Parts of Speech
- A category to which a word is assigned in accordance with its syntactic functions. In
English the main parts of speech are noun, pronoun, adjective, determiner, verb,
adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.
- Explains how a word is used in a sentence.
- There are eight main parts of speech (also known as word classes): nouns, pronouns,
adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.
The eight main parts of speech in English are:
1.)NOUN - (Naming word)
- A noun is the name of a person, place, thing or idea.
- Examples of nouns: Daniel, London, table, dog, teacher, pen, city, happiness, hope
- Example sentences: Steve lives in Sydney. Mary uses pen and paper to write letters.
2.)PRONOUN - (Replaces a Noun)
- A pronoun is used in place of a noun or noun phrase to avoid repetition.
- Examples of pronouns: I, you, we, they, he, she, it, me, us, them, him, her, this, those
- Example sentences: Mary is tired. She wants to sleep. I want her to dance with me.
3.)ADJECTIVE - (Describing word)
- An adjective describes, modifies or gives more information about a noun or pronoun.
- Examples: big, happy, green, young, fun, crazy, three
- Example sentences: The little girl had a pink hat.
4.)VERB - (Action Word)
- A verb shows an action or state of being. A verb shows what someone or something is doing.
- Examples: go, speak, run, eat, play, live, walk, have, like, are, is
- Example sentences: I like Woodward English. I study their charts and play their games.
5.)ADVERB - (Describes a verb)
- An adverb describes/modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It tells how, where, when, how
often or to what extent. Many adverbs end in -LY
- Examples: slowly, quietly, very, always, never, too, well, tomorrow, here
- Example sentences: I am usually busy. Yesterday, I ate my lunch quickly.
6.)PREPOSITION - (Shows relationship)
- A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word. They can indicate time,
place, or relationship.
- Examples: at, on, in, from, with, near, between, about, under
- Example sentences: I left my keys on the table for you.
7.)CONJUNCTION - (Joining word)
- A conjunction joins two words, ideas, phrases or clauses together in a sentence and shows how they are
connected.
- Examples: and, or, but, because, so, yet, unless, since, if.
- Example sentences: I was hot and exhausted but I still finished the marathon.
8.)INTERJECTION - (Expressive word)
- An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses a strong feeling or emotion. It is a short exclamation.
- Examples: Ouch! Wow! Great! Help! Oh! Hey! Hi!
- Example sentences: Wow! I passed my English test. Great! – Ouch! That hurt.
