explain the 8 parts of speech

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Parts of speech

The 8 Parts of Speech | Chart, Definition & Examples

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 , adjectives , adverbs , prepositions , conjunctions , and interjections . Some modern grammars add others, such as determiners and articles .

Many words can function as different parts of speech depending on how they are used. For example, “laugh” can be a noun (e.g., “I like your laugh”) or a verb (e.g., “don’t laugh”).

Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections

Other parts of speech

Interesting language articles, frequently asked questions.

A noun is a word that refers to a person, concept, place, or thing. Nouns can act as the subject of a sentence (i.e., the person or thing performing the action) or as the object of a verb (i.e., the person or thing affected by the action).

There are numerous types of nouns, including common nouns (used to refer to nonspecific people, concepts, places, or things), proper nouns (used to refer to specific people, concepts, places, or things), and collective nouns (used to refer to a group of people or things).

Ella lives in France .

Other types of nouns include countable and uncountable nouns , concrete nouns , abstract nouns , and gerunds .

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A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. Pronouns typically refer back to an antecedent (a previously mentioned noun) and must demonstrate correct pronoun-antecedent agreement . Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, places, concepts, and things.

There are numerous types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (used in place of the proper name of a person), demonstrative pronouns (used to refer to specific things and indicate their relative position), and interrogative pronouns (used to introduce questions about things, people, and ownership).

That is a horrible painting!

A verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., “jump”), occurrence (e.g., “become”), or state of being (e.g., “exist”). Verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence is doing. Every complete sentence must contain at least one verb.

Verbs can change form depending on subject (e.g., first person singular), tense (e.g., simple past), mood (e.g., interrogative), and voice (e.g., passive voice ).

Regular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participle are formed by adding“-ed” to the end of the word (or “-d” if the word already ends in “e”). Irregular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some other way.

“I’ve already checked twice.”

“I heard that you used to sing .”

Other types of verbs include auxiliary verbs , linking verbs , modal verbs , and phrasal verbs .

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be attributive , appearing before a noun (e.g., “a red hat”), or predicative , appearing after a noun with the use of a linking verb like “to be” (e.g., “the hat is red ”).

Adjectives can also have a comparative function. Comparative adjectives compare two or more things. Superlative adjectives describe something as having the most or least of a specific characteristic.

Other types of adjectives include coordinate adjectives , participial adjectives , and denominal adjectives .

An adverb is a word that can modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or sentence. Adverbs are often formed by adding “-ly” to the end of an adjective (e.g., “slow” becomes “slowly”), although not all adverbs have this ending, and not all words with this ending are adverbs.

There are numerous types of adverbs, including adverbs of manner (used to describe how something occurs), adverbs of degree (used to indicate extent or degree), and adverbs of place (used to describe the location of an action or event).

Talia writes quite quickly.

Other types of adverbs include adverbs of frequency , adverbs of purpose , focusing adverbs , and adverbial phrases .

A preposition is a word (e.g., “at”) or phrase (e.g., “on top of”) used to show the relationship between the different parts of a sentence. Prepositions can be used to indicate aspects such as time , place , and direction .

I left the cup on the kitchen counter.

A conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence (e.g., words, phrases, or clauses).

The main types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions (used to connect items that are grammatically equal), subordinating conjunctions (used to introduce a dependent clause), and correlative conjunctions (used in pairs to join grammatically equal parts of a sentence).

You can choose what movie we watch because I chose the last time.

An interjection is a word or phrase used to express a feeling, give a command, or greet someone. Interjections are a grammatically independent part of speech, so they can often be excluded from a sentence without affecting the meaning.

Types of interjections include volitive interjections (used to make a demand or request), emotive interjections (used to express a feeling or reaction), cognitive interjections (used to indicate thoughts), and greetings and parting words (used at the beginning and end of a conversation).

Ouch ! I hurt my arm.

I’m, um , not sure.

The traditional classification of English words into eight parts of speech is by no means the only one or the objective truth. Grammarians have often divided them into more or fewer classes. Other commonly mentioned parts of speech include determiners and articles.

Determiners

A determiner is a word that describes a noun by indicating quantity, possession, or relative position.

Common types of determiners include demonstrative determiners (used to indicate the relative position of a noun), possessive determiners (used to describe ownership), and quantifiers (used to indicate the quantity of a noun).

My brother is selling his old car.

Other types of determiners include distributive determiners , determiners of difference , and numbers .

An article is a word that modifies a noun by indicating whether it is specific or general.

The definite article the is used to refer to a specific version of a noun. The can be used with all countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., “the door,” “the energy,” “the mountains”).
The indefinite articles a and an refer to general or unspecific nouns. The indefinite articles can only be used with singular countable nouns (e.g., “a poster,” “an engine”).

There’s a concert this weekend.

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech, make sure to check out some of our language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

Common nouns
Proper nouns
Collective nouns
Personal pronouns
Uncountable and countable nouns
Verb tenses
Phrasal verbs
Types of verbs
Active vs passive voice
Subject-verb agreement

A is an indefinite article (along with an ). While articles can be classed as their own part of speech, they’re also considered a type of determiner .

The indefinite articles are used to introduce nonspecific countable nouns (e.g., “a dog,” “an island”).

In is primarily classed as a preposition, but it can be classed as various other parts of speech, depending on how it is used:

Preposition (e.g., “ in the field”)
Noun (e.g., “I have an in with that company”)
Adjective (e.g., “Tim is part of the in crowd”)
Adverb (e.g., “Will you be in this evening?”)

As a part of speech, and is classed as a conjunction . Specifically, it’s a coordinating conjunction .

And can be used to connect grammatically equal parts of a sentence, such as two nouns (e.g., “a cup and plate”), or two adjectives (e.g., “strong and smart”). And can also be used to connect phrases and clauses.

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General Education

If you’re trying to learn the grammatical rules of English, you’ve probably been asked to learn the parts of speech. But what are parts of speech and how many are there? How do you know which words are classified in each part of speech?

The answers to these questions can be a bit complicated—English is a difficult language to learn and understand. Don’t fret, though! We’re going to answer each of these questions for you with a full guide to the parts of speech that explains the following:

What the parts of speech are, including a comprehensive parts of speech list
Parts of speech definitions for the individual parts of speech. (If you’re looking for information on a specific part of speech, you can search for it by pressing Command + F, then typing in the part of speech you’re interested in.)
Parts of speech examples
A ten question quiz covering parts of speech definitions and parts of speech examples

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s begin!

Feature Image: (Gavina S / Wikimedia Commons)

What Are Parts of Speech?

The parts of speech definitions in English can vary, but here’s a widely accepted one: a part of speech is a category of words that serve a similar grammatical purpose in sentences.

To make that definition even simpler, a part of speech is just a category for similar types of words . All of the types of words included under a single part of speech function in similar ways when they’re used properly in sentences.

In the English language, it’s commonly accepted that there are 8 parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, and prepositions. Each of these categories plays a different role in communicating meaning in the English language. Each of the eight parts of speech—which we might also call the “main classes” of speech—also have subclasses. In other words, we can think of each of the eight parts of speech as being general categories for different types within their part of speech . There are different types of nouns, different types of verbs, different types of adjectives, adverbs, pronouns...you get the idea.

And that’s an overview of what a part of speech is! Next, we’ll explain each of the 8 parts of speech—definitions and examples included for each category.

There are tons of nouns in this picture. Can you find them all?

Nouns are a class of words that refer, generally, to people and living creatures, objects, events, ideas, states of being, places, and actions. You’ve probably heard English nouns referred to as “persons, places, or things.” That definition is a little simplistic, though—while nouns do include people, places, and things, “things” is kind of a vague term. I t’s important to recognize that “things” can include physical things—like objects or belongings—and nonphysical, abstract things—like ideas, states of existence, and actions.

Since there are many different types of nouns, we’ll include several examples of nouns used in a sentence while we break down the subclasses of nouns next!

Subclasses of Nouns, Including Examples

As an open class of words, the category of “nouns” has a lot of subclasses. The most common and important subclasses of nouns are common nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, and count and mass nouns. Let’s break down each of these subclasses!

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Common nouns are generic nouns—they don’t name specific items. They refer to people (the man, the woman), living creatures (cat, bird), objects (pen, computer, car), events (party, work), ideas (culture, freedom), states of being (beauty, integrity), and places (home, neighborhood, country) in a general way.

Proper nouns are sort of the counterpart to common nouns. Proper nouns refer to specific people, places, events, or ideas. Names are the most obvious example of proper nouns, like in these two examples:

Common noun: What state are you from?

Proper noun: I’m from Arizona .

Whereas “state” is a common noun, Arizona is a proper noun since it refers to a specific state. Whereas “the election” is a common noun, “Election Day” is a proper noun. Another way to pick out proper nouns: the first letter is often capitalized. If you’d capitalize the word in a sentence, it’s almost always a proper noun.

Concrete Nouns and Abstract Nouns

Concrete nouns are nouns that can be identified through the five senses. Concrete nouns include people, living creatures, objects, and places, since these things can be sensed in the physical world. In contrast to concrete nouns, abstract nouns are nouns that identify ideas, qualities, concepts, experiences, or states of being. Abstract nouns cannot be detected by the five senses. Here’s an example of concrete and abstract nouns used in a sentence:

Concrete noun: Could you please fix the weedeater and mow the lawn ?

Abstract noun: Aliyah was delighted to have the freedom to enjoy the art show in peace .

See the difference? A weedeater and the lawn are physical objects or things, and freedom and peace are not physical objects, though they’re “things” people experience! Despite those differences, they all count as nouns.

Collective Nouns, Count Nouns, and Mass Nouns

Nouns are often categorized based on number and amount. Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group of something—often groups of people or a type of animal. Team , crowd , and herd are all examples of collective nouns.

Count nouns are nouns that can appear in the singular or plural form, can be modified by numbers, and can be described by quantifying determiners (e.g. many, most, more, several). For example, “bug” is a count noun. It can occur in singular form if you say, “There is a bug in the kitchen,” but it can also occur in the plural form if you say, “There are many bugs in the kitchen.” (In the case of the latter, you’d call an exterminator...which is an example of a common noun!) Any noun that can accurately occur in one of these singular or plural forms is a count noun.

Mass nouns are another type of noun that involve numbers and amount. Mass nouns are nouns that usually can’t be pluralized, counted, or quantified and still make sense grammatically. “Charisma” is an example of a mass noun (and an abstract noun!). For example, you could say, “They’ve got charisma, ” which doesn’t imply a specific amount. You couldn’t say, “They’ve got six charismas, ” or, “They’ve got several charismas .” It just doesn’t make sense!

Verbs are all about action...just like these runners.

A verb is a part of speech that, when used in a sentence, communicates an action, an occurrence, or a state of being . In sentences, verbs are the most important part of the predicate, which explains or describes what the subject of the sentence is doing or how they are being. And, guess what? All sentences contain verbs!

There are many words in the English language that are classified as verbs. A few common verbs include the words run, sing, cook, talk, and clean. These words are all verbs because they communicate an action performed by a living being. We’ll look at more specific examples of verbs as we discuss the subclasses of verbs next!

Subclasses of Verbs, Including Examples

Like nouns, verbs have several subclasses. The subclasses of verbs include copular or linking verbs, intransitive verbs, transitive verbs, and ditransitive or double transitive verbs. Let’s dive into these subclasses of verbs!

Copular or Linking Verbs

Copular verbs, or linking verbs, are verbs that link a subject with its complement in a sentence. The most familiar linking verb is probably be. Here’s a list of other common copular verbs in English: act, be, become, feel, grow, seem, smell, and taste.

So how do copular verbs work? Well, in a sentence, if we said, “Michi is ,” and left it at that, it wouldn’t make any sense. “Michi,” the subject, needs to be connected to a complement by the copular verb “is.” Instead, we could say, “Michi is leaving.” In that instance, is links the subject of the sentence to its complement.

Transitive Verbs, Intransitive Verbs, and Ditransitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are verbs that affect or act upon an object. When unattached to an object in a sentence, a transitive verb does not make sense. Here’s an example of a transitive verb attached to (and appearing before) an object in a sentence:

Please take the clothes to the dry cleaners.

In this example, “take” is a transitive verb because it requires an object—”the clothes”—to make sense. “The clothes” are the objects being taken. “Please take” wouldn’t make sense by itself, would it? That’s because the transitive verb “take,” like all transitive verbs, transfers its action onto another being or object.

Conversely, intransitive verbs don’t require an object to act upon in order to make sense in a sentence. These verbs make sense all on their own! For instance, “They ran ,” “We arrived ,” and, “The car stopped ” are all examples of sentences that contain intransitive verbs.

Finally, ditransitive verbs, or double transitive verbs, are a bit more complicated. Ditransitive verbs are verbs that are followed by two objects in a sentence . One of the objects has the action of the ditransitive verb done to it, and the other object has the action of the ditransitive verb directed towards it. Here’s an example of what that means in a sentence:

I cooked Nathan a meal.

In this example, “cooked” is a ditransitive verb because it modifies two objects: Nathan and meal . The meal has the action of “cooked” done to it, and “Nathan” has the action of the verb directed towards him.

Adjectives are descriptors that help us better understand a sentence. A common adjective type is color.

#3: Adjectives

Here’s the simplest definition of adjectives: adjectives are words that describe other words . Specifically, adjectives modify nouns and noun phrases. In sentences, adjectives appear before nouns and pronouns (they have to appear before the words they describe!).

Adjectives give more detail to nouns and pronouns by describing how a noun looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels, or its state of being or existence. . For example, you could say, “The girl rode her bike.” That sentence doesn’t have any adjectives in it, but you could add an adjective before both of the nouns in the sentence—”girl” and “bike”—to give more detail to the sentence. It might read like this: “The young girl rode her red bike.” You can pick out adjectives in a sentence by asking the following questions:

Which one?
What kind?
How many?
Whose’s?

We’ll look at more examples of adjectives as we explore the subclasses of adjectives next!

Subclasses of Adjectives, Including Examples

Subclasses of adjectives include adjective phrases, comparative adjectives, superlative adjectives, and determiners (which include articles, possessive adjectives, and demonstratives).

Adjective Phrases

An adjective phrase is a group of words that describe a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. Adjective phrases can appear before the noun or noun phrase in a sentence, like in this example:

The extremely fragile vase somehow did not break during the move.

In this case, extremely fragile describes the vase. On the other hand, adjective phrases can appear after the noun or noun phrase in a sentence as well:

The museum was somewhat boring.

Again, the phrase somewhat boring describes the museum. The takeaway is this: adjective phrases describe the subject of a sentence with greater detail than an individual adjective.

Comparative Adjectives and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used in sentences where two nouns are compared. They function to compare the differences between the two nouns that they modify. In sentences, comparative adjectives often appear in this pattern and typically end with -er. If we were to describe how comparative adjectives function as a formula, it might look something like this:

Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).

Here’s an example of how a comparative adjective would work in that type of sentence:

The horse was faster than the dog.

The adjective faster compares the speed of the horse to the speed of the dog. Other common comparative adjectives include words that compare distance ( higher, lower, farther ), age ( younger, older ), size and dimensions ( bigger, smaller, wider, taller, shorter ), and quality or feeling ( better, cleaner, happier, angrier ).

Superlative adjectives are adjectives that describe the extremes of a quality that applies to a subject being compared to a group of objects . Put more simply, superlative adjectives help show how extreme something is. In sentences, superlative adjectives usually appear in this structure and end in -est :

Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object).

Here’s an example of a superlative adjective that appears in that type of sentence:

Their story was the funniest story.

In this example, the subject— story —is being compared to a group of objects—other stories. The superlative adjective “funniest” implies that this particular story is the funniest out of all the stories ever, period. Other common superlative adjectives are best, worst, craziest, and happiest... though there are many more than that!

It’s also important to know that you can often omit the object from the end of the sentence when using superlative adjectives, like this: “Their story was the funniest.” We still know that “their story” is being compared to other stories without the object at the end of the sentence.

Determiners

The last subclass of adjectives we want to look at are determiners. Determiners are words that determine what kind of reference a noun or noun phrase makes. These words are placed in front of nouns to make it clear what the noun is referring to. Determiners are an example of a part of speech subclass that contains a lot of subclasses of its own. Here is a list of the different types of determiners:

Definite article: the
Indefinite articles : a, an
Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
Pronouns and possessive determiners: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Quantifiers : a little, a few, many, much, most, some, any, enough
Numbers: one, twenty, fifty
Distributives: all, both, half, either, neither, each, every
Difference words : other, another
Pre-determiners: such, what, rather, quite

Here are some examples of how determiners can be used in sentences:

Definite article: Get in the car.

Demonstrative: Could you hand me that magazine?

Possessive determiner: Please put away your clothes.

Distributive: He ate all of the pie.

Though some of the words above might not seem descriptive, they actually do describe the specificity and definiteness, relationship, and quantity or amount of a noun or noun phrase. For example, the definite article “the” (a type of determiner) indicates that a noun refers to a specific thing or entity. The indefinite article “an,” on the other hand, indicates that a noun refers to a nonspecific entity.

One quick note, since English is always more complicated than it seems: while articles are most commonly classified as adjectives, they can also function as adverbs in specific situations, too. Not only that, some people are taught that determiners are their own part of speech...which means that some people are taught there are 9 parts of speech instead of 8!

It can be a little confusing, which is why we have a whole article explaining how articles function as a part of speech to help clear things up .

Adverbs can be used to answer questions like "when?" and "how long?"

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives (including determiners), clauses, prepositions, and sentences. Adverbs typically answer the questions how?, in what way?, when?, where?, and to what extent? In answering these questions, adverbs function to express frequency, degree, manner, time, place, and level of certainty . Adverbs can answer these questions in the form of single words, or in the form of adverbial phrases or adverbial clauses.

Adverbs are commonly known for being words that end in -ly, but there’s actually a bit more to adverbs than that, which we’ll dive into while we look at the subclasses of adverbs!

Subclasses Of Adverbs, Including Examples

There are many types of adverbs, but the main subclasses we’ll look at are conjunctive adverbs, and adverbs of place, time, manner, degree, and frequency.

Conjunctive Adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs look like coordinating conjunctions (which we’ll talk about later!), but they are actually their own category: conjunctive adverbs are words that connect independent clauses into a single sentence . These adverbs appear after a semicolon and before a comma in sentences, like in these two examples:

She was exhausted; nevertheless , she went for a five mile run.

They didn’t call; instead , they texted.

Though conjunctive adverbs are frequently used to create shorter sentences using a semicolon and comma, they can also appear at the beginning of sentences, like this:

He chopped the vegetables. Meanwhile, I boiled the pasta.

One thing to keep in mind is that conjunctive adverbs come with a comma. When you use them, be sure to include a comma afterward!

There are a lot of conjunctive adverbs, but some common ones include also, anyway, besides, finally, further, however, indeed, instead, meanwhile, nevertheless, next, nonetheless, now, otherwise, similarly, then, therefore, and thus.

Adverbs of Place, Time, Manner, Degree, and Frequency

There are also adverbs of place, time, manner, degree, and frequency. Each of these types of adverbs express a different kind of meaning.

Adverbs of place express where an action is done or where an event occurs. These are used after the verb, direct object, or at the end of a sentence. A sentence like “She walked outside to watch the sunset” uses outside as an adverb of place.

Adverbs of time explain when something happens. These adverbs are used at the beginning or at the end of sentences. In a sentence like “The game should be over soon,” soon functions as an adverb of time.

Adverbs of manner describe the way in which something is done or how something happens. These are the adverbs that usually end in the familiar -ly. If we were to write “She quickly finished her homework,” quickly is an adverb of manner.

Adverbs of degree tell us the extent to which something happens or occurs. If we were to say “The play was quite interesting,” quite tells us the extent of how interesting the play was. Thus, quite is an adverb of degree.

Finally, adverbs of frequency express how often something happens . In a sentence like “They never know what to do with themselves,” never is an adverb of frequency.

Five subclasses of adverbs is a lot, so we’ve organized the words that fall under each category in a nifty table for you here:

It’s important to know about these subclasses of adverbs because many of them don’t follow the old adage that adverbs end in -ly.

Here's a helpful list of pronouns. (Attanata / Flickr )

#5: Pronouns

Pronouns are words that can be substituted for a noun or noun phrase in a sentence . Pronouns function to make sentences less clunky by allowing people to avoid repeating nouns over and over. For example, if you were telling someone a story about your friend Destiny, you wouldn’t keep repeating their name over and over again every time you referred to them. Instead, you’d use a pronoun—like they or them—to refer to Destiny throughout the story.

Pronouns are typically short words, often only two or three letters long. The most familiar pronouns in the English language are they, she, and he. But these aren’t the only pronouns. There are many more pronouns in English that fall under different subclasses!

Subclasses of Pronouns, Including Examples

There are many subclasses of pronouns, but the most commonly used subclasses are personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and interrogative pronouns.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are probably the most familiar type of pronoun. Personal pronouns include I, me, you, she, her, him, he, we, us, they, and them. These are called personal pronouns because they refer to a person! Personal pronouns can replace specific nouns in sentences, like a person’s name, or refer to specific groups of people, like in these examples:

Did you see Gia pole vault at the track meet? Her form was incredible!

