Parts of speech

In the English language, every word is called a part of speech. The role a
word plays in a sentence denotes what part of speech it belongs to.
Explore the definition of parts of speech, the different parts of speech
and examples in this content.

Table of Contents

What Is a Part of Speech?

Parts of Speech Definition

Different Parts of Speech with Examples

Sentences Examples for the 8 Parts of Speech

A Small Exercise to Check Your Understanding of Parts of Speech

Frequently Asked Questions on Parts of Speech

What Is a Part of Speech?

Parts of speech are among the first grammar topics we learn when we
are in school or when we start our English language learning process.
Parts of speech can be defined as words that perform different roles in
a sentence. Some parts of speech can perform the functions of other
parts of speech too.

Parts of Speech Definition

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines parts of speech as “one of the
classes into which words are divided according to their grammar, such
as noun, verb, adjective, etc.”

The Cambridge Dictionary also gives a similar definition – “One of the

grammatical groups into which words are divided, such as noun, verb,
and adjective”.

Different Parts of Speech with Examples

Parts of speech include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives,

prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.

8 Parts of Speech Definitions and Examples:

1. Nouns are words that are used to name people, places, animals,
ideas and things. Nouns can be classified into two main categories:
Common nouns and Proper nouns. Common nouns are generic like ball,
car, stick, etc., and proper nouns are more specific like Charles, The
Parliament, The Sun, etc.

Examples of nouns used in sentences:

She bought a pair of shoes. (thing)

I have a pet. (animal)

Is this your book? (object)

Many people have a fear of darkness. (ideas/abstract nouns)

He is my brother. (person)
This is my school. (place)

2. Pronouns are words that are used to substitute a noun in a sentence.

There are different types of pronouns. Some of them are reflexive
pronouns, possessive pronouns, relative pronouns and indefinite
pronouns. I, he, she, it, them, his, yours, anyone, nobody, who, etc., are
some of the pronouns.

Examples of pronouns used in sentences:

I reached home at six in the evening. (1st person singular pronoun)

Did someone see a red bag on the counter? (Indefinite pronoun)

Is this the boy who won the first prize? (Relative pronoun)

That is my mom. (Possessive pronoun)

I hurt myself yesterday when we were playing cricket. (Reflexive

pronoun)

3. Verbs are words that denote an action that is being performed by

the noun or the subject in a sentence. They are also called action
words. Some examples of verbs are read, sit, run, pick, garnish, come,
pitch, etc.

Examples of verbs used in sentences:

She plays cricket every day.

Amit and Arul are going to the movies.

My friends visited me last week.

Did you have your breakfast?

My name is Meenakshi Kishore.

4. Adverbs are words that are used to provide more information about
verbs, adjectives and other adverbs used in a sentence. There are five
main types of adverbs namely, adverbs of manner, adverbs of degree,
adverbs of frequency, adverbs of time and adverbs of place. Some
examples of adverbs are today, quickly, randomly, early, 10 a.m. etc.

Examples of adverbs used in sentences:

Did you come here to buy an umbrella? (Adverb of place)

I did not go to school yesterday as I was sick. (Adverb of time)

Shyam reads the newspaper everyday. (Adverb of frequency)

Can you please come quickly? (Adverb of manner)

Ramesh was so sleepy that he could hardly keep his eyes open during
the meeting. (Adverb of degree)

5. Adjectives are words that are used to describe or provide more

information about the noun or the subject in a sentence. Some
examples of adjectives include good, ugly, quick, beautiful, late, etc.

Examples of adjectives used in sentences:

The place we visited yesterday was serene.

Did you see how big that dog was?

The weather is pleasant today.

The red dress you wore on your birthday was lovely.

My brother had only one loaf of bread for breakfast.

6. Prepositions are words that are used to link one part of the sentence
to another. Prepositions show the position of the object or subject in a
sentence. Some examples of prepositions are in, out, besides, in front
of, below, opposite, etc.

Examples of prepositions used in sentences:

The teacher asked the students to draw lines on the paper so that they
could write in straight lines.

The child hid his birthday presents under his bed.

Mom asked me to go to the store near my school.

The thieves jumped over the wall and escaped before we could reach
home.

7. Conjunctions are a part of speech that is used to connect two

different parts of a sentence, phrases and clauses. Some examples of
conjunctions are: and, or, for, yet, although, because, not only, etc.

Examples of conjunctions used in sentences:

Meera and Jasmine had come to my birthday party.

Ravi did not go to work as he was sick.

Unless you work hard, you cannot score good marks.

I have not finished my project, yet I went out with my friends.

8. Interjections are words that are used to convey strong emotions or

feelings. Some examples of interjections are oh, wow, alas, yippee, etc.
It is always followed by an exclamation mark.

Examples of interjections used in sentences:

Wow! What a wonderful work of art.

Alas! That is really sad.

Yippee! We won the match.

Sentence Examples for the 8 Parts of Speech

Noun – Tom lives in New York.

Pronoun – Did she find the book she was looking for?

Verb – I reached home.

Adverb – The tea is too hot.

Adjective – The movie was amazing.

Preposition – The candle was kept under the table.

Conjunction – I was at home all day, but I am feeling very tired.

Interjection – Oh! I forgot to turn off the stove.

A Small Exercise to Check your Understanding of Parts of Speech

Let us find out if you have understood the different parts of speech and
their functions. Try identifying which part of speech the highlighted
words belong to.

My brother came home late.

I am a good girl.

This is the book I was looking for.

Wow! This is amazing.

The climate in Dehradun is very pleasant.

Can you please pick up Dan and me on your way home?

Now, let us see if you got it right. Check your answers.

My – Pronoun, Home – Noun, Late – Adverb

Am – Verb, Good – Adjective

I – Pronoun, Was looking – Verb

Wow – Interjection, Amazing – Adjective

Climate – Noun, In – Preposition, Kodaikanal – Noun, Very – Adverb

And – Conjunction, On – Preposition, Your – Pronoun

Frequently Asked Questions on Parts of Speech

Q1

What are parts of speech?

The term ‘parts of speech’ refers to words that perform different

functions in a sentence in order to give the sentence a proper meaning
and structure.

Q2

How many parts of speech are there?

There are 8 parts of speech in total.

Q3

What are the 8 parts of speech?

Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions

and interjections are the 8 parts of speech.

Note: , and . (Comma and Full stop)- PERIOD

A full stop (also known as a period) is a punctuation mark used to

indicate the end of a sentence or an abbreviation. It is placed at the end
of a sentence or after certain abbreviations to show the limit or
conclusion of a statement, instruction, or inquiry1.
On the other hand, a comma represents the shortest pause in a
sentence. It is used to:

• Separate three or more words of the same parts of speech (e.g., “I

want to buy a pencil, a sharpener, an eraser, and a notebook.”)
• Mark off phrases in apposition (e.g., “Aashi, my brother’s
daughter, is a doctor.”)
• Separate words or phrases inserted into the body of a sentence
(e.g., “They, too, have expressed their interest in the offer.”)
• Separate a subordinate clause that comes before the main clause
(e.g., “If it rains, we will cancel the trip.”)