Parts of Speech in English

In English, there are eight different parts of speech. In each of the example sentences below, the
highlighted part of speech is in bold.

Adjectives
Adjectives modify or describe a noun. These words ascribe an attribute to the noun being modified.
 The sleepy bear hibernated all winter.
 It's a long drive, but it's worth the trip.
 Should I buy the blue jeans or purple sweater?
Adverbs
Adverbs modify or describe a verb, adjective or another adverb or word group. This modification can
provide information relating to time, place, manner, cause, degree, or circumstance.
 Joe grumpily got out of bed.
 Sara ran very quickly to school.
 That's quite expensive, don't you think?
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are used connect words, phrases and clauses together. They coordinate the words together
so they make sense as a cohesive thought, sentence or paragraph.
 You'll need to study all night if you want to pass tomorrow's test.
 Go to the store and buy some milk.
 Kristopher doesn't have enough experience. Therefore, we will not hire him.
Interjections
Interjections are words used as exclamations to show feelings. They're usually abrupt, interrupting the
speech for emotional effect.
 Bah, who cares what they think anyway?
 If Cody asked me out on a date, gosh, that'd make my day.
 I spilled the coffee everywhere. Oops!
Nouns
Nouns name a person, place, thing idea or quality. They can act as the subject or the object of a
sentence.
 Send in the clowns.
 Brazil is beautiful this time of year.
 His love of music really shows.
Prepositions
Prepositions are used to indicate relationships, often spatial, between nouns and pronouns. They indicate
how one noun, noun phrase, or pronoun relates to another.
 Between you and me, I wouldn't trust Andy.
 The coffee shop is across the street.
 Put the carrots in the refrigerator, please.
Pronouns
Pronouns take the place of nouns to simplify speech and writing. They can otherwise function in the same
way as nouns, serving as subjects and objects in sentences.
 She is the smartest kid in class.
 George took the book from him.
 Who is coming to the party tonight?
Verbs
Verbs express action or a state of being. It is because of the former that verbs are often called "action
verbs," but non-action verbs can be used to represent a state of being, need, sense or preference.
 Let's walk to the park.
 Janine lives in Minneapolis.
 The air conditioning unit desperately needs repair.
Nouns Used in a Sentences
To get an even better grasp on these various noun examples, take a look at these
example sentences containing some nouns from the above worksheet. The nouns are
highlighted in bold (note some sentences have more than one noun, but to keep things
simple we've highlighted just one).
 Let me give you some advice.
 Life finds a way.
 With great power comes great responsibility.
 His biggest regret was not traveling more.
 The weary army marched on.
 The congregation gathered to worship.
 The team from Springfield won the championship.
 It takes a village to raise a child.
 The teacher writes notes on the blackboard.
 The board of directors consists of nine individuals.
 Joey caught a grasshopper with his bare hands.
 Sarah needs to replace her keyboard.
 The sunlight beamed through the attic window.
 Be careful around that rattlesnake!
 The wheelchair costs a lot of money.
 Can you add a banana to my smoothie?
 That's his favorite book.
 Her blue eyes instantly captured his attention.
 Hidden from view, the panther stalks its prey.
 Catch the beautiful sunset from atop Haleakala.
 Learning to play ukelele has been very challenging.
 Walnuts are on sale today.
 Due to the thin air, Georgina found it hard to breathe.
 Have you donated blood lately?
 The economics of the matter are quite complex.
 It's cheaper to buy insurance online.
 Lorraine prefers juice over water.
 Can I get the pork cutlet with rice instead of noodles?
 Eugene stores the wood in the garage.
 Camping is a great summer activity for the whole family.
 Bernice enjoys climbing on the weekends.
 Casey's been doing a lot of flying lately.
 Did you know that Africa is much larger than Greenland?
 Visiting Big Ben was a highlight of the trip to London.
 Roger drives a blue Honda.
 Final applications are due by the end of January.
 Minnesota borders directly with Lake Superior.
 How many students attend Stanford University?
 If I had known about it, I would have signed up for the loyalty program
at Starbucks.
 I don't know why Susan is so upset.
What is an adjective? Simply put, an adjective describes or modifies a noun. It provides further information about a noun,
indicating things like size, shape, color, and more. Adjectives can also modify pronouns. They answer questions like, "Which
one?," "How many?," "Whose?," and "What kind?" Without adjectives, we wouldn't know if you had a serene vacation or a
disastrous vacation. Let's dive into the intricacies of this important part of speech.