The Cycling Club is meeting up at six. They said they would be at the park.

In both of the examples above, a pronoun stands in for a proper noun to avoid repetitiveness. Her replaces Gia in the first example, and they replaces the Cycling Club in the second example.

(It’s also worth noting that personal pronouns are one of the easiest ways to determine what point of view a writer is using.)

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to indicate that something belongs to or is the possession of someone. The possessive pronouns fall into two categories: limiting and absolute. In a sentence, absolute possessive pronouns can be substituted for the thing that belongs to a person, and limiting pronouns cannot.

The limiting pronouns are my, your, its, his, her, our, their, and whose, and the absolute pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs . Here are examples of a limiting possessive pronoun and absolute possessive pronoun used in a sentence:

Limiting possessive pronoun: Juan is fixing his car.

In the example above, the car belongs to Juan, and his is the limiting possessive pronoun that shows the car belongs to Juan. Now, here’s an example of an absolute pronoun in a sentence:

Absolute possessive pronoun: Did you buy your tickets ? We already bought ours .

In this example, the tickets belong to whoever we is, and in the second sentence, ours is the absolute possessive pronoun standing in for the thing that “we” possess—the tickets.

Demonstrative Pronouns, Interrogative Pronouns, and Indefinite Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns include the words that, this, these, and those. These pronouns stand in for a noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned in a sentence or conversation. This and these are typically used to refer to objects or entities that are nearby distance-wise, and that and those usually refer to objects or entities that are farther away. Here’s an example of a demonstrative pronoun used in a sentence:

The books are stacked up in the garage. Can you put those away?

The books have already been mentioned, and those is the demonstrative pronoun that stands in to refer to them in the second sentence above. The use of those indicates that the books aren’t nearby—they’re out in the garage. Here’s another example:

Do you need shoes? Here...you can borrow these.

In this sentence, these refers to the noun shoes. Using the word these tells readers that the shoes are nearby...maybe even on the speaker’s feet!

Indefinite pronouns are used when it isn’t necessary to identify a specific person or thing . The indefinite pronouns are one, other, none, some, anybody, everybody, and no one. Here’s one example of an indefinite pronoun used in a sentence:

Promise you can keep a secret?

Of course. I won’t tell anyone.

In this example, the person speaking in the second two sentences isn’t referring to any particular people who they won’t tell the secret to. They’re saying that, in general, they won’t tell anyone . That doesn’t specify a specific number, type, or category of people who they won’t tell the secret to, which is what makes the pronoun indefinite.

Finally, interrogative pronouns are used in questions, and these pronouns include who, what, which, and whose. These pronouns are simply used to gather information about specific nouns—persons, places, and ideas. Let’s look at two examples of interrogative pronouns used in sentences:

Do you remember which glass was mine?

What time are they arriving?

In the first glass, the speaker wants to know more about which glass belongs to whom. In the second sentence, the speaker is asking for more clarity about a specific time.

Conjunctions hook phrases and clauses together so they fit like pieces of a puzzle.

#6: Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that are used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences in the English language. This function allows conjunctions to connect actions, ideas, and thoughts as well. Conjunctions are also used to make lists within sentences. (Conjunctions are also probably the most famous part of speech, since they were immortalized in the famous “Conjunction Junction” song from Schoolhouse Rock .)

You’re probably familiar with and, but, and or as conjunctions, but let’s look into some subclasses of conjunctions so you can learn about the array of conjunctions that are out there!

Subclasses of Conjunctions, Including Examples

Coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and correlative conjunctions are three subclasses of conjunctions. Each of these types of conjunctions functions in a different way in sentences!

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are probably the most familiar type of conjunction. These conjunctions include the words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (people often recommend using the acronym FANBOYS to remember the seven coordinating conjunctions!).

Coordinating conjunctions are responsible for connecting two independent clauses in sentences, but can also be used to connect two words in a sentence. Here are two examples of coordinating conjunctions that connect two independent clauses in a sentence:

He wanted to go to the movies, but he couldn’t find his car keys.

They put on sunscreen, and they went to the beach.

Next, here are two examples of coordinating conjunctions that connect two words:

Would you like to cook or order in for dinner?

The storm was loud yet refreshing.

The two examples above show that coordinating conjunctions can connect different types of words as well. In the first example, the coordinating conjunction “or” connects two verbs; in the second example, the coordinating conjunction “yet” connects two adjectives.

But wait! Why does the first set of sentences have commas while the second set of sentences doesn’t? When using a coordinating conjunction, put a comma before the conjunction when it’s connecting two complete sentences . Otherwise, there’s no comma necessary.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions are used to link an independent clause to a dependent clause in a sentence. This type of conjunction always appears at the beginning of a dependent clause, which means that subordinating conjunctions can appear at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence following an independent clause. (If you’re unsure about what independent and dependent clauses are, be sure to check out our guide to compound sentences.)

Here is an example of a subordinating conjunction that appears at the beginning of a sentence:

Because we were hungry, we ordered way too much food.

Now, here’s an example of a subordinating conjunction that appears in the middle of a sentence, following an independent clause and a comma:

Rakim was scared after the power went out.

See? In the example above, the subordinating conjunction after connects the independent clause Rakim was scared to the dependent clause after the power went out. Subordinating conjunctions include (but are not limited to!) the following words: after, as, because, before, even though, one, since, unless, until, whenever, and while.

Correlative Conjunctions

Finally, correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that come in pairs, like both/and, either/or, and neither/nor. The two correlative conjunctions that come in a pair must appear in different parts of a sentence to make sense— they correlate the meaning in one part of the sentence with the meaning in another part of the sentence . Makes sense, right?

Here are two examples of correlative conjunctions used in a sentence:

We’re either going to the Farmer’s Market or the Natural Grocer’s for our shopping today.

They’re going to have to get dog treats for both Piper and Fudge.

Other pairs of correlative conjunctions include as many/as, not/but, not only/but also, rather/than, such/that, and whether/or.

Interjections are single words that express emotions that end in an exclamation point. Cool!

#7: Interjections

Interjections are words that often appear at the beginning of sentences or between sentences to express emotions or sentiments such as excitement, surprise, joy, disgust, anger, or even pain. Commonly used interjections include wow!, yikes!, ouch!, or ugh! One clue that an interjection is being used is when an exclamation point appears after a single word (but interjections don’t have to be followed by an exclamation point). And, since interjections usually express emotion or feeling, they’re often referred to as being exclamatory. Wow!

Interjections don’t come together with other parts of speech to form bigger grammatical units, like phrases or clauses. There also aren’t strict rules about where interjections should appear in relation to other sentences . While it’s common for interjections to appear before sentences that describe an action or event that the interjection helps explain, interjections can appear after sentences that contain the action they’re describing as well.

Subclasses of Interjections, Including Examples

There are two main subclasses of interjections: primary interjections and secondary interjections. Let’s take a look at these two types of interjections!

Primary Interjections

Primary interjections are single words, like oh!, wow!, or ouch! that don’t enter into the actual structure of a sentence but add to the meaning of a sentence. Here’s an example of how a primary interjection can be used before a sentence to add to the meaning of the sentence that follows it:

Ouch ! I just burned myself on that pan!

While someone who hears, I just burned myself on that pan might assume that the person who said that is now in pain, the interjection Ouch! makes it clear that burning oneself on the pan definitely was painful.

Secondary Interjections

Secondary interjections are words that have other meanings but have evolved to be used like interjections in the English language and are often exclamatory. Secondary interjections can be mixed with greetings, oaths, or swear words. In many cases, the use of secondary interjections negates the original meaning of the word that is being used as an interjection. Let’s look at a couple of examples of secondary interjections here:

Well , look what the cat dragged in!

Heck, I’d help if I could, but I’ve got to get to work.

You probably know that the words well and heck weren’t originally used as interjections in the English language. Well originally meant that something was done in a good or satisfactory way, or that a person was in good health. Over time and through repeated usage, it’s come to be used as a way to express emotion, such as surprise, anger, relief, or resignation, like in the example above.

This is a handy list of common prepositional phrases. (attanatta / Flickr)

#8: Prepositions

The last part of speech we’re going to define is the preposition. Prepositions are words that are used to connect other words in a sentence—typically nouns and verbs—and show the relationship between those words. Prepositions convey concepts such as comparison, position, place, direction, movement, time, possession, and how an action is completed.

Subclasses of Prepositions, Including Examples

The subclasses of prepositions are simple prepositions, double prepositions, participle prepositions, and prepositional phrases.

Simple Prepositions

Simple prepositions appear before and between nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences to convey relationships between people, living creatures, things, or places . Here are a couple of examples of simple prepositions used in sentences:

I’ll order more ink before we run out.

Your phone was beside your wallet.

In the first example, the preposition before appears between the noun ink and the personal pronoun we to convey a relationship. In the second example, the preposition beside appears between the verb was and the possessive pronoun your.

In both examples, though, the prepositions help us understand how elements in the sentence are related to one another. In the first sentence, we know that the speaker currently has ink but needs more before it’s gone. In the second sentence, the preposition beside helps us understand how the wallet and the phone are positioned relative to one another!

Double Prepositions

Double prepositions are exactly what they sound like: two prepositions joined together into one unit to connect phrases, nouns, and pronouns with other words in a sentence. Common examples of double prepositions include outside of, because of, according to, next to, across from, and on top of. Here is an example of a double preposition in a sentence:

I thought you were sitting across from me.

You see? Across and from both function as prepositions individually. When combined together in a sentence, they create a double preposition. (Also note that the prepositions help us understand how two people— you and I— are positioned with one another through spacial relationship.)

Prepositional Phrases

Finally, prepositional phrases are groups of words that include a preposition and a noun or pronoun. Typically, the noun or pronoun that appears after the preposition in a prepositional phrase is called the object of the preposition. The object always appears at the end of the prepositional phrase. Additionally, prepositional phrases never include a verb or a subject. Here are two examples of prepositional phrases:

The cat sat under the chair .

In the example above, “under” is the preposition, and “the chair” is the noun, which functions as the object of the preposition. Here’s one more example:

We walked through the overgrown field .

Now, this example demonstrates one more thing you need to know about prepositional phrases: they can include an adjective before the object. In this example, “through” is the preposition, and “field” is the object. “Overgrown” is an adjective that modifies “the field,” and it’s quite common for adjectives to appear in prepositional phrases like the one above.

While that might sound confusing, don’t worry: the key is identifying the preposition in the first place! Once you can find the preposition, you can start looking at the words around it to see if it forms a compound preposition, a double preposition of a prepositional phrase.

10 Question Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Parts of Speech Definitions and Examples

Since we’ve covered a lot of material about the 8 parts of speech with examples ( a lot of them!), we want to give you an opportunity to review and see what you’ve learned! While it might seem easier to just use a parts of speech finder instead of learning all this stuff, our parts of speech quiz can help you continue building your knowledge of the 8 parts of speech and master each one.

Are you ready? Here we go:

1) What are the 8 parts of speech?

a) Noun, article, adverb, antecedent, verb, adjective, conjunction, interjection b) Noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, determiner, clause, adjective, preposition c) Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, conjunction, interjection, preposition

2) Which parts of speech have subclasses?

a) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs b) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions c) All of them! There are many types of words within each part of speech.

3) What is the difference between common nouns and proper nouns?

a) Common nouns don’t refer to specific people, places, or entities, but proper nouns do refer to specific people, places, or entities. b) Common nouns refer to regular, everyday people, places, or entities, but proper nouns refer to famous people, places, or entities. c) Common nouns refer to physical entities, like people, places, and objects, but proper nouns refer to nonphysical entities, like feelings, ideas, and experiences.

4) In which of the following sentences is the emboldened word a verb?

a) He was frightened by the horror film . b) He adjusted his expectations after the first plan fell through. c) She walked briskly to get there on time.

5) Which of the following is a correct definition of adjectives, and what other part of speech do adjectives modify?

a) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify nouns and noun phrases. b) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify verbs and adverbs. c) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify nouns, verbs, and adverbs.

6) Which of the following describes the function of adverbs in sentences?

a) Adverbs express frequency, degree, manner, time, place, and level of certainty. b) Adverbs express an action performed by a subject. c) Adverbs describe nouns and noun phrases.

7) Which of the following answers contains a list of personal pronouns?

a) This, that, these, those b) I, you, me, we, he, she, him, her, they, them c) Who, what, which, whose

8) Where do interjections typically appear in a sentence?

a) Interjections can appear at the beginning of or in between sentences. b) Interjections appear at the end of sentences. c) Interjections appear in prepositional phrases.

9) Which of the following sentences contains a prepositional phrase?

a) The dog happily wagged his tail. b) The cow jumped over the moon. c) She glared, angry that he forgot the flowers.

10) Which of the following is an accurate definition of a “part of speech”?

a) A category of words that serve a similar grammatical purpose in sentences. b) A category of words that are of similar length and spelling. c) A category of words that mean the same thing.

So, how did you do? If you got 1C, 2C, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6A, 7B, 8A, 9B, and 10A, you came out on top! There’s a lot to remember where the parts of speech are concerned, and if you’re looking for more practice like our quiz, try looking around for parts of speech games or parts of speech worksheets online!

What’s Next?

You might be brushing up on your grammar so you can ace the verbal portions of the SAT or ACT. Be sure you check out our guides to the grammar you need to know before you tackle those tests! Here’s our expert guide to the grammar rules you need to know for the SAT , and this article teaches you the 14 grammar rules you’ll definitely see on the ACT.

When you have a good handle on parts of speech, it can make writing essays tons easier. Learn how knowing parts of speech can help you get a perfect 12 on the ACT Essay (or an 8/8/8 on the SAT Essay ).

While we’re on the topic of grammar: keep in mind that knowing grammar rules is only part of the battle when it comes to the verbal and written portions of the SAT and ACT. Having a good vocabulary is also important to making the perfect score ! Here are 262 vocabulary words you need to know before you tackle your standardized tests.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Understanding the 8 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

Are you trying to master the grammatical rules of English? If so, understanding the 8 parts of speech is crucial. But what exactly are the parts of speech? How many are there? And how do you know which words fall into each category? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this comprehensive guide, we will break down the definitions and examples of the 8 parts of speech, making it easier for you to navigate the intricacies of the English language.

English can be a challenging language to learn, but by understanding the parts of speech, you’ll gain a solid foundation for constructing sentences with clarity and precision. Whether you’re a student, a writer, or simply someone looking to improve your language skills, this article will provide you with a clear understanding of each part of speech. So, let’s immerse and explore the definitions and examples of the 8 parts of speech, empowering you to communicate effectively and confidently in English.

Key Takeaways

Understanding the 8 parts of speech is crucial for mastering English grammar.
The 8 parts of speech are: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
Nouns represent people, places, things, or ideas.
Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition.
Verbs describe actions or states of being.
Adjectives provide additional details about nouns.
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Prepositions show relationships between words in a sentence.
Conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses together.
Interjections express strong emotions or surprise.

What Are Parts of Speech?

When it comes to understanding the intricacies of English grammar, learning the different parts of speech is crucial. But what exactly are parts of speech? How many are there? And how do you determine which words belong to each part of speech? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll provide clear definitions and examples for each part of speech, helping you navigate the complexities of the English language.

Nouns are words that represent people, places, things, or ideas. They can be common or proper, singular or plural. Examples of nouns include “dog,” “New York City,” and “love.”

Pronouns are words used in place of nouns to avoid repetition. They can refer to individuals or groups. Examples of pronouns include “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.”

Verbs are action words that describe what a subject does or the state of being. They can be in different tenses and forms. Examples of verbs include “run,” “jump,” and “is.”

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, giving more details or information about them. They can describe qualities, size, shape, color, and more. Examples of adjectives include “beautiful,” “large,” and “blue.”

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing information on how, when, where, or to what extent. They often end in “-ly.” Examples of adverbs include “quickly,” “happily,” and “very.”

Prepositions

Prepositions show a relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. They indicate position, direction, time, or manner. Examples of prepositions include “in,” “on,” “at,” and “from.”

Conjunctions

Conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses together. They can be coordinating or subordinating. Examples of conjunctions include “and,” “but,” “or,” and “because.”

Interjections

Interjections are short exclamations used to express emotions or surprise. They are often followed by exclamation marks. Examples of interjections include “Wow,” “Yay,” and “Ouch!”

Parts of Speech

Understanding the different parts of speech is crucial for building a strong foundation in English grammar. Each part of speech plays a unique role in the construction of sentences, providing clarity and meaning to our language. In this section, we will explore the definitions and examples of the eight parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

A noun is a word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea. It can refer to both concrete objects, such as “book” or “dog,” and abstract concepts, such as “love” or “happiness.” Nouns are often referred to as “persons, places, or things,” but it is essential to recognize that they encompass much more than that. Here are some examples of nouns used in sentences:

The cat is sleeping on the couch.
I love to read a good book .
She has a beautiful voice .

Pronouns are words that are used to replace nouns in a sentence. They help avoid repetitive use of nouns and add fluency to our language. Personal pronouns, such as “he,” “she,” or “they,” refer to specific individuals or groups of people. Here are some examples of pronouns used in sentences:

She is going to the store.
We had an amazing time at the party.
Please give me the book.

Verbs are action words that express an action, occurrence, or state of being. They are the backbone of a sentence and provide information about what is happening. Verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on whether they require an object to complete their meaning. Here are some examples of verbs used in sentences:

The dog ran in the park.
I love to swim in the ocean.
They are studying for the exam.

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. They provide additional information about the nouns they accompany, such as their size, color, or quality. Adjectives help make our language more vivid and expressive. Here are some examples of adjectives used in sentences:

She has a beautiful smile.
The blue sky is clear today.
He is a talented musician.

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They provide information about how, when, where, or to what extent an action is performed. Adverbs enhance the meaning of a sentence and add precision to our language. Here are some examples of adverbs used in sentences:

He quickly finished his assignments.
She sings beautifully .
They went outside to play.

Preposition

Prepositions are words that indicate the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. They often express location, direction, time, or manner. Prepositions are essential for understanding spatial and temporal relationships. Here are some examples of prepositions used in sentences:

The cat is under the table.
We walked through the park.
The book is on the shelf.

Conjunction

Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence. They help establish relationships between different parts of a sentence, coordinating or subordinating their meaning. Conjunctions are essential for creating complex sentences. Here are some examples of conjunctions used in sentences:

I will go to the store, but I need to buy milk.
Because it was raining, we stayed indoors.
He likes both chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

Interjection

Interjections are words or phrases used to convey strong emotions or reactions. They are often standalone expressions and can add emphasis or express surprise, joy, or frustration. Interjections bring life and emotion to our language. Here are some examples of interjections used in sentences:

Wow , that’s an impressive performance!
Ouch , that hurt!
Alas , I lost my wallet.

Understanding and mastering the eight parts of speech will greatly enhance your language skills and enable you to effectively communicate in English. From nouns that identify people and things to verbs that express actions, each part of speech contributes to the overall structure and meaning of a sentence. Keep practicing and exploring the various functions of these parts of speech to become a confident English speaker and writer.

Examples of Each Part of Speech

Nouns play a crucial role in sentence construction as they represent people, places, things, or ideas. Here are some examples of nouns:

Pronouns, on the other hand, replace nouns to avoid repetition. Here are a few examples for better understanding:

If you leave now, only James and I will remain behind.
Their feet ached more than ours .

Verbs express actions, feelings, or states of being. Check out these verb examples:

We sang songs , danced all night , and by the morning had fallen in love .
Can you bring me something from the kitchen?

Adjectives add descriptions to nouns. Here are a few examples:

The tall building stood out in the city skyline.

Adverbs add meaning to verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Take a look at these examples:

The car drove quickly down the street.
She performed very well in the competition.

Prepositions express the relationship between nouns, pronouns, and other words. Here are some examples:

The book is on the table.
The cat jumped over the fence.

Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence. Check out these examples:

He likes tea and coffee.
She is tired, but she is determined to finish the project.

Interjections convey strong emotions or sudden reactions. Here are a few examples:

Wow , what a beautiful sunset!
Oh no , I forgot to bring my umbrella.

Remember, understanding the different parts of speech and their functions is crucial in constructing meaningful sentences. Keep practicing and exploring the various examples to strengthen your language skills.

Now that you have a clear understanding of the eight parts of speech in English grammar, you are equipped with the knowledge to construct sentences with precision and clarity. By mastering the definitions and examples of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections, you can effectively communicate in English.

Each part of speech serves a unique purpose in sentence construction, providing meaning and structure to our language. Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas, while pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition. Verbs express actions or states of being, while adjectives and adverbs provide descriptions and modify other words. Prepositions indicate relationships between words, conjunctions connect words or phrases, and interjections express strong emotions.

By practicing and exploring the functions of these parts of speech, you will become a confident English speaker and writer. Remember to apply this knowledge in your daily conversations and written communication to enhance your language skills.

Continue to refine your understanding and usage of the eight parts of speech, and watch as your language abilities flourish.

Parts of Speech - Definition, 8 Types and Examples

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 article.

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.

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”.

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 White House, 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)

Also, explore Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns .

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.
Darshana 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)
Savio reads the newspaper everyday . (Adverb of frequency)
Can you please come quickly ? (Adverb of manner)
Tony 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 chapati 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.
Jane did not go to work as she 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.

