english grammar parts of speech explanation

Parts of Speech

What are the parts of speech, a formal definition.

Table of Contents

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

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

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

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

Video for Each Part of Speech

The Most Important Writing Issues

The top issue related to adjectives.

The Top Issue Related to Adverbs

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

The Top Issue Related to Conjunctions

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

The Top Issue Related to Determiners

The Top Issue Related to Interjections

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

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

This page was written by Craig Shrives .

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The 8 Parts of Speech: Examples and Rules

​​Every word in English can be classified as one of eight parts of speech. The term part of speech refers to the role a word plays in a sentence. And like in any workplace or on any TV show with an ensemble cast, these roles were designed to work together.

Read on to learn about the different parts of speech that the words we use every day fall into, and how we use them together to communicate ideas clearly.

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The 8 parts of speech

A noun is a word that names a person, place, concept, or object. Basically, anything that names a “thing” is a noun, whether you’re talking about a basketball court , San Francisco , Cleopatra , or self-preservation .

Nouns fall into two categories: common nouns and proper nouns. Common nouns are general names for things, like planet and game show . Proper nouns are names or titles for specific things, like Jupiter and Jeopardy!

>> Read more about nouns

Pronouns are words you substitute for specific nouns when the reader or listener already knows which specific noun you’re referring to.

You might say, “Jennifer was supposed to be here at eight,” then follow it with “ She’s always late; next time I’ll tell her to be here a half hour earlier.”

Instead of saying Jennifer’s name three times in a row, you substituted she and her, and your sentences remained grammatically correct. Pronouns are divided into a number of categories, and we cover them all in our guide to pronouns:

>> Read more about pronouns

3 Adjectives

Adjectives are the words that describe nouns. Think about your favorite movie. How would you describe it to a friend who’s never seen it?

You might say the movie was funny , engaging , well-written , or suspenseful . When you’re describing the movie with these words, you’re using adjectives. An adjective can go right before the noun it’s describing (“I have a black dog”), but it doesn’t have to. Sometimes, adjectives are at the end of a sentence (“My dog is black ”).

>> Read more about adjectives

Go ! Be amazing! Run as fast as you can! Win the race! Congratulate every participant who put in the work and competed !

Those bolded words are verbs. Verbs are words that describe specific actions, like running , winning , and being amazing.

Not all verbs refer to literal actions, though. Verbs that refer to feelings or states of being, like to love and to be , are known as nonaction verbs . Conversely, the verbs that do refer to literal actions are known as action verbs .

>> Read more about verbs

An adverb is a word that describes an adjective, a verb, or another adverb. I entered the room quietly .

Quietly is describing how you entered (verb) the room.

A cheetah is always faster than a lion.

Always is describing how frequently a cheetah is faster (adjective) than a lion.

>> Read more about adverbs

6 Prepositions

Prepositions tell you the relationships between other words in a sentence.

You might say, “I left my bike leaning against the garage.” In this sentence, against is the preposition because it tells us where you left your bike.

Here’s another example: “She put the pizza in the oven.” Without the preposition in , we don’t know where the pizza is.

>> Read more about prepositions

7 Conjunctions

Conjunctions make it possible to build complex sentences that express multiple ideas.

“I like marinara sauce. I like alfredo sauce. I don’t like puttanesca sauce.” Each of these three sentences expresses a clear idea. There’s nothing wrong with listing your preferences like this, but it’s not the most efficient way to do it.

Consider instead: “I like marinara sauce and alfredo sauce, but I don’t like puttanesca sauce.

In this sentence, and and but are the two conjunctions that link your ideas together.

>> Read more about conjunctions

A pear. The brick house. An exciting experience. These bolded words are known as articles.

Articles come in two flavors: definite articles and indefinite articles . And similarly to the two types of nouns, the type of article you use depends on how specific you need to be about the thing you’re discussing.

A definite article, like the or this, describes one specific noun.

Did you buy the car?

From the above sentence, we understand that the speaker is referring to a specific previously discussed car.

Now swap in an indefinite article:

Did you buy a car?

See how the implication that you’re referring back to something specific is gone, and you’re asking a more general question?

>> Read more about articles

Figuring out parts of speech

Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell which part of speech a word is. Here are a few easy hacks for quickly figuring out what part of speech you’re dealing with:

• If it’s an adjective plus the ending – ly , it’s an adverb . Examples: commonly , quickly .
• If you can swap it out for a noun and the sentence still makes sense, it’s a pronoun . Example: “ He played basketball.” / “ Steve played basketball.”
• If it’s something you do and you can modify the sentence to include the word do , it’s a verb . Example: “I have an umbrella.” / “I do have an umbrella.”
• If you can remove the word and the sentence still makes sense but you lose a detail, the word is most likely an adjective . Example: “She drives a red van.” / “She drives a van.”

And if you’re ever really stumped, just look the word up. Dictionaries typically list a word’s part of speech in its entry, and if it has multiple forms with different parts of speech, they are all listed, with examples.

That brings us to another common issue that can confuse writers and language learners.

When a word can be different parts of speech

Just like y is sometimes a vowel and sometimes a consonant , there are words that are sometimes one part of speech and other times another. Here are a few examples:

• “I went to work ” (noun).
• “I work in the garden” (verb).
• “She paints very well ” (adverb).
• “They are finally well now, after weeks of illness” (adjective).
• “I dropped a penny into the well ” (noun).
• “ I cooked breakfast and lunch, but Steve cooked dinner” (conjunction).
• “I brought everything but the pens you asked for” (preposition).

And sometimes, words evolve to add forms that are new parts of speech. One recent example is the word adult . Before the 2010s, adult was primarily a noun that referred to a fully grown person. It could also be used as an adjective to refer to specific types of media, like adult contemporary music. But then, at right about the turn of the 2010s, the word adulting , a brand-new verb, appeared in the internet lexicon. As a verb, adulting refers to the act of doing tasks associated with adulthood, like paying bills and grocery shopping.

Open and closed word classes

The parts of speech fall into two word classes : open and closed .

The open word classes are the parts of speech that regularly acquire new words. Language evolves, and usually, that evolution takes place in nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. In 2022, new words added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary included dumbphone (noun), greenwash (verb), and cringe (adjective).

The closed word classes are the parts of speech that don’t readily acquire new words. These parts of speech are more set in stone and include pronouns, conjunctions, articles, and prepositions.

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• Knowledge Base
• 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”).

Table of contents

• 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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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.

• What Are Word Blends?
• Figure of Speech: Definition and Examples
• Definition and Examples of Adjectives
• Subjects, Verbs, and Objects
• What Is a Rhetorical Device? Definition, List, Examples
• What Is The Speech Act Theory: Definition and Examples
• A List of Exclamations and Interjections in English
• What Is Nonverbal Communication?
• Examples and Usage of Conjunctions in English Grammar
• Linguistic Variation
• Definition and Examples of Interjections in English
• Definition and Examples of Jargon
• Understanding the Types of Verbs in English Grammar
• Complementary vs. Complimentary: How to Choose the Right Word
• Subordinating Conjunctions
• Basic Grammar: What Is a Diphthong?

• English Grammar
• Parts of Speech

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.

Table of Contents

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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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.

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.

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.

Give it a try—it’s free!

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The Parts of Speech – Definitions and Examples

The different parts of speech are the breakdown and classification of words in English that show their unique functions and properties. In core language, a single word can function as two or more parts of speech.

Differentiating between the 9 parts of speech is the first step to building your grammar skills and writing tools. Keep reading to learn the definitions and examples of each category!

What are the 9 Basic Parts of Speech?

A noun is any place, person, idea, or thing. Some examples of nouns include:

There are various classifications of nouns you can use in your writing. Proper nouns are specific names for places, persons, ideas, or things. Meanwhile, common nouns are generic class nouns. A possessive noun is another type of noun that demonstrates belonging. 

We can also classify this part of speech as an abstract noun, concrete noun, count noun, and uncountable noun.

