!, hi!, well
you? Well, I don't know.
a sentence

* Some grammar sources traditionally categorize English into 8 parts of speech. Other say 10.
At EnglishClub, we use the more recent categorization of 9 parts of speech. Examples of
other categorizations are:

Verbs may be treated as two different parts of speech:

 o lexical Verbs (work, like, run)
o auxiliary Verbs (be, have, must)
Determiners may be treated as adjectives, instead of being a separate part of speech.

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The Parts of Speech

All words in the English language can be classified as one of the eight different parts of
speech. Understanding the different parts of speech is important in understanding how words
can and should be joined together to make sentences that are both grammatically correct and
readable. An understanding of the parts of speech is also important for knowing how to
correctly punctuate sentences.
The eight parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions,
prepositions, and interjections.

Noun A noun is generally defined as a person, place, or thing; however, ideas are also
nouns. For example, love is not a tangible thing that can be seen or held, but clearly it exists,
so it is a also a noun.

Nouns can be divided into two main categories: proper nouns and common nouns. Proper
nouns are the names of people or places that are capitalized (Aims Community College, John
Smith, etc.). Common nouns are names that do not require capitalization (book, chair,
school, etc).

Verb A verb is a word that describes action or a state of being. The second part of this
definition is important, as many believe that verbs are always action words that can be
visualized. This is true of action verbs: run, walk, play, jump, sing, scream, etc.

However, there are also linking verbs, and these types of verbs do not express action; instead,
they express identity, classification, or existence. (The following are the most common
linking verbs: is, am, was, were, are, and verb phrases ending in be, been, being.)

Verbs often change their form as different endings are added to them. These endings are
changed to show a verbs relationship to time. This is referred to as verb tense.

Pronoun A pronoun is a word that is used to replace a noun. For example, instead of
saying Sam likes pizza we can use He as a substitute for Sam. Writers need to be careful
with pronoun use, as pronouns should only be used after a noun has been used first, and it
must be clear which noun the pronoun is replacing.

Adjective An adjective modifies (limits or describes) a noun or a pronoun. Essentially, it

provides more information about a person, place, or thing. For instance, in the sentence
Frank is a tall, skinny man, both tall and skinny are adjectives as they are used to describe
Frank.
Adverb Similar to adjectives, an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
In the sentence Susan walked slowly towards the door, the word slowly serves as an adverb
since it describes how she walked.

Preposition A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and some
other word in the sentence. This relationship is spatial, temporal, or directional. For
instance, in the sentence Mark walked towards the house, the word towards is a preposition
since it shows direction. When linked with nouns or pronouns, prepositions create word
groups referred to as prepositional phrases. (In the previous example, towards the house is a
prepositional phrase.)

Conjunction Conjunctions are used to link words or parts of sentences together. There are
four different types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, adverb, and correlative.

Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) are used to
connect similar words or independent clauses (sentences) together.
Coordinating conjunctions are often referred to with the acronym
FANBOYS.

Subordinating conjunctions come at the beginning of subordinate

clauses and are used to connect the subordinate clause to the rest of the
sentence (also referred to as the independent clause). Common
subordinating conjunctions include after, as, although, because, before,
even though, if, once, rather than, since, that, though, unless, until, when,
whenever, whereas, while.

Conjunctive adverbs are transitional words used to connect one

sentence to another. Common conjunctive adverbs include additionally, in
addition, moreover, also, consequently, furthermore, otherwise, instead,
for instance, for example, however, on the other hand, conversely,
nevertheless, accordingly, therefore, generally, in fact, in other words, in
conclusion, finally.

Correlative conjunctions are a combination of a coordinating

conjunction and another word (example: In the sentence both John and I
are having a hard time with the homework, bothand are the correlative
conjunctions.)

For more information about conjunctions and how to use and punctuate them, view the using
conjunctions page.

Interjection An interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion and is not

grammatically related to any other part of the sentence. Interjections can also serve as a
single word sentence (ex: Wow!). Interjections are rarely used in academic writing and their
use should be avoided in most essays.

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