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.
Whoa ! This is amazing .
The climate in Kodaikanal 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
Whoa – Interjection, Amazing – Adjective
Climate – Noun, In – Preposition, Kodaikanal – Noun, Very – Adverb
And – Conjunction, On – Preposition, Your – Pronoun

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.

How many parts of speech are there?

There are 8 parts of speech in total.

What are the 8 parts of speech?

Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections are the 8 parts of speech.

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The 8 Parts Of Speech In English

There are eight major parts of speech .

Nouns name persons, places, things, ideas, or qualities, e.g., Franklin, boy, Yangtze River, shoreline, Bible, desk, fear, happiness.
Pronouns usually substitute for nouns and function as nouns, e.g., I, you, he, she, it, we, they, myself, this, that, who, which, everyone.
Verbs express actions, occurrences, or states of being, e.g., be, become, bunt, inflate, run.
Adjectives describe or modify nouns or pronouns, e.g., gentle, helpful, small.
Adverbs describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, e.g., almost, gently, helpfully, someday.
Prepositions relate nouns or pronouns to other words in a sentence, e.g., about, at, down, for, of, with.
Conjunctions link words, clauses, and phrases. There are coordinating conjunctions that link words, clauses, or phrases of equal importance, and there are subordinating conjunctions that introduce subordinate clauses and link them to main clauses.
Interjections express feeling or command attention, either alone or in a sentence, e.g., darn, hey, oh, wow.

Some words ( adjectives , adverbs , interjections , nouns , verbs ) are productive classes allowing new members; others, with functional rather than lexical meaning ( articles , conjunctions , prepositions ) are nonproductive and have a limited number of members.

Some grammarians consider articles , quantifiers , and numerals to also be parts of speech.

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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:

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

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Types of Clauses in English Grammar - Independent and Dependent Clause

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How to Use Either and Neither with Examples

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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.

Using Object Complements in a Sentence

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Phrases and Clauses - Building good sentences

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Nominalisation in English Grammar: High Level Writing Tips

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Subject Complements: Predicate Adjectives and Predicate Nominatives

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The Eight Parts of Speech Explained

English Pronunciation

What exactly are the eight parts of speech, and why are they important?

When we dive into the English language, it’s like exploring a vast ocean. The eight parts of speech are our navigational tools, guiding us through the waves of communication. These categories include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, and interjections. Each plays a unique role, from naming objects and people (nouns) to expressing actions (verbs) and describing qualities (adjectives).

Nouns: The Naming Power

Nouns are like the anchors of language, naming people, places, things, and ideas. They’re the subjects and objects in our sentences, the main characters in our stories. Without nouns, our sentences would lack substance and clarity.

Verbs: The Action Heroes

Verbs bring our sentences to life, showcasing actions and states of being. They’re the heartbeats of our statements, pumping energy and movement into our words. Understanding verbs means unlocking the dynamics of communication.

Adjectives: The Detail Providers

Adjectives are the spice of language, adding flavor and detail to nouns. They help us visualize and differentiate, turning bland descriptions into vivid scenes. Through adjectives, we express sizes, colors, qualities, and more.

Adverbs: The Enhancers

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, adding layers of meaning. They answer how, when, where, and to what extent, refining our expressions with precision and nuance.

Prepositions: The Relationship Builders

Prepositions are the connectors, establishing relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other words in a sentence. They give us context, linking ideas through time, space, and logic.

Conjunctions: The Bridge Builders

Conjunctions are the bridges of language, linking words, phrases, or clauses. They’re the glue holding our ideas together, ensuring coherence and unity in our expressions.

Pronouns: The Stand-ins

Pronouns replace nouns, preventing repetition and making our sentences smoother. They’re the shape-shifters of language, adapting their form to maintain clarity and continuity.

Interjections: The Emotion Expressers

Interjections are the outbursts of language, conveying emotions and reactions. They’re the exclamations that punctuate our sentences, injecting personality and feeling.

The Importance of Understanding

Grasping the eight parts of speech is like holding a map of the language. It’s not just about grammar; it’s about enriching our communication, making it more effective, expressive, and engaging. Through this understanding, we navigate the complexities of English with confidence and creativity.

A Dynamic Landscape

Language is a living, breathing entity, constantly evolving. The parts of speech are not rigid categories but flexible tools, allowing for playful and inventive use. By mastering these fundamentals , we unlock the potential for limitless expression, crafting messages that resonate and inspire.

As we move forward, remember that the journey through the parts of speech is a journey into the heart of communication itself. Stay curious, stay engaged, and let’s explore the depth and breadth of English together.

Nouns in Detail As Parts Of Speech

How do nouns function in a sentence, and what types are there.

The Essence of Nouns

Diving into the world of nouns is like entering a vast library, where every book represents a different noun. These are the backbone of English, categorizing the world into people, places, things, and ideas. Nouns serve as the subjects and objects in our sentences, around which actions revolve and descriptions cling.

Types of Nouns

Nouns wear many hats, each bringing a different shade of meaning to the sentence. Here’s a quick rundown:

Common Nouns : These are your everyday words for things, like ‘dog’, ‘city’, and ‘happiness’.
Proper Nouns : These are the VIPs, always capitalized, naming specific people, places, or organizations, such as ‘Elizabeth’, ‘Paris’, or ‘Google’.
Countable Nouns : If you can count it, it’s countable, like ‘apple’ (apples) or ‘idea’ (ideas).
Uncountable Nouns : These defy counting without a unit of measurement, such as ‘water’, ‘sand’, or ‘advice’.
Concrete Nouns : Tangible, touchable things fall into this category, like ‘book’, ‘chair’, or ‘coffee’.
Abstract Nouns : These are the intangibles, representing concepts or feelings, such as ‘freedom’, ‘love’, or ‘justice’.

Nouns in Action

Nouns don’t just stand idly by; they actively shape our sentences by:

Acting as Subjects : They act or are in the state described by the verb. Example: The cat sleeps.
Serving as Objects : They receive the action of the verb. Example: She painted a portrait .
Functioning as Complements : They give more information about the subject or object. Example: He is a teacher .

Plural Forms and Possessives

Nouns change form to express quantity or possession. Plural nouns often add ‘s’ or ‘es’, while possessive nouns show ownership, typically with an apostrophe and ‘s’ (e.g., the dog’s bone).

The Power of Naming

Naming is a powerful function of nouns, allowing us to label and categorize our world. This capability makes nouns indispensable for clear communication, enabling us to build complex ideas from simple components.

Nouns and Context

Nouns gain meaning from their context. A word like ‘apple’ can signify health, temptation, or technology, depending on how it’s used. This versatility makes nouns both fascinating and challenging to master.

Compound Nouns

When nouns team up, they form compound nouns, creating new meanings. These can be written as single words (toothpaste), hyphenated (mother-in-law), or as separate words (coffee table).

Nouns and Articles

Nouns often pair with articles (‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’) to specify or generalize their reference, indicating whether we’re talking about something specific or something more general.

Abstract vs. Concrete Nouns

Understanding the difference between abstract and concrete nouns enriches our ability to convey nuanced ideas, appealing to both the senses and the intellect.

The Joy of Nouns

Nouns offer a playground for the imagination, a toolset for constructing realities, and a canvas for painting with words. As we explore and experiment with nouns, we expand our ability to describe the world around us and articulate our thoughts and feelings.

In the landscape of language, nouns stand as the pillars that support the edifice of our communication. They are not just words; they are the essence of our ideas and the subjects of our discourse. By mastering the use of nouns, we enhance our ability to engage, inform, and persuade, making every word count in the tapestry of conversation.

Verbs: The Heart of the Sentence

What’s the role of verbs in expressing actions and states of being, verbs: the catalysts of communication.

Verbs are the engine room of the English language, propelling sentences into action and giving them life. They tell us what’s happening, from the simplest actions to the most complex states of being. Without verbs, our sentences would be lifeless collections of nouns and modifiers, lacking direction and dynamism.

Action Verbs: The Movers and Shakers

Action verbs are the muscle of the language, depicting physical or mental actions. They’re what we imagine when we think of verbs: run, jump, think, dream. These verbs pull us into the narrative, showing us what the subjects of our sentences are doing.

Linking Verbs: The Connectors

Linking verbs, unlike action verbs, don’t show action. Instead, they connect the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, a noun, pronoun, or adjective that describes or identifies the subject. Forms of ‘to be’ (am, is, are, was, were) are classic examples, along with verbs like appear, seem, become, and feel. They’re the subtle weavers of context, adding depth and nuance to our statements.

Auxiliary (Helper) Verbs: The Support System

Auxiliary verbs, or helper verbs, assist the main verb to form a verb phrase, adding functional or grammatical meaning. They’re the gears that modify tense, mood, and voice. Examples include ‘have’, ‘do’, and ‘be’, as well as modal verbs like ‘can’, ‘will’, ‘shall’, ‘must’, which express necessity, possibility, permission, or ability.

Tense, Aspect, and Mood

Verbs are chameleons, changing form to express time (tense), continuity or completeness of action (aspect), and attitude (mood). These variations let us travel through time, from past to present to future, and explore different realities, from the factual to the hypothetical.

Irregular Verbs: The Rebels

English is known for its irregular verbs , which don’t follow the standard patterns of conjugation. These verbs, like ‘go’ (went, gone) or ‘eat’ (ate, eaten), require memorization but add richness and variety to the language.

Phrasal Verbs: The Complex Characters

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with one or more prepositions or adverbs, creating a meaning different from the original verb alone. Examples include ‘give up’, ‘take off’, and ‘look after’. These verbs add a layer of complexity and idiomatic flavor to English.

The Significance of Voice

Voice in verbs (active or passive) determines whether the subject is performing the action or receiving it. This choice affects the focus and tone of the sentence, allowing for strategic emphasis in communication.

Verbs and Sentence Structure

The placement and form of verbs are crucial in sentence structure, dictating the flow and coherence of ideas. Mastery of verb usage enhances clarity, persuasiveness, and effectiveness in writing and speaking.

The Power of Verbs

Verbs hold the power to move, persuade, inform, and entertain. They are the essence of our narratives, the pulse of our prose, and the heartbeat of our poetry. By choosing our verbs wisely, we shape the impact and reception of our message.

Exploring Verbs

Diving deep into the study of verbs opens up a world of expressive possibilities. They allow us to navigate the nuances of action, emotion, and thought, crafting sentences that captivate and resonate. Understanding verbs is not just about grammar; it’s about harnessing the power of language to convey our most profound thoughts and vibrant visions.

In the realm of communication, verbs are not merely words; they are the action heroes, the emotional cues, and the narrative drivers. They encapsulate the dynamism of life itself, transforming simple statements into compelling stories. As we refine our understanding and use of verbs, we unlock the potential to engage more deeply, express more vividly, and connect more profoundly with our audience.

Adjectives and Their Role in Sentences

Can you break down adjectives and their role in adding detail to sentences, adjectives: the color palettes of language.

Adjectives are like the paintbrushes of communication, coloring our sentences with precision and personality. They modify nouns and pronouns, providing detail that enhances our understanding and appreciation of the subject. Without adjectives, our descriptions would be as bland as an unfinished sketch, lacking depth and vibrancy.

Types of Adjectives

Adjectives come in various flavors, each serving a unique purpose:

Descriptive Adjectives add specific details about size, shape, color, and more, painting a vivid picture of the nouns they modify.
Quantitative Adjectives tell us how much or how many, offering a sense of scale and quantity.
Demonstrative Adjectives (this, that, these, those) point out particular items or people.
Possessive Adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) denote ownership.
Interrogative Adjectives (which, what, whose) are used in questions to inquire about nouns.
Indefinite Adjectives (some, any, few, many, much) provide nonspecific information about nouns.

The Placement of Adjectives

Typically, adjectives precede the nouns they modify in English, directly lending their qualities to the nouns for immediate impact. However, in certain structures, especially with linking verbs, adjectives can follow the noun and still maintain their descriptive role.

Comparative and Superlative Forms

Adjectives adapt to compare objects or people, morphing into comparative and superlative forms to denote varying degrees of quality or quantity. This transformation is crucial for articulating differences and establishing hierarchies within our narratives.

Adjectives and Sensory Experience

Adjectives bridge the gap between the abstract and the tangible, invoking our senses to bring descriptions to life. They enable us to taste, touch, see, hear, and smell the world through language, enriching our sensory experience of the text.

Adjectives for Emotion and Mood

Beyond physical description, adjectives convey emotions and moods, setting the tone of sentences and influencing the reader’s or listener’s emotional response. They’re powerful tools for persuasion and engagement, subtly shaping the atmosphere of a narrative.

Precision in Using Adjectives

The choice of adjectives can dramatically alter the meaning and impact of a sentence. Selecting the precise adjective enhances clarity and effectiveness, while overuse or misuse can lead to confusion or dilution of the message.

Adjectives and Creativity

Adjectives are a playground for creativity, offering endless combinations to express novel ideas and perspectives. They’re the elements that allow language to flourish in its most imaginative forms, providing a canvas for vivid expression.

The Role of Adjectives in Structure

While adjectives add detail and depth, they also contribute to the overall structure of a sentence, affecting its rhythm, pace, and flow. Balancing adjectives within a sentence or paragraph is key to maintaining readability and interest.

Exploring the Power of Adjectives

Delving into the world of adjectives opens up a spectrum of expressive possibilities, enabling us to communicate with greater precision, nuance, and flair. By mastering the use of adjectives, we can transform our writing and speech into more engaging, descriptive, and persuasive forms of expression.

Adjectives serve as the brushstrokes that define and distinguish our sentences, transforming basic statements into rich, textured narratives. They empower us to convey not just information, but emotion, atmosphere, and specificity, making our communication as vivid and impactful as possible. As we hone our understanding and application of adjectives, we unlock the potential to captivate our audience with the beauty and precision of our language.

Kids can Easily Learn The Parts of speech

Adverbs and Their Dynamics

How do adverbs work alongside verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, adverbs: the fine tuners of language.

Adverbs are the nimble acrobats of the English language, bending and twisting to modify not just verbs but also adjectives, other adverbs, and even whole sentences. They add precision and nuance, answering questions like how, when, where, and to what extent, allowing us to refine our expressions with remarkable flexibility.

The Versatility of Adverbs

Modifying Verbs : Adverbs can intensify, diminish, or otherwise alter the action or state described by a verb. Example: She quickly ran to the store.
Modifying Adjectives : They can amplify or moderate the qualities expressed by adjectives. Example: That’s an extremely tall building.
Modifying Other Adverbs : Adverbs can modify each other, adjusting the degree to which an action or quality is expressed. Example: He works very efficiently.
Modifying Sentences : Sometimes, adverbs modify entire sentences, providing context or commenting on the whole statement. Example: Fortunately , we arrived on time.

Types of Adverbs

Adverbs come in several types, each adding a different kind of information:

Adverbs of Manner : Describe how something is done (e.g., gently , quickly ).
Adverbs of Time : Tell us when something happens (e.g., now , yesterday ).
Adverbs of Place : Indicate where something happens (e.g., here , everywhere ).
Adverbs of Frequency : Show how often something occurs (e.g., often , never ).
Adverbs of Degree : Express the intensity or extent of an action or quality (e.g., very , quite ).

Placement of Adverbs

The placement of adverbs within a sentence can significantly impact its meaning and clarity. While many adverbs of manner, place, and time are flexible in their placement, their position relative to the verb, adjective, or adverb they modify can change the emphasis or focus of the sentence.

Adverbs and Clarity

Adverbs enhance clarity by providing additional information that specifies or limits the meaning of verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, making sentences more informative and precise.

Adverbs and Emphasis

Strategically used adverbs can add emphasis or intensity to a statement, influencing the reader’s or listener’s perception of the importance or urgency of the information conveyed.

Adverbial Phrases and Clauses

Beyond single-word adverbs, English allows for the use of adverbial phrases and clauses to perform the same modifying functions with even greater detail and nuance.

The Challenge of Adverbs

While adverbs are powerful tools for expression, their misuse or overuse can lead to redundancy, verbosity, or confusion. Effective communication often involves choosing the right adverb or deciding when a verb or adjective alone is sufficient.

Adverbs in Creative Writing

In creative writing, adverbs can be a double-edged sword. They offer the means to create vivid, dynamic scenes but can also clutter writing if not used judiciously. The key is balance, enhancing without overwhelming.

Adverbs play a critical role in the dynamics of language, offering a toolkit for modifying and refining the expressions of action, quality, and relation. Their proper use enriches communication, making it more precise, nuanced, and engaging. As we explore and understand the multifaceted roles of adverbs, we become more adept at crafting sentences that truly capture the essence of our thoughts and intentions.

Prepositions and Their Functions

In what ways do prepositions establish relationships within a sentence, prepositions: the relationship experts.

Prepositions are the unsung heroes of the English language, quietly working behind the scenes to show how things in our sentences relate to each other. They’re like the glue holding pieces of a puzzle together, indicating connections of time, place, direction, and more. Without prepositions, our sentences would be a jumble of disconnected ideas.

Building Spatial Relationships

One of the primary jobs of prepositions is to describe where something is or how things are positioned to each other. They answer the “where?” question. For example, the cat is on the table, or the store is between the bank and the cafe. These little words paint a clear picture of location and space.

Connecting with Time

Prepositions also help us navigate through time, linking actions and events to specific moments or durations. They tell us when something happened. Phrases like in the morning, at midnight, or during the movie are all guided by prepositions, helping us understand timing.

Showing Direction and Movement

When it comes to movement, prepositions are your go-to guide. They show direction and paths, answering the “where to?” question. Sentences like “She walked to the park” or “He jumped into the pool” wouldn’t make much sense without their prepositional guides.

Describing Relationships

Prepositions do more than just spatial and temporal directions; they also clarify relationships between objects and people. They can express possession, connection, and other abstract relations, like the book of poems or the responsibility for the project.

The Versatility of Prepositions

While most commonly used for place, time, and direction, prepositions can also indicate reasons, purposes, and conditions—showing a wide range of relationships within sentences. Phrases like “excited about the concert” or “tired from running” rely on prepositions to convey the full picture.

Common Prepositions

Some of the most common prepositions include at , by , for , from , in , of , on , to , and with . Each plays multiple roles, making them incredibly versatile tools in the language.

Prepositions in Phrases

Prepositions often lead into prepositional phrases, which include the preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the object. These phrases function as adjectives or adverbs, providing additional details and clarifications.

Choosing the Right Preposition

Picking the right preposition can sometimes be tricky, as different prepositions can change the meaning of a sentence. For example, “think of ” and “think about ” can have slightly different implications. Practice and familiarity with phrases help in mastering their use.

Prepositions and Readability

Understanding and using prepositions correctly greatly enhances the readability of sentences, making the relationships between words clear and easy to follow. They are essential in guiding the reader through the flow of ideas.

The Fun of Prepositions

Exploring prepositions can be surprisingly fun. They challenge us to think about how we connect ideas and navigate the relationships between words. As we get better at using prepositions, our sentences become more precise, clear, and engaging.

Prepositions might be small, but their impact on communication is huge. They help us build bridges between words, making our sentences not just readable but meaningful. As we continue to explore and understand the role of prepositions, we improve our ability to express complex ideas with clarity and simplicity, enhancing our conversations and writings.

Conjunctions and Their Connecting Powers

What are conjunctions, and how do they connect clauses, words, or sentences, conjunctions: the connectors of language.

Conjunctions are the linguistic architects that build bridges between words, phrases, and clauses, creating complex, interesting sentences. Without conjunctions, our conversations and texts would be a choppy sea of short, disconnected thoughts. They’re the secret to the flow and cohesion in writing and speaking.

Types of Conjunctions

There are three main types of conjunctions, each serving a unique purpose in the tapestry of language:

Coordinating Conjunctions link elements of equal importance. The fanboys (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) fall into this category.
Subordinating Conjunctions introduce dependent clauses, adding context like time, reason, condition, or contrast to the main clause. Words like because, although, since, and if are key players here.
Correlative Conjunctions work in pairs to connect equal elements. Examples include either…or, neither…nor, and not only…but also.

The Role of Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are the glue for elements that could stand alone but are brought together for smoother, more coherent communication. They help us combine individual ideas into compound sentences, enhancing their impact and readability.

Subordinating Conjunctions: Adding Depth

Subordinating conjunctions are the roots that anchor clauses to each other, providing the why, when, and how. They help us create complex sentences that express conditional situations, causes and effects, contrasts, and more, enriching our ability to convey nuanced thoughts.

Correlative Conjunctions: Doubling the Connection

Correlative conjunctions add emphasis and clarity by connecting two equal grammatical elements, making sure both get an equal spotlight. They’re like the scales of balance in language, ensuring that both sides are weighed equally.

Conjunctions in Action

Conjunctions allow for the construction of sentences that reflect the complexity of our thoughts and the richness of our ideas. They enable us to compare and contrast, to reason, to enumerate, and to express conditions and alternatives, making our language more dynamic and versatile.

Choosing the Right Conjunction

Selecting the appropriate conjunction is crucial for conveying the exact relationship between ideas. The choice between “but” and “and,” or “although” and “because,” can subtly change the meaning and emphasis of a sentence, impacting how it’s understood.