The placement of the noun in a sentence also determines its function. A noun can be in the nominative or objective case. The nominative functions include subject and subject complement. And the types of objects are direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition.

A quick introduction to pronouns shows they are classes of words that take the place of nouns. Some examples of pronouns include he, that, whoever, myself.

This quick guide to pronouns shows they can be classified as: 

• Personal pronoun (I, he, she, you, etc.)
• Demonstrative pronouns (that, those, these, this, etc.).
• Interrogative pronouns (what, when, why, how, etc.).
• Relative pronouns (who/whom, whose, which, etc.).
• Indefinite pronouns (anybody, everybody, somebody, everything, etc.).
• Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, herself, etc.).
• Intensive pronouns (myself, yourself, herself, etc.).

Pronouns can further be divided into first-person pronoun, second-person pronoun, and third-person pronoun.

A verb is a word that conveys time while showing a condition, an action, or the fact that something exists. All complete sentences should contain at least one verb unless using an interjection.

Verbs can be treated as either lexical verbs/action verbs (study, love, drink) or auxiliary verbs (seem, is, have). 

A verb phrase combines verbs with linking verbs and lexical categories of verbs. Some examples include:

• Has become.

Phrasal verbs are forms of verbs that consist of two or more words. Here are some examples:

• Put up with.

When you add “up with” after the simple verb “put,” you create a brand-new verb with a new meaning. Therefore, phrasal verbs should be treated as complete verbs because of their unique definitions.

Some verbs are reflexive. A reflexive verb is where the subject and object are one since the sentence uses reflexive pronouns like “himself” or “itself.”

Whether you’re using a lexical or auxiliary verb, this part of the speech always expresses time through the different tenses. For instance, the verb “eats” is a present-tense verb, and its past form is “ate.”

4. Adjective

Another part of speech is the adjective , which modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. It typically answers the questions “what kind,” “which one,” or “how much.” For example:

The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are sometimes categorized as adjectives. “The” is a definite article, and “a” and “an” are indefinite articles.

Adjective classes include:

• Absolute adjectives.
• Appositive adjectives.
• Attributive adjectives.
• Predicative adjectives.
• Compound adjectives.
• Qualitative adjectives.
• Denomial adjectives.
• Participial adjectives.
• Demonstrative adjectives.

Adverbs are a word class that modifies adjectives, verbs, and fellow adverbs. One frequent adverb marker is the suffix -ly, such as “healthily,” “badly,” and “swiftly.”

But the discussion of adverbs goes beyond words that describe actions. There are also adverbs of degree, place, time, and frequency. The English language also considers “most days,” “to visit my friend,” “very loudly,” and other adverbial phrases as adverbs.

Adverbial phrases are under the phrasal categories, including verb phrases, adjective phrases, etc.

6. Conjunction

A conjunction is a word that binds words, clauses, and phrases. “And,” “but,” “because,” and “consequently” are some examples of conjunctions.

Conjunctions make it easy to construct more complex sentences because you can easily add new clauses. The category distinctions of this part of speech are:

• Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, etc.)
• Subordinating conjunctions (after, although, unless, since, if, etc.)
• Correlative conjunctions (not only… but also, either… or, etc.)

7. Preposition

Prepositions show relations of space, time, and role between nouns, pronouns, and other words. They are at the start of prepositional phrases. Here are some examples of prepositions:

• Apart from.

8. Determiner

A determiner is like an adjective because it also modifies nouns. However, these words are essential for proper syntax as opposed to adjectives. They can be classified as indefinite and definite. New grammar rules now treat articles as determiners. Examples of determiners include:

• Which. 

9. Interjection

The last part of speech is the interjection which may have standalone functions in sentences. “Whoops,” “ouch,” “ah,” and “hooray” can be an entire sentence on their own.

Parts of Speech Chart

Analyzing the parts of speech is different for every individual language. Here’s an overview of the different categories in English.

When A Word is Also Two Different Kinds of Speech

Sometimes, words have more than one role in the English language. For example, some nouns can also act as adjectives called adjectival nouns. In the phrase “race car,” “race” modifies “car,” so its usage is as an adjective instead of a noun.

A noun can be used in verbal senses. Consider the word “work” in these sentences.

• My new work is more promising than the old one. (noun)
• Shew works in a new industry. (verb)

Open and Closed Word Classes

The two classifications of the parts of speech include open and closed classes. The open classes can be changed and added as the language changes. 

• Adjectives.

Meanwhile, closed classes are parts of speech that do not change. These include:

• Prepositions.
• Conjunctions.
• Articles and determiners.
• Interjections.

In some languages, verbs and adjectives form closed classes. This closedness of verbs is common in Basque and Persian verbs .

Linguistics , or the study of language, does not recommend the label “part of speech” anymore. Instead, the discipline favors “syntactic category” or “word class.”

What Part of Speech is With?

In the stricter sense, the only use of “with” is as a preposition. You can find it before a noun or a pronoun to form prepositional phrases. Use it to show togetherness, associations, and connections between people and objects.

What Part of Speech is And?

The conjunction “and” connects words, clauses, and phrases. It can also combine sentences that need to be presented at once.

What Part of Speech is My?

“My” is a possessive pronoun that can also act as an adjective, determiner, or interjection.

Are You Using the Parts of Speech the Right Way?

This guide has shown you the nine parts of speech and their grammatical functions. By now, you should already be able to give definitions and examples of each category, so they make sense. 

To correctly use the parts of speech, ask yourself, “what is the function of this word in the sentence?” Keep practicing until you master the traditional grammar rules of English!

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Parts of Speech

What is a Part of Speech?

We can categorize English words into 9 basic types called "parts of speech" or "word classes". It's quite important to recognize parts of speech. This helps you to analyze sentences and understand them. It also helps you to construct good sentences.

Parts of Speech Table

Parts of speech examples.

• Parts of Speech Quiz

This is a summary of the 9 parts of speech*. You can find more detail if you click on each part of speech.

• lexical Verbs ( work, like, run )
• auxiliary Verbs ( be, have, must )
• Determiners may be treated as adjectives, instead of being a separate part of speech.

Here are some examples of sentences made with different English parts of speech:

Here is a sentence that contains every part of speech:

Words with More Than One Job

Many words in English can have more than one job, or be more than one part of speech. For example, "work" can be a verb and a noun; "but" can be a conjunction and a preposition; "well" can be an adjective, an adverb and an interjection. In addition, many nouns can act as adjectives.

To analyze the part of speech, ask yourself: "What job is this word doing in this sentence?"

In the table below you can see a few examples. Of course, there are more, even for some of the words in the table. In fact, if you look in a good dictionary you will see that the word " but " has six jobs to do:

• verb, noun, adverb, pronoun, preposition and conjunction!

People often ask

FAQ: frequently asked parts of speech questions

Parts of Speech in English

Parts of speech are categories of words that perform similar grammatical roles in phrase and sentence structures. You might wonder what the different parts of speech are and how to identify them. This reference explains parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, determiners, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections, with examples.

You’ll also learn about open and closed word classes, how to determine a part of speech in a sentence, and their roles in simple and complex sentence constructions. This guide includes a useful picture, a video, and a quiz on parts of speech to help solidify your understanding.

Parts of Speech

What Are Parts Of Speech?

Parts of speech are word categories defined by their roles in sentence structures. These categories are organized by the functions and meanings they convey. In English, there are around ten common parts of speech:  nouns ,  verbs ,  adjectives ,  adverbs ,  pronouns ,  prepositions ,  conjunctions ,  interjections ,  determiners , and  articles .

Open and Closed Word Classes

Closed word classes  are parts of speech that do not have newer words introduced over time. These include pronouns, conjunctions, determiners, and prepositions.

Open word classes  are parts of speech that can have newer words introduced over time. These include nouns, verbs, adjectives, interjections, and adverbs.

Different Parts of Speech (with Examples)

The noun (n.).

A  noun  gives a name to something. There are different types of nouns like proper, collective, possessive, and common nouns.

