9 parts of speech in english grammar

The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

A part of speech is a term used in traditional grammar for one of the nine main categories into which words are classified according to their functions in sentences , such as nouns or verbs. Also known as word classes , these are the building blocks of grammar.

Parts of Speech

Word types can be divided into nine parts of speech:
prepositions
conjunctions
articles/determiners
interjections
Some words can be considered more than one part of speech, depending on context and usage.
Interjections can form complete sentences on their own.

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 of speech and leave interjections in their own category.)

Learning the names of the parts of speech probably won't make you witty, healthy, wealthy, or wise. In fact, learning just the names of the parts of speech won't even make you a better writer. However, you will gain a basic understanding of sentence structure and the English language by familiarizing yourself with these labels.

Open and Closed Word Classes

The parts of speech are commonly divided into open classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) and closed classes (pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections). The idea is that open classes can be altered and added to as language develops and closed classes are pretty much set in stone. For example, new nouns are created every day, but conjunctions never change.

In contemporary linguistics , the label part of speech has generally been discarded in favor of the term word class or syntactic category . These terms make words easier to qualify objectively based on word construction rather than context. Within word classes, there is the lexical or open class and the function or closed class.

The 9 Parts of Speech

Read about each part of speech below and get started practicing identifying each.

Nouns are a person, place, thing, or idea. They can take on a myriad of roles in a sentence, from the subject of it all to the object of an action. They are capitalized when they're the official name of something or someone, called proper nouns in these cases. Examples: pirate, Caribbean, ship, freedom, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Pronouns stand in for nouns in a sentence. They are more generic versions of nouns that refer only to people. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, ours, them, who, which, anybody, ourselves.

Verbs are action words that tell what happens in a sentence. They can also show a sentence subject's state of being ( is , was ). Verbs change form based on tense (present, past) and count distinction (singular or plural). Examples: sing, dance, believes, seemed, finish, eat, drink, be, became

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They specify which one, how much, what kind, and more. Adjectives allow readers and listeners to use their senses to imagine something more clearly. Examples: hot, lazy, funny, unique, bright, beautiful, poor, smooth.

Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs. They specify when, where, how, and why something happened and to what extent or how often. Examples: softly, lazily, often, only, hopefully, softly, sometimes.

Preposition

Prepositions show spacial, temporal, and role relations between a noun or pronoun and the other words in a sentence. They come at the start of a prepositional phrase , which contains a preposition and its object. Examples: up, over, against, by, for, into, close to, out of, apart from.

Conjunction

Conjunctions join words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. There are coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions. Examples: and, but, or, so, yet, with.

Articles and Determiners

Articles and determiners function like adjectives by modifying nouns, but they are different than adjectives in that they are necessary for a sentence to have proper syntax. Articles and determiners specify and identify nouns, and there are indefinite and definite articles. Examples: articles: a, an, the ; determiners: these, that, those, enough, much, few, which, what.

Some traditional grammars have treated articles as a distinct part of speech. Modern grammars, however, more often include articles in the category of determiners , which identify or quantify a noun. Even though they modify nouns like adjectives, articles are different in that they are essential to the proper syntax of a sentence, just as determiners are necessary to convey the meaning of a sentence, while adjectives are optional.

Interjection

Interjections are expressions that can stand on their own or be contained within sentences. These words and phrases often carry strong emotions and convey reactions. Examples: ah, whoops, ouch, yabba dabba do!

How to Determine the Part of Speech

Only interjections ( Hooray! ) have a habit of standing alone; every other part of speech must be contained within a sentence and some are even required in sentences (nouns and verbs). Other parts of speech come in many varieties and may appear just about anywhere in a sentence.

To know for sure what part of speech a word falls into, look not only at the word itself but also at its meaning, position, and use in a sentence.

For example, in the first sentence below, work functions as a noun; in the second sentence, a verb; and in the third sentence, an adjective:

The noun work is the thing Bosco shows up for.
The verb work is the action he must perform.
The attributive noun [or converted adjective] work modifies the noun permit .

Learning the names and uses of the basic parts of speech is just one way to understand how sentences are constructed.

Dissecting Basic Sentences

To form a basic complete sentence, you only need two elements: a noun (or pronoun standing in for a noun) and a verb. The noun acts as a subject and the verb, by telling what action the subject is taking, acts as the predicate.

In the short sentence above, birds is the noun and fly is the verb. The sentence makes sense and gets the point across.

You can have a sentence with just one word without breaking any sentence formation rules. The short sentence below is complete because it's a command to an understood "you".

Here, the pronoun, standing in for a noun, is implied and acts as the subject. The sentence is really saying, "(You) go!"

Constructing More Complex Sentences

Use more parts of speech to add additional information about what's happening in a sentence to make it more complex. Take the first sentence from above, for example, and incorporate more information about how and why birds fly.

Birds fly when migrating before winter.

Birds and fly remain the noun and the verb, but now there is more description.

When is an adverb that modifies the verb fly. The word before is a little tricky because it can be either a conjunction, preposition, or adverb depending on the context. In this case, it's a preposition because it's followed by a noun. This preposition begins an adverbial phrase of time ( before winter ) that answers the question of when the birds migrate . Before is not a conjunction because it does not connect two clauses.

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Parts of Speech

What are the parts of speech, a formal definition.

Table of Contents

The Part of Speech Is Determined by the Word's Function

Are there 8 or 9 parts of speech, the nine parts of speech, (1) adjective, (3) conjunction, (4) determiner, (5) interjection, (7) preposition, (8) pronoun, why the parts of speech are important, video lesson.

You need to dig a well . (noun)
You look well . (adjective)
You dance well . (adverb)
Well , I agree. (interjection)
My eyes will well up. (verb)
red, happy, enormous
Ask the boy in the red jumper.
I live in a happy place.
I caught a fish this morning! I mean an enormous one.
happily, loosely, often
They skipped happily to the counter.
Tie the knot loosely so they can escape.
I often walk to work.
It is an intriguingly magic setting.
He plays the piano extremely well.
and, or, but
it is a large and important city.
Shall we run to the hills or hide in the bushes?
I know you are lying, but I cannot prove it.
my, those, two, many
My dog is fine with those cats.
There are two dogs but many cats.
ouch, oops, eek
Ouch , that hurt.
Oops , it's broken.
Eek! A mouse just ran past my foot!
leader, town, apple
Take me to your leader .
I will see you in town later.
An apple fell on his head .
in, near, on, with
Sarah is hiding in the box.
I live near the train station.
Put your hands on your head.
She yelled with enthusiasm.
she, we, they, that
Joanne is smart. She is also funny.
Our team has studied the evidence. We know the truth.
Jack and Jill went up the hill, but they never returned.
That is clever!
work, be, write, exist
Tony works down the pit now. He was unemployed.
I will write a song for you.
I think aliens exist .

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

Video for Each Part of Speech

The Most Important Writing Issues

The top issue related to adjectives, the top issue related to adverbs.

Extremely annoyed, she stared menacingly at her rival.
Infuriated, she glared at her rival.

The Top Issue Related to Conjunctions

Burger, Fries, and a shake
Fish, chips and peas

The Top Issue Related to Determiners

The Top Issue Related to Interjections

The top issue related to nouns, the top issue related to prepositions, the top issue related to pronouns, the top issue related to verbs.

Crack the parts of speech to help with learning a foreign language or to take your writing to the next level.

This page was written by Craig Shrives .

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What are the parts of speech?

Today's the day for you to learn about this important grammatical concept! But first...let's see what the parts of speech have to do with your clothes.

Imagine that it's laundry day, and you've just finished washing and drying your clothes. You dump the contents of the laundry basket onto your bed, and you begin to organize everything. You fold matching socks together, you create a pile of perfectly folded shirts that you would be proud to show Marie Kondo, and you do the same thing with your pants, jackets, and everything else.

In the same way that we organize our clothes into groups based on each item's function and features, we organize our words into categories based on each word's function and features. We call these categories of words the parts of speech .

Some people categorize words into eight parts of speech, and some people categorize them into nine parts of speech. Neither one is wrong; they're just two ways of looking at things. We'll go over these categories below. Here at English Grammar Revolution, we categorize words into eight groups, but I'll tell you about the ninth one as well.

There's one important thing for you to know before we look at these categories: most words can function as more than one part of speech . They will only do one job at a time, but they can do different things in different sentences. Look at the word love in the following sentences.

My love of grammar inspired me to make this website.

Here, love is functioning as a noun. It's the subject of the sentence.

I love you.

Now, love is acting as a verb ! It's telling us an action.

The only way we can know how to categorize a word is to look at how it's acting within a sentence.

Okay, let's check out the parts of speech!

The 8 Parts of Speech

Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas. They're important parts of our sentences because they perform important jobs (subjects, direct objects, predicate nouns, etc.).

A peacock walked through our yard .

The dog howled during the night , and it woke up our whole family .

Sometimes people get bogged down with this part of speech because there are also many subcategories of nouns. This is similar to the way that we have subcategories for our clothes. You may have a whole drawer full of pants, but you may also have different types of pants that you use for different purposes (workout pants, lounge pants, work pants, etc.). This is similar to the way that we can further categorize nouns into smaller groups.

Here are a few of the subcategories of nouns: proper nouns, common nouns , collective nouns , possessive nouns , and compound nouns.