Information Gatherers
Now, we know adjectives are information gatherers. Specifically, they provide further information about an object's size, shape,
age, color, origin or material. Here are some examples of adjectives in action:
 It's a big table. (size)
 It's a round table. (shape)
 It's an old table. (age)
 It's a brown table. (color)
 It's an English table. (origin)
 It's a wooden table. (material)
 It's a lovely table. (opinion)
 It's a broken table. (observation)
 It's a coffee table. (purpose)
Also, when an item is defined by its purpose, that word isn't usually an adjective, but it acts as one with the noun in that situation.
 coffee table
 pool hall
 hunting cabin
 baseball player

Sentence Placement
If you come across a word that ends in -y, -ary, or -ate (or any other suffix for that matter) and want to know if it's an adjective,
look at where it is and what it's doing in the sentence. If it comes immediately before a noun, it's likely an adjective. Better yet, if it
comes between any of these constructs, it's almost definitely an adjective:
 An article (a, an, the) + noun
The grassy field was wet with dew.
In this example, "grassy" comes between an article (the) and a noun (field), so you know it's an adjective.
 A possessive adjective (my, his, her, its, your, our, their) + noun
These are my old trophies.
In this example, "old" comes between a possessive adjective (my) and a noun (trophies), making it an adjective.
 A demonstrative (this, that, these, those) + noun
Did you see that immaculate kitchen?
In this example, "immaculate" comes between a demonstrative (that) and a noun (kitchen), so it must be an adjective.
 An amount (some, most, all, a few) + noun
We had a few ordinary days.
In this example, "ordinary" comes between an amount (a few) and a noun (days), so it's definitely an adjective.
Adjectives can also act as complements. Complements complete a sentence when the verb is "to be." Not every complement is
an adjective, but some adjectives can be complements. For example:
 She is tall.
 He is smart, handsome, and rich.
 This tent is malodorous.

Order of Adjectives
When you list several adjectives in a row, there's a specific order they need to go in. Native English speakers tend to put them in
the correct order naturally, but if you're learning English, you'll have to memorize the order. It goes like this:
 Determiner - An article (a, an, the), a number or amount, a possessive adjective (my, his, her, its, your, our, their), or a
demonstrative (this, that, these, those)
 Observation/Opinion - Beautiful, expensive, gorgeous, broken, delicious, ugly
 Size - Huge, tiny, 4-foot-tall
 Shape - Square, circular, oblong
 Age - 10-year-old, new, antique
 Color - Black, red, blue-green
 Origin - Roman, English, Mongolian
 Material - Silk, silver, plastic, wooden
 Qualifier - A noun or verb acting as an adjective
An adverb is a part of speech that provides greater description to a verb, adjective, another adverb, a phrase, a clause, or a
sentence.
A great way to pick out an adverb from a sentence is to look for the word ending in -ly. Although that's not universally true,
it's a great place to start. Also, given their function, these fundamental elements of the English language are usually placed
right before or after the verb in the sentence.
Adverbs are intensifiers and they can even come in the form of an adverb phrase. That just means you're looking at two or
more words that act as an adverb. Let's take some time to dive (v.) deeply (adv.) into these popular modifiers.

Defining an Adverb
What is an adverb? Well, first, it's important to understand the words adverbs work closely with, starting with verbs, adjectives,
and other adverbs.
 A verb is a word that expresses action or a state of being, i.e. jump, run, swim, ski, fish, talk.
 An adjective is a word that describes or clarifies a noun, i.e. pretty, happy, silly, sunny.
 A noun is a person, place or thing - in its simplest definition, i.e. girl, dog, mom.
Once you see a few examples, it'll be easy to see how adverbs function in a sentence. To simplify things, they explain the action.
Here are some examples of adverbs modifying verbs:
 He runs quickly.
 She walks slowly.
 He's happily chattering over there in the corner.
Adverbs can also modify adjectives or other adverbs. They provide more information about that other descriptive word. For
example:
 He runs very quickly.
In this sentence, the adverb "very" is describing the adverb "quickly" ("very quickly" can be used as an adverb phrase).
 An incredibly pretty girl sat down next to me.
In this sentence, the adverb "incredibly" is describing the adjective "pretty."