Jeffrey, Korea, pen, New Year, dog, cat, elephant, garden, school, work, music, town, Manila, teacher, farmer, Bob, Sean, Michael, police officer, France, coffee, football, danger, happiness…

Example sentences:

• The  teacher  told the  children  to stop chattering in class.
• John  is good at  French  but weak at  History .

Common Noun :  Names a general item.

• Here is a  cup .
• Do you want a  cake ?

Proper Noun:  Names a specific item.

• The capital of  England  is  London .
• Sarah  is beautiful.

Collective Noun:  Refers to a group.

• The  swarm  of bees was headed straight towards our picnic.
• At church on Sunday, the  choir  sings loudly.

Possessive Noun:  Shows ownership.

• This is my  dog’s  ball.
• That is  Sarah’s  friend.

The Verb (v.)

A  verb  describes an action. There are three main types: action, linking, and modal verbs.

Walk, is, seem, realize, run, see, swim, stand, go, have, get, promise, invite, listen, sing, sit, laugh, walk…

• Don’t  try  to  run  before you can  walk .
• Did you  kiss  anybody?
• Leave  me alone!

Action Verb :  Describes an action.

• The man  walked  down the street.
• I  laughed  at his joke.
• She  ran  to catch the bus before it left.
• The chef  chopped  the vegetables into small pieces for the salad.

Linking Verb:  Connects the subject to a noun, adjective, or pronoun.

• Sarah  feels  cold.
• I  am  very tired.
• The flowers in the garden  are  blooming beautifully in the spring.
• The soup  smells  delicious and makes my mouth water.

Modal Verb:  Helps the main verb and shows the speaker’s thoughts.

• I  might  walk to the park this afternoon.
• He  can  eat the last slice of cake.
• You  must  listen to me!

The Pronoun (pron.)

A  pronoun  replaces a noun. There are various types of pronouns like reflexive, indefinite, possessive, and relative pronouns.

I, me, we, you, he, she, yours, himself, its, my, that, this, those, us, who, whom

• Richard isn’t at work this week;  he ‘s gone on holiday.
• Don’t tell  her  the truth.
• She tried it  herself .
• You can’t blame  him  for  everything .
• The woman  who  called yesterday wants to buy the house.

Reflexive Pronoun:  Refers to self.

• I am going to keep this last cupcake for  myself .
• Peter always puts  himself  first.

Indefinite Pronoun:  Refers to a non-specific person or item.

• Can you take  all ?
• I need to speak to  someone  about this rash on my arm.

Possessive Pronoun:  Shows ownership.

• This bag is not  yours , it’s  mine .
• Her book is so new, while  his  looks vintage.

Relative Pronoun:  Introduces an adjective clause.

• This is the woman  who  will be working with you.
• Is this the book  that  everyone is raving about?

The Adjective (adj.)

An  adjective  describes a noun or pronoun.

Beautiful, seven, cute, second, tall, blue, angry, brave, careful, healthy, little, old, generous, red, smart, two, small, tall, some, good, big, useful, interesting…

• This is a  blue  car.
• The  small  squirrel ran up the tree.
• During the thunderstorm, we saw some  heavy  rain.
• My mother has  short  hair.
• The documentary on TV last night was very  interesting .
• My son has an  impressive  collection of toy soldiers.
• The weather is  hot  and  sunny  today.
• My vacation was  exciting .
• The leaves on that tree are  green  and  large .

The Adverb (adv.)

An  adverb  modifies an adjective, verb, or another adverb. Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all do.

Neatly, tomorrow, very, badly, fully, carefully, hardly, nearly, hungrily, never, quickly, silently, well, really, almost…

• This is an  extremely  attractive photograph.
• I have a  very  large pet dog.
• My car drives  quickly .
• When I am running late for work, I eat my breakfast  rapidly .
• The boy is crying  loudly .
• She  carefully  preserved all his letters.

Determiners and Articles

Determiners and articles help clarify the nouns they introduce.  Articles  can be definite ( the ) or indefinite ( a ,  an ).

The, a, an, this, that, these, those, many, few, each, every, some, any, no, which, what

• The  cat is sleeping on  a  mat.
• Can  an  apple be green?
• This  book is very interesting.
• Each  student must bring their own lunch.

The Conjunction (conj.)

A  conjunction  connects words, phrases, or clauses. Some common conjunctions are  and ,  but ,  or ,  so ,  because , and  although .

And, but, or, so, because, although, if, until, while, since, when, after, before, as

• I want to buy a sandwich  and  a drink.
• She was tired  but  happy.
• You can go to the party  or  stay home.
• They were late  because  of the traffic.
• Although  it was raining, we went for a walk.

The Preposition (prep.)

A  preposition  shows the relationship of a noun (or pronoun) to another word. Common prepositions include  at ,  on ,  in ,  by ,  with , and  about .

At, on, in, by, with, about, above, below, between, during, for, from, over, under, through

• The cat is  on  the roof.
• She sat  by  the window.
• We will meet  at  the park  in  the afternoon.
• The book is  about  a boy  with  a magical power.

The Interjection (interj.)

An  interjection  is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion or sudden exclamation. Common interjections include  wow ,  ouch ,  oh , and  hey .

Wow, ouch, oh, hey, ah, ugh, ew, hmm, yay, yikes, whoa, oops, aha, hurray, ew, oh no

• Wow ! That’s amazing!
• Ouch ! That hurt.
• Oh ! I didn’t see you there.
• Hey ! Wait for me.
• Yay ! We won the game.

In this section, you’ve learned about different parts of speech with examples and sample sentences. Each part of speech plays a unique role in creating meaningful sentences.

How To Determine A Part Of Speech In A Sentence

To determine a part of speech in a sentence, look at the word being used, its context, and what meaning it brings to the sentence structure. Here are some questions you can ask about a particular word:

• Is it a person, place, idea, name, or thing?  It is a  noun .
• Is the word used in place of a noun?  It is a  pronoun .
• Does the word convey an action, occurrence, or state of being?  It is a  verb .
• Does the word modify a noun?  It is an  adjective .
• Does the word modify a verb, adjective, or itself?  It is an  adverb .
• Is the word placed in front of a noun to form a modifying phrase?  It is a  preposition .
• Does the word link a phrase or clause?  It is a  conjunction .
• Is the word a quick expression of emotion?  It is an  interjection .
• Is the word placed before a noun to clarify it?  It is a  determiner  or an  article .

By asking these questions, you can identify the correct part of speech for any word in a sentence.

Parts of Speech and Sentence Construction

Simple/basic sentences.

In its simplest form, a sentence can have one  independent clause .

For example, the sentence “I walk to the store” contains one clause.

• “I” is the subject of the clause, while “walk” is the verb.
• The ending phrase, “walk to the store” would be the verb phrase, or  predicate , of the sentence.

This entire sentence “I walk to the store” is an independent clause, expresses one subject doing one action — and is known as a  simple sentence .

Knowing this, apply the fact that nouns and pronouns will often be the subjects or objects of simple sentences, while verbs will convey actions. So once again:

• I  (subject, pronoun)
• walk  (verb)
• to  (preposition)
• the  (article)
• store  (object, noun)

Complex Sentences

Complex sentences contain an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. These sentences use conjunctions such as  because, since, which,  or  who  to connect clauses. Consider the structure and an example below:

• Independent Clause:  She reads a book
• Dependent Clause:  because she wants to learn

By combining these clauses, one forms a complex sentence:  She reads a book because she wants to learn.

Other examples of complex sentences:

• Although the weather was cold, they decided to go for a hike.
• She completed her assignment before she went out with her friends.
• When you finish your homework, we can go to the movies.
• Because my coffee was too cold, I heated it in the microwave.
• If you save your money, you can buy a new bicycle.

Parts of Speech Video

Learn all parts of speech in English with a useful video lesson.

Parts Of Speech Quiz

Here are some Parts Of Speech exercises for you to practice:

A. In the sentence “I ran to the tallest tree”, what part of speech is the word “tallest”?

• A preposition
• An adjective

B. In the 2000s, the word  staycation  described the act of staying home for a vacation. Since “staycation” is a noun and a new word, what class of words does it belong to?