Conjunctions and Readability

Effective use of conjunctions greatly enhances the readability and coherence of text. They ensure that sentences flow smoothly from one idea to the next, guiding the reader through the narrative or argument without confusion or abrupt stops.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

While conjunctions are indispensable, overuse or incorrect use can lead to run-on sentences or unclear relationships between ideas. Learning to balance their use is key to clear and effective communication.

Conjunctions in Everyday Language

Everyday conversation is full of conjunctions, even if we’re not always aware of them. They’re the workhorses of language, doing the heavy lifting to connect our thoughts and make our communication fluid and natural.

The Evolution of Conjunction Use

As language evolves, so does the use of conjunctions. New patterns of speech and writing emerge, and conjunctions adapt to connect ideas in ways that resonate with contemporary audiences, keeping language vibrant and engaging.

Exploring the Power of Conjunctions

Diving into the world of conjunctions opens up new possibilities for expression. By mastering the art of connection, we enhance our ability to craft sentences that are not only grammatically sound but also rich in meaning and style.

Conjunctions are more than just grammatical tools; they are the threads that weave our words into coherent, compelling narratives. Understanding and using conjunctions effectively allows us to express complex ideas with clarity and subtlety, making our writing and speech more engaging and persuasive. As we continue to explore and experiment with conjunctions, we unlock the full potential of language to connect, inform, and inspire.

Pronouns and Their Roles

Can you explain the use and types of pronouns in replacing nouns, pronouns: the shape-shifters of language.

Pronouns are the chameleons of the English language, stepping in for nouns when repeating them would be cumbersome or unnecessary. They keep our sentences from sounding repetitive and help us maintain a smooth and engaging flow in our conversations and writings. Without pronouns, we’d be stuck repeating names and common nouns, making our speech sound robotic and our writing tedious.

The Many Faces of Pronouns

Pronouns come in various types, each serving a different purpose in the sentence:

Personal Pronouns represent specific people or things and change form depending on their role in the sentence (subject, object) and number (singular, plural). Examples include I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.
Possessive Pronouns show ownership or possession, like mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs.
Reflexive Pronouns are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same, such as myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.
Demonstrative Pronouns point to specific things or people, like this, that, these, and those.
Interrogative Pronouns are used to ask questions about people or things, including who, whom, whose, which, and what.
Relative Pronouns introduce relative clauses, connecting them to main clauses, with examples being who, whom, whose, which, and that.
Indefinite Pronouns refer to nonspecific things or people, like someone, anyone, everything, and nothing.

Pronouns for Clarity and Cohesion

Pronouns help us avoid repetition, making our language clearer and more cohesive. They link sentences and ideas smoothly, guiding readers and listeners through our narrative or argument without stumbling over repeated nouns.

Choosing the Right Pronoun

Selecting the appropriate pronoun is crucial for clear communication. The choice between he, she, it, they, and others depends on the noun being replaced, its number (singular or plural), and sometimes its gender. Misuse can lead to confusion or ambiguity.

Pronouns and Gender

The use of pronouns has evolved, especially with growing awareness and respect for gender identity. The singular “they” is increasingly used as a gender-neutral pronoun, reflecting the diversity of individual identities.

Pronouns in Formal and Informal Contexts

Pronoun usage can vary between formal and informal settings. Understanding the context and the audience is key to choosing pronouns that convey the right level of formality and respect.

The Impact of Pronouns on Readability

Using pronouns effectively can significantly enhance the readability of texts by eliminating unnecessary repetition and ensuring smooth transitions between ideas. They are essential tools for crafting engaging and accessible writing.

Pronouns in Different Languages

Exploring pronouns in languages other than English reveals a fascinating range of approaches to gender, formality, and number, enriching our understanding of global communication practices.

The Power of Pronouns in Personal Expression

Pronouns are powerful tools for personal expression, allowing individuals to identify and be recognized according to their preferred identities. This aspect of pronouns is an important consideration in respectful and inclusive communication.

Mastering Pronouns for Effective Communication

Understanding and mastering the use of pronouns is a key aspect of language proficiency. By familiarizing ourselves with the different types of pronouns and their uses, we can enhance our ability to communicate, respectfully, and effectively.

Pronouns, in their various forms and functions, are indispensable for creating fluid and engaging communication. They allow us to navigate complex relationships between ideas, maintain coherence in our narratives, and respect individual identities. As we become more adept at using pronouns, we unlock new levels of precision and expressiveness in our language, enabling us to connect with others more deeply and meaningfully.

Articles and Their Usage

How do articles work in english, and what are the different types, articles: the guiding lights of nouns.

Articles in English are the traffic signals of nouns, guiding us on how to interpret their meaning in a sentence. They might be small, but their role is mighty, helping to clarify whether we’re referring to something specific or something general. Without articles, our sentences would often feel incomplete or ambiguous.

The Three Amigos: A, An, The

English has three articles: “a,” “an,” and “the.” “A” and “an” are called indefinite articles because they refer to non-specific items, while “the” is known as the definite article, pointing to specific items.

“A” is used before words that start with a consonant sound (e.g., a cat, a dog).
“An” is used before words that start with a vowel sound (e.g., an apple, an elephant).
“The” can be used regardless of the following word’s initial sound but specifies something particular (e.g., the cat we saw yesterday, the apples from that tree).

Indefinite Articles: A and An

The use of “a” and “an” introduces a singular noun that is unspecified, indicating that the noun could be any one of its kind. This distinction is crucial when we’re talking about something for the first time, or when the exact identity of the noun isn’t important to the listener or reader.

Definite Article: The

“The” zooms in on a particular item or group of items, ones that are already known to the reader or listener, or ones that have been previously mentioned. It’s also used to indicate something unique (e.g., the sun, the moon, the internet).

No Article? No Problem!

Sometimes nouns don’t need an article at all, especially when we’re talking about things in general (e.g., Cats are great pets) or referring to abstract concepts (e.g., Love is beautiful).

Articles and Noun Types

The choice between using an article, and which one to use, depends on the type of noun (countable vs. uncountable, singular vs. plural) and the context (specific vs. general).

Countable nouns typically need an article when singular but can drop it when plural if referring to them in a general sense.
Uncountable nouns often don’t use an article when referred to in a general sense but will use “the” when specified.

Articles with Adjectives

When an adjective comes before a noun, the article still precedes the adjective (e.g., a red apple, an interesting book, the quick brown fox).

Learning the Ropes

Mastering the use of articles in English can be tricky, especially for speakers of languages without articles. It often requires practice and a good sense of context to get it right.

Articles in Names and Titles

Articles are sometimes found in names and titles (e.g., The Beatles, the United States) and follow specific rules, often based on tradition or official usage rather than grammar alone.

The Impact of Articles on Clarity

Using the correct article can greatly affect the clarity of a sentence, making it clear whether we’re discussing something specific or general, known or unknown to the reader or listener.

Articles: Small but Mighty

Though they may seem inconsequential due to their size, articles play a critical role in English grammar, aiding in the precision and clarity of our communication. By effectively using “a,” “an,” and “the,” we navigate the nuances of specificity and generality, enhancing our ability to convey our thoughts and intentions.

Articles, with their subtle yet powerful influence on noun phrases, are essential for clear and precise communication. They guide readers and listeners through the nuances of specificity, generality, and uniqueness, ensuring that our messages are understood as intended. Mastering their use not only polishes our language skills but also deepens our engagement with the subtleties of English, allowing us to express ourselves with greater accuracy and confidence.

Interjections and Their Expressive Power

What are interjections, and how do they express emotions or reactions, interjections: the language’s emotion buttons.

Interjections are like the emojis of spoken and written language. They’re special words we throw into sentences to express strong feelings or sudden reactions. Imagine you’re surprised, you might say “Wow!” Or if you’re hurt, you might exclaim, “Ouch!” That’s interjections at work, adding flavor and feeling to our words.

A Colorful Palette of Sounds

Interjections come in all shapes and sizes, from sounds that almost aren’t words like “Hmm” and “Aha” to real words that pack a punch, like “Yikes” or “Bravo.” They help us show excitement, disappointment, agreement, and much more without needing a full sentence.

No Grammar Rules Here

One of the coolest things about interjections is that they don’t have to play by the usual grammar rules . They can stand alone or be tucked into sentences, often followed by an exclamation point to show strong emotion or a comma for milder feelings.

Expressing Emotions Quickly

Interjections are a shortcut for expressing what we feel. Instead of explaining that something is surprising or funny, a simple “Whoa!” or “Ha!” gets the point across fast. They’re quick sketches of language, capturing a moment’s emotion perfectly.

Types of Interjections

There are different types of interjections based on what you’re feeling. For surprise, you might use “Wow!” For joy, perhaps “Yay!” If you’re feeling pain, “Ouch!” works. And for disappointment, a simple “Oh” might do the trick. Each interjection has its flavor.

Interjections in Conversation

In everyday talk, interjections keep our conversations lively and real. They’re like the spices of language, adding that extra kick to make our words more vivid and relatable. They help us bond over shared feelings and experiences.

Interjections in Writing

Writers use interjections to make characters and stories more relatable. Seeing a character exclaim “Eek!” in a scary situation or “Phew” after a close call helps readers feel the story more deeply. It’s a way to show, not just tell, emotions.

Learning When to Use Them

While interjections are fun and expressive, knowing when to use them is key. In formal writing or speaking, you might use them less. But in creative stories, texts, or casual chats, they can help show personality and feeling.

Interjections Around the World

Different languages have their interjections, which is pretty cool. It shows that no matter where you’re from, everyone has these little bursts of emotion in their language. It’s a universal way to express feelings quickly and powerfully.

Interjections: The Fun Side of Language

Exploring interjections is like exploring the fun side of language. They remind us that language isn’t just about rules and structure—it’s also about expressing our human emotions and connecting with others on an emotional level.

Interjections are the sparkles of speech and writing, instantly bringing emotions to life. They’re proof that sometimes, the simplest words are the most powerful. By sprinkling them into our language, we can communicate not just thoughts, but also the feelings behind those thoughts, making our conversations and stories more engaging and expressive.

Final Thought…

That concludes our comprehensive exploration of the parts of speech in English grammar. We’ve delved into the roles and nuances of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, articles, and interjections, each serving as a fundamental building block in the structure of language. These components work together to create meaningful, coherent, and expressive communication.

Understanding the parts of speech enhances our ability to use language effectively, enabling us to convey our ideas and emotions with clarity and precision. Whether we’re crafting a narrative, arguing a point, or simply sharing a moment with a friend, our grasp of these linguistic elements shapes the impact of our words.

As we continue to explore and experiment with language, let’s remember the flexibility and creativity that grammar offers. Language is not just a set of rules to follow but a tool for expression, connection, and understanding. By mastering the parts of speech, we unlock the potential to communicate more powerfully, creatively, and effectively, enriching our personal and professional lives.

Keep experimenting with language, and enjoy the journey of discovery that comes with learning how to express yourself more clearly and vividly. Remember, the art of language lies not only in following the rules but also in knowing when and how to bend them to capture the essence of your thoughts and feelings. Happy exploring!

Yanie McComas

Hi, I'm Yanie Wijaya. I'm an entrepreneur and English teacher who loves to work with children and adults in their journey to mastering the English language. I like to cook, travel, and write educational blog posts.

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Knowledge Base
Parts of speech

The 8 Parts of Speech | Definition & Examples

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 analyse how words function in a sentence and improve your writing.

Many words can function as different parts of speech depending on how they are used. For example, ‘laugh’ can be a noun (e.g., ‘I like your laugh’) or a verb (e.g., ‘don’t laugh’).

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Prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, other parts of speech, frequently asked questions.

Ella lives in France .

Other types of nouns include countable and uncountable nouns , concrete nouns , abstract nouns , and gerunds .

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That is a horrible painting!

A verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., ‘jump’), occurrence (e.g., ‘become’), or state of being (e.g., ‘exist’). Verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence is doing. Every complete sentence must contain at least one verb.

Verbs can change form depending on subject (e.g., first person singular), tense (e.g., past simple ), mood (e.g., interrogative), and voice (e.g., passive voice ).

Regular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participle are formed by adding’-ed’ to the end of the word (or ‘-d’ if the word already ends in ‘e’). Irregular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some other way.

‘I’ve already checked twice’.

‘I heard that you used to sing ‘.

Other types of verbs include auxiliary verbs , linking verbs , modal verbs , and phrasal verbs .

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be attributive , appearing before a noun (e.g., ‘a red hat’), or predicative , appearing after a noun with the use of a linking verb like ‘to be’ (e.g., ‘the hat is red ‘).

Adjectives can also have a comparative function. Comparative adjectives compare two or more things. Superlative adjectives describe something as having the most or least of a specific characteristic.

Other types of adjectives include coordinate adjectives , participial adjectives , and denominal adjectives .

An adverb is a word that can modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or sentence. Adverbs are often formed by adding ‘-ly’ to the end of an adjective (e.g., ‘slow’ becomes ‘slowly’), although not all adverbs have this ending, and not all words with this ending are adverbs.

Talia writes quite quickly.

Other types of adverbs include adverbs of frequency , adverbs of purpose , focusing adverbs , and adverbial phrases .

A preposition is a word (e.g., ‘at’) or phrase (e.g., ‘on top of’) used to show the relationship between the different parts of a sentence. Prepositions can be used to indicate aspects such as time , place , and direction .

I left the cup on the kitchen counter.

A conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence (e.g., words, phrases, or clauses).

You can choose what movie we watch because I chose the last time.

Ouch ! I hurt my arm.

I’m, um , not sure.

Determiners

A determiner is a word that describes a noun by indicating quantity, possession, or relative position.

My brother is selling his old car.

Other types of determiners include distributive determiners , determiners of difference , and numbers .

An article is a word that modifies a noun by indicating whether it is specific or general.

The definite article the is used to refer to a specific version of a noun. The can be used with all countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., ‘the door’, ‘the energy’, ‘the mountains’).
The indefinite articles a and an refer to general or unspecific nouns. The indefinite articles can only be used with singular countable nouns (e.g., ‘a poster’, ‘an engine’).

There’s a concert this weekend.

A is an indefinite article (along with an ). While articles can be classed as their own part of speech, they’re also considered a type of determiner .

The indefinite articles are used to introduce nonspecific countable nouns (e.g., ‘a dog’, ‘an island’).

In is primarily classed as a preposition, but it can be classed as various other parts of speech, depending on how it is used:

Preposition (e.g., ‘ in the field’)
Noun (e.g., ‘I have an in with that company’)
Adjective (e.g., ‘Tim is part of the in crowd’)
Adverb (e.g., ‘Will you be in this evening?’)

As a part of speech, and is classed as a conjunction . Specifically, it’s a coordinating conjunction .

And can be used to connect grammatically equal parts of a sentence, such as two nouns (e.g., ‘a cup and plate’), or two adjectives (e.g., ‘strong and smart’). And can also be used to connect phrases and clauses.

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What Is an Adjective? | Definition, Types & Examples

Understanding the Parts of Speech in English

Yes, the parts of speech in English are extensive and complex. But we’ve made it easy for you to start learning them by gathering the most basic and essential information in this easy-to-follow and comprehensive guide.

White text over orange background reads "Parts of Speech."

Parts of Speech: Quick Summary

Parts of speech assign words to different categories. There are eight different types in English. Keep in mind that a word can belong to more than one part of speech.

Learn About:

Parts of Speech
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections

Using the Parts of Speech Correctly In Your Writing

Knowing the parts of speech is vital when learning a new language.

When it comes to learning a new language, there are several components you should understand to truly get a grasp of the language and speak it fluently.

It’s not enough to become an expert in just one area. For instance, you can learn and memorize all the intricate grammar rules, but if you don’t practice speaking or writing colloquially, you will find it challenging to use that language in real time.

Conversely, if you don’t spend time trying to learn the rules and technicalities of a language, you’ll also find yourself struggling to use it correctly.

Think of it this way: Language is a tasty, colorful, and nutritious salad. If you fill your bowl with nothing but lettuce, your fluency will be bland, boring, and tasteless. But if you spend time cultivating other ingredients for your salad—like style, word choice, and vocabulary— then it will become a wholesome meal you can share with others.

In this blog post, we’re going to cover one of the many ingredients you’ll need to build a nourishing salad of the English language—the parts of speech.

Let’s get choppin’!

What Are the Parts of Speech in English?

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. It can function as a verb, noun, or adjective.

Verb: Can you please light the candles?

Noun: The room was filled with a dim, warm light .

Adjective: She wore a light jacket in the cool weather.

The parts of speech in English are extensive. There’s a lot to cover in each category—much more than we can in this blog post. The information below is simply a brief overview of the basics of the parts of speech. Nevertheless, the concise explanations and accompanying example sentences will help you gain an understanding of how to use them correctly.

Graphic shows the eight different parts of speech and their functions.

What Are Verbs?

Verbs are the most essential parts of speech because they move the meaning of sentences along.

A verb can show actions of the body and mind ( jump and think ), occurrences ( happen or occur ), and states of being ( be and exist ). Put differently, verbs breathe life into sentences by describing actions or indicating existence. These parts of speech can also change form to express time , person , number , voice , and mood .

There are several verb categories. A few of them are:

Regular and irregular verbs
Transitive and intransitive verbs
Auxiliary verbs

A few examples of verbs include sing (an irregular action verb), have (which can be a main verb or auxiliary verb), be , which is a state of being verb, and would (another auxiliary verb).

My little sister loves to sing .

I have a dog and her name is Sweet Pea.

I will be there at 5 P.M.

I would like to travel the world someday.

Again, these are just the very basics of English verbs. There’s a lot more that you should learn to be well-versed in this part of speech, but the information above is a good place to start.

What Are Nouns?

Nouns refer to people ( John and child ), places ( store and Italy ), things ( firetruck and pen ), and ideas or concepts ( love and balance ). There are also many categories within nouns. For example, proper nouns name a specific person, place, thing, or idea. These types of nouns are always capitalized.

Olivia is turning five in a few days.

My dream is to visit Tokyo .

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.

Some argue that Buddhism is a way of life, not a religion.

On the other hand, common nouns are not specific to any particular entity and are used to refer to any member of a general category.

My teacher is the smartest, most caring person I know!

I love roaming around a city I’ve never been to before.

This is my favorite book , which was recommended to me by my father.

There’s nothing more important to me than love .

Nouns can be either singular or plural. Singular nouns refer to a single entity, while plural nouns refer to multiple entities.

Can you move that chair out of the way, please? (Singular)

Can you move those chairs out of the way, please? (Plural)

While many plural nouns are formed by adding an “–s” or “–es,” others have irregular plural forms, meaning they don’t follow the typical pattern.

There was one woman waiting in line.

There were several women waiting in line.

Nouns can also be countable or uncountable . Those that are countable refer to nouns that can be counted as individual units. For example, there can be one book, two books, three books, or more. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted as individual units. Take the word water as an example. You could say I drank some water, but it would be incorrect to say I drank waters. Instead, you would say something like I drank several bottles of water.

What Are Pronouns?

A pronoun is a word that can take the place of other nouns or noun phrases. Pronouns serve the purpose of referring to nouns without having to repeat the word each time. A word (or group of words) that a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent .

Jessica went to the store, and she bought some blueberries.

In the sentence above, Jessica is the antecedent, and she is the referring pronoun. Here’s the same sentence without the proper use of a pronoun:

Jessica went to the store, and Jessica bought some blueberries.

Do you see how the use of a pronoun improves the sentence by avoiding repetitiveness?

Like all the other parts of speech we have covered, pronouns also have various categories.

Personal pronouns replace specific people or things: I, me, you, he, she, him, her, it, we, us, they, them.

When I saw them at the airport, I waved my hands up in the air so they could see me .

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership : mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, whose.

I think that phone is hers .

Reflexive pronouns refer to the subject of a sentence or clause. They are used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

The iguanas sunned themselves on the roof of my car.

Intensive pronouns have the same form as reflexive pronouns and are used to emphasize or intensify the subject of a sentence.

I will take care of this situation myself .

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to specific individuals or objects but rather to a general or unspecified person, thing, or group. Some examples include someone, everybody, anything, nobody, each, something, and all.

Everybody enjoyed the party. Someone even said it was the best party they had ever attended.

Demonstrative pronouns are used to identify or point to specific pronouns: this, that, these, those.

Can you pick up those pens off the floor?

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions and seek information: who, whom, whose, which, what.

Who can help move these heavy boxes?

Relative pronouns connect a clause or a phrase to a noun or pronoun: who, whom, whose, which, that, what, whoever, whichever, whatever.

Christina, who is the hiring manager, is the person whom you should get in touch with.

Reciprocal pronouns are used to refer to individual parts of a plural antecedent. They indicate a mutual or reciprocal relationship between two or more people or things: each other or one another.

The cousins always giggle and share secrets with one another .

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns, usually by describing, identifying, or quantifying them. They play a vital role in adding detail, precision, and imagery to English, allowing us to depict and differentiate the qualities of people, objects, places, and ideas.

The blue house sticks out compared to the other neutral-colored ones. (Describes)

That house is pretty, but I don’t like the color. (Identifies)

There were several houses I liked, but the blue one was unique. (Quantifies)

We should note that identifying or quantifying adjectives are also referred to as determiners. Additionally, articles ( a, an, the ) and numerals ( four or third ) are also used to quantify and identify adjectives.