Tip : Other parts of speech also have subcategories. If you're studying this information for the first time, ignore the subcategories and focus on learning about each broader category.

2. Pronouns

Pronouns take the place of nouns. When most people hear the word pronoun , they think of words like I, we, me, he, she, and they . These are indeed all pronouns, but they're a part of a subcategory called personal pronouns. Know that there are other kinds of pronouns out there as well. Here are some examples: myself, his, someone , and who .

Here are a few of the subcategories of pronouns: reflexive pronouns , indefinite pronouns , possessive pronouns , and relative pronouns .

When we walked across the bridge, we saw someone who knows you .

I will fix the dishwasher myself .

Verbs show actions or states of being. They are integral elements of sentences .

The shuttle will fly into space.

The loving mother comforted and soothed the baby.

In the Montessori tradition of education, they use a large red circle or ball to symbolize a verb, and they often teach children to think of verbs as a sun providing the energy of a sentence. Isn't that a lovely way to think of verbs?

I know that you're getting tired of hearing about subcategories, but linking verbs, action verbs, and helping verbs are described on the verb page here .

Modal verbs are described on that link, and you can learn even more about action verbs and linking verbs from those links.

4. Adjectives

Adjectives describe, or modify , nouns and pronouns. I like to think of them as adding color to language. It would be hard to describe a beautiful sunset or the way a touching story makes us feel without using adjectives.

The wise, handsome owl had orange eyes.

The caring father rocked the baby.

One helpful strategy for learning about and identifying adjectives is to learn how they are diagrammed . Sentence diagrams are pictures of sentences that help us see how all of the words are grammatically related. Since adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, we diagram them on slanted lines under the nouns/pronouns that they are modifying.

My green and white book fell.

Book is a noun. It's the subject of this sentence. My, green , and white are all adjectives describing book , so we diagram them on slanted lines underneath book . Isn't that a great way to SEE what adjectives do?

Nine Parts of Speech

When people categorize words into eight parts of speech, they say that articles/determiners ( a, an, the, this, that, etc. ) are subcategories of adjectives.

When people categorize words into nine parts of speech, they say that articles/determiners make up their own category and are not a part of the adjective category.

Adverbs modify (describe) verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Adverbs are similar to adjectives in that they both modify things.

The extremely cute koala hugged its mom very tightly .

The dog howled loudly .

Sentence diagrams also make it really easy to see what adverbs do. Take a look at this diagram. What do you notice about the way the adverbs are diagrammed?

James ran very quickly.

Did you notice that the adverbs are diagrammed on slanted lines under the words that they are modifying?

Ran is a verb. Quickly is an adverb telling us more about the verb ran . Very is an adverb telling us more about the adverb quickly .

Doesn't the diagram make it easier to SEE what adverbs do?

6. Prepositions

Prepositions are probably the most difficult part of speech to explain, but people generally have an easier time understanding them when they look at lots of examples. So...let's start with some examples of commonly used prepositions!

in, for, of, off, if, until

The frog sat in the flower.

The baby cried for a long time.

I'm so convinced that memorizing some of the prepositions will be helpful to you that I'll teach you a preposition song .

Okay, now that we've looked at some examples, let's look at the definition of a preposition.

Prepositions show the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and some other word in the rest of the sentence.

Sentence diagrams will come to the rescue again to help us visualize what prepositions do. Think of prepositions as "noun hooks" or "noun bridges." In the diagram below, notice how the preposition down links the noun tree to the rest of the sentence.

The cat ran down the tree.

Since prepositions always function as "noun hooks," they'll always be accompanied by a noun. The preposition plus its noun is called a prepositional phrase .

If you find a word from the preposition list that's not a part of a prepositional phrase, it's not functioning as a preposition. (You remember that words can function as different parts of speech , right?)

7. Conjunctions

Conjunctions join things together. They can join words or groups of words (phrases and clauses).

The hummingbird sat and waited .

The conjunction and is joining the words sat and waited .

Do you live near the park or near the hospital ?

The conjunction or is joining the phrases near the park and near the hospital.

The two conjunctions we just looked at ( and and or ) belong to a subcategory called coordinating conjunctions, but there are other subcategories of conjunctions as well. The other one that we use most often is subordinating conjunctions . Subordinating conjunctions are a little trickier to learn because they involve a more complicated concept ( dependent adverb clauses ).

For now, just know that all conjunctions, no matter what type they are, connect things together. In fact, let's LOOK at how they do this by looking at a sentence diagram.

Here is a sentence diagram showing how the coordinating conjunction and connects two clauses.

She cooked, and he cleaned.

8. Interjections

Interjections show excitement or emotion.

Wow ! That jump was amazing!

Phew , the baby finally fell asleep.

They are different from the other parts of speech in that they're not grammatically related to the rest of the sentence, and the way that we diagram them reflects that. Look at how we diagram interjections :

Yes ! We won the lottery!

The interjection yes sit sits there on its own line floating above the rest of the sentence. This helps show that it's not grammatically related to the other words in the sentence.

It's time to review what we covered on this page.

We can categorize the words that we use into groups based on their functions and features. We call these groups the parts of speech.
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 high five!

If you'd like to teach or learn grammar the easy way—with sentence diagrams—check out our Get Smart Grammar Program .

It starts from the very beginning and teaches you grammar and sentence diagramming in easy, bite-size lessons.

Hello! I'm Elizabeth O'Brien, and my goal is to get you jazzed about grammar.

This is original content from https://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/parts-of-speech.html

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Understanding Parts of Speech (9 Types With Examples)

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…

What are parts of speech?

“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

In total, there are nine categories of parts of speech

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.

What are the 9 parts of speech with their functions?

Here are the nine parts of speech and how they impact the English language.

‘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.

Singular Nouns

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.”

Plural Nouns

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:

Positive/Absolute form

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.

Comparative form

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.”

Superlative form

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:

Possessive Adjectives

These adjectives show/represent the possessiveness of an object. For example, mine, my, his/her, their, its, etc.

Interrogative Adjectives

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.

Demonstrative Adjectives

These adjectives describe the current state/position of the noun/pronoun concerning space/time. For example, this, these, those, that.

Compound Adjectives

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.

Demonstratives

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.

Adverbs of Time (to inform about the occurrence of a verb), For example, ‘now’, ‘tomorrow’, and ‘soon’.
Adverbs of Manner (to describe the action of a verb), For example, ‘hastily’, ‘slowly’, and ‘minutely’.
Adverbs of Place (to indicate the place of action of the verb),
Adverbs of Frequency (to describe the frequency of a verb action),
Adverbs of Degree (to describe the intensity of an action),
Conjunctive Adverbs (are used to link/act as a conjunction to two sentences).

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.

Some of these sub-categories are:

Relative Pronouns (to relate a part of a sentence with the other)
Possessive Pronouns (to show possessiveness)
Reflexive Pronouns (to refer back to the subject of discussion)
Demonstrative Pronouns (to refer to specific objects/individuals)
Interrogative Pronouns (to ask questions)
Indefinite Pronouns (to avoid reference to any specific object/individual/place)
Personal Pronouns (to use as substitutes for proper names)
Subject Pronouns (to assign acting on an object)
Object Pronouns (to assign receiving action towards an object)
Reciprocal Pronouns (to express two-way/mutual relationship)
Preposition

A ‘Preposition’ is a word used as a connective between a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun with another word.

Prepositions are used in sentence formations to convey these meanings:

To show the direction towards/of something/someone
To refer to the period of an action taking place
To specify the location/position of an object
To present the space and time relationship between objects

Based on their use and function, prepositions are classified into four subtypes:

Prepositions of Time (to indicate the happening of an action/event)
Preposition of Place (to indicate the location of an object)
Preposition of Direction (to indicate the direction/orientation of an object)
Prepositions of Spatial Relationship (to indicate an object moving away/towards a source)
Conjunction

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.

There are three types of conjunctions used in sentence formation:

Coordinate conjunction (to combine two independent clauses )
Subordinate conjunction (to combine an independent with a dependent clause)
Correlation conjunction (to combine two phrases having equal weightage)

Interjection

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’.

Parts of speech examples

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.

John is cutting a pipe.
John intends to come to the office this Monday .
Jogging regularly is good for health.
Drinking and driving put other motorists in danger.
Would you want to wear a suit?
I love to sing in between classes.

See another example in the image below.

Juno ran towards the classroom.
The janitor requested the students to clear their lockers.
The monkey was caged after being sedated.
I gifted my brother a phone .
Why did you purchase the book ?
I misplaced the manuscript .
Do you want to eat some ice cream ?
Mum loved my new car .
Daniel gifted his brother a Porsche.

I purchased a blue suit for the reception.
Mary purchased two oranges from the fruit seller.
The curry is tasty .
Juno’s brother is arrogant .
The documentary that premiered on television was fascinating .
Giovanni Giorgio is a great music composer.

My house is currently under lease.
This novel is lengthy.
I purchased some fruits and vegetables.
She sent me an expensive watch.
Velma loved the dress gifted by her parents.
Joyce and Jill watched a movie together.
Grandma gave us materials to prepare the dessert.