• The Open word class
• The Closed word class
• The Infinitive word class

C. In the sentence “I’ll have a few tacos”, what part of speech is the phrase “a few”?

• Interjections
• Determiners

Answers: A) 3, B) 1, C) 3

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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

Learn more about interjections >>

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:

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

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Subject Complements: Predicate Adjectives and Predicate Nominatives

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Phrases and Clauses - Building good sentences

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

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The 8 Parts of Speech in English Grammar

Table of Contents

Introduction, what are parts of speech, a list of 8 parts of speech.

A. Action Verbs : Action verbs denote physical or mental actions and are the most common type of verbs. These verbs can be conjugated in simple and continuous tenses

C. Linking Verbs: Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, which describes or identifies the subject.

READ MOR ABOUT VERBS

Prepositions

Conjunctions, interjections, analyzing sentence structure (parts of speech) .

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Conjunctions

Prepositions, interjections, categorizing the parts of speech.

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• Table Of Contents

part of speech , lexical category to which a word is assigned based on its function in a sentence.

There are eight parts of speech in traditional English grammar: noun, pronoun, verb , adjective , adverb , conjunction, preposition , and interjection . In linguistics , parts of speech are more typically called word classes .

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. There are many subcategories of nouns, including common nouns, proper nouns, collective nouns, and abstract nouns.

Common nouns name basic things that can be seen and touched. Examples of common nouns include dog , banana , table , and book .

• The dog ate a banana .
• The book was on the table .

Proper nouns name specific people, places, and things, and they begin with a capital letter . Examples of proper nouns include George, New York City , Empire State Building , and Atlantic Ocean .

• George sailed the Atlantic Ocean .
• The Empire State Building is in New York City .

Collective nouns name groups of people or things. Examples of collective nouns include team , flock , litter , and batch .

• The team won the game.
• The flock flew south for the winter.

Abstract nouns name things that cannot be seen or touched. Examples of abstract nouns include happiness , truth , friendship , and beauty .

• He brings her so much happiness .
• The friendship is a strong one.

A pronoun is used in place of a noun. There are many subcategories of pronouns, including but not limited to personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.

Personal pronouns replace names of people, places, things, and ideas. Examples of personal pronouns include she , he , it , and they .

• They enjoyed the party.
• Mikey likes it .

Possessive pronouns replace nouns and indicate ownership. Because they modify nouns, they are also frequently categorized as adjectives. Examples of possessive pronouns include his , its , mine , and theirs .

• The house is theirs .
• The parrot knows its name.

Reflexive pronouns replace nouns when the subject and object in a sentence are the same. Examples of reflexive pronouns include myself , herself , themselves , and oneself .

• She baked a cake all by herself .
• They prepared themselves for the adventure.

A verb indicates a state of doing, being, or having. There are three main subcategories of verbs: doing verbs, being verbs, and having verbs.

Doing verbs indicate actions. Examples of doing verbs include run , wash , explain , and wonder .

• Oliver washed the windows.
• I wonder where the cat is hiding.

Being and having verbs do not indicate action and are considered relating (or linking) verbs because they connect one piece of information to another. Examples of being and having verbs include am , are , has , and own .

• We are at the store.
• John has a red baseball cap.

An adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.

Adjectives provide information about the qualities or classifications of a person or thing. Examples of adjectives include tall , purple , funny , and antique .

• The Willis Tower is a tall building.
• There were several antique cars in the parade.

An adverb describes or modifies verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Adverbs provide information about the manner in which things are done, as well as when, where, and why they are done. Examples of adverbs include quickly , extremely , fiercely , and yesterday .

• The boy ran quickly through the rainstorm.
• That was a fiercely competitive game yesterday.

A conjunction links words, phrases, and clauses. There are two main subcategories of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions link words, phrases, and clauses that are equally important in a sentence. Examples of coordinating conjunctions include and , but , or , and so .

• The students read short stories and novels.
• Liz went to the movies but not to dinner.

Subordinating conjunctions link subordinate clauses to a sentence. Examples of subordinating conjunctions include because , although , before , and since .

• The team is cheering because it is excited.
• Henry had Swiss cheese on his burger although he preferred cheddar.

A preposition provides information about the relative position of a noun or pronoun. Prepositions can indicate direction, time, place, location, and spatial relationships of objects. Examples of prepositions include on , in , across , and after .

• The cat ran across the road.
• The pencil is in the drawer.

An interjection acts as an exclamation. Interjections typically express emotional reactions to information in an adjoining sentence. Examples of interjections include eek , wow , oops , and phew .

• Eek ! That was a huge spider.
• Oops ! I didn’t mean to slam the door.

Although the number of parts of speech is traditionally fixed at eight, some grammarians consider there to be additional parts of speech. For example, determiners (also called determinatives) modify nouns and are therefore generally considered to be adjectives, but they differ from other adjectives in that their exact meaning is supplied by context . They include articles, demonstrative pronouns, possessive pronouns, and quantifiers. Examples of determiners include the , an , that , your , and many .

Over the years grammarians have also proposed changes in how parts of speech are categorized. The 2002 edition of the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language , for example, placed pronouns as a subcategory of nouns.

Parts of Speech: Definitions, Categories and Examples

By: Author English Study Online

Posted on Last updated: August 28, 2024

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In this reference, we will break down each part of speech and provide examples to help you understand their usage. We will also discuss how to identify the different parts of speech in a sentence and provide tips on how to use them correctly. Let’s get started!

Parts of Speech – Created by Englishstudyonline

Table of Contents

What is a Parts of Speech?

A  part of speech  is a category that describes the role a word plays in a sentence. These roles help you understand how words function in grammar .

There are typically eight main parts of speech in English:

• Nouns : Words that name people, places, things, or ideas.
• Pronouns : Words that replace nouns, such as  he, she, it .
• Verbs : Words that describe actions or states, like  run, is .
• Adjectives : Words that describe or modify nouns, like  blue  or  quick .

Some grammars list additional parts of speech:

• Adverbs : Words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, such as  quickly .
• Prepositions : Words that show relationships between a noun (or pronoun) and another word, like  in  or  on .
• Conjunctions : Words that connect clauses, sentences, or words, such as  and  or  but .
• Interjections : Words that express emotion, like  wow  or  oops .

Some sources also include:

• Determiners/Articles : Words that modify nouns and specify which one, like  the, a .

Categories of Parts of Speech

Nouns are words that represent people, places, things, or ideas. They are one of the most important parts of speech in English and are used in nearly every sentence. In this section, we will explore the different types of nouns and their functions.

• Common Nouns : General names for people, places, or things. Not capitalized unless at the start of a sentence. Examples : “book,” “city,” “teacher.”
• Proper Nouns : Specific names for people, places, or things. Always capitalized. Examples : “Harry Potter,” “New York City,” “Ms. Johnson.”
• Abstract Nouns : Names for ideas, concepts, or emotions that are intangible. Examples : “love,” “happiness,” “freedom.”
• Collective Nouns : Names for groups of people or things; can be singular or plural. Examples : “team,” “family,” “herd.”

2. Pronouns

Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence. They help avoid repetition and make sentences clearer. Here are different types of pronouns in English:

• Personal Pronouns : Refer to specific people or things and can be subjects or objects. Examples : I/me, you/your/yours, he/him/his, she/her/hers, it/its.
• Demonstrative Pronouns : Point to specific people or things and indicate distance. Examples : this (near), that (far), these (plural, near), those (plural, far).
• Interrogative Pronouns : Used to ask questions. Examples : who (person), whom (person, object), whose (possession).
• Indefinite Pronouns : Refer to non-specific people or things. Examples : anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything.
• Action Verbs : Describe actions performed by the subject. Examples : Run, Jump, Sing, Dance, Write.
• Linking Verbs : Connect the subject to a noun, pronoun, or adjective that describes it; they do not show action. Examples : Is, Are, Was, Were, Seem.
• Helping Verbs : Work with the main verb to express tense, voice, or mood; they have no meaning on their own. Examples : Am, Is, Are, Was, Were.

4. Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns, giving more information about their qualities, quantity, or identity. Here are three types of adjectives:

• Descriptive Adjectives : Describe the characteristics or qualities of a noun or pronoun. Examples : Beautiful, Tall, Thin, Ugly, Smart, Kind. Sentence Example : “The red car is fast.” (“red” describes the color; “fast” describes the speed).
• Quantitative Adjectives : Indicate the quantity or amount of a noun or pronoun, answering “how much” or “how many.” Examples : Few, Many, Several, Some, All, No. Sentence Example : “I have two apples.” (“two” describes the number of apples).
• Demonstrative Adjectives : Point to specific nouns or pronouns, answering “which one” or “whose.” Examples : This, That, These, Those. Sentence Example : “This book is mine.” (“this” specifies the book).

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more detail about an action, adverbs of manner, adverbs of place, adverbs of time, adverbs of frequency , adverbs of degree, or intensity.

Examples of adverbs:

• I left my keys here . (Adverb of place)
• She arrived late because she missed the bus. (Adverb of time)
• James visits his grandmother weekly . (Adverb of frequency)
• Please drive carefully on the wet roads. (Adverb of manner)
• She was extremely tired after the long journey. (Adverb of degree)

6. Prepositions

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence, indicating position, direction, or time.

Prepositions of Time : Indicate when an action takes place. Examples :

• “At” for specific times: “at 2 pm,” “at midnight.”
• “In” for longer periods: “in the morning,” “in October.”
• “On” for dates: “on Monday,” “on July 4th.”

Prepositions of Place : Indicate where something is located. Examples :

• “In” for enclosed spaces: “in the house,” “in the car.”
• “On” for surfaces: “on the table,” “on the floor.”
• “At” for specific locations: “at the park,” “at the beach.”

Prepositions of Direction : Indicate movement from one place to another. Examples :

• “To” for movement towards: “I am going to the store.”
• “From” for movement away: “I am coming from the park.”
• “Towards” for movement in a direction: “I am walking towards the museum.”

7. Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence, helping to create complex sentences and showing relationships between ideas. There are three main types of conjunctions: coordinating, subordinating, and correlative.

Coordinating Conjunctions : Connect words, phrases, or independent clauses of equal importance. Remember them using FANBOYS : for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Examples :

• “I like pizza and pasta .”
• “He wanted to go to the beach, but it was raining.”

Subordinating Conjunctions : Connect dependent clauses to independent clauses, showing relationships like cause and effect, time, condition, or contrast. Examples : because, although, while, if, unless, since.

• “Because it was raining, we stayed inside.”
• “While I was studying, my roommate was watching TV.”

Correlative Conjunctions : Work in pairs to connect elements in a sentence, showing a relationship between them. Examples : both…and, either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also.

• “Both my sister and I like to read.”
• “Not only was he late, but he also forgot his homework.”

8. Interjections

In English grammar, interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotions or feelings. They are also known as exclamations and are one of the eight parts of speech in English. Interjections are grammatically independent from the words around them, and they can often be removed from a sentence or context without affecting its basic meaning.

Interjections can be used to express a wide range of emotions, including surprise, joy, anger, frustration, and pain. Some common examples of interjections include “ wow ,” “ ouch ,” “ yay ,” “ oh no ,” and “ oops .” They can be used to add emphasis to a sentence or to convey a particular tone or mood.

9. Articles/Determiners

In English grammar, articles and determiners are words that are used with nouns to provide more information about them. They help us to understand the context and meaning of a sentence.

There are three articles in the English language: “ the ,” “ a, ” and “ an. ” “The” is known as the definite article because it refers to a specific noun that has already been mentioned or is known to the reader. For example, “The cat is sleeping on the sofa.” In this sentence, “the” refers to a specific cat that has already been mentioned or is known to the reader.

“A” and “an” are known as indefinite articles because they refer to any member of a group or class of nouns. “A” is used before words that begin with a consonant sound, while “an” is used before words that begin with a vowel sound. For example, “I need a pen” and “She ate an apple.”

Determiners

Determiners are words that come before a noun to provide more information about it. They can include articles, as well as words like “ this ,” “ that ,” “ these ,” and “ those .”

In addition to these, there are other types of determiners such as possessive determiners (e.g. “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their”), demonstrative determiners (e.g. “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”), and quantifying determiners (e.g. “some,” “any,” “many,” “few,” “several,” etc.).

Determiners can also be used with adjectives to provide more information about a noun. For example, “She ate the delicious apple” and “I saw that beautiful sunset.”

Examples of Parts of Speech

• Noun – The dog barked loudly.
• Pronoun – They went to the park together.
• Verb – She writes beautiful poetry.
• Adverb – He runs very quickly.
• Adjective – The red car is fast.
• Preposition – The cat is sitting on the sofa.
• Conjunction – She wanted to go for a walk, and he wanted to stay home.
• Interjection – Wow! That was an incredible performance.

Practical Exercises

Exercise 1: Identify the Part of Speech

Read each sentence and identify the underlined word’s part of speech (Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Adjective, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection).

• The beautiful garden is full of flowers.
• She quickly finished her homework.
• Wow! That was a great surprise.
• The cat hid under the bed.
• I want to go out, but it’s raining.
• He is a very talented musician.
• The children play in the park every evening.
• The cake is delicious .
• After lunch, we went for a walk.
• They will arrive at the airport soon.
• Interjection
• Preposition
• Conjunction

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Part of Speech

Choose the correct word from the list and fill in the blanks with the appropriate part of speech.

Word List: (and, beautiful, suddenly, them, book, Wow, under, write, she, quickly)

• The weather is so __________ today.
• I have to __________ an essay for my class.
• He ran __________ to catch the bus.
• The ball rolled __________ the table.
• They read a __________ together every night.
• She wanted to go to the park, __________ it started raining.
• Can you give this note to __________?
• __________! That was an amazing goal!
• __________ is going to the market.
• The bird flew away __________.
• beautiful (Adjective)
• write (Verb)
• quickly (Adverb)
• under (Preposition)
• book (Noun)
• and (Conjunction)
• them (Pronoun)
• Wow (Interjection)
• She (Pronoun)
• suddenly (Adverb)
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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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Free English Lessons

Parts of speech in english – video.

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

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

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

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

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1 . Question

For the first five questions, answer true or false.

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

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

2 . Question

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

3 . Question

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

4 . Question

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

5 . Question

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

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

6 . Question

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

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

• Interjections
• Conjunctions

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

7 . Question

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

• Prepositions

8 . Question

What part of speech represents or replaces nouns?

9 . Question

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

10 . Question

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

• Determiners

11 . Question

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

“He slept badly.”

Sort elements

12 . Question

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

“She has bought a second-hand car.”

• noun phrase

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

13 . Question

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

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

14 . Question

“Is this your bag or mine?”

• conjunction
• (possessive) pronoun

15 . Question

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

• interjection
• preposition

16 . Question

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

Which words can be nouns?

You need to choose three answers.

17 . Question

Which words can be adverbs?

Only one word here is not an adverb.

18 . Question

Which words can be determiners?

This time there are two correct answers.

19 . Question

Which words can be more than one part of speech?

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

20 . Question

Which words are conjunctions?

• nevertheless

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

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

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

Wrong! There are nine.

So, what are they?

1. Guide to Parts of Speech in English

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For example:

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

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

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

Number five: pronouns.

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

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

• How was the weather there?

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

Another example:

• Give me two, please.

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

Number six: prepositions.

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

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

• on Wednesday
• in the corner
• towards the door

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

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

• It depends on the cost.

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

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

• What does it depend on?

Here, on links to the pronoun what.

Number seven: conjunctions.

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

• I like cake and ice-cream.

A conjunction can connect two phrases:

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

You can also use a conjunction to connect two clauses:

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

Number eight: determiners

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

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

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

• ten bananas
• some people
• both of my brothers

The words ten, some and both are determiners.