Identifying an Adverb
So, you can tell whether or not a word is an adverb by considering its function in the sentence. If it is describing a verb, adjective
or other adverb it's an adverb.
Let's talk a little bit more about that -ly ending. We've compiled a list of 100 adverbs, and you'll see that many of them end in -ly.
While that's a popular way to identify these modifiers, it's important to remember that isn't universally true. Don't forget adverbs
such as "always", "often", "sometimes", "seldom", and "never." You've also got conjunctive adverbs such as "also," "besides,"
"meanwhile," and "likewise."
But, since the -ly form is very common let's keep the party going with a few more examples:
 The dog messily ate his dinner.
 I happily handed in my test.
 She quickly washed the dishes.
You can tell that these words are adverbs because they're describing the verbs in the sentence and they end in -ly.
Many high-frequency words are also adverbs. For example, "very," "much," "more," and "many" can all be adverbs.
 The puppy's behavior was very bad.
 The much smarter boy won the spelling bee.
 I so want to go to that concert tonight.

Common Errors with Adverbs and Adjectives

Since adverbs and adjectives both modify other words, people often mistakenly use an adjective when they should use an adverb
and vice versa. For example, the following sentence is incorrect:
 He behaved very bad on the field trip.
This is incorrect because "bad" is an adjective being used to describe "behaved," which is a verb. It should read:
 He behaved very badly on the field trip.
On the other hand, this would be correct:
 His behavior was bad on the field trip.
Here, the adjective "bad" is correctly describing the noun "behavior."
Good and Well
The words good and well are common triggers to the adverb vs. adjective confusion. It's important to remember this:
 Good is an adjective that modifies nouns.
For example: That good boy (n.) just gave his little sister a hug.
 Well is an adverb that modifies verbs or even adjectives.
For example: He listens (v.) well.
That well educated (adj) woman went on to marry a celebrity.
Conjunction: Definition and Examples
The conjunction is the part of speech used as a “joiner” for words, phrases, or clauses in a particular sentence. It links these words or groups of
words together, in such a way that certain relationships among these different parts of the sentence will be established, and the thoughts that all of
these convey will be connected.
What are the Different Types of Conjunctions?
In the English language, conjunctions come in three basic types: the coordinating conjunctions, the subordinating conjunctions, and
the correlative conjunctions.
1. Coordinating Conjunction

Among the three types of conjunctions, this is probably the most common one. The main function of coordinating conjunctions is to join words,
phrases, and clauses together, which are usually grammatically equal. Aside from that, this type of conjunctions is placed in between the words or
groups of words that it links together, and not at the beginning or at the end.
Examples:

 Pizza and burgers are my favorite snacks.

In the sample sentence above, the underlined word serves as a coordinating conjunction that links two words together (pizza + burgers).

 The treasure was hidden in the cave or in the underground lagoon.

The example above shows how coordinating conjunctions can join together two (or more) phrases. The coordinating conjunction “or” in the sentence
above links “in the cave” and “in the underground lagoon.”

 What those girls say and what they actually do are completely different.
In this sentence, you’ll see how the same coordinating conjunction ”and” from the first sample sentence can be used to link clauses together (“what
those girls say” and “what they actually do”), instead of just single words.
How to Punctuate Coordinating Conjunctions

 In joining two words, phrases, or dependent clauses together, a comma is not required before the coordinating conjunction.Examples:
 aliens and predators
 by the beach or on the hill
 what you see and what you get
 If, on the other hand, you are linking more than two words, phrases, and dependent clauses together, a series of commas must be placed
in between the distinct elements.
Examples:

 spiders, snakes, and scorpions

 in the bedroom, in the garage, or at the garden
 Lastly, for joining together two independent clauses, a comma must be used before placing the coordinating conjunction.
Examples:

 Cassandra fell asleep, so Joaquin just went home.

 I don’t really like spaghetti, but I can eat lasagna any day.
For you to easily recall the different coordinating conjunctions that you can use, you can just remember the word “FANBOYS,” which stands for:
Sample Sentences:

 It is so cold outside, so I brought you a jacket.

 Because it is so cold outside, I brought you a jacket.
By looking at the sentences above, you will easily notice that a subordinating conjunction can be found either at the beginning of the sentence or
between the clauses that it links together. Aside from that, a comma should also be placed in between the two clauses (independent clause and
dependent clause) of the sentence.