Typically , we visit Mom on Mondays.
Don’t you taste the coffee to be too bitter?
Do not be nervous. You will eventually get the hang of it.
The movie I watched was very scientific.
It is scorching hot inside the workshop.
Can I visit the office today ?

His aunt will be staying at the apartment for a while .
He is the man I was referring to.
I found my missing luggage outside the airport.

I won’t be coming to the office in the afternoon.
He arranged the cutlery on the table.
Bhaskar made the dog hide under its bed.
I enjoy strolling by the lake in the mornings.

James and I trekked to the hilltop today.
I stayed back home because I felt uneasy.
He did not enjoy the yogurt , yet he finished it.

Interjection
Hurray! We got the funding.
Ouch! That wound looks severe.
Wow! You look great in the wedding gown.
Oh my God ! I hope he is safe.

See an example in the image below.

Words with more than one job

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.

Myers can shift for herself (Preposition)
Give prayers to the Almighty; for He is the one above all (Conjunction)
We require more women to have the same vigor. (Adjective)
More of the women died in the operating room than in the cabin. (Pronoun)
Agatha needs to shut the gossiping and work more (Adverb)

To see how all the objects work together, see the table below.

Here is a chart showing the parts of speech:

How to identify 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:

Identify any word which names an object/individual/place in a generalized form as a noun .
To identify a specific noun, use pronouns .
Any words which describe/identify actions/performance are verbs .
Any word that modifies or gives a greater definition to nouns is an adjective.
Any word that modifies or gives meaning to the actions of verbs, are adverbs.
It is easy to pick out prepositions as they describe relationships between a noun/pronoun with other nouns/pronouns.
Any joiner used to join two clauses is a conjunction .
Exclamations generally follow any interjections in the text.

Parts of speech

More parts of speech:

Conjunctions
Prepositions
Possessive nouns
Irregular plural nouns
Proper nouns
Concrete nouns
Collective nouns
Possessive and plural nouns
Verbs: The Definitive Guide
Nouns | Explore Definition, Examples & Types with Examples
What Are Pronouns? Definitions and Examples
What Are Adverbs? (with Examples)
Interjections – Explore Meaning, Definition, Usage and Examples
What Is A Conjunction? Types & Examples
The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples
What Is a Determiner?
The 8 Parts of Speech: Examples and Rules
Adverbs – What is It? Explore the Meaning, Definition, Types, Usage and Examples

Inside this article

Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

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.

Core lessons

Abstract Noun
Accusative Case
Active Sentence
Alliteration
Adjective Clause
Adjective Phrase
Adverbial Clause
Appositive Phrase
Body Paragraph
Compound Adjective
Complex Sentence
Compound Words
Compound Predicate
Common Noun
Comparative Adjective
Comparative and Superlative
Compound Noun
Compound Subject
Compound Sentence
Copular Verb
Collective Noun
Colloquialism
Conciseness
Conditional
Concrete Noun
Conjugation
Conditional Sentence
Comma Splice
Correlative Conjunction
Coordinating Conjunction
Coordinate Adjective
Cumulative Adjective
Dative Case
Declarative Statement
Direct Object Pronoun
Direct Object
Dangling Modifier
Demonstrative Pronoun
Demonstrative Adjective
Direct Characterization
Definite Article
Doublespeak
Equivocation Fallacy
Future Perfect Progressive
Future Simple
Future Perfect Continuous
Future Perfect
First Conditional
Gerund Phrase
Genitive Case
Helping Verb
Irregular Adjective
Irregular Verb
Imperative Sentence
Indefinite Article
Intransitive Verb
Introductory Phrase
Indefinite Pronoun
Indirect Characterization
Interrogative Sentence
Intensive Pronoun
Inanimate Object
Indefinite Tense
Infinitive Phrase
Intensifier
Indicative Mood
Juxtaposition
Linking Verb
Misplaced Modifier
Nominative Case
Noun Adjective
Object Pronoun
Object Complement
Order of Adjectives
Parallelism
Prepositional Phrase
Past Simple Tense
Past Continuous Tense
Past Perfect Tense
Past Progressive Tense
Present Simple Tense
Present Perfect Tense
Personal Pronoun
Personification
Persuasive Writing
Parallel Structure
Phrasal Verb
Predicate Adjective
Predicate Nominative
Phonetic Language
Plural Noun
Punctuation
Punctuation Marks
Preposition of Place
Parts of Speech
Possessive Adjective
Possessive Determiner
Possessive Case
Possessive Noun
Proper Adjective
Proper Noun
Present Participle
Quotation Marks
Relative Pronoun
Reflexive Pronoun
Reciprocal Pronoun
Subordinating Conjunction
Simple Future Tense
Stative Verb
Subjunctive
Subject Complement
Subject of a Sentence
Sentence Variety
Second Conditional
Superlative Adjective
Slash Symbol
Topic Sentence
Types of Nouns
Types of Sentences
Uncountable Noun
Vowels and Consonants

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Parts of speech in english – video.

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In this lesson, you can learn about parts of speech in English.

How many parts of speech are there in english can you name them, and explain what they do, understanding parts of speech —nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on—can help you to understand english sentence structure and how english grammar works., in this class, you’ll learn the basic information about parts of speech, you’ll see some ways that parts of speech can be more complicated than you might expect, and you’ll have several chances to practice, quiz: parts of speech in english.

Now test your understanding of the different parts of speech by trying this quiz. There are 20 questions, which get harder as you go through it!

When you have finished, click ‘View Questions’ to see all the correct answers and read the explanations. There are links to further study resources in the explanations.

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1 . Question

For the first five questions, answer true or false.

True or false: a word can be different parts of speech depending on its function and meaning in the sentence.

Review part three of the lesson if you need help with this one.

2 . Question

True or false: a noun can be a word or a phrase.

3 . Question

True or false: if a word can be a noun, it can only be a noun.

4 . Question

True or false: when analysing parts of speech, you don’t need to think about what the sentence means.

5 . Question

True or false: articles (‘the’, ‘a’), demonstratives (‘this’, ‘that’), quantifiers (‘some’, ‘few’) and possessive adjectives (‘your’, ‘their’) are all determiners.

Remember that determiners specify the noun you’re referring to. Do all these words do this?

6 . Question

For the next five questions, choose the part of speech described.

What part of speech can be an action or a state?

Interjections
Conjunctions

‘Run’ is an action and ‘understand’ is a state.

7 . Question

What part of speech can describe verbs, adjectives, adverbs or whole sentences?

Prepositions

8 . Question

What part of speech represents or replaces nouns?

9 . Question

What part of speech expresses an emotion or can be used to react to something?

10 . Question

Which part of speech doesn’t indicate something about a noun?

Determiners

11 . Question

For the next five questions, match the words in the sentence with the parts of speech.

“He slept badly.”

Sort elements

12 . question.

Match the words in the sentence with the parts of speech.

“She has bought a second-hand car.”

noun phrase

This time, you’re not analysing each word but the function of word groups and phrases in the sentence.

13 . Question

“Um, can you stop making so much noise, please?”

‘um’ and ‘please’
'can' and 'stop'
'you'
'making so much noise'

14 . Question

“Is this your bag or mine?”

conjunction
(possessive) pronoun

15 . Question

“Hey! Give his new watch back to him.”

interjection
preposition

16 . Question

For the last five questions, tick all the words that are correct.

Which words can be nouns?

You need to choose three answers.

17 . Question

Which words can be adverbs?

Only one word here is not an adverb.

18 . Question

Which words can be determiners?

This time there are two correct answers.

19 . Question

Which words can be more than one part of speech?

Two answers are correct; one of the others doesn’t even exist!

20 . Question

Which words are conjunctions?

nevertheless

This is a deliberately difficult question to end with! A conjunction must be followed by a noun (or noun phrase) and then a verb, with no commas.

So, first question: how many parts of speech are there?

Well, we did a Google search, and many of the top results said ‘eight’. So there must be eight parts of speech in English.

Wrong! There are nine.

So, what are they?

1. Guide to Parts of Speech in English

Number one: nouns. Nouns can be things, animals, or people, like doctor, pencil, tree or cat.

Nouns can also be ideas or abstract things, like idea, happiness, time or money.

Number two: verbs. Verbs can be actions, like do, run, fly or win.

Verbs can also describe states, like be, love, believe or understand.

Number three: adjectives. Adjectives describe nouns. For example: red, big, metal, or beautiful.

Number four: adverbs . Adverbs can describe verbs, meaning they describe how someone does something. For example, quickly, loudly, angrily or well.

Adverbs can also describe adjectives, other adverbs, or even whole sentences. For example, very is an adverb which can describe an adjective— very slow —or another adverb— very slowly.

Unfortunately or sometimes are adverbs which can be used to add information to a whole sentence.

For example:

Unfortunately, they missed the train and were late to their own wedding!
Sometimes, I wish I’d made different choices in life.

So, adverbs are a little more complicated. Here’s a good way to remember it: adjectives and adverbs both describe other words. They are both used to add information to something else.

Adjectives describe nouns, and adverbs describe everything else: verbs, adjectives, adverbs and whole sentences.

Number five: pronouns.

Pronouns replace or represent nouns. For example, I, you, she or they are pronouns which represent different people.

You use pronouns to avoid repeating the same word, or to refer to something when it’s obvious what you mean.

How was the weather there?