Number nine: interjections

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

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

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

2. Practice with Parts of Speech in English

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

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

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

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

Let’s look at one more.

• I’m staying in this evening.

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

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

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

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

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

So, what’s going on?

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

Some words can only be one thing.

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

Believe and destroy can only be verbs.

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

There are two things happening here.

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

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

It can be both.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Look at two sentences:

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

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

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

Can you explain why this is?

Think about what few does in these two sentences.

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

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

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

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

Another example is the sentence we saw before:

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

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

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

Adverbs! So, in is an adverb.

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

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

Can you do it?

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

The best answer is that this evening is an adverb.

How do you explain that?

4. Compound Parts of Speech in English

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

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

Let’s do an example:

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

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

What parts of speech do we have here?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A better question is: which perspective makes more sense?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s put these ideas together.

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

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

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

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

5. More Challenging Practice with English Parts of Speech

Look at three sentences:

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

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

Pause the video and think about your ideas.

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

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

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

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

Thanks for watching!

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The Eight Parts of Speech

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions
• Interjections
• Basic Sentence Structure
• Sentence Fragments
• Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices
• Sentence Type and Purpose
• Independent and Dependent Clauses: Coordination and Subordination
• Subject Verb Agreement
• Consistent Verb Tense
• Other Phrases: Verbal, Appositive, Absolute
• Pronoun Reference
• Relative Pronouns: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses
• Avoiding Modifier Problems
• Transitions
• Would, Should, Could
• Achieving Parallelism
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Two-Word Verbs

TIP Sheet THE EIGHT PARTS OF SPEECH

There are eight parts of speech in the English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. The part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the sentence. An individual word can function as more than one part of speech when used in different circumstances. Understanding parts of speech is essential for determining the correct definition of a word when using the dictionary.

1. NOUN

• A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.

man... Butte College... house... happiness

A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are often used with an article ( the , a , an ), but not always. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter; common nouns do not. Nouns can be singular or plural, concrete or abstract. Nouns show possession by adding 's . Nouns can function in different roles within a sentence; for example, a noun can be a subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, or object of a preposition.

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher , and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!

See the TIP Sheet on "Nouns" for further information.

2. PRONOUN

• A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.

She... we... they... it

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun, which is called its antecedent. In the sentence above, the antecedent for the pronoun she is the girl. Pronouns are further defined by type: personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things; possessive pronouns indicate ownership; reflexive pronouns are used to emphasize another noun or pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause; and demonstrative pronouns identify, point to, or refer to nouns.

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!

See the TIP Sheet on "Pronouns" for further information.

3. VERB

• A verb expresses action or being.

jump... is... write... become

The verb in a sentence expresses action or being. There is a main verb and sometimes one or more helping verbs. (" She can sing." Sing is the main verb; can is the helping verb.) A verb must agree with its subject in number (both are singular or both are plural). Verbs also take different forms to express tense.

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared . Oh my!

See the TIP Sheet on "Verbs" for more information.

4. ADJECTIVE

• An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.

pretty... old... blue... smart

An adjective is a word used to modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. It usually answers the question of which one, what kind, or how many. (Articles [a, an, the] are usually classified as adjectives.)

See the TIP Sheet on "Adjectives" for more information.

5. ADVERB

• An adverb modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

gently... extremely... carefully... well

An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but never a noun. It usually answers the questions of when, where, how, why, under what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly.

See the TIP Sheet on "Adverbs" for more information.

6. PREPOSITION

• A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence.

by... with.... about... until

(by the tree, with our friends, about the book, until tomorrow)

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence. Therefore a preposition is always part of a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase almost always functions as an adjective or as an adverb. The following list includes the most common prepositions:

See the TIP Sheet on "Prepositions" for more information.

7. CONJUNCTION

• A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses.

and... but... or... while... because

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses, and indicates the relationship between the elements joined. Coordinating conjunctions connect grammatically equal elements: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Subordinating conjunctions connect clauses that are not equal: because, although, while, since, etc. There are other types of conjunctions as well.

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!

See the TIP Sheet on "Conjunctions" for more information.

8. INTERJECTION

• An interjection is a word used to express emotion.

Oh!... Wow!... Oops!

An interjection is a word used to express emotion. It is often followed by an exclamation point.

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my !

See the TIP Sheet on "Interjections" for more information.

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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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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

Parts of Speech in English

September 15, 2019 by The Ginseng English Team

• Parts of Speech

Every word in a language can be categorized by its part of speech. Parts of speech (also known as word classes ) tell us what a word does, along with how it functions and makes meaning. We can also group parts of speech into lexical words , which carry a lot of meaning, and function words (or grammar words), which help us make sentences and show the relationship between things.

Overview of English Parts of Speech

How many parts of speech are there.

There are a total of 9 different parts of speech in English: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and articles (or determiners). Read on for a brief explanation of each!

If an article tells you that there are only 8, they are often missing articles or determiners, which are a really important one, especially for language learners.

Why Learn about Parts of Speech?

If you’re looking for the parts of speech in English grammar, you’ve come to the right place! If you’re trying to learn English online by yourself, understanding the parts of speech is a good place to start. They can help you to understand the structure of the language to guide your studying. If you are looking for an in-depth guide to English grammar, our complete English grammar guide might be more helpful.

Frequency of Different Parts of Speech

At Ginseng English, we believe in taking a research-informed, strategic approach to learning English. So understanding the general frequency of the different parts of speech is helpful. Take a look at the following table showing the proportion of the different parts of speech in conversational English and academic prose. (Note that the percentages are approximate and may not total 100% because the original categorization was slightly different from ours. This is only to give a general sense of the proportions.

Source: Biber, et. al., (1999). Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English.

Lots of teachers say a noun is a person, place, or thing! You should also add ideas to that list. Proper nouns in English start with a capital letter, but other nouns do not.

Here are some examples of nouns:

This is my father .

We are from Ecuador .

I have two dogs .

On this holiday we celebrate our independence .

Nouns in English can be singular or plural. to form a regular plural, we simply add -s or -es to the end of a noun. Irregular plurals do not follow this rule.

Here is a complete article on Nouns in English .

Pronouns are used to stand in place for a noun, because in English we don’t like to repeat nouns again and again. The noun that a pronoun refers back to is called its antecedent. Examples of common pronouns in English are he, she, it, him, her, mine, this, that, myself. Pronouns in English change form to show, for example, whether they are singular or plural, subjects or objects, male or female or neither.

Here are examples of some basic pronouns:

Can I have that ?

We are with her .

I think I need something to eat.

Here is a complete article on pronouns in English .

Verbs are words we use to talk about actions, states, and occurrences (things that happen). Many people would say that nouns and verbs are the most important and useful parts of speech in any language.

The main verb in a sentence has a subject, generally a noun or pronoun referring to the person or thing that the sentence is about. For example, in the sentence Maria walks , the verb is walks and the subject is Maria . Verbs can change form to ‘agree with’ their subject.

Here are some examples of verbs:

They cook every night

We went to the store.

This will help the people.

Notice in that last example that a verb can be more than one word. This is called a compound verb. There are two types of verb: main verbs and helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs ).

Here is a complete guide to the English verb tenses .

Adjectives are words that describe, or modify, nouns. They generally (but not always) come before nouns. In the following phrases, the adjectives are in bold :

a big party some terrible news the best pizza an interesting idea a really strong leader

For more information, check out our list of the most common adjectives in English .

Like adjectives, adverbs are describing words. But while adjectives describe only nouns, adverbs can describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire sentences.

Because adverbs are so versatile, it is hard to say much that applies to all adverbs generally. They can appear at different places in the sentence: at the beginning, before a verb, before an adjective, after a verb, or at the end of a sentence.

walk slowly speak clearly immediately fell run fast

Many adverbs end in -ly, and many adjectives can be transformed into adverbs by adding the suffix -ly: slow becomes slowly , eventual becomes eventually , stupid becomes stupidly , etc.

One of the most basic types of adverbs are adverbs of frequency . Click through to read more about those.