Descriptive adjectives have other forms (known as comparative and superlative adjectives ) that allow for comparisons. For example, the comparative of the word small is smaller, while the superlative is smallest.

Proper adjectives (which are derived from proper nouns) describe specific nouns. They usually retain the same spelling or are slightly modified, but they’re always capitalized. For example, the proper noun France can be turned into the proper adjective French.

What Are Adverbs?

Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire clauses. Although many adverbs end in “–ly,” not all of them do. Also, some words that end in “–ly” are adjectives, not adverbs ( lovely ).

She dances beautifully .

In the sentence above, beautifully modifies the verb dances.

We visited an extremely tall building.

Here, the adverb extremely modifies the adjective tall.

He had to run very quickly to not miss the train.

The adverb very modifies the adverb quickly.

Interestingly , the experiment yielded unexpected results that left us baffled.

In this example, the word interestingly modifies the independent clause that comprises the rest of the sentence (which is why they’re called sentence adverbs ).

Like adjectives, adverbs can also have other forms when making comparisons. For example:

strongly, more strongly, most strongly, less strongly, least strongly

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions provide context and establish relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other words in a sentence. They indicate time, location, direction, manner, and other vital information. Prepositions can fall into several subcategories. For instance, on can indicate physical location, but it can also be used to express time.

Place the bouquet of roses on the table.

We will meet on Monday.

There are many prepositions. A few examples include: about, above, across, after, before, behind, beneath, beside, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, onto, past, regarding, since, through, toward, under, until, with, without.

Prepositions can contain more than one word, like according to and with regard to.

What Are Conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that join words, phrases, or clauses together within a sentence and provide information about the relationship between those words. There are different types of conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance: and, but, for, not, or, so, yet.

I like to sing, and she likes to dance.

Correlative conjunctions come in pairs and join balanced elements of a sentence: both…and, just as…so, not only…but also, either…or, neither…nor, whether…or.

You can either come with us and have fun, or stay at home and be bored.

Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses to independent clauses. A few examples include: after, although, even though, since, unless, until, when , and while.

They had a great time on their stroll, even though it started raining and they got soaked.

Conjunctive adverbs are adverbs that function as conjunctions, connecting independent clauses or sentences. Examples of conjunctive adverbs are also, anyway, besides, however, meanwhile, nevertheless, otherwise, similarly, and therefore .

I really wanted to go to the party. However , I was feeling sick and decided to stay in.

I really wanted to go to the party; however , I was feeling sick and decided to stay in.

What Are Interjections?

Interjections are words that express strong emotions, sudden reactions, or exclamations. This part of speech is usually a standalone word or phrase, but even when it is part of a sentence, it does not relate grammatically to the rest of .

There are several interjections. Examples include: ahh, alas, bravo, eww, hello, please, thanks, and oops.

Ahh ! I couldn’t believe what was happening.

When it comes to improving your writing skills, understanding the parts of speech is as important as adding other ingredients besides lettuce to a salad.

The information provided above is indeed extensive, but it’s critical to learn if you want to write effectively and confidently. LanguageTool—a multilingual writing assistant—makes comprehending the parts of speech easy by detecting errors as you write.

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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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Eight Parts of Speech | Definition, Rules & Examples

Joy Oettel earned her bachelor's degree in English from Auburn University and her master's degree in Education from the University of Montevallo. She taught high school English for 11 years and has written lessons for online learning for 3 years.

Joshua holds a master's degree in Latin and has taught a variety of Classical literature and language courses.

Amy has taught and tutored college-level English; she has a master's degree from Colorado State University in rhetoric and composition.

Identifying Parts of Speech

In each of these activities, you will be asked to identify a specific part of speech to work on developing your grammar skills. To help you get started, examine the example below. In this example, the student has correctly identified the sentence's nouns and then explained why these words are nouns:

In the autumn , birds start to migrate south.
"Autumn" is a noun because it designates a thing; further, it is an abstract noun as it represents a concept, not a physical object. "Birds" is a plural, concrete noun because birds are things that we can see and hear.

Find the Nouns

In the sentence below, underline each noun. Then, describe why these words are nouns. (Hint: nouns are often preceded by articles like "the" and "a." Also, remember to look for pronouns!)

The school was empty because it was summer vacation.

Find the Verbs

In the sentence below, underline each verb; remember to underline the entire verb phrase (i.e. all helping verbs in addition to the main verb). Then, describe why these are verbs and try your hand at identifying the tense (past, present, or future).

I cannot go to work tomorrow because I am feeling sick.

Find the Adjectives

In the sentence below, underline each adjective. Then, describe why these words are adjectives. (Hint: remember that adjectives usually come before the nouns they describe.)

The big, red barn had long been next to the old, stumpy chestnut tree.

Find the Adverbs

In the sentence below, underline each adverb. Then, describe why these words are adverbs. (Hint: remember that adverbs describe verbs, specifying how, why, when, where, for how long, or under what circumstances something happened. Adverbs do not always appear right next to the verb!)

The snow started quickly and came down heavily; my father noted that tomorrow we would all have to shovel.

Find the Prepositions

In the sentence below, underline each preposition. Then, describe why these words are prepositions.

My cat hid under the table with my dog.

Parts of speech defined, the eight parts of speech: examples and rules, words with more than one part of speech, lesson summary.

All words fit into specific categories called parts of speech. Each part of speech performs a specific job within a sentence and language as a whole. Identifying a word's part of speech allows readers and writers to understand how words function and create meaning within a sentence.

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3:06 Adjective
3:30 Adverb
4:06 Preposition
4:55 Conjunction

There are eight different parts of speech. Think of them as team members, each working together by fulfilling specific tasks to develop coherent sentences. The eight parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions , conjunctions, and interjections . Each part of speech is explained with examples below.

A noun is a word that names a person, place, concept, or thing. Examples of nouns are the words teacher , New York , mathematics , and trumpet .

There are several types of nouns, including concrete , abstract , common , and proper .

Concrete nouns name objects that be experienced by the five senses, meaning they can be seen, smelled, heard, tasted, or felt.

Example: The noun ice cream is concrete because it can be seen, tasted, smelled, and felt.

Abstract nouns name ideas or concepts that aren't tangible.

Example: The noun democracy is abstract because it is an idea that can be understood, but not experienced by one of the five senses.

Common nouns refer to an unspecific, generic type of person, place, or thing. Common nouns are not capitalized.

Example: The woman travelled by train.

In this sentence, woman is a common noun because the identify of the woman is unknown. The sentence refers to a woman, but doesn't name her.

Proper nouns name specific people, places, or things and always begin with a capital letter.

Examples: Eleanor Roosevelt , California , and The Metropolitan Museum of Art are all proper nouns because they name a specific person, place, or thing.

Pronouns are words used to substitute or take the place of specific nouns. Pronouns allow speakers and writers to avoid repeating the names of specific nouns. This makes language more concise and efficient as long as the noun being replaced by the pronoun is clearly understood.

Example: Henry is an avid and accomplished hiker. He has even hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. However his favorite hike is the one he takes through his backyard garden each morning.

In this example, the pronouns he and his replace the proper noun Henry .

A verb describes what nouns are doing or their state of being.

Verbs that express the actions that something is doing are called action verbs .

Examples: jump , spin , speak , hit .

Verbs that relate a state of being or feeling are called nonaction verbs . These types of verbs don't involve any visible movement.

Example: am , feel, is , has .

This word cloud contains adjectives that can be used to describe nouns and pronouns.

Adjectives are used to describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They can describe the way something looks, feels, tastes, or sounds.

Example: My chocolate birthday cake was fluffy , sweet , and delicious .

The words in bold are adjectives that describe the cake.

Adverbs are also parts of speech that describe or modify, but instead of describing nouns and pronouns, they describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Example: Victoria always remembers to make her bed in the morning.

In this sentence, always describes how often Victoria remembers. Remembers is a verb, so always is acting as an adverb.

Example: Lionel quickly realized his mistake.

In this sentence the adverb quickly describes the verb realized.

Example: Antonio is a highly capable worker.

In this sentence, the adverb highly modifies the adjective capable by identifying to what degree Antonio is capable.

Preposition

Prepositions explain nouns in relationship to location, direction, and space.

Prepositions are words that show relationships between words in a sentence. They explain how nouns or pronouns in a sentence are related in time, location, space, or direction.

Example: Jamie and Ryan decided to see the movie before eating dinner.

The preposition before shows the time relationship between the nouns movie and dinner. The movie came before dinner.

Example: She finally found the library books underneath the bed.

The preposition underneath describes the location of the library books.

Conjunction

Conjunctions make it possible to form complex sentences because they join words, phrases, and clauses. They are often short words that join longer components of a sentence .

Examples: and, or, but

Example sentence: I like to eat spinach and tomatoes, but I absolutely hate asparagus.

The conjunction and joins the nouns spinach and tomatoes. The conjunction but joins two independent clauses to make a more complex sentence.

Interjection

Interjections are words used to express emotions such as surprise, relief, happiness, or disgust. Could stand alone or be part of a sentence. If they are included in a sentence, they are separated by a comma.

Example: Ouch ! That wasp stung me!

Example: Wow , I didn't expect him to bring me such an expensive gift!

Sometimes the same word can take on more than one part of speech and be used in different ways. A word can perform one function in a sentence and be used as a completely different part of speech in another. Here are some examples:

Sentence	Part of Speech	Usage
Lila had to her mother to pick her up.	Verb	is used as a verb to identify what Lila did.
Abbey got a phone right before volleyball practice.	Noun	is used as a noun to name what Abbey received.

Sentence	Part of Speech	Usage
Let's go practice a before the audience gets here.	Adverb	is used as an adverb to describe how much practicing they will do.
Hugo watered and cared for the seedling until it bloomed.	Adjective	is used as an adjective to describe the seedling.

Parts of speech describe the specific function of each word in a sentence as they work together to create coherent ideas.

The eight parts of speech are:

Nouns- refer to a person, place, concept, or thing
Pronouns- rename nouns
Verbs- name the actions or the state of being of nouns
Adjectives- describe or modify nouns or pronouns
Adverbs- describe or modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
Prepositions- show relationships between words in a sentence
Conjunction- join words, phrases, and clauses
Interjection- express emotions in a sentence

Sometimes the same word can act as different parts of speech depending on how it is used in a sentence.

Video Transcript

Part of speech defined.

If you're like many of us, you might still have nightmares of diagramming sentences in English class. With all the circling and lines drawn from one end to the other, your sentence diagram may have ended up looking like a tangled mess. However, if you recall, you probably started with a very orderly system of classification. Typically, the first step in diagramming a sentence is identifying what part of speech , or group of words categorized by their function in a sentence, a word belongs to.

Not counting articles - which only consist of the words 'the,' 'a' and 'an' - there are eight parts of speech. Though there might be a lot of differences between modern English and ancient Greek, the same parts of speech and their functions are used in both (and many others) and have remained virtually the same across time and cultures. Keep watching to discover more about these eight parts of speech and the vital services they perform in our sentences!

This part of speech is probably the one we're most familiar with since nouns identify pretty much anything we can see, hear, touch, taste, smell or think. This group of words is commonly noted as consisting of people, places, things and ideas, leading nouns to make up a huge portion of practically any dictionary.

Nouns can fall into two broad classifications: concrete and abstract. Concrete nouns are those that you can experience directly with your senses - 'car,' 'human,' 'garden' and 'water.' The abstract ones are those like 'patriotism' or 'love' that represent emotions or other intangible experiences.

Whether concrete or abstract, though, nouns are the words that can actually get things done or have things done to them. In fact, the other parts of speech are really used to describe the actions of various nouns and the other relationships between them.

Nouns might be important, but without verbs, they wouldn't be doing anything. Often referred to as action words, verbs are indeed the part of speech responsible for telling us what nouns are doing or experiencing. But verbs aren't always the action-packed words you might expect.

For example, the simple act of existing really doesn't take any effort, but it's not really a passive process either. With that in mind, verbs such as 'to be' and others like it denoting a state of being, sensing, feeling or thinking are known as linking verbs. Instead of allowing nouns to act or to be acted upon like other verbs, these simply link two parts of a sentence together: 'He is tall,' or 'I feel sick.'

People might be nouns, but 'you' and 'I' are pronouns . As their name suggests, these words are used in the place of nouns, especially when we already know what noun we're talking about. For instance, instead of repeating people's names or saying 'book' over and over, we can replace these nouns with pronouns like 'she,' 'they' or 'it.'

We learned our colors and numbers long before we ever knew they were adjectives, but this part of speech helps us make language more colorful from an early age. Adjectives are words used to modify nouns or pronouns in some way, usually by providing extra details about them. For example, 'The dog fetched the balls' can be made a little more descriptive by adding adjectives: 'The shaggy brown dog fetched five green balls.'

With adjectives, we can answer questions like 'How many?' or 'What kind?' With adverbs, though, we get answers to things like 'When?' or 'In what way?' Instead of modifying nouns and pronouns, adverbs are used to provide more details and describe verbs, adjectives and even other adverbs.

These words frequently ending in '-ly' (such as 'happily') and are often modified versions of their adjectival cousins (such as 'happy'), but there are many others that have distinct forms all their own. Take for instance 'almost' and 'never' in 'The dog almost never fetches the brightly colored balls.'

You might remember from elementary school that you can often identify words as prepositions by whether or not they can describe a rabbit in relation to a log: the rabbit can be 'on' the log, 'behind' it, or 'beneath' it. In fact, describing relationships between different nouns or pronouns is a preposition 's primary function.

In a larger context, prepositional phrases consist of a preposition, along with its object (a noun or pronoun) and any words modifying it. These phrases are adverbial in nature, considering they typically describe when, where or in what way an action is performed: 'He put it on the table ,' 'She opened the gift at midnight ,' and 'The dog fetched the ball with glee .'

Of all the songs Schoolhouse Rock ever sang about grammar, their 'Conjunction Junction' is by far the most memorable. Following that example, let's think about what a junction actually is. We can find junctions on highways, railroads and even shipping lanes - they're points at which different paths intersect. In our sentences, conjunctions (such as 'and,' 'but,' 'although' or 'because') are responsible for maintaining these intersections between different words and phrases, making sure the transitions from one to the other are smooth and understandable.

You're very unlikely to find this part of speech in use unless you're at a football game or some other place where people are likely to be excited, and if we take a look at its name, we might see why. If someone interjects into a conversation, that means he or she has interrupted its flow with something usually unrelated to it.

Likewise, interjections are unrelated to any other part of speech and therefore actually serve to break the flow of a sentence in order to demonstrate emotion: 'The dog actually fetched the ball, huh ?' (surprise) or 'Wow! Did you see that catch?' (excitement).

A part of speech is a group of words categorized by their function in a sentence, and there are eight of these different families.

Nouns - consist of people, places, things, and ideas. They may be either concrete or abstract.
Pronouns - take the place of nouns
Verbs - action words
Adjectives - modify nouns and pronouns
Adverbs - modify verbs, adjectives and adverbs
Prepositions - describing relationships between nouns and pronouns
Conjunctions - connect different words and phrases
Interjections - break the flow of a sentence in order to demonstrate emotion. Given their role, interjections are grammatically unrelated to the rest.

Learning Outcome

When you are finished, you should be able to state and describe the use of the eight parts of speech.

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Home » 8 Parts of Speech with Types, Definitions and their Examples

8 Parts of Speech with Types, Definitions and their Examples

8 Parts of Speech | 8 Types, Definition and Examples

Are you curious to Speak or Learn the English Language? well, Every word in the English language is referred to as a component of speech. The 8 parts of speech are Nouns , Pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. we will go over the Common Eight parts of speech in this tutorial, along with their definitions, types, and Examples. This is the article on the different 8 parts of speech and Their examples and definitions as well as Example Sentences.

The 8 parts of speech are the regular grammar categories to which words are allocated based on their functions of syntax, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and so on. Stated differently, they talk about the varied roles that words might play in a sentence and the connections that words have to one another as defined by syntax and grammar .

Every single English word can be classified into one of the eight components of speech. A word’s part of speech is the purpose it fulfills in a sentence. These jobs were also designed to work as a team, much like any workplace or ensemble cast television series.

Also Check:

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Kitchen vocabulary words
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Table of Contents

What Is a Part of Speech?

Before delving into the specifics, let’s clarify what we mean by a “Part of speech.” In English grammar, a part of speech is a category of main and a lot of words. These types of categories help us to understand how the words we use and Speak within the daily life Conversation.

8 Parts of Speech Are:

Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections

Names of 8 Parts of speech

The 8 parts of speech:

Noun: the foundation of sentences.

Types: Common, proper, abstract, concrete, and countable nouns. See more…
Definition: A noun is a word that tells of a person, place, thing, or idea.
Example: cat , London , happiness ,
Nouns Example Sentences: She has an Adorable Cat . They are going to London. may god give you happiness.

Pronoun: Substitutes for Nouns

Types: Personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns. See More…
Definition: A pronoun is a word that represents a noun to avoid repetition.
Example: he , she , it , they He is a good boy. she is studying. it is an amazing sight. they live in New York.

Verb: The Action Words

Types: Action verbs, linking verbs, helping verbs. See More….
Definition: in the English Language, A verb explains an action, occurrence, or state of being.
Example: Runs, smell, Going, playing, He runs every morning. The flowers smell delicious. I am going with my Friends. they are Playing Football.

Adjective: Describing Words

Types: Descriptive adjectives, limiting adjectives. See More…
Definition: An adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.
Example: blue , tall , delicious today the sky is blue. He is a tall man. She makes delicious food.

Adverb: Modifiers of Verbs

Types: Adverbs of manner, place, time, degree. See More…
Definition: An adverb tells about the verb, adjective, or another adverb
Example: quickly, beautifully, Loudly This boy runs quickly. She sings beautifully . He Speaks Loudly .

Preposition: Indicators of Position or Relationship

Types: Simple prepositions, compound prepositions. See More…
Definition: A preposition describes the relationship between its object and another word in the sentence.
Example: on, in, at, across The book is on the table. I am in the car. He is at the bus stand. She walked across the bridge.

Conjunction: Joining Words

Types: Coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions. See more…
Definition: A conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses.
Examples: And, Because, that, She likes tea and coffee. He went to the store because he needed groceries. this is the pen, that writes very well.

Interjection: Expressions of Emotion

Types: Expressive interjections, introductory interjections. See More….
Definition: An interjection Describe strong emotions or sudden bursts of feelings.
Example: wow! ouch! Ouwww! Wow! That was amazing! Ouch! That hurt. Ouwww! That’s amazing.

Eight parts of Speech and their Types, Definition and Examples

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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.

Don't write...	Do write...
very happy boy	delighted boy
very angry	livid
extremely posh hotel	luxurious hotel
really serious look	stern look

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.

Unnatural (Overusing Nouns)	Natural (Using a Verb)
They are in agreement that he was in violation of several regulations.	They agree he violated several regulations.
She will be in attendance to present a demonstration of how the weather will have an effect on our process.	She will attend to demonstrate how the weather will affect our process.

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

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What Are The 8 Parts of Speech? Definitions and Examples

Speaking and writing in any language involves using different parts of speech. Understanding what these parts are and how to use them correctly is important for effective communication. In English, there are 8 parts of speech, which include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. In this article, we will explore each of these parts of speech in detail, along with their definitions and examples. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the role and importance of the 8 parts of speech in English.

Content Guide

What Are Parts of Speech?

Parts of speech, also known as word classes, are categories that describe the role a word plays in a sentence. These categories help us understand how words work within sentences and how they relate to one another. In essence, parts of speech are a set of general rules that help us to form sentences that are clear, logical, and expressive. There are a total of 8 parts of speech in the English language, and each has its own set of rules.

The 8 Parts of Speech

The 8 parts of speech are:

Prepositions

Conjunctions
Interjections

Parts of Speech Chart

The following chart lists the 8 parts of speech—along with brief descriptions and examples.

It’s time to explore them in detail. So, let’s go ahead and learn the 8 parts of speech with definitions and examples.

A noun is a word that refers to a person, animal, place, idea, or thing. For example, John, cat, dog, table, house, office, etc. In English, nouns come in many different forms, including proper nouns, which are names that refer to people or places; descriptive nouns, which describe things; and common nouns, which are words that are used to refer to a wide range of things.

Common nouns are often used to refer to everyday objects, such as “chair,” “table,” and “door.” Other common nouns are used to refer to abstract concepts, such as “love,” “hate,” and “peace.” Nouns can also be singular, plural, and neuter. A singular noun refers to one person or thing, while a plural noun refers to more than one person or thing. A neuter noun is used to refer to something that isn’t either a person or a thing.

Let’s see some examples of nouns in sentences:

Person- Her name is Amy . Place – This park is so crowded. Thing- You never sit on this chair . Animal – They have a dog .

Pronouns are words that we use to replace nouns in sentences that refer to people, animals, objects, or places. Pronouns help us to avoid the repetition of nouns while we speak or write. Words such as he, she, it, I, you, we, they, them, etc. are pronouns.