There is a pronoun which refers to a place. If you’ve already mentioned the place you’re talking about, you don’t need to say it again.

Another example:

Give me two, please.

Two is a pronoun which refers to a quantity of something which has already been mentioned. The person you’re talking to already knows what you’re talking about.

Number six: prepositions.

Prepositions usually go before a noun or noun phrase. What’s their job?

Prepositions can do two basic things: first, they can add an idea of time, place, or movement to a noun. For example:

on Wednesday
in the corner
towards the door

Secondly, prepositions can connect other words to a noun, or a pronoun.

For example, think about the verb depend on. The preposition on connects the verb depend to the object of the verb. For example:

It depends on the cost.

Usually, the noun or noun phrase goes after the preposition.

However, sometimes the preposition can link to a noun (or pronoun) earlier in the sentence. For example:

What does it depend on?

Here, on links to the pronoun what.

Number seven: conjunctions.

Conjunctions connect two things. A conjunction can connect two words:

I like cake and ice-cream.

A conjunction can connect two phrases:

Do you want to go now or wait till this afternoon?

You can also use a conjunction to connect two clauses:

Although I’ve been trying to learn for years, I’m still really bad at drawing.

Number eight: determiners

Determiners go before a noun. They include words like a, the, this or that, which help to specify which noun you’re talking about.

Words like my, your, his, her, etc. are also determiners. They specify which noun you’re talking about by saying who something belongs to.

Determiners can also tell you how many of something there are. Look at three examples:

ten bananas
some people
both of my brothers

The words ten, some and both are determiners.

Number nine: interjections

Interjections are different, because they aren’t normally part of a sentence.

Interjections are words or phrases which show how you feel. For example:

Parts of Speech in English - interjections

So, now you know about the nine parts of speech in English.

2. Practice with Parts of Speech in English

Let’s practice! Look at three sentences. Each sentence has five words.

They told me about it.
Look in the big cupboard.
Put it there, but carefully.

Can you identify which part of speech each word is? Pause the video and think about your answers.

How did you do? Could you identify the parts of speech correctly?

Let’s look at one more.

I’m staying in this evening.

What part of speech are these words? Think about it.

So, I is a pronoun, am is a verb, and staying is also a verb.

What about in? Did you say it’s a preposition?

It’s not a preposition; it’s an adverb.

How does this work? We had the word in in one of the sentences you saw before, and it was a preposition.

So, what’s going on?

3. The Same Word Can be More than One Part of Speech

Some words can only be one thing.

For example, the words independence or hair can only be nouns.

Believe and destroy can only be verbs.

However, many words can be more than one part of speech.

There are two things happening here.

First, a word can be two different things, which have the same written form and the same pronunciation.

Think about the word win. Is it a noun or a verb?

It can be both.

I’m sure they’ll win the game this weekend.
We’ll be hoping for a win in the big game this weekend.

Many words are like this. Another example: red can be an adjective or a noun.

What do you think about this red for the kitchen?
I like that red top she was wearing.

This is very common: very often, a word with one written form can be two (or more) different parts of speech.

We told you there are two things happening here; what’s the other?

Sometimes, a word can be different parts of speech depending on its function in the sentence.

Look at two sentences:

I have a few photos of my grandparents.
Sure, you can have a few.

Here’s a question: what part of speech is few in these sentences?

In the first sentence, few is a determiner; in the second, it’s a pronoun.

Can you explain why this is?

Think about what few does in these two sentences.

In the first sentence, few adds a quantity to the noun photos. It tells us how many photos you have. This makes it a determiner.

In the second sentence, few replaces a noun. You don’t know which noun it replaces, but in context, you would understand what the person meant.

Maybe it was ‘a few biscuits’, or ‘a few pieces of paper.’

We don’t know! But, you do know that few replaces a noun, which makes it a pronoun.

Another example is the sentence we saw before:

Prepositions go with nouns, and connect nouns to other words in the sentence. In here doesn’t go with a noun, so it can’t be a preposition.

Learn more with this Oxford Online English lesson on adverbs – to, in, at .

In here means ‘at home’, and it adds information to the verb stay. What kind of words add information to verbs?

Adverbs! So, in is an adverb.

Wait a minute, did we ever finish explaining what parts of speech are in this sentence?

You’re right! We didn’t. Let’s do it now. You need to say what parts of speech the words this evening are.

Can you do it?

Maybe you said that this is a determiner, and evening is a noun. That’s technically correct, but it’s not the best answer.

The best answer is that this evening is an adverb.

How do you explain that?

4. Compound Parts of Speech in English

Until now, you’ve seen single words, and how single words can be nouns, verbs, etc.

However, when you’re thinking about parts of speech, you can’t just think about single words. Phrases can also be nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on.

Let’s do an example:

Add a small spoonful of brown sugar, then turn the heat down and stir the mixture gently.

Think about the first part of this sentence: add a small spoonful of brown sugar.

What parts of speech do we have here?

Of course, you can go through it word by word. You can say, add is a verb, a is a determiner, small is an adjective and so on.

But, is that the most useful way of looking at it?

It makes more sense to see this as a verb— add —and a noun— a small spoonful of brown sugar.

The noun is made up of several parts of speech: determiners, adjectives, prepositions and nouns, but together they have one meaning. These words refer to one thing.

You can analyse a sentence in several different layers. So, you can see a small spoonful of brown sugar as six individual words, or one noun phrase.

You could also see it as three parts: a determiner— a small spoonful —a preposition— of —and a noun— brown sugar.

Confused? We understand! You want to know the answer. You want to know which way is ‘correct’.

There isn’t one ‘correct’ way to see this. There are different perspectives.

A better question is: which perspective makes more sense?

In this sentence, a small spoonful of brown sugar refers to one thing in the world. So it makes sense to think of it as one part of speech in the sentence.

What about the second part of the sentence? How would you analyse the parts of speech?

As you saw before, there isn’t one right answer, but here’s a suggestion.

The sentence contains a conjunction— then —and then two verb phrases linked with the conjunction and.

This makes sense because the sentence is telling you to do two things: turn the heat down and stir the mixture gently.

So, it makes sense to see turn the heat down as one part of speech, because it’s telling you do to one thing.

Let’s put these ideas together.

First, when you think about parts of speech, you can’t just memorise information. You have to look at each sentence individually, and think about what each word is doing.

Secondly, always think about what the sentence means in the real world. Sentences aren’t abstract things; they refer to real people, real things and real actions.

There is always more than one way to analyse the parts of speech in a sentence: choose the way that makes sense based on what the sentence is telling you about real life!

Let’s do a more challenging practice exercise so you can see these ideas in action.

5. More Challenging Practice with English Parts of Speech

Look at three sentences:

Amazing! It’s way better than I ever thought it would be.
She was an amazing clinician , who came up with many innovative ways to treat patients.
I don’t believe it!

How would you analyse the parts of speech in these sentences? Think about the ideas we talked about in the last section. Does it make sense to break the sentences into individual words, or is it better to group words into phrases?

Pause the video and think about your ideas.

You can pause the video again to look at these in more detail.

Notice how the same word can be different parts of speech in different sentences. For example, amazing is an interjection in one sentence, and an adjective in another.

Notice also the different layers of analysis. For example, look at the phrase many innovative ways. You can see this as one noun phrase, or as a determiner plus a noun phrase, or as three individual parts: a determiner, an adjective and a noun.

Which is correct? They all are! Choose the perspective which makes more sense to you.

Thanks for watching!

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Parts of Speech

Perfect english grammar.

Noun (apple, table, book, beauty, sky, life)
Verb (be, want, go, do, imagine)

Hello! I'm Seonaid! I'm here to help you understand grammar and speak correct, fluent English.

Unit 1: Parts of speech: the noun

About this unit.

Here's the thing: I love nouns. But wait! Nouns aren't just things! They can also be people and places. They're my favorite parts of speech. Without them, we'd never be able to talk about anything !

Welcome to grammar!

Introduction to grammar (Opens a modal)

Introduction to nouns

Introduction to nouns (Opens a modal)
Introduction to singular and plural nouns (Opens a modal)
Identifying nouns Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
Singular and plural nouns Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Types of nouns

Common and proper nouns (Opens a modal)
Concrete and abstract nouns (Opens a modal)
Common and proper nouns Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
Concrete and abstract nouns Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Irregular plural nouns: base plurals and irregular endings

Irregular plural nouns: -f to -ves plurals (Opens a modal)
Irregular plural nouns: -en plurals (Opens a modal)
Irregular plural nouns: the base plural (Opens a modal)
Irregular plural nouns: f to -ves plurals Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
Irregular plural nouns: -en plurals Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
Irregular plural nouns: the base plural Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Irregular plural nouns: mutant and foreign plurals

Irregular plural nouns: mutant plurals (Opens a modal)
Irregular plural nouns: foreign plurals (Opens a modal)
BONUS VIDEO – Origin of the mutant plural (Opens a modal)
Irregular plural nouns: mutant plurals Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
Irregular plural nouns: foreign plurals Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!
Irregular plural nouns review Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Parts of Speech: Essential Components of Language

Understanding the parts of speech is essential for anyone looking to improve their grasp on the English language. There are traditionally eight parts of speech, each serving a distinct function within a sentence. By familiarizing oneself with the functions and rules governing each part of speech, one can develop better communication skills, whether it’s through written or spoken language.