The articles in English are a , an (indefinite articles) and the (definite article). Articles can be really tricky, but the basic idea is that we use indefinite articles when we are introducing a new noun to our listeners or not referring to a specific object. On the other hand, we use definite articles to refer to a specific object that our listeners already know about.

Note: You may find articles out there claiming that articles are a type of adjective. This is simply incorrect. At one time (about 300 years ago) some people thought this, but this is not a current view.

Note: Some grammars treat articles as a subcategory of determiners . This is a valid view. Determiners include possessive determiners such as my and your , as well as demonstrative determiners such as this , that , these , and those.

Prepositions

Prepositions are, to put it simply, words that are placed before (pre-position) nouns or pronouns to connect them to other parts of speech in a sentence. There are different types of preposition that give different types of information: prepositions of time , prepositions of place , prepositions of direction .

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect. They can connect, for example, a list of nouns in a series. But most of the time, when we are talking about conjunctions, we are talking about connecting one clause to another clause in the same sentence. There are two types of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions .

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions connect two clauses of equal importance into what we call a compound sentence. There are not many coordinating conjunctions. You can remember them with the acronym FANBOYS : f or, a nd, n or, b ut, o r, y et, s o .

Subordinating Conjunctions

When we connect clauses using subordinating conjunctions, we are giving one clause more importance than the other. The less important clause is called a subordinate clause. Two or more clauses combined with subordinating conjunctions are called a complex sentence. Some common subordinating conjunctions are because , although , before , since , when , while , and if.

Interjections

Interjections are funny words: ouch, wow, hmm, oops, well, geez .. They are sort of the black sheep of English grammar. They are not connected to the other words in a sentence (they are inter-jected , put in between, the other words). Generally they add emotion to a sentence. Here are some examples of interjections:

Wow , I'm so tired.

Ouch ! I cut my finger.

Oh , you moved to Manhattan

The Eight Parts of Speech in English (PDF)

In this article we will give you a brief introduction to the eight parts of speech . These are noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection.

A part of speech is simply the name given to a word based on the function it performs in a sentence. Learning parts of speech is necessary to understand the correct definition of a word and to speed up your study of English grammar .

You can think of parts of speech like job titles. Just as a person can be a soldier, a teacher or a baker, a word can be a noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction or interjection, depending on what it does in a sentence. You can download a PDF of the parts of speech with examples at the end of this article.

Parts of Speech Grammar Table

noun is a word (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, animals, places, things, ideas.

Nouns are separated into common nouns and proper nouns .

What is a common noun?

Common nouns are used for people, animals, places, or things.

Example: granny, mother, river, mountain, hotel, taxi, fox, camel.

He is an artist . Tom hates bananas . I love my mother . Her father is a doctor .

What is a proper noun?

Proper nouns are names for particular people, places or things. They always begin with a capital letter.

Example: Ali Baba, Harry Potter, Beethoven, Turkish, British, Malay, Hong Kong, India, The United Kingdom,the Pacific Ocean, the Eiffel Tower, Father’s Day, Ramadan, Halloween.

☛ The days of the week and months of the year are also proper nouns.

December is the last month of the year. Sunday is the last day of the week.

What is singular and plural noun?

When you are talking about one person, animal, place, or thing, use a singular noun .

Example: a ship, a teacher, a river, an apple, an umbrella.

When you are talking about two or more people, animals, places, or things, use plural nouns . Most nouns are made plural by adding -s at the end.

Example: ships, teachers, rivers, apples, umbrellas

Some exceptions: bus-buses. glass-glasses. watch-watches. brush-brushes. butterfly-butterflies. baby-babies. lady-ladies. story-stories.

☛ Nouns show possession by adding ‘s.

☛ Tom’s car. ☛ Car’s key.

What is concrete and abstract noun?

Concrete nouns are things you can experience (see, hear, smell, touch, or taste) with your senses. Here are some examples: tree, music, flowers, and chocolate.

Abstract nouns represent ideas, qualities, or states that cannot be perceived through the senses. Examples include love, honesty, joy, and freedom.

Here’s a table with examples of different types of nouns in English:

Check Also: Common and Proper Nouns Explained (Exercise and Examples) Masculine and Feminine Nouns in English 100 Most Common English Nouns A-Z List (PDF)

A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun in a sentence.

Personal Pronouns: The words I , you , he , she , it , we and they are called personal pronouns. He is a nice guy. You are welcome.

Possessive Pronouns: There words mine , yours , hers , his , its , theirs , ours , yours , theirs are called possessive pronouns. This car is mine . Time is yours .

Reflexive Pronouns: The words myself , yourself , himself , herself , itself , ourselves , yourselves and themselves are called reflexive pronouns. Maryam has hurt herself . Don’t cut yourself .

Demonstrative Pronouns: The words this , these , that and those are called demonstrative pronouns. This is my car. These are my flowers.

Interrogative Pronouns: The words who , whom , whose , what and which are called interrogative pronouns. We ask questions by using these pronouns. Who is she talking to? Which do you prefer?

Here’s a table with examples of different types of pronouns in English:

Check Also: Personal & Possessive Pronouns for English Learners Nobody, No one, None Difference & Examples Difference Between Who and Whom

A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such as hear, become, happen, run, eat.

Most verbs are action words. Verbs shows you what people, animals or things are doing.

Verbs can show actions or they can show states or situations.Those are the two types of verbs in English.

☛ I am eating. – verb (eat) shows an action. ☛ I am a student. verb (to be) shows a state.

☛ Verbs also change and take different forms to show tenses.

I drink a lot of water ☛ I drank a lot of water yesterday.

Here’s a table with examples of different types of verbs in English:

Check Also: 500+ English Verbs List (V1 V2 V3 Verb Forms) + PDF Most Common English Verbs & Synonyms List (PDF) All forms of the verb TO BE and Its Usage

4. ADJECTIVE

An adjective is a describing word. Adjective describes a noun or a pronoun.

The red carpet. Deep thoughts. A busy street. She is beautiful today.

Here’s a table with examples of different types of adjectives in English:

Check Also: List of Opposite Adjectives in English (PDF) Positive Adjectives to Describe a Person (PDF) Comparative and Superlative Adjectives List + PDF 

A word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence. It tells you about an action, or the way something is done.

☛ A lot of adverbs end in -ly.

We are happily married. Tom calls me regularly . Suddenly , she knows. It’s love!

Here’s a table with examples of different types of adverbs in English:

Check Also: Types of Adverbs in English & Meaning and Examples (PDF) Common Suffixes in English (With Examples) & PDF

6. PREPOSITION

A preposition is a word that connects one thing with another, showing how they are related.

Prepositions tell us about time, position or place.

Some examples of prepositions are words like ‘ in ,’ ‘ at ,’ ‘ on ,’ ‘ of ,’ ‘ to ,’ ‘ from .’

She is in love. Book was on the table. I am from France. He is calling to you. Where are you at ?

Here’s a table categorizing types of prepositions with examples:

Check Also: Complete List of English Prepositions A-Z (Free PDF) Commonly Used Prepositions Lists in English  Common Collocations in English With Prepositions (PDF) Prepositions of Location At, In & On (PDF)

7. CONJUNCTION

A conjunction is a linking word that used to connect clauses or sentences. For example and, or, but, as, if.

Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, and clauses together.

a teacher and students. a male or female?

☛ Words such as before , after , as , when , while , until , since , are conjunctions of time. Maryam could play guitar before she was four. She always brush her teeth after eating her meal.

There are four categories of conjunctions:

8.INTERJECTION

An interjection is a word that expresses an emotion, sudden, strong feeling such as surprise, pain, or pleasure.

☛ It is often followed by an exclamation point.

Check Also: Interjections in English Grammar & List Examples 1000+ Common Daily English Phrases for Beginners (PDF)

Parts of Speech PDF

Here you can download parts of speech PDF with examples.

  Parts of Speech in English PDF

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Parts of Speech in English, Definition, Types, Examples, Rules

Parts of speech in english grammar, parts of speech definition, parts of speech chart, list of parts of speech, examples of parts of speech, uses of parts of speech.