3. Correlative Conjunction

The correlative conjunctions are simply pairs of conjunctions which are used to join equal sentence elements together.
List of Common Correlative Conjunctions:

 either… or  both… and

 neither… nor  whether… or
 not only… but also  so… as
Sample Sentences:

 Both my brother and my father are lawyers.

 I can’t decide whether I’ll take Chemical Engineering or take Medical Technology in college.
Interjection: Definition and Examples
The interjection is a part of speech which is more commonly used in informal language than in formal writing or speech. Basically,
the function of interjections is to express emotions or sudden bursts of feelings. They can express a wide variety of emotions
such as: excitement, joy, surprise, or disgust.
What are the Structures and Importance of Interjections?
Interjections can come in the form of a single word, a phrase, or even a short clause. Aside from that, they are usually (but not
always) placed at the beginning of a sentence. The importance of interjections lies in the fact that they can convey feelings that
may sometimes be neglected in the sentence.
Take for example, the sentence “That book is about vampires.”
One person can write it as:

1. That book is about vampires.Or

2. That book is about vampires.
But then again, another person might use an interjection to show the same feeling of disgust (as in sentence number 2):

3. Eww! That book is about vampires.

So you see from the sentence above that the word “eww” conveys the emotional response to what is said in the sentence. It can
act as a replacement for emoticons and are more appropriate to use in writing, especially in character dialogues.
What are the Different Kinds of Interjections?
Below are the different kinds of interjections:
Adjectives that are used as interjections.
Examples:
 Nice! You got a Monster Kill in your first game!
 Sweet! I got a PS4 for my birthday!
 Good! Now we can move on to the next lesson.
 The italicized words in the sample sentences above are just some of the adjectives that can be used as
interjections.
Nouns or noun phrases that are used as interjections.
Examples:
 Congratulations, you won the match.
 Hello! How are you?
 Holy cow! I forgot my keys!
The italicized parts of the sentences above are just some of the nouns that can be used as interjections.
 Short clauses that are used as interjections.
Example:
Shawie is our chemistry teacher. Oh, the horror!
The short clause that is italicized in the example above functions as an interjection.

 Some interjections are sounds.

Examples:
 Ugh! I’m never doing that again!
 Whew! That was really close!
 Uh-oh! Dude, I think we’re in serious trouble.
How do You Punctuate Interjections?
Since interjections convey different kinds of emotions, there are also different ways to punctuate them.

 Exclamation point
The exclamation point is the most commonly used punctuation mark for interjections. Obviously, it is used to communicate strong
emotions such as surprise, excitement, or anger.
Examples:

 I just replaced your sugar with salt. Bazinga!

 Hooray! I got the job!
 Hey! Stop messing with me!
 Ouch! That must’ve hurt really bad!
 Oh! They’re here!
 Boo-yah! This is the bomb!
 Are you still going to eat that? Yuck!
 Yahoo! I got my Christmas bonus!
 Eek! There’s a flying cockroach!
 Period or comma
A preposition is an important part of the English language. It is used to show a relationship between the noun and pronoun in a
sentence. A preposition must always be followed by a noun or pronoun in a sentence. It can never be followed by a verb.
There are many preposition examples that will make it easy to understand how the parts of a sentence fit together and how the rules
apply when it comes to using a preposition in a sentence.
Examples of Prepositions
There are five different types of prepositions:
 Simple prepositions
 Double prepositions
 Compound prepositions
 Participle prepositions
 Phrase prepositions
Simple Prepositions
Simple prepositions are words like at, for, in, off, on, over, and under. These common prepositions can be used to describe a
location, time or place.
Some examples of common prepositions used in sentences are:
 He sat on the chair.  She lives near her workplace.
 There is some milk in the fridge.  She drew the picture with a crayon.
 She was hiding under the table.  He swam at the lake.
 The cat jumped off the counter.  I walked down the street.
 He drove over the bridge.  We located the key for the lock.
 She lost her ring at the beach.  The car went through the tunnel.
 The book belongs to Anthony.  I got a package from a friend.
 They were sitting by the tree.  I have liked that song since 1999.
 We are running in the gym today.  She put the flowers by the window.
 The sun is above the clouds.  The food was placed on the table.
Double Prepositions
Double prepositions are two simple prepositions used together, often indicating direction. Some examples are into, upon, onto, out
of, from within.
 Once upon a time, there was  The loud noise came from  The caterpillar turned into a
a beautiful princess. within the stadium. butterfly.
 The baby climbed onto the  She never leaves without her  I was unable to get out of the
table. phone. appointment.
 It is up to us to find the  The bird sat atop the oak tree.
answer.
Compound Prepositions
Compound prepositions (or complex prepositions) consist of two or more words, usually a simple preposition and another word, to
convey location. Some examples are in addition to, on behalf of, and in the middle of.
 She sat across from Marie.
 I attended the meeting on behalf of my company.
 We were in the middle of the storm.
 He has gym class in addition to his regular classes today.
 He picked up the penny from beneath the couch.
 Aside from singing, she also plays the piano at the bar.
 My car is parked in front of the mailbox.
 The weather will be good this weekend according to Tom.
A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used to avoid repeating the same nouns over and over
again. For example, "Jeremy ran so fast, you'd think his life was on the line." The pronoun "his" saved us from repeating the
name Jeremy again.
Common pronouns include I, me, mine, she, he, it, we, and us. In truth, there are many different types of pronouns, each
serving a different purpose.

Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used as a substitute for a person's name. There are two kinds: subjective and objective pronouns. That is,
they either act as the subject of the sentence or the object of the sentence.
As the subject of a sentence, they are:
 I For example:
 you  They went to the store.
 he  I don't want to leave.
 she  He runs a great shop in town.
 it  You can't leave, either.
 we As the object of the sentence, they are:
 they
 me

What is a Verb?
A verb can be considered as one of the most important parts of a sentence. You probably already know that a sentence must be
composed of a subject and a predicate, so what makes a verb so important? Well, the verb is the main component of a predicate.
Without it, there won’t be a sentence, just a bunch of words with an incomplete thought. Simply defined, the verb is a part of speech
which is used to demonstrate an action or a state of being.
What are the Different Kinds of Verbs?
Your primary school teachers must have defined verb as an “action word.” That is right, however, verbs are more than just words
that express an action done physically like:

run, jump, dance, write, kick, etc.

In reality, verbs may also refer to an action done mentally such as:

think, ponder, guess, imagine, wonder, etc.

1. Normal Verbs and Non-Continuous Verbs
The first type of verb used to express physical action is called a Normal Verb, while the second one, which refers to an action you
can’t see someone do, is called a Non-Continuous Verb.
Sample Sentences:
 Jesse Pinkman laughed hysterically.
 The verb in this sentence is laughed and the subject who does the action is Jessie Pinkman.
 Aegon Targaryen and his sisters conquered the Seven Kingdoms.
 The verb is conquered, while the subject in this sentence is Aegon Targaryen and his sisters.
 Darth Vader thought of an evil plan to get rid of Darth Sidious.
 Thought is the mental action word done by the subject Darth Vader in the sentence above.
 I wonder what will happen on the next episode.
 The pronoun, I, is the subject in the last sentence and the verb is wonder.
2. Linking Verb
Aside from the Normal Verbs and Non-Continuous Verbs, there is another type which is called the Linking Verb.

As the name suggests, a linking verb is a kind of verb that links a subject to the complement. A complement is the part of a sentence
which modifies or provides more information about the subject. Examples of linking verbs are:

am, is, was, are, were, has been, might have been, become, etc.
The words listed above are just some of the “true linking verbs.” They are called that way because they have no other functions but
to serve as linking verbs. However, just like some people, certain verbs also have dual personalities. Take a look at the two
sentences below:

 Irine tasted the exotic food.

 The exotic food tasted great!
In the first sentence, you can easily say that the italicized word is an action word done by Irine. However, in the second sentence,
the same word has a different function. It serves as a linking verb that connects exotic food with the word, great.
What are Multi-Part Verbs?
Do not assume that verbs are limited to a single word. Sometimes, they come in two to four words. The basic formula for verbs
with multiple parts is:

The auxiliary verbs, also called “helping verbs,” allow you to write in various verb tenses and voices when combined with a base or
main verb.

Take a look at the examples below:

 I was given a two-week notice by the sales agent.

 The sentence above is written in the passive voice. Was is the auxiliary verb and given is the main verb.
 It must have been raining very hard.
 The main verb is raining and the auxiliary verbs are must have been.