Overview of Parts of Speech

Nouns are words that denote a person, place, or thing. In a sentence, nouns answer the questions who and what. For example, in the sentence “The dog ran after the ball,” there are two nouns: “dog” and “ball.” Nouns can be further classified into common nouns, proper nouns, and collective nouns.

Common nouns: general names for people, places, or things (e.g., dog, city)
Proper nouns : specific names of a particular person, place, or thing (e.g., John, London)
Collective nouns: names for groups of things (e.g., flock, team)

2. Pronouns

Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence. They help avoid repetition and make sentences less monotonous. For example, in the sentence “She gave her book to him,” the pronouns “she,” “her,” and “him” replace the respective nouns. Pronouns can be classified as:

Personal pronouns : I, you, he, she
Demonstrative pronouns : this, that, these, those
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers
Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself

3. Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They provide additional information about the noun/pronoun, such as size, color, or emotion. For example, in the sentence “The red ball is big,” “red” and “big” are adjectives.

Verbs are words that express an action, occurrence, or state of being. They usually indicate what the subject (noun or pronoun) of the sentence is doing. For example, in the sentence “The dog barks,” “barks” is the verb. Verbs can be classified as:

Action verbs: run, jump, eat, think
Linking verbs : be, seem, become, appear
Helping/auxiliary verbs : have, do, will, should

Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They provide additional information about the action or quality of an action, such as how, when, or where it took place. For example, in the sentence “The dog barks loudly,” “loudly” is an adverb.

6. Prepositions

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and other words in a sentence. They usually indicate direction, location, or time. Common prepositions include:

Direction : to, from, across, through, towards
Location : in, on, at, under, above
Time : before, after, during, since, until

7. Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect words or groups of words in sentences. They help form complex sentences and provide a flow of ideas. There are three main types of conjunctions:

Coordinating conjunctions : and, but, or, for, so (connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance)
Subordinating conjunctions : because, if, although, when (introduce dependent clauses)
Correlative conjunctions : either…or, neither…nor, both…and (work in pairs to connect similar elements)

8. Interjections

Interjections are short, abrupt words or phrases that express strong emotion or surprise. They are usually set apart from the rest of the sentence by punctuation, such as an exclamation mark or a comma. Examples of interjections include:

Surprise: oh, wow, ouch
Agreement: yes, indeed, exactly
Disagreement: no, nonsense, definitely not

9. Articles

Articles are a type of determiner that precede nouns to specify the noun’s definiteness (whether it is specific or general) and can be classified as:

Definite article: the (refers to a specific noun)
Indefinite articles : a, an (refers to a non-specific noun)

Sentence Examples for the 8 Parts of Speech

In this section, we will provide examples of sentences that illustrate the 8 parts of speech in English. The parts of speech include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Word Classes and Categories

Parts of speech in a language can be subcategorized into word classes and categories, making it easier to study and understand grammar. Word classes can be defined as groups of words that share similar linguistic properties, while categories refer to the roles they play in sentences.

There are generally two basic types of word classes: open and closed. Open word classes are the ones that regularly acquire new words as the language evolves. These include nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. On the other hand, closed word classes comprise pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections. Closed classes usually remain constant over time, with new words being infrequent additions.

Some major word class categories are:

Nouns : These represent people, places, things, or ideas. Examples include “dog,” “city,” and “happiness.”
Verbs : These express actions, states, or occurrences. Examples include “run,” “is,” and “become.”
Adjectives : These describe qualities or characteristics of nouns. Examples include “tall,” “red,” and “happy.”
Adverbs : These modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Examples include “quickly,” “very,” and “well.”

Word classes can be further divided into subcategories based on their specific functions or forms. For instance, nouns can be categorized as proper nouns (e.g., “John”) or common nouns (e.g., “man”), while verbs can be classified as transitive (e.g., “eat”) or intransitive (e.g., “sleep”).

Dictionaries play a crucial role in defining word classes by providing definitions, grammatical information, and usage examples for each word. It helps users understand which category a word belongs to and how it functions in a sentence.

English Language Grammar and Structure

Sentence structure.

In the English language, the foundation of grammar lies in the structure of sentences. A sentence consists of words arranged in a specific order, following a set of rules to convey a complete thought. The basic structure of an English sentence consists of a subject, a verb, and an object. For example:

Furthermore, sentences can be simple, compound, or complex, depending on the number of independent and dependent clauses they contain.

Parts of Speech Relationships

English grammar can be broken down into eight primary parts of speech, each with a unique function in the structure of sentences. These parts of speech are as follows:

Nouns : They represent people, animals, things, or ideas. Examples: dog, city, love, time.
Pronouns : These words replace nouns to avoid repetition, such as he, she, they, it, and their.
Verbs : They describe actions, states, or occurrences, like eat, think, and know.
Adjectives : Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns, providing more details or descriptions, for instance, red, happy, or large.
Adverbs : They modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, giving more information about the manner, place, time, or degree. Examples: quickly, very, well.
Prepositions : These words show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence, including location or time. Examples: in, on, at, between.
Conjunctions : They connect words, phrases, or clauses, providing coherence and fluency to sentences. Examples: and, but, because, although.
Interjections : They express emotions or reactions, often followed by an exclamation point. Examples: oh, wow, ouch, great.

Frequently Asked Questions on Parts of Speech

What are the parts of speech.

The parts of speech are different categories of words based on their usage and role in a sentence. In the English language, there are eight traditional parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Can you provide examples of each part of speech?

Certainly! Here are examples for each part of speech:

Nouns : cat, book, happiness, city
Pronouns : he, she, they, whose
Verbs : run, think, be, have
Adjectives : happy, large, warm, yellow
Adverbs : quickly, very, almost, gently
Prepositions : in, on, of, with
Conjunctions : and, but, or, yet
Interjections : ouch, hooray, wow, oh

So interesting page

Participles
Phrases and Clauses
Parts of Speech
Parts of a Sentence
Determiners
Parallelism
Direct & Indirect Speech
Modal Verbs
Relative Clauses
Nominalisation
Substitution & Ellipsis
Demonstratives
Pronoun Reference
Confusing Words
Online Grammar Quizzes
Printable Grammar Worksheets
Courses to purchase
Grammar Book
Grammar Blog

8 Parts of Speech

The 8 parts of speech in English are: Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Prepositions, Pronouns, Conjunctions, and Interjections.

A part of speech is a category of words that have similar grammatical functions or properties. In other words, they play similar roles in a sentence. For instance, a verb shows the action of a subject or the subject's state of being.

We'll now look in more detail at the function of each of these parts of speech.

Understanding the 8 Parts of Speech

Nouns are words used to talk about people, places, things, or ideas/concepts. Here are some examples:

Person: The President
Place: London
Thing: Table
Idea/concept: Neo-liberalism

So it may be naming something we can touch ( e.g. table; book; car ) or something we cannot touch ( e.g. Neo-liberalism; happiness; wish ).

There are both common nouns, used for classes of people, places, things, or ideas/concepts, and proper nouns, which is their given name, always with a capital letter.

Common Nouns

political party

Proper Nouns

Chester Avenue

Learn more about the various types of noun >>

Another of the 8 parts of speech are adjectives. They describe nouns or pronouns. They can come before or after the noun/pronoun they describe:

Absolute Adjectives

The large shopping complex
The excited child
She is happy
It was a shocking film
Her dress was lovely
He's a good-looking man

These are absolute adjectives , but they can also be comparative (comparing two or more things) or superlative (showing degree or quality):

Comparative Adjectives

She's fitter than the others
Their house is bigger
I ran faster than you
Cats are more agile than dogs
Sue's more tired than Tim

Superlative Adjectives

She's the fittest
Their house is the biggest
I ran the fastest
Cats are the most agile
Sue's the most tired

There are various other types of adjective. Learn more about the different types of adjectives >>

Adverbs modify verbs, other adverbs, and adjectives. There are adverbs of manner, time, place and degree . Here are examples of each being modified in relation to verbs, adverbs, and adjectives (the word being modified is underlined):

Adverbs Modifying Verbs

He runs fast
Ian quickly left the room
She spoke slowly

Adverbs Modifying Other Adverbs

He runs exceptionally fast
Ian very quickly left the room
She spoke extremely slowly

Adverbs Modifying Adjectives

She's really excited
He's happily married
The elegantly designed dress is mine

Verbs form part of the predicate of a sentence.

In relation to the subject, they are used to express a physical action (e.g. walk; speak; show) or a mental action (e.g. think; feel; want). They can also express a state of being , mainly with the verb 'to be' but also some others.

Here are some examples:

Physical Action

He ran home
They chose the blue one

Mental Activity

I am thinking about it
Ian guessed the answer
She believes in ghosts

State of Being

She is a police woman
They seem worried

These though are main verbs. They have many other uses in a sentence so you should read about all the types of verbs further.

Prepositions

Another of the 8 parts of speech are prepositions. These show the relationship between two words or phrases in a sentence. They precede a noun or pronoun.

Commons examples of prepositions are above, up, upon, at, before, behind, since, to, through, under, until, with, within, about, against, along, around, beside, between, down, during, below, by, except, for, from, in, into, like, near, of, off, on, toward.