Let’s consider this paragraph without using pronouns:

Amy always wakes up early in the morning. Amy goes to the office and comes back in the afternoon. In the evening, Amy cooks dinner. After having dinner Amy goes to bed. This is Amy’s daily routine.

Did you find it a bit repetitive?

Now, when we replace the noun with pronouns, the paragraph becomes more engaging:

Amy always wakes up early in the morning. She goes to the office and comes back in the afternoon. She cooks dinner in the evening. And, after dinner, she goes to bed. This is her routine.

In this case, ‘She’ and ‘her’ are the pronouns we used instead of repeatedly mentioning Amy’s name.

Adjectives are words used to describe the person, place, or thing that a noun refers to. Adjectives are often used to add extra information about a noun. It can be used to describe a person’s age, gender, or personality. Adjectives are also used to describe the quality of a noun, such as its size, shape, or color. Some examples of adjectives are tall, short, good, bad, beautiful, large, funny, sad, etc.

Let’s see some examples of adjectives in sentences:

You look beautiful in this dress. It’s pleasant weather today. He is a kind person. She looks sad today. The movie we watched yesterday was engaging .

A verb is a word that describes specific actions, or an action that is being performed. They are also called action verbs. However, not all verbs are action verbs. There are non-action verbs that denote feelings or state of being. So, a verb can be either an action verb or a state verb. Action verbs are words such as “walk,” “run,” and “jump.” State verbs are words such as “be,” “look,” “love,” and “feel.”

Examples of verbs in sentences:

We play video games every day. They run very fast. I love pizza. He jumped off the bridge. She hates horror movies.

Adverbs describe or provide more information about verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They are often used to describe the way something is done, how something is done, or how something feels. Moreover, adverbs can highlight distinctions between things or actions. For instance, we use words such as “slowly” or “carefully” to describe the way something is done. We often use words such as “well” or “badly” to describe how something is done.

Some examples of adverbs are always, quickly, badly, quietly, early, slowly, etc.

He runs faster than me. Can you finish your work early ? She was badly injured while playing. Can you do it silently ? She was walking slowly towards me.

Prepositions are words that connect words in a sentence. Prepositions can be used to describe the location of something, as well as the time and manner in which something is done. The most common prepositions are: at, on, by, under, over, beside, before, after, behind, above, below, in, out, with, and without. Prepositions can also be used to indicate the relationship between two things (for example, beside means “next to”).

Prepositions are one of the most important parts of speech that you must learn to use correctly. They can make your writing clear and make your sentences more interesting.

Examples of prepositions in sentences:

My books are on the table. He leaves for home at 8 p.m. You can sit beside me. They came here after me. I travel by public transport.

Conjunction

A conjunction is a word or phrase that connects two ideas or clauses. For example, consider these sentences: “I like sports. I like music.” These are two separate sentences, but you can connect them using the conjunction “and” to say, “ I like sports and music. ” Conjunctions help make our sentences flow smoothly by joining related thoughts or actions.

There are many different types of conjunctions. Some examples of common conjunctions are: and, but, when, unless, or, nor, for, yet, although, but not, because, not only, etc.

Examples of conjunction in sentences:

I cannot go to work today because my mother is sick. My dad used to ride horses when he was young. You are likely to fail unless you work hard.

Interjection

Interjections are words that show sudden feelings or emotions such as joy, surprise, or shock. We usually use the exclamation mark (!) with interjection words.

Some examples of interjections are:

Oh! Wow! Hello! Ouch! Bravo!

Examples of interjections in sentences:

Oh! I forgot the keys. Wow! It looks great. Hello! Is anybody there?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about “Parts of Speech”

1. what are the parts of speech in english.

English has eight primary parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections.

2. Why is it important to understand parts of speech?

Understanding parts of speech is crucial for effective communication and writing. It helps you structure sentences correctly, convey your thoughts clearly, and avoid grammatical errors.

3. How can I identify the parts of speech in a sentence?

You can identify parts of speech by understanding their functions and looking for clues within the sentence. Nouns name things, verbs show actions, adjectives describe nouns, and so on. Context and practice are essential tools for identification.

4. Can words change their part of speech in different sentences?

Yes, some words can function as different parts of speech depending on their usage and context. For example, “work” can be a noun (“I have a lot of work to do”) or a verb (“I need to work hard”).

5. What’s the difference between adjectives and adverbs?

Adjectives describe nouns and answer questions like “What kind?” or “Which one?” (e.g., “red car”). Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, addressing questions like “How?” “When?” “Where?” or “To what extent?” (e.g., “She sings beautifully”).

6. How do conjunctions function in sentences?

Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses to form more complex sentences. Common conjunctions are “and,” “but,” “or,” “so,” and “because.”

7. What’s the role of prepositions in sentences?

Prepositions establish connections between nouns or pronouns and other words in a sentence, indicating aspects like location, direction, time, or manner. Examples of prepositions include “in,” “on,” “under,” “with,” and “between.”

8. When should interjections be used in communication?

Interjections are used to express strong emotions or sudden exclamations. They add emotional depth to your speech or writing. For instance, “Wow, that’s amazing!” or “Ouch, that hurts!”

9. Are there any online tools to help identify parts of speech in sentences?

Yes, there are many online grammar-checking tools and apps that can analyze and label the parts of speech in a sentence. They can be useful for practice and verification.

10. How can I improve my understanding of parts of speech?

Improving your understanding of parts of speech requires practice. Analyze sentences from books, articles, or conversations. Engage in grammar exercises and quizzes. Reading widely and regularly can also help reinforce your knowledge.

8 Parts of Speech with Meaning and Useful Examples

Posted on Last updated: December 22, 2023

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Understanding the eight parts of speech is like unlocking the building blocks of language. We all use words every day, often without considering their specific roles in our sentences. By delving into the eight parts of speech, we gain the tools to express ourselves beautifully and powerfully.

Table of Contents

8 Parts of Speech

Nouns are the building blocks of sentences, naming everything from people and places to feelings and ideas. Let’s explore the different types of nouns that give substance to our language.

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are used to name specific, one-of-a-kind items and are always capitalized to signify their uniqueness. Examples include:

Names of People: George , Elizabeth , Mohammed
Places: Paris , Mount Everest , the Nile River
Organizations: United Nations , Microsoft , Harvard University

Common Nouns

Common nouns are the general names for things and aren’t capitalized unless they start a sentence. These include:

General Objects: chair, window, phone
Animals: dog, eagle, shark
Places: city, park, restaurant

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns represent ideas or concepts that are not tangible or can’t be experienced with the five senses. We use them to describe feelings, qualities, and states, such as:

Feelings: love, anger, joy
Qualities: bravery, honesty, intelligence
States: freedom, childhood, poverty

Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns are the opposite of abstract nouns; they name anything that can be experienced with our senses. Some examples are:

Physical Objects: apple, book, car
People and Animals: teacher, cat, child
Places: home, beach, bakery

Through these categories, we see how nouns serve as the cornerstone for expressing everything we discuss, narrate, and describe in our language.

In our examination of the eight parts of speech, we turn our focus to pronouns, essential tools in language that stand in for nouns and keep our sentences fresh and less repetitive.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are the ones we use to designate specific people or things. They can take on different forms depending on case, whether it’s the subject or object in the sentence, and number, singular or plural. For example, in the first person singular, we use “I” for the subject case and “me” for the object case. Here’s a simple table for reference:

Subject (Singular)	Object (Singular)	Subject (Plural)	Object (Plural)
I	me	we	us
you	you	you	you
he/she/it	him/her/it	they	them

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns, these helpful words, point to specific things and typically vary depending on the proximity to the speaker. For objects near us, we use “this” for singular and “these” for plural. For objects farther away, “that” for singular and “those” for plural take their place.

Interrogative Pronouns

When we’re forming questions about people or objects, we use interrogative pronouns. The main interrogative pronouns are “who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,” and “what.” We use “who” and “whom” for asking about people, where “who” is in the subject case, and “whom” in the object case.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership and are quite handy for avoiding repetition. They must match the number and sometimes gender of the noun being replaced. Some examples are “his,” “hers,” “its,” “ours,” “yours,” and “theirs.” Unlike possessive adjectives, these pronouns stand alone and do not precede the noun. Here’s a quick list:

Singular: mine, yours, his, hers, its
Plural: ours, yours, theirs

Remember, pronouns are incredibly useful in our language, allowing us to maintain clarity while avoiding redundancy.

In our exploration of the parts of speech, we come to verbs, the words that express action or state of being in a sentence. They are essential for constructing meaningful statements, as they serve as the backbone of a sentence’s structure.

Action Verbs

Action verbs are the muscle of a sentence, driving forward the things characters and subjects do. Examples include run , jump , and think . These verbs can show physical actions like run , mental actions like think , or emotional states like love .

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs act like a bridge, connecting a subject to more information about it. These verbs do not represent action. Instead, they link the subject to a subject complement, which can be a noun or adjective that describes the subject. Common linking verbs include is , are , and seems .

Auxiliary Verbs

We use auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, to alter the mood, tense, or voice of the main verb in a sentence. They are the support system that expands the meaning of the main verb. For example, in the sentence “We have finished our project,” the word “ have ” is an auxiliary verb to the main verb finished . Auxiliary verbs include forms of be , have , and do .

Adjectives are words that modify nouns or pronouns by giving additional information about them such as quality, quantity, or identity. They are an essential tool we use to create vivid descriptions and provide specific details in our sentences.

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are the words we use to describe a noun’s characteristics, such as color, size, shape, texture, feeling, sound, and more. They help us paint a clearer picture of the things we’re talking about. For example:

The bright sun.
A mysterious noise.

Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives specify the quantity of nouns, giving us an idea of ‘how many’ or ‘how much’. These can be exact numbers or words that denote amounts that can be measured or estimated. For instance:

Three books.
Several cookies.

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives point out particular nouns. We use them to demonstrate or indicate which one we’re referring to, especially when it’s clear from the context which noun the speaker means. They are often used in phrases like:

This notebook.
Those apples.

Adverbs play an integral role in adding detail to our sentences by modifying verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or even whole sentences. They answer questions like how, when, where, and to what extent. Now, let’s look closer at the adverbs of manner, time, and place.

Adverbs of Manner

These adverbs describe how an action is performed. They can often be spotted by their -ly ending, although there are exceptions. For instance, in “She sings beautifully,” the word ‘beautifully’ explains how she sings. Here’s a quick list of examples:

Fast (note the lack of -ly)

Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of time provide information about when something happens. They can refer to a specific time like ‘yesterday’ or ‘later’, or suggest frequency like ‘often’ or ‘always’. Here’s a mini-table to explain:


Yesterday	We met yesterday.
Soon	We should see the results soon.
Frequently	We visit the cafe frequently.

Adverbs of Place

Lastly, adverbs of place tell us where an action takes place. These don’t follow a specific pattern in their formation. Words like ‘here’, ‘there’, and ‘everywhere’ are some of the various adverbs of place. We use them as in:

“Please sit here.”
“They looked everywhere.”

Prepositions

Prepositions are the words that connect the elements of a sentence, indicating relationships between different entities such as place, time, and movement. They help us give our listeners or readers a clearer picture of what we are trying to communicate.

Prepositions of Time

Prepositions of time describe when something happens. We use at for specific times, in for months, years, centuries, and long periods, and on for days and dates. Here’s how we might use them in sentences:

We have a meeting at 9 AM.
Our vacation starts in July.
My brother is coming to visit on Monday.

Prepositions of Place

When we talk about the location of something, we rely on prepositions of place to provide clarity. At indicates a specific point, in is used for enclosed spaces, and on shows a surface. Examples include:

The book is on the table.
She is waiting for us at the entrance.
They live in New York City.

Prepositions of Movement

To describe the direction of an action, we use prepositions of movement. To indicates direction towards something, into signifies movement from the outside to the inside of an enclosed space, and through demonstrates going from one side to another. Here’s how they work:

We are going to the theater.
She walked into the room.
The road runs through the forest.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are the glue that holds sentences together, allowing us to combine words, phrases, and clauses to add complexity and clarity to our ideas.

Coordinating Conjunctions

We use coordinating conjunctions to join individual words, phrases, or independent clauses that are of equal grammatical importance. The acronym FANBOYS can help us remember them: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So . Here’s how we might use them in sentences:

For : We brought a map, for we expected to explore uncharted territory.
And : She plays the guitar, and he sings along.
Nor : He neither smiled nor frowned.
But : She is small, but she is mighty.
Or : Do you prefer tea or coffee?
Yet : He’s been working all day, yet he seems very energetic.
So : It started raining, so we opened our umbrellas.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions help us link a dependent clause to an independent clause, giving us the means to show time, contrast, cause, and condition. Some common subordinating conjunctions include because, although, while, and if . Examples include:

Because : We stayed indoors because it was raining.
Although : Although it was late, they continued their meeting.
While : While I cook, can you set the table?
If : We’ll go to the beach if the weather stays sunny.

Interjections

Interjections are expressive words that we use to convey emotion or exclamation, often standing apart from standard sentences. Think of them as spontaneous sound bytes that capture our immediate reactions. They are unique in that they can often stand alone or be inserted into a sentence without affecting its grammatical structure.

Here’s a simple way to categorize interjections:

Primary Interjections : Words like “Oops” and “Wow” that serve no other purpose than being an exclamation.
Secondary Interjections : Phrases used in everyday conversation, such as “Well, hello!” or “Oh no,” that can express a wide range of emotions.

We use interjections to:

Show surprise: “Ah!” or “Oh!”
Express pain: “Ouch!” or “Ow!”
Greet: “Hey!” or “Hi!”
Bid farewell: “Bye!” or “See ya!”

Remember, interjections often stand out because of their punctuation. While they typically end with an exclamation point, they can sometimes be followed by a comma or another punctuation mark if they’re part of a sentence.

When it comes to writing, use them sparingly. Since they pack a punch of emotion or emphasis, too many interjections can overwhelm our message and distract readers.

Here’s a quick run-down of how you might find interjections in sentences:

At the start: “Yikes, that’s a huge spider!”
In the middle: “That’s, well, a surprise.”
At the end: “You’re moving to Spain , huh?”

Interjections are lively and fun, giving us the freedom to express ourselves vividly and with emotional flair!

Interactive Exercises

Exercise 1: identify the part of speech.

Read each sentence and identify the part of speech for the highlighted word. Choose from noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, or interjection.

The dog barked loudly throughout the night.
She quickly finished her homework before going out.
Can you believe how beautifully she sings?
I have two cats and one dog.
Before the movie starts, let’s grab some popcorn.
He didn’t want to go to the party, but I convinced him.
Wow , that was an amazing trick!
She said that she would help, which was very kind of her.
The car is yours if you can afford it.
Please turn off the lights when you leave.
Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Choose a word from the list that fits the correct part of speech to fill in the blank. The parts of speech you need to choose from are noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

List: quickly, joy, and, blue, she, under, wow, runs, their, but

The sky is very __________ today.
__________, did you see that shooting star?
The cat __________ beneath the porch when it started to rain.
They __________ to the store to buy some milk.
__________ is a very helpful friend.
The children played __________ at the park.
I wanted to go to the beach, __________ it started to rain.
__________ book is on the table over there.
The rabbit hopped __________ the fence.
The __________ of winning the game made everyone smile.
blue (Adjective)
Wow (Interjection)
runs (Verb)
She (Pronoun)
quickly (Adverb)
but (Conjunction)
Their (Pronoun)
under (Preposition)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you explain the different types of nouns found in the English language?

Nouns in English are categorized primarily into two types: common nouns and proper nouns. Common nouns refer to general items, such as ‘city’ or ‘dog’, while proper nouns name specific ones, like ‘New York’ or ‘Rover’. Additionally, there are concrete nouns for physical objects, abstract nouns for ideas or qualities, and collective nouns that represent groups.

Could you provide some examples of sentences that include all 8 parts of speech?

Certainly! Here’s a sentence that includes all eight parts of speech: “Surprisingly, she loudly declared, ‘Wow, our diligent study pays off!’, as the teacher promptly handed out the results.” In this sentence, you’ll find an adverb (surprisingly), pronoun (she), verb (declared), interjection (wow), possessive adjective (our), adjective (diligent), noun (study), and a preposition (off).

What are the common functions of each part of speech in a sentence?

In a sentence, nouns name entities; pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition; verbs express actions or states; adjectives describe or qualify nouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs; prepositions show relationships between nouns or pronouns and other words; conjunctions connect words or groups of words; and interjections express emotions.

Where can I find a chart or diagram that clearly shows the 8 parts of speech?

Charts or diagrams illustrating the eight parts of speech can often be found in English grammar textbooks or online educational resources. They provide a visual guide to understanding how each part of speech fits into sentence structure.

Friday 21st of July 2023

thank you so much. It helped a lot for my exams

Monday 24th of October 2022

Thanks again for telling and bringing it out

Friday 23rd of September 2022

Wednesday 13th of October 2021

Teagan Alexander

Wednesday 29th of September 2021

This helped me in class. Thank you👍🏾

English EFL

Introduction to grammar

Parts of Speech

The parts of speech explain 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 .

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

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

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

A list of parts of speech in English grammar include the following:

A verb is used to show an action or a state of being

go, write, exist, be

A noun is a word used to refer to people, animals, objects, substances, states, events, ideas and feelings. A noun functions as a subject or object of a verb and can be modified by an adjective.

John, lion, table, freedom, love ...

3. Adjective

Adjectives are used to describe or specify a noun or pronoun

good, beautiful, nice, my ...

An adverb is used to modify a verb, adjective and other adverbs.

completely, never, there ...

A pronoun is used in the place of a noun or phrase.

I, you, he, she, it ...

6. Preposition

Prepositions are used before nouns to form a phrase that shows where, when, how and why

in, above, to, for, at ...

7. Conjunction

Conjunctions join clauses or sentences or words

and, but, when ...

8. Interjection

Interjections are used to show surprise or emotion.

oh!, Good Lord

Examples of parts of speech

Here are some examples of parts of speech: My ( adjective ) friend ( noun ) speaks ( verb ) English ( noun ) fluently ( adverb ). Oh! ( interjection ) I ( pronoun ) went ( verb ) to ( preposition ) school ( noun ) and ( conjunction ) I ( pronoun ) met ( verb ) Fred ( noun ).

Course Curriculum

Basic English Grammar Components 20 mins
Auxiliary Verbs 30 mins
Articles 20 mins
Parts of Speech 20 mins

Basic English Grammar

Helping People Understand the Eight Parts of Speech!

8 Parts of Speech Definitions With Examples

The 8 parts of speech definitions with examples include nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.

By using proper grammar in your writing and speaking, you will communicate clearly and effectively with your subject or audience! Moreover, by learning and understanding the 8 parts of speech, you will be able to master proper grammar in your writing and speaking. Below are the 8 parts of speech definitions with examples!

TOC – 8 Parts of Speech Definitions With Examples

Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections

Definition of Parts of Speech: A part of speech is a category to which a word is assigned in accordance with its syntactic functions.

To put it very simply, a part of speech identifies a word in accordance with its function in a sentence such as: a noun, a verb, an adjective, a pronoun, an adverb, a preposition, a conjunction and an interjection.

Some Examples of Parts of Speech:

The driver died in the car accident. (Noun)
The prisoner escaped from the moving van. (Verb)
The violent criminal changed his ways in prison. (Adjective)
The students were late so they ran to class. (Pronoun)
The bus will leave soon. (Adverb)
He left his computer in the house. (Preposition)
David and Jonathan fished all day with no success. (Conjunction)
Wow! What a magnificent photograph! (Interjection)

Definition of Nouns: Nouns are naming words and they name persons, places, things, animals, qualities, feelings, actions or ideas.

Examples of Nouns:

Jonathan and Rachel are excellent workers (Naming a Person).
Australia and New Zealand are island continents in the South Pacific (Naming a Place).
The boat sank in the river (Naming a Thing).
The dog jumped the fence (Naming an Animal).
Courage and bravery are two heroic qualities (Naming a Quality).
Candice experienced both happiness and sadness at her mother’s funeral (Naming a Feeling).
He demanded justice for all (Naming an Idea).

Examples of Types of Nouns:

Jennifer is my best friend (Proper Noun).
I read several books a week (Common Noun).
Emma parked her vehicle in the driveway (Concrete Noun).
His joy overwhelmed the crowd (Abstract Noun).
I gave my brother a pack of cards for his birthday (Collective Noun).
My mother-in-law drives a new car (Compound Noun).
The photographer took a variety of photographs at the school picnic (Countable Noun).
The jogger brought his water with him (Non-Countable Noun).
Jonathan’s pickup is being repaired (Possessive Noun).
His return was a complete surprise (Verbal Noun).

You can learn more about the types of nouns in English grammar by checking out 10 Types of Nouns With Examples. You will find each type of noun explained with several examples so that your skill levels to recognize nouns will increase.

Examples of Functions of Nouns:

David arrived late to the party (Noun Functions as Subject).
Rebekah washed the dishes before she went to school (Noun Functions as Direct Object).
Jonathan taught the students public speaking in class (Noun Functions as Indirect Object).
Scott is the minister of the local church (Noun Functions as Predicate Nominative).
The traffic stopped at the lights (Noun Functions as Object of Preposition).
My assistant, Brad, shared the message on Sunday (Noun Functions as an Appositive).
Rebekah named her dog Bailey (Noun Functions as Objective Complement).
Class, it is time for fire drill (Noun Functions as Noun of Direct Address).