In these example sentences with prepositions, the two words whose relationship is being expressed are underlined and the prepositions are in bold:

The book is on the table
He is the leader of the conservative party
The boy picked up the toy under the sofa
This is a present for your mother

Pronouns replace nouns and they prevent us from repeating the noun in a sentence. These are the types of pronouns with some examples:

Personal e.g. I; you; they; she
Possessive e.g. mine; yours; his; theirs
Relative e.g. who; which; that; whom
Demonstrative e.g. this; these; those
Reciprocal e.g. one another; each other
Emphatic / Reflexive e.g. myself; herself; itself; ourselves
Interrogative e.g. what; which; whom; whose

Here are some examples of these words used in sentences:

Martha decided she would leave
Why don't you use his car instead of mine
Mick is a person who learns quickly
Shall we buy some of these ?
They began to argue with each other
Jenny is pleased with herself
What time is he coming?

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are the of the 8 parts of speech responsible for joining together words, phrases, or clauses. There are three types:

Coordinating: and; or; but; so; yet; for; nor
Correlative: neither/nor; either/or; not only/but also
Subordinating: e.g. although; because; while; which; where; until

Coordinating Conjunctions

Used to connect like for like words (e.g. noun+noun):

I like apples and oranges ( 2 nouns )
His speech was slow but effective ( 2 adjectives )
Shall I say it loudly or quietly? ( 2 adverbs )

Or simple sentences (independent clauses):

I find the music annoying but she finds It pleasant
She came to the lecture late so she missed everything important
She took her umbrella for it was raining hard

Correlative Conjunctions

Used to join alternative or equal elements:

He felt neither happy nor sad about it
Sue had to decide to either quit or carry on
I went not only to Australia but also to New Zealand

Subordinating Conjunctions

Used to join subordinate clauses to main clauses:

The government won't vote on the bill until both parties agree
I'm still not tired although it is late
I'll eat the dish which you don't like

Interjections

Interjections are words used to express an emotion or a sentiment such as surprise, joy, disgust, fear, excitement, pain, or enthusiasm.

They usually appear at the start of a sentence and are not connected to it grammatically. Here are some examples of interjections in sentences:

Wow , that's an amazing score!
Oh , I didn't know you failed the exam
Well , we better not leave too late
Ow , that really hurt!
Ah , I understand now
Oops , I've forgotten to bring the sandwiches

Are there only 8 Parts of Speech?

Sometimes rather than 8 parts of speech, you may see 9 or 10 listed. This is because some people treat articles and determiners as separate categories.

However, when there are only 8 parts of speech considered (as above), this is because as these two types of word modify nouns, they are classified under adjectives.

Now practice what you have learned in our identifying parts of speech quiz

More on Sentence Structure:

Phrases and Clauses - Building good sentences

Phrases and clauses are the key building blocks of sentences. A clause contains a subject and a verb and can express a complete thought. A phrase does not contain a subject or verb.

Parts of a Sentence: Subject, Verbs, Objects, Predicates, Complements

The main parts of a sentence are subjects, verbs, objects, predicates, and subject complements. All of these have a specific purpose within the structure of a sentence.

Using Object Complements in a Sentence

Using object complements in a sentence enhances your ability to convey specific information about actions and their outcomes.

Direct and Indirect Objects: The Differences

Direct and indirect objects are key parts of most sentences. A direct object is the receiver of action while indirect object identifies to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed.

Types of Clauses in English Grammar - Independent and Dependent Clause

The two types of clauses in English grammar are the independent and dependent clause. Both have a subject and verb which makes them clauses, but while independent clauses express a complete thought, dependent clauses do not. This is the main distinction.

Nominalisation in English Grammar: High Level Writing Tips

Nominalisation is an important aspect of academic writing. This lesson teachers you what this is and how you can use it effectively in your writing.

Parallelism Grammar Rules (Parallel Structure)

Parallelism is about balancing the grammatical structure of words, phrases and clauses in your sentences. Parallel structure will improve your writing's coherence.

How to Use Either and Neither with Examples

Advice on how to use either and neither in English grammar. They can be adjectives, adverbs, pronouns and conjunctions.

Examples of Parallelism in English Grammar

View examples of parallelism in English grammar that show you correct and incorrect parallel sentences.

Subject Complements: Predicate Adjectives and Predicate Nominatives

Here we demystify subject complements, predicate adjectives, and predicate nominatives with simple explanations and examples.

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Grammar is the system and structure of a language, consisting of rules that dictate how words are combined to form phrases and sentences. It encompasses parts of speech, punctuation, syntax , and morphology. Effective grammar usage helps convey clarity and precision in communication. Understanding grammar is essential for mastering a language, enhancing both writing and speaking abilities. It plays a critical role in academic success and professional communication, making it a fundamental study area in English language arts. As a foundation of effective communication, grammar remains a key focus in educational curriculums worldwide.

What is Grammar?

Grammar is the set of rules that governs the structure of sentences in a language. It covers syntax, punctuation , verb tenses , and parts of speech to ensure clear and effective communication. Mastery of grammar enhances both expression and understanding across all forms of language.

Pronunciation of Grammar

The word “ grammar ” is pronounced as /ˈɡræmər/, which breaks down into two syllables .

First syllable: Pronounced as “GRAM” – similar to “grand” without the ‘d’.
Second syllable: Sounds like “mar,” rhyming with “car”.
Stress: Place emphasis on the first syllable, “GRAM”.

This pronunciation is straightforward and is used consistently in both American and British English. Knowing how to pronounce “ grammar ” correctly can enhance your confidence and accuracy when discussing language topics.

Rules of Grammar

Grammar is the backbone of language, providing a framework that helps us communicate with clarity and precision. Here are some fundamental rules of grammar that are essential for constructing correct and effective sentences:

Subject-Verb Agreement: Make sure your subject and verb agree in number. This means using a singular verb with a singular subject, and a plural verb with a plural subject. For example, “The dog barks” (singular), and “The dogs bark” (plural).
Tense Consistency: Keep your verb tenses consistent. If you start narrating an event in the past tense, continue using the past tense to maintain clarity throughout your description.
Proper Punctuation: Punctuation marks like commas, periods, and exclamation points help organize and clarify sentences. They guide the reader on pauses and stops, influencing the flow of your writing.
Simple sentences for clear, concise statements.
Compound sentences to connect related ideas.
Complex sentences to express detailed and layered thoughts.
Compound-complex sentences to discuss multiple related complex ideas.
Capitalization Rules: Always capitalize the first word in a sentence, names of people, places, and specific items, as well as important acronyms.
Use of Pronouns: Pronouns should clearly refer back to a specific noun and agree with it in number and gender. This avoids confusion about whom or what you are referring to.
Adjective and Adverb Usage: Position adjectives close to the nouns they modify for clarity. Similarly, place adverbs near the verbs or adjectives they modify to enhance understanding.
Conjunctions: Use conjunctions to smoothly connect clauses and make your writing more coherent. Words like “and,” “but,” “or,” and “because” are common conjunctions that link ideas.
Avoiding Double Negatives: Using two negatives (like “not” and “no” together) can create a positive, which often leads to confusion. Stick to a single negative to keep your meaning clear.

Types of Grammar

Grammar is not a one-size-fits-all concept; it varies depending on its purpose and application. Here are several types of grammar that play distinct roles in the study and use of language:

Prescriptive Grammar: This type of grammar dictates specific rules for using language that are considered correct or standard within a particular language. It prescribes how words, phrases, and sentences should be used to conform to accepted norms. For example, prescriptive grammar rules would insist on using “whom” in a formally correct context instead of “who.”
Descriptive Grammar: Unlike prescriptive grammar, descriptive grammar aims to describe how language is actually used by speakers without imposing rules of correctness. It focuses on recording and analyzing the diverse and changing uses of language as observed in real-world settings.
Generative Grammar: Proposed by Noam Chomsky, generative grammar is concerned with the syntactic structures that a speaker can produce, emphasizing the innate rules and processes that guide the generation of sentences. This approach seeks to explain the underlying structure of all languages and how humans can understand and produce language.
Functional Grammar: This type focuses on how language is used in real-life situations to achieve effective communication. It examines the purposes and functions of grammatical structures and how they are used to convey specific meanings and intentions.
Comparative Grammar: Comparative grammar studies the differences and similarities between grammars of different languages. It is often used in the field of historical linguistics to trace the development of languages and understand their relationships.
Transformational Grammar: Also a concept introduced by Chomsky, transformational grammar examines how different sentences can be derived from a single sentence structure through various transformations. This type highlights the complexity and flexibility of language structures.

Importance of Grammar

Grammar is essential in language for several compelling reasons. It not only helps us communicate more clearly and effectively but also enriches our understanding of the language. Here’s why grammar holds such significance:

Clear Communication

Grammar provides a framework that helps structure our thoughts and ideas in a way that others can understand. Proper grammar usage ensures that the intended message is conveyed without ambiguity or confusion. For instance, correctly using subject-verb agreement and tense helps maintain clarity in our statements.

Professionalism and Credibility

In professional settings, good grammar is a sign of attention to detail and reflects a person’s level of education and skill. Well-constructed sentences with proper grammar enhance the credibility of your communication, whether in written documents, emails, or presentations.

Enhances Learning

Understanding grammar rules can significantly improve your reading and writing skills. It allows you to more accurately interpret texts and craft your writing to convey nuanced meanings and emotions. This is crucial for academic success and lifelong learning.

Supports Language Acquisition

For learners of a new language, studying grammar is vital. It helps build a solid foundation in the new language, making it easier to learn and remember vocabulary, understand the nuances of the language, and communicate effectively.

Facilitates Precise Expression

Grammar provides the tools to express a wide range of meanings and functions. For example, by choosing different verb tenses or moods, you can shift the meaning of a sentence from a simple statement of fact to a command, a question, or a hypothetical scenario. This flexibility is key to nuanced and sophisticated use of language.

When Do We Use Grammar?

Grammar is not just a subject taught in school—it’s a fundamental aspect of every language that we use daily in various contexts. Here’s a look at when and why we use grammar:

Everyday Communication

Whether we are talking, texting, emailing, or posting on social media, grammar helps us structure our sentences to make sense to others. Correct grammar usage ensures that our ideas are expressed clearly, reducing misunderstandings and confusion.

Professional Settings

In the workplace, good grammar is crucial. It affects how we write reports, send emails, give presentations, and communicate with colleagues and clients. Using proper grammar enhances professionalism and portrays a positive image of a company or individual.

Academic Writing

For students and academics, grammar is key to writing essays, research papers, and theses. Good grammar not only helps convey information effectively but also influences grades and the credibility of scholarly work.

Creative Writing

Authors, poets, and playwrights use grammar to craft narratives that engage, entertain, and inform their audiences. While creative writing often involves bending grammatical rules for stylistic effect, a solid understanding of grammar is essential to do so effectively.

Media and Publishing

Journalists, editors, and publishers rely on grammar to produce clear and accurate content. From news articles to books, grammar plays a critical role in ensuring that information is communicated accurately and professionally.

Learning New Languages

When learning a new language, understanding its grammar is essential. Grammar provides a framework for structuring sentences and using words correctly, which is crucial for effective communication and integration into different cultural contexts.

Legal and Official Documentation

Grammar is vital in the legal field and any formal documentation. It ensures that laws, regulations, contracts, and agreements are unambiguous and enforceable. Misinterpretations due to poor grammar can lead to legal disputes and other serious consequences.

Parts of Speech in Grammar

In grammar, the parts of speech are the categories that words fall into based on their function within a sentence. Recognizing and understanding these categories is essential for learning how to construct sentences correctly. Here’s an easy-to-understand breakdown of the main parts of speech:

Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas. For example, “dog,” “city,” “happiness,” and “table” are all nouns. They serve as the subject or object in sentences, representing what we are talking about.

Person: Maria
Place: Park
Thing: Book
Idea: Freedom

Pronouns replace nouns in sentences and include words like “he,” “they,” “it,” “her,” and “who.” They help avoid repetition and streamline communication. For instance, instead of saying “Sarah likes Sarah’s car,” you can say, “Sarah likes her car.”

She went to the park.
It is raining.
They are happy.

Verbs express actions, occurrences, or states of being. Words like “run,” “exist,” and “seem” are verbs. Every complete sentence must have a verb to indicate what action is taking place or to describe a condition.

Run , think , be

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns, providing more detail about them. For example, in “The quick, red fox jumps,” “quick” and “red” are adjectives that give us more information about the fox.

A tall building
An interesting book
A delicious meal

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, typically providing information about how, when, where, how much, and with what frequency or degree something happens. Words like “quickly,” “very,” and “there” are adverbs, as in “He runs quickly.”

She sings beautifully .
He drives slowly .
It happened yesterday .

Prepositions

Prepositions show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence, typically indicating time, place, or direction. Examples include “in,” “at,” “on,” “between,” and “through,” as in “She sat on the chair.”

In the morning
At the table
Under the bed

Conjunctions

Conjunctions link words, phrases, or clauses together, making complex thoughts possible. Words like “and,” “but,” “or,” “because,” and “although” are conjunctions that help combine ideas, as in “I wanted to go but it was raining.”

and, but, because
She likes tea and coffee.
I was tired, but I went running.

Interjections

Interjections are words used to express emotions or reactions. They are often punctuated with an exclamation point and include words like “Wow!,” “Ouch!,” and “Hey!” These words can stand alone or be incorporated into larger sentences.

Wow! That’s amazing!
Ouch! That hurts!

Most Common Grammar Mistakes

Grammar mistakes can make communication less effective and professional. Understanding some of the most frequent errors can help you write and speak more clearly. Here’s a straightforward explanation of common grammar mistakes and tips on how to avoid them:

Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

It’s crucial for the verb to match the subject in number (singular or plural).

Incorrect Example: The list of items are on the desk.
Correct Example: The list of items is on the desk.

Misusing Apostrophes

Apostrophes often cause confusion. They should be used to show possession or form contractions, not to pluralize.

Incorrect Example: Its time for dinner. (confusing “its” with “it’s”)
Correct Example: It’s time for dinner.

Comma Splices

Joining two independent clauses with just a comma leads to a comma splice. Use a conjunction, semicolon, or make them separate sentences.

Incorrect Example: I went home, I was tired.
Correct Example: I went home; I was tired.

Misplaced Modifiers

Place descriptive words and phrases as close as possible to the nouns they modify to prevent confusion.

Incorrect Example: She almost drove her kids to school in her pajamas.
Correct Example: She drove her kids to school almost in her pajamas.

Incorrect Tense Usage

The tense should reflect when the action is happening consistently throughout your text.

Incorrect Example: After she had finished the meal, she is cleaning the kitchen.
Correct Example: After she had finished the meal, she cleaned the kitchen.

Wrong Word Usage

Words that sound alike but have different meanings can be easily confused.

Their vs. There vs. They’re
Affect vs. Effect
Accept vs. Except

Run-On Sentences

Connect independent clauses properly using conjunctions or punctuation.

Incorrect Example: I love to write it calms me.
Correct Example: I love to write; it calms me.

Using Passive Voice

Active voice usually makes statements clearer and more direct than passive voice.

Passive Example: The book was read by her.
Active Example: She read the book.

Fragmented Sentences

Ensure every sentence has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete thought.

Incorrect Example: Because I said so.
Correct Example: I did it because I said so.

Grammar vs. Sentence

Examples of grammar in sentences.

Understanding how grammar works in sentences is essential for clear communication. Here are examples, highlighting different grammatical elements:

She runs every morning.
Yesterday, he walked to the park and sat on a bench.
I need milk, eggs, and butter from the store.
He lost his wallet in his office.
She wore a beautiful, long, red dress.
He quickly finished the assignment.
The cat jumped onto the table .
I wanted to go swimming, but it started raining.
The dog that was barking loudly kept us awake all night.
Active: The chef cooked the meal.
Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.

Examples of Grammar for Students

For students learning the nuances of English grammar, it’s important to see practical applications. Here are examples that illustrate key grammatical principles in sentences:

The cat drinks milk every morning.
All the children love to play outside.
If anyone has lost their ticket, they should report it to the office.
Between you and me , I think we won the game because of luck.
She has a small, round, wooden table.
He quickly ran to school to avoid being late.
She will start the project as soon as she can .
We walked across the bridge.
Yesterday, I went to the store, bought some groceries, and came home.
What did you do last weekend?

Examples of Articles in Grammar

Articles are small yet essential parts of English grammar, used to indicate the definiteness of a noun. There are two types of articles in English: definite (“the”) and indefinite (“a” and “an”). These articles help specify whether we are referring to something specific or something general. Here’s a deeper look at how and when to use each type of article:

Definite Article: “The”

The definite article “the” refers to specific nouns that are known to the reader or listener. It’s used when both the speaker and the audience know what is being talked about, either because there is only one of that thing, or it has been mentioned before.

Please turn off the TV. (The specific TV both the speaker and listener know about.)
I saw the movie you recommended. (A specific movie that was mentioned previously.)

Indefinite Articles: “A” and “An”

Indefinite articles are used with nouns that are not specific and have not been mentioned before. “A” is used before words that begin with a consonant sound, and “an” is used before words that begin with a vowel sound.

She adopted a cat. (Any cat, not a specific one known to the speaker and listener.)
He is looking for a job. (Any job, not a specific job.)
He took an apple from the basket. (Any apple, not one specific apple previously known.)
She is an English teacher. (Refers to any English teacher, not one previously known or specific.)

Using Articles in Sentences

Articles are also used to indicate the number of items, where “a” and “an” signify a single item and “the” can specify singular or plural items depending on the context.

Can you see a dog in the yard? (Indicates one dog, not specific.)
The dog is chasing the ball. (Refers to a specific dog and a specific ball known to both the speaker and listener.)
She wants an orange from that basket. (Any orange, not specific.)

No Article Usage

Sometimes, no article is used, especially when referring to general concepts or plural nouns.

Dogs are friendly animals. (Refers to dogs in general, not specific dogs.)
She has a love for history. (History here is used in a general sense, not a specific instance of history.)

Prescriptive Grammar Examples

Prescriptive grammar involves rules and guidelines that dictate how English should be used rather than describing how it actually is used. These rules are intended to enforce what is considered “proper” English in formal writing and speaking. Here are some examples of prescriptive grammar rules:

Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule: A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.
The cat runs. (singular subject and verb)
The cats run. (plural subject and verb)

Use of Pronouns

Rule: Use subjective pronouns (“I”, “he”, “she”, “we”, “they”) when the pronoun is the subject of the verb, and objective pronouns (“me”, “him”, “her”, “us”, “them”) when the pronoun is the object.
She gave him the book.