You can learn more about the functions of Nouns in English grammar by clicking on The 8 Noun Functions With Examples. You will find each function explained with examples to help you develop your skills in recognizing the different ways nouns function.

Definition of Verbs: Verbs show action or state-of-being.

Examples of Verb Types:

The dog jumped the fence (Action Verb).
Rachel is beautiful (State-of-Being Verb).
Brad hits the ball over the fence (Action Verb).
The song sounds awful (State-of-Being).
Emma walked the dog in the park (Action Verb).

Examples of Verb Functions:

Candice writes a letter to her friend (Transitive Verb).
Candice writes beautifully (Intransitive Verb).
David walked the dog in the park (Transitive Verb).
David walked in the park in the rain (Intransitive Verb).
Emma became an apprentice hairdresser (Intransitive Verb).

Examples of Verb Voices:

John rode the bike to school (Active Voice).
The bike was ridden by John (Passive Voice).
Jennifer led the worship service (Active Voice).
The worship service was led by Jennifer (Passive Voice).
The criminal was punished by the courts (Passive Voice).

You can learn more about how to identify types, functions and voices of verbs by clicking on How To Identify Verbs With Examples. This will help you develop your writing and speaking gifts.

3. Adjectives

Definition of Adjectives: Adjectives are words that describe or modify other words in a sentence thus making your writing and speaking more specific and interesting.

Examples of Several Types Adjectives:

English grammar will help you develop your writing and speaking skills (Proper Adjective).
Rachel had beautiful hair (Descriptive Adjective).
My son bought an expensive car (Qualitative Adjective).
The black cat ran in front of the car (Attributive Adjective).
The cat is black (Predicative Adjective).
My husband has a single focus for life (Quantitative Adjective).
I can get twenty-four hours of service in our location (Numeral Adjective).
I want those people charged for robbery (Demonstrative Adjective).
David wants every person evacuated safely (Distributive Adjective).
What time will you arrived home from the game (Interrogative Adjective)?
The students will submit their assignments on time (Possessive Adjective).
It is a long, narrow, winding road to the mountain top (Sequence Adjectives).
Emma is a happy and lively person (Coordinate Adjectives).
That was one nasty old man who drove the school bus this morning (Cumulative Adjectives).
The murderer is a cold-blooded person (Compound Adjective).
The builder bought a house in the country (Article Adjectives).
Jonathan wants a few minutes of your time (Indefinite Adjective).
The first person in the line collapsed onto the floor (Ordinal Adjective).
The two men were jailed for life (Cardinal Adjective).

Learning to recognize the different types of adjectives will help you develop your speaking and writing skills so that you can be more specific, interesting and colorful in the way you express yourself.

4. Pronouns

Definition of Pronouns: Pronouns are words that replace nouns in sentence in order to avoid repeating the same noun over and over again.

Examples of Several Types of Pronouns :

Dad, will you help me with my assignment (Personal Pronoun)?
These books are mine (Possessive Pronoun).
Give me that (Demonstrative Pronoun)!
Some made thousands from the market collapse (Indefinite Pronoun).
The player who was warmed about his behavior lost his spot on the team (Relative Pronoun).
Candice saw herself in the mirror (Reflective Pronoun).
David repairs the car himself (Emphatic Pronoun).

You can learn more about the different types of pronouns in English grammar with examples by clicking on Types of Pronouns With Examples. You will find a brief explanation of each type of pronoun with some examples. This will help you understand how pronouns work in English sentences.

Definition of Adverbs: Adverbs are words or a group of words that modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. They usually tell when, where, how or to what extent an action is performed or it may indicate the quality or degree of the action.

Examples of Different Types of Adverbs:

She worked slowly and carefully on the building site (Adverb of Manner).
David will be home soon (Adverb of Time).
Candice put her book there (Adverb of Place).
We are extremely hungry (Adverb of Degree).
She never cleans her room (Adverb of Frequency).
He gave little to charity (Adverb of Quantity).
He fell forward on the parade ground (Adverb of Direction).
Hopefully, I will be able to attend class today (Adverb of Uncertainty).
Rachel went shopping; however, she didn’t buy anything (Conjunctive Adverb).
Yes, I will be coming to the game tomorrow (Adverb of Affirmation).

You can learn more about adverbs and how they are used in English sentences by clicking on What is an Adverb? Adverb can be confusing at times because they perform differently roles and they can be inserted at different place in English sentences. By learning to recognize the types of adverbs and how they function in sentences, you will certainly increase your ability to write and speak with interesting to your audiences.

6. Prepositions

Definition of Prepositions: Prepositions consist of words or groups of words that show the relationship between nouns or pronouns with other words in sentences.

Examples of Several Types of Prepositions:

Emma arrived on Saturday afternoon (Preposition of Time).
The book is on the table (Preposition of Place).
David will ride his bike to the game on Saturday (Preposition of Movement).
Rebekah goes to work by bus (Preposition of Manner).
Jonathan is sawing the timber with his new saw (Preposition of Agent).
The hardware store sells electrical cord by the meter (Preposition of Measure).
Candace received her weekly wage from her workplace (Preposition of Source).
This is the property of my late wife (Preposition of Possession).

You can learn more about the 8 types of prepositions with examples by clicking on 8 types of prepositions with examples. Once you identify the 8 types of preposition and how they function in sentence, you will become more creative in your writing and speaking skills.

7. Conjunctions

Definition of Conjunctions: Conjunctions are words or groups of words that show how ideas are related to each other in English sentences.

Examples of Several Types of Conjunctions:

Rachel and Darcy traveled to the zoo during the holidays (Coordinating Conjunction).
Unless the drought breaks soon, many farmers will find it very difficult to continue farming (Subordinating Conjunction).
David is both discreet and considerate (Correlative Conjunctions).
We have been good friends; however, I think at times you take me for granted (Conjunctive Adverb).
The stray dog not only destroyed the chicken pen but also killed the chickens (Correlative Conjunctions).

You can learn more about the 4 types of conjunctions with examples by clicking on 4 Types of Conjunctions With Examples. By learning these 4 types of conjunctions with examples, you will be able to identify how words, phrases and clauses relate to each other in English sentences.

8. Interjections

Definition of Interjections: Interjections are used to express feelings and emotions in English sentences.

Examples of Interjections:

Oh, you can’t be serious!
Wow! That’s was excellent.
Ah, I needed that cuppa!
I won the lottery, wahoo!
It stinks, hey, I will never do that again!

You can learn more about interjections by clicking on What is an Interjection?

The more you understand the 8 parts of speech in English grammar with examples, the better you will be able to write and speak to your designated audience. Enjoy!

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8 Parts of Speech | Definitions, Types, and Examples

8 parts of speech definitions and examples.

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This lesson will analyze the ‘8 Parts of Speech’ in English with definitions, types, and examples. Parts of Speech are part and parcel of English grammar. We can’t think of a sentence without using Parts of Speech. There are 8 Parts of Speech in English.

However, if you want to learn English, you must know the Parts of Speech. Otherwise, it won’t be easy to learn English grammar more accurately. Let us know the definition of ‘Parts of Speech in English grammar. Just follow the below sentence.

Wow! I see a very stunning bird flying in the sky.

This sentence will get a clear picture of the 8 Parts of Speech in English.

Every word underlined in the sentence is called Parts of Speech.

Definition of Parts of Speech by Different Scholars

J.C. Nesfield: The different kinds of words are called P arts of Speech. Wren & Martin: Words are divided into different kinds of classes, called Parts of speech, according to their use; that is, according to the work they do in the sentence.

Types of Parts of Speech

There are eight types of Parts of Speech in English grammar. They are:

Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection .
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Any naming word (person, place, thing, or idea) is called a Noun. Sometimes many students think a noun is the name of a person or place only, but it can be a thing, idea, feeling, etc.

Let us see some examples of nouns; John, boy, country, United Kingdom, New York City, cow, army, iron, honesty, etc. Nouns are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

John is a good boy .
The United Kingdom is my favorite country.
My brother lives in New York City .
The Cow is roaming in the field .
The army protects their homeland .
Iron is beneficial for human life.
Honesty is a good virtue.

There are five types of nouns in English. They are:

Proper noun
Common noun
Material noun
Abstract noun

A word that is placed instead of a noun is called a Pronoun. If we use a single noun for every sentence, it doesn’t look good. For example, James goes to meet with his friends, and James is enjoying the party, and James recollects his old memories.

Here we use a single noun for every sentence, and that’s why it looks weird. But if we use the pronoun ‘he’ for the last two sentences instead of ‘James,’ it seems pretty good.

That’s why we need to use a pronoun instead of a noun. Let us see examples of pronouns; he, she, they, I, we, it, etc. Pronouns are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

He is going to the market to buy a t-shirt.
She plays with her classmate.
I am the only man who understands the matter.
We are going to arrange a free campaign.
It was considered that he would be won the trophy.

There are nine types of pronouns. They are:

Personal pronoun
Possessive pronoun
Reflexive pronoun
Demonstrative pronoun
Indefinite pronoun
Relative pronoun
Interrogative pronoun
Distributive pronoun
Reciprocal pronoun.

3. Adjective

A word used to describe a noun or pronoun is called an Adjective . In other words, we can say an adjective usually modifies a noun or a pronoun.

For example, happy, good, clever, intelligent, lazy, large, etc. Adjectives are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

He looks like he is happy now.
They had been playing good cricket at a time.
Don’t try to be more clever .
Undoubtedly he is an intelligent person.
This animal is so lazy .
I saw a large building.

There are nine types of adjectives. They are:

Proper Adjectives
Adjectives of Quality
Adjectives of Quantity
Numeral Adjectives
Demonstrative Adjectives
Distributive Adjectives
Interrogative Adjectives
Possessive Adjectives

A word that expresses an action or doing something is called a Verb. For example, am, is, are, was, were, have, has had, can, could, should, will, go, play, read, want, sing, etc.

Verbs are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

I am good at English.
He is a good boy.
They are playing in the field.
She was suffering from a fever.
These two boys were going to catch fish.
I have a beautiful doll.
They have gone to this place.
He has done his job successfully.
My sister had a sweet dog.
He can do this work.
You could attend this meeting.
His father shall go to the field.
You should be attentive to your study.
She will go to meet her friends.
He would claim a better job.
Read the book carefully.
The boy wants to sing a song.

There are four types of verbs. They are:

Auxiliary verb
Principal verb
Transitive verb
Intransitive verb

A word that is used to add something to the meaning or modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb is called an Adverb.

For example, about, after, before, fast, slow, etc. Adverbs are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

Tell me something about you.
Pass the book after him.
He has done his task before the boy.
They want to run fast .
The tortoise walks slowly .

There are three types of Adverbs. They are:

Simple adverb
Relative adverb
Interrogative adverb

6. Preposition

A word that is placed before a noun or a pronoun or a noun-equivalent to show its relation to any other term of the sentence is called a Preposition.

For example, on, in, to, for, with, within, above over, etc. Prepositions are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

He stores his books on his bookshelf.
They have been playing football on the field since morning.
He goes to the market to buy some clothes.
She is dancing with her mates.
The plane was flying above my head.
He couldn’t succeed in this plan over the years.

There are three types of prepositions. They are:

Simple preposition
Double preposition
Compound preposition

7. Conjunction

A word that is usually used to join one word to another, one word to a clause, or one sentence to another is called a Conjunction.

Conjunctions are of three types. They are:

Coordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating Conjunctions
Correlative Conjunctions

For example; and, but, or, if, though, than, since, so–that, as soon as, either–or, neither–nor, etc. Conjunctions are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

Janny and Jammy are good friends.
He is rich but cheap-minded.
Please read more, or you will fail the exam.
They will be good doctors if they work hard.
He could attend the meeting though he had enough time.
The boy is tall than the girl.
It has been raining since morning.
The older man is so poor that he can’t buy enough food.
He left the place as soon as they came.
Either Jack or John will do the task.
She will neither come here nor her friend.

8. Interjection

A word used to express a short sudden emotion or excitement is called an Interjection. For example, hurrah! alas! oops! Etc. Interjections are underlined in the below sentences for easy identification:

Hurrah ! We won the match.
Alas ! She is no more.
Oops ! They can’t do this job correctly.

There are three kinds of Interjections. They are:

Volitive Interjection
Emotive Interjection
Cognitive Interjection.

To sum up, we may say without parts of speech; we can’t make a sentence. These eight parts of speech are the fundamental parts of English grammar.

Please share this article with your friends to get a helpful guideline about these eight parts of speech with definitions and examples.

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Azizul Hakim is the founder & CEO of englishfinders.com . He is a passionate writer, English instructor, and content creator. He has completed his graduation and post-graduation in English language and literature.

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Their functions

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Types should be discussed

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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.

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.)

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.

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). 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 , parts of speech are generally referred to as word classes or syntactic categories. The main difference is that word classes are classified according to more strict linguistic criteria. 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 practice 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, and they're 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. Many adjectives can be turned into adjectives by adding the suffix - ly . Examples: softly, quickly, lazily, often, only, hopefully, sometimes.

Preposition

Prepositions show spatial, 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.

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 of articles: a, an, the ; examples of 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:

Bosco showed up for work two hours late.
The noun work is the thing Bosco shows up for.
He will have to work until midnight.
The verb work is the action he must perform.
His work permit expires next month.
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 verb command with an understood "you" noun.

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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Pronoun Definition - Rules and Types of Pronouns
Reflexive Pronoun
Subject Pronouns - Definition, Example and Exercise
Relative Pronouns - Definition, Uses and Examples
Demonstrative Pronouns - Definition and Examples
Possessive Pronouns - Definition, Usage and Examples
Indefinite Pronoun
Personal Pronoun - Definition, Rules and Examples
Interrogative Pronoun
Reciprocal Pronouns - Definition, Examples & Uses
What is a Verb? Types, Uses, Examples
Main Verbs - Meaning, Types and Examples
Helping Verb: Definition, Types and Examples
Auxiliary Verbs: Definition, Examples & List
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Adjective - Definition, List, Types, Uses and Examples
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Possessive Adjectives - Definition, Example and List
Interrogative Adjective - Meaning, Definition and Examples
What Is an Adverb? Definition, List & Examples
Conjunctive Adverbs - Meaning, Examples and Exercises
Adverbs of Time - Examples, Meaning, and Definition
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What is a Conjunction - Meaning, Definition, Types & Exercises
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Preposition

Interjection.

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Parts of Speech: Definitions, Examples & 8 Types

Every word is a part of speech playing a specific role in sentences or paragraphs. Parts of speech provide an organized way to align words and phrases, it is a fundamental meaning for a language to become more understandable and serve a specific purpose. Here, in this article, we will see what is Part of Speech, its types, and its uses. So let us dive in deeper to learn more about it!

Table of Content

What is Part of Speech?

Parts of speech chart.

Different Types of Parts of Speech :
Parts of Speech Examples Using Sentences
Quiz to practice Parts of Speech

Parts of Speech – FAQs

The English language has thousands of words and every word has some function to perform. Some words are there to show action, some to join, and some to name something. There are 8 different parts of speech including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunction, and interjection. And together, all the functions performed by words in the English language fall under Parts of speech.

Parts of Speech Definition

The parts of speech are the “traditional grammatical categories to which words are assigned in accordance with their syntactic functions, such as noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and so on.” In other words, they refer to the different roles that words can play in a sentence and how they relate to one another based on grammar and syntax.

All Parts of Speech with Examples

There are 8 different types of parts of speech i.e., Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverb, prepositions, Conjunction, and Interjection.

Noun –

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, state, or quality. It can be singular or plural. Nouns are a part of speech.

Function: Refers to Things or person
Examples: Pen, Chair, Ram, Honesty
Sentences: Cars are expensive, This chair is made of wood, and Ram is a topper, Honesty is the best policy.

Pronoun –

The word used in place of a noun or a noun phrase is known as a pronoun. A pronoun is used in place of a noun to avoid the repetition of the noun.

Function: Replaces a noun
Examples: I, you, he, she, it, they
Sentences: They are expensive, It is of wood, He is a topper, It is the best policy

Adjective –

A word that modifies a noun or a pronoun is an adjective. Generally, an adjective’s function is to further define and quantify a noun or pronoun.

Function: Describes a noun
Examples: Super, Red, Our, Big, Great, class
Sentences: Supercars are expensive, The red chair is for kids, Ram is a class topper, and Great things take time.

Verb –

A word or a group of words that describes an action, a state, or an event is called a verb. A verb is a word that says what happens to somebody or what somebody or something does.

Function: Describes action or state
Sentences: I play football, I will be a doctor, I like to work, I love writing poems.

Adverb –

A verb, adjective, another adverb, determiner, clause, preposition, or sentence is typically modified by an adverb . Adverbs often answer questions like “how,” “in what way,” “when,” “where,” and “to what extent” by expressing things like method, place, time, frequency, degree, level of certainty, etc

Function: Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb
Examples: Silently, too, very
Sentences: I love reading silently, It is too tough to handle, He can speak very fast.

Preposition –

A preposition is called a connector or linking word which has a very close relationship with the noun, pronoun or adjective that follows it . Prepositions show position in space, movement, direction, etc.

Function: Links a noun to another word
Examples: at, in, of, after, under,
Sentences: The ball is under the table, I am at a restaurant, she is in trouble, I am going after her, It is so nice of him

Conjunction –

A conjunction is a word that connects clauses, sentences, or other words. Conjunctions can be used alone or in groups of two.

Function: Joins clauses and sentences
Examples: and, but, though, after
Sentences: First, I will go to college and then I may go to Fest, I don’t have a car but I know how to drive, She failed the exam though she worked hard, He will come after he finishes his match.

Interjection –

An interjection is a word or phrase expressing some sudden feelings of sadness or emotions.

Function: Shows exclamation
Examples: oh! wow!, alas! Hurray!
Sentences: Oh! I got fail again, Wow! I got the job, Alas! She is no more, Hurray! We are going to a party.

These are the main parts of speech, but there are additional subcategories and variations within each. Understanding the different parts of speech can help construct grammatically correct sentences and express ideas clearly.

Sentence Examples for the 8 Parts of Speech

Examples: Luggage, Cattle.
Sentence: Never leave your luggage unattended.
In some places, cattle are fed barely.
Examples: who, either, themselves
Sentence: I know a man who plays the guitar very well.
Either of the two cars is for sale.
They enjoyed themselves at the party.
Examples: kind, moving, wounder.
Sentence:
She is a kind person.
Boarding a moving bus can be dangerous.
Never poke a wounded animal.
Examples: Praise, Hate, Punish
Sentence: She always praises her friends.
I don’t hate anybody.
The boy has been punished by his teacher
Examples: Always, enough, immediately
Sentence: we should always help each other.
We should be wise enough to understand what is good for us.
We should leave bad habits immediately.
Examples: Off, Below, From. to
He plunged off the cliff
I live below the 9th floor.
I travel daily from Delhi to Noida.
Examples: whereas, as well as, so,
Sentence: The new software is fairly simple whereas the old one was a bit complicated.
The finance company is not performing well as well as some of its competitors.
He was ready so he may come.
Examples: oops! whoa! phew!
Sentence: Oops! I forgot to mention her name.
Whoa! you drive fast.
Phew! That was a close call, we had a narrow escape.

Parts of Speech Exercise – Test your Knowledge of Part of speech

Choose the correct Parts of Speech of the BOLD word from the following questions.

1. Let us play, Shall We?

a. Conjunction b. Pronoun c. Verb

2. I t is a good practice to arrange books on shelves.

a. Verb b. Noun c. Adjective

3. Whose books are these?

a. Pronoun b. Preposition c. verb

4. Father, please get me that toy.

a. Pronoun b. Adverb c. Adjective

5. His mentality is rather obnoxious.

a. Adverb b. Adjective c. Noun

6. He is the guy whose money got stolen.

a. Pronoun b. Conjunction c. Adjective

7. I will have finished my semester by the end of this year.

a. Interjection b. Conjunction c. Preposition

8. Bingo! That’s the one I have been looking for

a. Interjection b. Conjunctio c. Preposition

Quiz Answers:

1. c, 2. b, 3. a, 4. c, 5. a, 6. b, 7. c, 8. a

Also Check:

English Grammar
Figures of Speech
Learn English Grammar Online
Difference Between Adjective and Verb

Q1. What are Parts of Speech?

A word is assigned to a category as per its function, and those categories are together known as Parts of Speech.

Q2. What are the 8 Parts of Speech?

Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection.

Q3. How many Parts of Speech are there?

There are a total of 8 parts of Speech.

Q4. What Part of Speech is “our”?

“Our” is a adjective type of Part of Speech. Eg. Our car.

Q5. What Part of Speech is “Quickly”?

Adverb. let us understand it with this example – Milk sours quickly in warm weather.

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Biden’s Push to End the War in Gaza

The american president revealed a secret cease-fire proposal that may force israel’s leader to choose between the end of the war and his political survival..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

Hey, it’s Michael. Before we start today, we wanted to invite you to something really special. The legendary Tribeca Festival is starting a brand new annual gala to celebrate excellence in audio. And for this, the inaugural year, they’ve chosen to celebrate “The Daily.” We know that you, our incredible audience, are all over the world, but we’d like you to join us.