Split Infinitives

Rule: Avoid splitting infinitives. An infinitive should not have an adverb between “to” and the verb.
Correct: She decided to carefully read the document.
Incorrect: She decided to read carefully the document.

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

Rule: Avoid ending sentences with prepositions.
Correct: To whom did you give the book?
Incorrect: Who did you give the book to?

Using “Whom”

Rule: Use “whom” instead of “who” when referring to the object of a verb or preposition.
Whom did you see? (not “Who did you see?”)

Passive vs. Active Voice

Rule: Favor the active voice over the passive voice for clearer and more direct expressions.
Active: The committee approved the new guidelines.
Passive: The new guidelines were approved by the committee.

Conjunction at the Start of a Sentence

Rule: Avoid starting sentences with coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet).
Correct: She was tired, so she went to bed.
Incorrect: So, she went to bed because she was tired.

Double Negatives

Rule: Avoid using double negatives as they are considered incorrect in standard English.
Correct: She has nothing.
Incorrect: She doesn’t have nothing.

Proposition Examples in Grammar

In English grammar, the term “preposition” refers to a word that links nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. Prepositions are used to express relationships of time, space, or other abstract relationships within sentences. Here are some common prepositions and examples of their use in sentences:

Prepositions of Time

We will meet at 5 o’clock.
Her birthday is on Monday.
She likes to drink coffee in the morning.

Prepositions of Place

He is waiting for you at the bus stop.
There is a book on the table.
She is in her room.

Prepositions of Direction

She is going to the market.
He comes from America.
She walked towards the school.

Prepositions of Agent

The book was written by Mark Twain.

Prepositions of Instrumentality

She cut the paper with scissors.

Prepositions of Purpose

They went to the store for groceries.

Complex Prepositions

They were late because of the traffic.
He stood in front of the building.

Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs

I will look up the word in a dictionary.

What is the full meaning of Grammar?

Grammar is the system and structure of a language, consisting of rules that govern word forms, sentence construction, and the correct use of punctuation and syntax.

What is the basic of Grammar?

The basics of grammar include understanding parts of speech, sentence structure, verb tenses, punctuation, and the rules for combining words into coherent and meaningful statements.

How do I improve my grammar?

Improving your grammar can enhance both your writing and speaking skills. Here are concise tips to help you get better:

Read Regularly: Exposure to well-structured writing helps you understand grammar intuitively.
Practice Writing: Regular writing exercises improve grammar through application.
Use Grammar Check Tools: Tools like Grammarly can identify and correct errors.
Review Grammar Rules: Refresh your knowledge through reliable online resources or textbooks.
Listen to Native Speakers: Pay attention to grammar usage in formal settings like news or documentaries.
Take Classes: Enroll in workshops or classes for structured learning and feedback.
Do Grammar Exercises: Utilize exercises from online platforms or workbooks to strengthen skills.
Ask for Feedback: Get constructive feedback on your writing from knowledgeable individuals.
Immerse Yourself: Engage in environments where English is predominantly used.
Stay Patient: Consistent practice and patience are key to improvement.

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Parts of SPEECH Table in English
Parts of Speech in English, Definition and Examples
English Parts of Speech
Parts of Speech Definitions and Types with Examples
Grammar: Parts of Speech in English
Parts of Speech in English Grammar PDF

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PARTS OF SPEECH
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The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples
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.
Parts of Speech: Explanation and Examples
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 ...
Parts of Speech
EnglishClub: Learn English: Grammar: Parts of Speech Parts of Speech. What is a Part of Speech? We can categorize English words into 9 basic types called "parts of speech" or "word classes". It's quite important to recognize parts of speech. This helps you to analyze sentences and understand them. It also helps you to construct good sentences.
English Parts of Speech
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 high five! If you'd like to teach or learn grammar the easy way—with sentence diagrams—check out our Get Smart Grammar Program.
Parts of Speech: A Super Simple Grammar Guide with Examples
The Verb (v.) A verb is one of the most important parts of speech and is a word that is used to describe an action. There are three main types of verbs which are detailed below. Examples: Walk, is, seem, realize, run, see, swim, stand, go, have, get, promise, invite, listen, sing, sit, laugh, walk….
Parts of Speech: Complete Guide (With Examples and More)
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.
Understanding Parts of Speech (9 Types With Examples)
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 ...
The 9 Parts of Speech in English
I cut my finger. Oh, you moved to Manhattan. Posted in, In English grammar, there are a total of 9 parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, articles (or determiners), prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. This article provides definitions and examples of all of them!
The Parts of Speech
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.
The 9 Types of Parts of Speech: Definitions, Rules and Examples
Parts of speech are an important part of language learning, as they help students to understand how sentences are constructed and how meaning is conveyed. Most of us are familiar with the parts of speech: noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.
Parts of Speech in English
True or false: a word can be different parts of speech depending on its function and meaning in the sentence. 1. 2. True or false: a noun can be a word or a phrase. 1. True. 2. False. True or false: if a word can be a noun, it can only be a noun.
Parts of Speech
When we talk about 'parts of speech', what we mean is whether a word is a noun or a verb or an adjective or a preposition or something else. Here are some different word categories that we use when we're talking about English grammar. Click on each category for more information. Noun (apple, table, book, beauty, sky, life)
The 8 Parts of Speech
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 ...
The 9 Parts of speech
Do you know what parts of speech are in English?How many parts of speech are there in English?So, what are the parts of speech?Parts of speech are the marker...
Parts of speech: the noun
Here's the thing: I love nouns. But wait! Nouns aren't just things! They can also be people and places. They're my favorite parts of speech. Without them, we'd never be able to talk about *anything*!
Parts of Speech: Essential Components of Language
The parts of speech are different categories of words based on their usage and role in a sentence. In the English language, there are eight traditional parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
Parts Of Speech: Breaking Them Down With 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.
Part of speech
article. noun. pronoun. part of speech, lexical category to which a word is assigned based on its function in a sentence. There are eight parts of speech in traditional English grammar: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, conjunction, preposition, and interjection. In linguistics, parts of speech are more typically called word classes.
9 Parts of Speech in English
In this lesson, you can learn about parts of speech in English.How many parts of speech are there in English? Can you name them, and explain what they do?Und...
PARTS OF SPEECH
We hope you enjoyed this video! If you have any questions please ask in the comments.⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎⬇ ...
Parts of Speech in English with Useful Examples
Learn parts of speech (nouns, articles, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjection): https://7esl.com/parts-of-speech...
Parts of Speech
Parts of speech refer to the categories into which words are grouped based on their function within a sentence. English language primarily consists of eight parts of speech: nouns, which name things; pronouns, which stand in place of nouns; verbs, which express actions or states of being; adjectives, which describe nouns; adverbs, which modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs; prepositions ...
8 Parts of Speech in English Grammar
The 8 parts of speech in English are: Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Verbs, Prepositions, Pronouns, Conjunctions, and Interjections. A part of speech is a category of words that have similar grammatical functions or properties. In other words, they play similar roles in a sentence. For instance, a verb shows the action of a subject or the subject ...
Grammar
Grammar is the system and structure of a language, consisting of rules that dictate how words are combined to form phrases and sentences. It encompasses parts of speech, punctuation, syntax, and morphology.Effective grammar usage helps convey clarity and precision in communication.
Rabia Taj
13K likes, 9 comments - english_solution_course on April 28, 2024: "Part of Speech (ENGLISH GRAMMAR) . . . #english #englishlearning #englishteacher #englishtips # ...

The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

Parts of Speech

Open and Closed Word Classes

The 9 Parts of Speech

Preposition

Conjunction

Articles and Determiners

Interjection

How to Determine the Part of Speech

Dissecting Basic Sentences

Constructing More Complex Sentences

Parts of Speech

The Part of Speech Is Determined by the Word's Function

Video for Each Part of Speech

The Most Important Writing Issues

The Top Issue Related to Conjunctions

The Top Issue Related to Determiners

The Top Issue Related to Interjections

Learning Resources

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What are the parts of speech?

The 8 Parts of Speech

2. Pronouns

4. Adjectives

6. Prepositions

7. Conjunctions

8. Interjections

Sentences & Diagrams

Understanding Parts of Speech (9 Types With Examples)

What are parts of speech?

In total, there are nine categories of parts of speech

What are the 9 parts of speech with their functions?

Singular Nouns

Plural Nouns

Demonstratives

Some of these sub-categories are:

Prepositions are used in sentence formations to convey these meanings:

Based on their use and function, prepositions are classified into four subtypes:

There are three types of conjunctions used in sentence formation:

﻿Interjection

Parts of speech examples

Words with more than one job

How to identify parts of speech

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In this lesson, you can learn about parts of speech in English.

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1. Guide to Parts of Speech in English

2. Practice with Parts of Speech in English

3. The Same Word Can be More than One Part of Speech

4. Compound Parts of Speech in English

5. More Challenging Practice with English Parts of Speech

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Parts of Speech

Unit 1: Parts of speech: the noun

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Interjection