The Gala is in New York on June 9th at 5:00 PM. You can get all the details and buy tickets at tribecafilm.com/thedaily. That’s tribecafilm.com/thedaily. I’m going to be there. So is Sabrina, along with a bunch of us from the show. Mo Rocca is going to host it. So if you’re in the area or visiting, we’d love to see you there. OK, on with today’s show.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. And this is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

In an unexpected speech last week, President Biden revealed the details of a secret proposal intended to end the war in Gaza. Most surprising was where that proposal had come from. Today, my colleague Isabel Kershner explains Biden’s gambit and the difficult choice it presents for Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.

It’s Wednesday, June 5.

Isabel, tell us about this speech from President Biden last Friday at the White House.

So last Friday, President Biden made a speech. And it came at a pivotal moment in the war because for weeks beforehand, the whole world had been focused on Israel’s long delayed invasion of the city of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip and also the city that about a million displaced Palestinians had fled to to find refuge from fighting in other areas of the Gaza Strip. So understandably, there was huge concern internationally and particularly a lot of pressure coming from the White House for Israel not to go into Rafah. It was just considered way too risky.

But for the Israelis, they were saying the last battalions of Hamas are there. Many hostages are there. And without taking control of that area, the Israelis felt they wouldn’t have accomplished anything.

So in the end, they did begin to move into the Eastern part of Rafah. But then as the Israelis were operating in Eastern Rafah with their tanks and ground troops, the Israelis on May 26 carried out a strike, an airstrike.

This was an attack meant to target two Hamas operatives. And they did, in fact, strike those two operatives and killed them with what they said were the smallest missiles that their jets could carry.

Unfortunately, that strike then set off an absolutely devastating fire because the area the strike took place in is right by a camp of makeshift shacks and tents where hundreds or thousands of Palestinians were sheltering. This fire ripped through the tents and ended up killing 45 civilians according to the Gazan health authorities. And it was exactly the kind of disaster that everybody had feared if Israel were to operate in this crowded, southern, dusty border town.

Which presumably put a lot more pressure on the Biden White House to do something about this war.

That’s right. Now, we know that the White House, the Biden administration, would very much like to see this war come to an end as soon as possible. And then on Friday —

Good afternoon. Before I begin my remarks —

— President Biden gives a speech. And surprisingly —

Now to another issue.

— this speech when it turns to the Israel-Hamas war was not about Rafah. In fact, it was something totally different and much bigger.

Israel has now offered — Israel is offering a comprehensive new proposal. It’s a road map to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

What President Biden described as the outline of an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire truce and hostage release deal with Hamas that would end the war.

This proposal has been transmitted by Qatar to Hamas. Today, I want to lay out his terms for the American citizens and for the world.

And, Isabel, what did he mean exactly by the Israeli proposal?

Well, there’s been a lot of smoke and mirrors around this whole process of talks and negotiations between Israel and Hamas. And, in fact, the last time we saw a negotiation actually result in a temporary cease fire and a partial hostage release was at the end of last November.

But, in fact, there had been this on again, off again attempt at getting negotiations back on track over the last few weeks. And it soon came to light that this was the latest Israeli proposal that was apparently presented. And this proposal it turns out was unanimously approved as a basis for the negotiation by Israel’s war cabinet.

And here is an American president spelling out this previously undisclosed Israeli position on television.

Absolutely. And the Israeli public knew nothing about this.

So what does Biden actually say? What does he say is in this proposal?

OK, well, what he says —

This new proposal has three phases. Three.

He presents it as a deal in three phases, which is generally in line with all the previous plans of the last few months. And the first phase would involve a six week temporary ceasefire during which a certain number of hostages —

— including women, the elderly, the wounded —

— the most vulnerable ones —

There are American hostages who would be released at this stage. And we want them home.

— would be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. And Israeli forces would be withdrawing from population centers within the Gaza Strip.

— with 600 trucks carrying aid into Gaza every single day.

Humanitarian aid would be flowing at a much greater level and generally the beginning of a change in atmosphere and climate.

So this seems in some ways like the temporary ceasefire in November, right? Women and children, vulnerable hostages, a cease in hostilities for six weeks. What about phase two?

Well, here we get to the crucial part because during phase one, the sides are supposed to start negotiating phase two.

Now, I’ll be straight with you. There are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two.

And phase two is supposed to culminate in all remaining living hostages released and exchanged again for many more Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. This would involve also the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. And in his speech, President Biden does say that as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, the temporary ceasefire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal —

— the cessation of hostilities permanently.”

— essentially meaning the end of the war.

So Biden is actually talking about the end of the war. He’s saying that out loud, which is not something we’ve been hearing from Israel at all, at least publicly. On the contrary, in fact, our colleagues wrote a story at the end of last week when one senior Israeli official said the war would last until at least the end of the year. So this is something very new.

Absolutely. And then we get to phase three because there’s a third phase to this plan. And that is moving ahead already to the day after the war, which has been kept very vague by the Israelis up to now. And the phase that President Biden outlined was essentially just for a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.

That’s the offer that’s now on the table and what we’ve been asking for. It’s what we need.

So the president is saying that this is a deal that should be accepted, that meets the requirements of both sides, that can point to a path forward. And he makes a couple of points to bolster that —

The people of Israel should know they can make this offer without any further risk to their own security because they’ve devastated Hamas forces.

— one of which is that in his view, Hamas has already been sufficiently degraded and devastated to the point where, as President Biden puts it, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7.

In other words, that goal of total victory that Netanyahu talks about, Biden is actually saying they’ve accomplished it. The Israelis have accomplished it.

Not really, actually. He takes on Netanyahu on the total victory slogan —

Indefinite war in pursuit of an unidentified notion of total victory will not bring Israel and will not bring down — will only bog down Israel in Gaza, draining the economic, military, and human resources and furthering Israel’s isolation in the world.

— and says that total victory is a kind of nebulous and unrealistic goal that would basically mean indefinite war because what does total victory mean? You can’t kill every last Hamas operative. And even if you did, presumably there would be many more Palestinians who would come to replace them.

And in a way, he’s using this speech to go over the head of Netanyahu and go straight to the Israeli people and present them with these terms to in a way corner Netanyahu, but also to put down the gauntlet to Hamas and say, here are the terms. They sound very like the terms Hamas was asking for and putting Hamas equally on the spot to come back to the table even though Israel is still fighting in Rafah.

It’s time to begin this new stage, for the hostages to come home, for Israel to be secure, for the suffering to stop. It’s time for this war to end, for the day after to begin. Thank you very much.

So Biden is essentially saying here, listen. Israel, you have won the war effectively. Hamas is degraded. Now it’s time to accept the ceasefire deal that you yourself have designed. What was the reaction inside Israel?

The initial reaction took a while to come because President Biden made his speech. And it landed at about 8:30 in the evening on Friday Israel time. And this is the time where many, many families are sitting around their Sabbath dinner table, as I was with my family and friends, not watching the news, not looking at phones for the most part. Observant Jews have actually switched off for the Sabbath and aren’t going to hear any news until Saturday night.

And as the news did begin to trickle out, it really shook Israel up. And this leaves Netanyahu in a great bind because for months, he’s really been playing for time and juggling competing interests and really not having to make a decision one way or the other on what comes next.

We’ve been hearing that Rafah is really the last stronghold of Hamas, and this is something the military has to do. But after that, there was just a kind of void and no news on the hostages or a ceasefire or a deal on the horizon.

And so when this speech was made, suddenly it shook up everything. And Netanyahu is suddenly facing a very crucial choice.

We’ll be right back.

So, Isabel, you said that this is a very important moment for Netanyahu, that now he really is facing a choice. What does he do? What does he come out and say?

So his office actually put out a statement. And his first response was that Israel is sticking to its objectives of the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. And he said the actual proposal put forward by Israel would allow Israel to uphold these principles.

Now, this was a slightly ambiguous response that you could pass in different ways. He wasn’t exactly denying that this was an Israeli proposal. And indeed, we quickly learned that, in fact, Israel’s war cabinet had unanimously voted on the general outlines of what President Biden had presented. He wasn’t denying it. But the one thing missing from that statement was this declaration we’d been hearing for months on end that the war wouldn’t end until there was total victory. That had gone.

So total victory had gone, which is a difference, which means potentially the war goals have shifted a little bit.

Well, the way he articulated it is talking about the degradation or dismantling of Hamas’s capabilities as opposed to talking about the total elimination of Hamas as a movement. And then he followed up. His office put out another statement on Saturday, also still during the Sabbath, which was a little stronger. He said under the proposal, Israel would insist on its conditions being met, these same war objectives, before a permanent cease fire is put in place and that any suggestion that Israel would agree to that permanent ceasefire before the conditions are met would be a non-starter.

But again, it was kind of conditional and could be interpreted in different ways. At what point does one declare that the capabilities have been dismantled or sufficiently degraded? So it left a lot of room for maneuver.

And so what is Netanyahu up to here, Isabel?

I think he’s trying to balance all these competing sides. He’s seems to be trying not to torpedo the chances of this deal but at the same time to be able to hang on politically when he has a very serious challenge looming within his government should this deal go ahead.

So tell me about that challenge.

Israel’s government is formed of a coalition of parties. Netanyahu’s Likud is the main party. But it totally relies for its majority in parliament on its partners in the coalition. And they include two ultra-orthodox parties and two far right parties. And the far right parties have both come out explicitly saying that should this deal as outlined by President Biden go ahead, they will not be party to it.

So Netanyahu faces this real political danger on his right.

That’s right. So there are the leaders of these two right wing parties who he relies on for his coalition government. He relies on them for his majority in parliament. And the leaders of those parties are Itamar Ben-Gvir, who’s the national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, who is currently the finance minister.

Now, neither of these parties nor their leaders are sitting in the much more tight and small war cabinet that actually oversees and directs and makes the decisions on the course of the war in Gaza. They were seen as way too extreme to be part of that forum. That forum is much more reflective of the national consensus.

But these parties are part of the broader government. And they have threatened not only to oppose the deal as outlined by President Biden should it go ahead. But they have actually vowed if it does go ahead, they would withdraw their support to Netanyahu and bring his government down. And if his government were to collapse as a result, he would then be facing a new election.

Now, he has been trying to stave off the end of the war and the prospect of new elections ever since October 7 because then he’s in danger of facing that public reckoning for the perceived failures that the government’s policy failures, the military’s failures, the intelligence failures leading up to the Hamas led attack of October the 7. But we really might be getting to crunch time when it comes to his political lifeline here.

So this is a pretty dramatic moment for Netanyahu then, right? I mean, he’s under tremendous pressure from Biden, his biggest ally. Biden’s basically asking him to choose between this deal, which means the end of the war, something his coalition partners, these hard right guys, really don’t want, and his own power essentially, right? Staying alive politically or the end of the war and the hostages coming home. That is a very stark choice.

Absolutely. And then there are other choices that he has to weigh because Israel has been increasingly isolated and under international censure for its prosecution of the war in Gaza. Netanyahu himself is facing the prospect of possible arrest warrants being put out against him from the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Israel is in the dark on a genocide case in the International Court of Justice in the Hague. So should he go ahead with this deal, he has been offered sweeteners like an invitation to address congress. And this would in a way be a way of bringing him back into the fold.

So, Isabel, say Netanyahu approves this proposal. How likely is it that the right wing, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, actually do leave the government? I mean, they would be giving up power, too, no?

They would. And if we look at all the opinion polls being done in Israel in the last few months, Bezalel Smotrich and his religious Zionism party for one would barely scrape back into parliament in another election. And therefore, there’s a lot at stake for him, too, and for Itamar Ben-Gvir because if the next government that’s formed is not going to be a right wing and far right government, he would find himself out of power, too.

But, Isabel, let’s say they do leave. What happens in that scenario?

Well, the assumption is that the government would collapse. It would lose its majority. And naturally, the Knesset would vote to dissolve itself and set a date for a new election, which would have to come within five months. And during that period, this government would turn into a caretaker government.

Now, usually a caretaker government that’s a transitional one in that period before elections isn’t supposed to make dramatic decisions for the country. But being a caretaker government during wartime, this puts Israel in uncharted political territory. Then theoretically, if we were to ask could such a government even approve a deal once it had been negotiated, even without the support of those far right parties, apparently there would still be enough in favor to see it through.

Interesting. So it seems like there are a lot of possibilities for how this could go. But it does in a way rely on Netanyahu deciding what Israel’s course will be. And it seems like he probably needs to land on one of these options. What do you think he’s going to do?

Well, it might not end up being black and white, take the deal or not take the deal. We might end up seeing something in between because I think Netanyahu, who is facing huge public pressure to bring back those hostages who still are alive, would definitely want to move ahead with at least that first part of the deal that would see a six week temporary ceasefire in return for the most vulnerable hostages. And then you get into the much trickier part of that negotiation for the next stage, which would involve essentially ending the war.

And it could be that we might see Netanyahu wanting to proceed with this deal but only partially and then get to a point where it can’t go further. And Netanyahu is probably very keenly aware of the American political timetable. There are skeptics here who say that by Labor Day, all the American attention is going to be focused on America’s own internal politics running up to the November elections and that Netanyahu basically just has to survive another 90 days to get to that point, at which point the pressure subsides.

So this is a scenario in which he just basically runs out the clock. He keeps on that tightrope.

That’s a possibility, absolutely, and one that he would be very adept at doing if the past is anything to go by.

OK, so there are a number of ways Netanyahu could actually handle this. How should we think about what Biden has really accomplished here?

Well, I think it’s hard to say that one speech is going to change the course or the outcome of this war. But it certainly has crystallized the issues and brought them out into the light after months and months of murkiness that Netanyahu was able to in a way hide behind and operate within. And I think now he’s in the spotlight. And assuming that Hamas is willing to accept and go along with this negotiation for this proposal, the Israeli public’s expectations have certainly been risen now toward a deal. And all eyes are now on Netanyahu to see which way he will go.

Isabel, thank you.

Thank you so much.

In an interview with “Time Magazine” published on Tuesday, Biden was asked whether Netanyahu was prolonging the war in Gaza in an effort to hold on to office. Biden said, quote, “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”

Here’s what else you should know today. On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers in Arizona voted to put a ballot measure before voters in November that would make unlawfully crossing the border from Mexico a crime in the state. The move would put the border crisis directly onto the ballot in a key swing state, potentially firing up anti-immigration conservative voters. It is similar to a law passed in Texas earlier this year, currently held up in court after it was challenged by the Biden administration.

And the results of a major election in India have been tallied. And they are deeply disappointing for India’s prime minister Narendra Modi. Modi appeared to have secured a third consecutive term in office. However, his BJP party did not deliver the landslide victory it had promised and even lost its majority in parliament. Now Modi and the BJP must come to an agreement with other parties in order to form a coalition government in India’s parliamentary system.

Today’s episode was produced by Will Reid, Eric Krupke, and Sydney Harper. It was edited by Brendan Klinkenberg and Michael Benoist, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Diane Wong, Dan Powell, and Rowan Niemisto, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

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Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Isabel Kershner

Produced by Will Reid , Eric Krupke and Sydney Harper

Edited by Brendan Klinkenberg and Michael Benoist

Original music by Marion Lozano , Diane Wong , Dan Powell and Rowan Niemisto

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

In an unexpected speech last week, President Biden revealed the details of a secret proposal intended to end the war in Gaza. Perhaps the most surprising thing was where that proposal had come from.

Isabel Kershner, a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, explains Mr. Biden’s gambit and the difficult choice it presents for Israel’s leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On today’s episode

Isabel Kershner , who covers Israeli and Palestinian affairs for The New York Times.

A cloud of smoke rises in the sky. In the foreground are houses and palm trees.

Background reading

Mr. Biden called for an end to the war in Gaza, endorsing an Israeli cease-fire proposal .

Mr. Netanyahu answered the call for a truce by insisting on the “destruction” of Hamas.

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Isabel Kershner , a Times correspondent in Jerusalem, has been reporting on Israeli and Palestinian affairs since 1990. More about Isabel Kershner

IMAGES

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COMMENTS

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 ...
Understanding the 8 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples
In the English language, it's commonly accepted that there are 8 parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, and prepositions. Each of these categories plays a different role in communicating meaning in the English language. Each of the eight parts of speech—which we might also call the "main ...
Understanding the 8 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples
The 8 parts of speech are: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Nouns represent people, places, things, or ideas. Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition. Verbs describe actions or states of being. Adjectives provide additional details about nouns.
Parts of Speech
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 White House, The Sun, etc.
The 8 Parts Of Speech In English
There are eight major parts of speech. Nouns name persons, places, things, ideas, or qualities, e.g., Franklin, boy, Yangtze River, shoreline, Bible, desk, fear ...
8 Parts of Speech in English Grammar
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.
Understanding The Eight Parts Of Speech: A Guide
The eight parts of speech are our navigational tools, guiding us through the waves of communication. These categories include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, and interjections. Each plays a unique role, from naming objects and people (nouns) to expressing actions (verbs) and describing qualities ...
The 8 Parts of Speech
The parts of speech are classified differently in different grammars, but most traditional grammars list eight parts of speech in English: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Some modern grammars add others, such as determiners and articles. Many words can function as different parts of ...
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.
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.
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The eight parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, ... They explain how nouns or pronouns in a sentence are related in time, location, space, or direction.
8 Parts of Speech with Types, Definitions and their Examples
The 8 parts of speech are Nouns, Pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. we will go over the Common Eight parts of speech in this tutorial, along with their definitions, types, and Examples. This is the article on the different 8 parts of speech and Their examples and definitions as well as Example Sentences.
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 ...
What Are The 8 Parts of Speech? Definitions and Examples
Team FEG. Speaking and writing in any language involves using different parts of speech. Understanding what these parts are and how to use them correctly is important for effective communication. In English, there are 8 parts of speech, which include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
8 Parts of Speech with Meaning and Useful Examples
The parts of speech explain how a word is used in a sentence. In this lesson, you will learn eight parts of speech in English (also known as word classes): nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.
Parts of Speech in English
The parts of speech explain 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. Most parts of speech can be divided into sub-classes.Prepositions can be divided into prepositions of time, prepositions of place etc. Nouns can be divided into proper nouns ...
8 Parts of Speech Definitions With Examples
By BEGG. The 8 parts of speech definitions with examples include nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. By using proper grammar in your writing and speaking, you will communicate clearly and effectively with your subject or audience! Moreover, by learning and understanding the 8 parts of ...
The 8 Parts of Speech in English Grammar (+ Free PDF & Quiz)
Do you know the 8 parts of speech? Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions and prepositions? 📝 *GET THE FREE LESSON PDF* _here_ 👉🏼 https...
8 Parts of Speech
Preposition. 7. Conjunction. 8. Interjection. Conclusion. This lesson will analyze the '8 Parts of Speech' in English with definitions, types, and examples. Parts of Speech are part and parcel of English grammar. We can't think of a sentence without using Parts of Speech.
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. (Some sources include only eight parts of speech and leave interjections in their own category.)
Parts of Speech: Definitions, Examples & 8 Types
All Parts of Speech with Examples. There are 8 different types of parts of speech i.e., Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverb, prepositions, Conjunction, and Interjection. Noun -. A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, state, or quality. It can be singular or plural.
Biden's Push to End the War in Gaza
In an unexpected speech last week, President Biden revealed the details of a secret proposal intended to end the war in Gaza. Perhaps the most surprising thing was where that proposal had come ...

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The 8 Parts of Speech | Chart, Definition & Examples

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What Are Parts of Speech?

Subclasses of Nouns, Including Examples

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Concrete Nouns and Abstract Nouns

Collective Nouns, Count Nouns, and Mass Nouns

Subclasses of Verbs, Including Examples

Copular or Linking Verbs

Transitive Verbs, Intransitive Verbs, and Ditransitive Verbs

#3: Adjectives

Subclasses of Adjectives, Including Examples

Adjective Phrases

Comparative Adjectives and Superlative Adjectives

Determiners

Subclasses Of Adverbs, Including Examples

Conjunctive Adverbs

Adverbs of Place, Time, Manner, Degree, and Frequency

#5: Pronouns

Subclasses of Pronouns, Including Examples

Personal Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Demonstrative Pronouns, Interrogative Pronouns, and Indefinite Pronouns

#6: Conjunctions

Subclasses of Conjunctions, Including Examples

Coordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating Conjunctions

Correlative Conjunctions

#7: Interjections

Subclasses of Interjections, Including Examples

Primary Interjections

Secondary Interjections

#8: Prepositions

Subclasses of Prepositions, Including Examples

Simple Prepositions

Double Prepositions

Prepositional Phrases

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Understanding the 8 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

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What Are Parts of Speech?

Prepositions

Conjunctions

Interjections

Parts of Speech

Preposition

Conjunction

Interjection

Examples of Each Part of Speech

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Parts of Speech - Definition, 8 Types and Examples

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A Small Exercise to Check Your Understanding of Parts of Speech

8 Parts of Speech Definitions and Examples:

Sentence Examples for the 8 Parts of Speech

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What are the 8 parts of speech?

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The 8 Parts Of Speech In English

8 Parts of Speech

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Common Nouns