Table of Contents

When you speak or write a sentence in the English language, all the words in that sentence fall into one of the following categories. There are generally Eight such parts in the English language. These parts or categories are commonly known as “parts of speech”. Some of the words also fall into more than one of these categories. Here in this article, we have explained all the 8 parts of speech in detail. For easy understanding, we have also provided the necessary examples regarding different parts of speech in English Grammar .

Now as you have understood the basic concept behind the “Parts of Speech”. Let us proceed to the details of various parts of the speech.  

The simplest definition for the term parts of speech is as follows:

“Parts of speech is a term used to describe the traditional class of words in the English language that varies according to the function performed or the idea denoted by those words in a sentence. There are 8 parts of speech in English, namely Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections. 

Parts of Speech chart is a great tool to memorize all the parts of speech in English Grammar with its examples and definitions. Go through the parts of the speech chart below for a better understanding of parts of speech. Even if you understand the parts of speech well, this chart will help you to quickly revise all the parts of speech.

There are mainly 8 parts of speech . The different parts of speech have their importance and rules of usage. After reading this you will be able to easily use the parts of speech in a sentence. There are a lot of books and websites that even mention that there are 9 parts of speech but the 8 parts of speech detailed below are the most important and the most commonly used ones.

• Noun - Noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. A noun is often used with an article, but it's not mandatory to use an article before a noun. A noun can be a subject as well as an object.
• Pronoun - Pronouns are those words that replace the nouns in a paragraph so that the passage sounds grammatically correct. Pronouns help avoid the repetition of the nouns again and again.
• Verbs- Verbs are commonly known as action words. They express being or action in a sentence. Verbs are of two types, the main verbs or the helping verbs. Verbs play an important role in determining tenses.
• Adjectives - Adjectives are mostly used to modify nouns or even pronouns. Adjectives help describe nouns or pronouns. The articles are also considered as a part of adjectives. But here we have defined articles separately as another part of speech.
• Adverb - Adverbs are those words that add something to the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. An adverb usually answers the questions of when, where, how, why, under what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end with “-ly”. An adverb is not used with nouns. Using an Adverb with nouns is a blunder.
• Prepositions - As the name suggests, prepositions are positioned before a noun or pronoun in a sentence.  It helps form a phrase that usually helps replace numerous words in a sentence. For example, “Ask around” a phrasal preposition means inviting someone for a purpose.
• Conjunctions- Conjunctions are the joining words that help combine separate sentences or words into a single sentence. Conjunctions help us to write and speak with fewer words or phrases at a time.
• Interjections- Interjections are stand-alone expressions for various emotions that can also be used without a sentence. They help convey strong feelings or reactions to a situation.

Above we have already explained the various parts of speech but with a few examples of parts of speech, you will be able to remember the various parts of speech easily. Let's have a look at the Parts of Speech Examples.

• That cat is black
• He lost his socks
• The monkey is eating bananas
• Raj has not completed his tasks yet
• She is angry.
• They have already left
• Those puppies are so cute.
• Ram is playing
• Shyam is eating
• He is riding a bicycle.
• She looks sad

4) Adjective

• She is a cruel sister
• He looks charming.
• The lady looks pretty in a saree.
• That was a huge bungalow.
• Rita arrived early today
• She drives slowly
• She speaks softly
• Only Rohit was late at the party

6) Prepositions

• I am standing over the bridge
• They all spoke against the watchman
• She lives across the street.
• Sorry for the delay.

7) Conjunctions

• Shreya and Riya are friends.
• She is pretty but not smart.
• She loves momos with mayonnaise.
• The students were not keeping quiet so the teacher left.

8) Interjections

• Oops! I forget her birthday.
• Ouch! I am hurt.
• Alas! A bad day.
• Ahh! What a lovely pair of shoes.

In some books and websites Articles in English are considered as one of the parts of speech. The Articles (A, An, and The) are discussed below:

Articles- There are only three articles in the English language. A, An, and The are the only articles that are used before the nouns to clearly define numbers.

A - It is used to determine one or a single object before consonants

An - An also represents one but only before vowels

The - The is used before universal truths.

Parts of speech are the fundamental building blocks of English grammar. Each part of speech serves a unique purpose and helps to convey meaning in different ways. Each part of speech is essential for constructing clear and effective sentences, allowing us to communicate complex ideas and emotions.

• Purpose: Represent people, places, things, or ideas.
• Example: “Dog,” “City,” “Happiness.”
• Use: As the subject or object of the sentence.
• Purpose: Replace nouns to avoid repetition.
• Example: “He,” “She,” “It.”
• Use: To stand in for nouns.
• Purpose: Express actions or states of being.
• Example: “Run,” “Is,” “Think.”
• Use: As the main part of the predicate.
• Adjectives:
• Purpose: Describe or modify nouns.
• Example: “Big,” “Red,” “Happy.”
• Use: To give more information about a noun.
• Purpose: Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
• Example: “Quickly,” “Very,” “Well.”
• Use: To describe how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
• Prepositions:
• Purpose: Show relationships between nouns [pronouns] and other words in a sentence.
• Example: “In,” “On,” “At.”
• Use: To provide context such as location, time, or direction.
• Conjunctions:
• Purpose: Connect words, phrases, or clauses.
• Example: “And” “But” “Or.”
• Use: To link different parts of a sentence.
• Interjections:
• Purpose: Express strong emotions or sudden bursts of feeling.
• Example: “Wow” “Ouch” “Hey.”
• Use: Often stand alone or are inserted into sentences.
• Purpose: Define nouns as specific or unspecific.
• Example: “A” “An” “The.”
• Use: As modifiers for nouns.

Q. What are the parts of speech?

Q. How many parts of speech are there in English Grammar?

Q. Is article a part of speech?

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Parts of Speech – Definitions and 8 Types with Examples

In English grammar , understanding the different parts of speech is crucial for effective communication. Every word in the language belongs to a specific part of speech, which determines its role and function within a sentence. This article will delve into the definition of parts of speech, discuss the various categories, and provide examples to illustrate their usage.

What is Parts of Speech?

Parts of speech refer to the different categories or classes into which words are grouped based on their grammatical functions and properties. These categories help us understand how words relate to each other and contribute to the overall structure and meaning of a sentence.

Parts of Speech : वाक्य में प्रयोग के अनुसार शब्दों (Words) को भिन्न-भिन्न भागों में विभाजित किया जाता है। इन्हें शब्द-भेद (Parts of Speech) कहते हैं।

Definition of Parts of Speech

• One of the classes into which words are divided according to their grammar, such as noun , verb , adjective , etc. – The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary .
• One of the grammatical groups into which words are divided, such as noun, verb, and adjective. – The Cambridge Dictionary .

One of the groups that words are divided into, for example noun, verb, adjective, etc.

Types of Parts of Speech

8 Parts of Speech with Examples are given below (Parts of Speech आठ प्रकार के होते हैं):

• Noun (संज्ञा) : A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. It can function as the subject or object of a sentence, and it can be singular or plural. Examples: dog, city, happiness.
• Pronoun (सर्वनाम) : A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition. It refers to a person, thing, or idea previously mentioned or understood in the context. Examples: he, she, it, they.
• Adjective (विशेषण) : An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, providing more information about its qualities or characteristics. Examples: beautiful, tall, happy.
• Verb (क्रिया) : A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. It is the main component of a sentence and indicates what the subject does or experiences. Examples: run, eat, is.
• Adverb (क्रिया-विशेषण) : An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb. It provides information about the manner, place, time, degree, or frequency of an action or quality. Examples: quickly, there, often.
• Preposition (सम्बन्धसूचक शब्द) : A preposition is a word that establishes a relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. It indicates location, time, direction, or manner. Examples: in, on, at, with.
• Conjunction (संयोजक) : A conjunction is a word used to connect words, phrases, or clauses. It shows how the different parts of a sentence are related to each other. Examples: and, but, or.
• Interjection (विस्मयसूचक शब्द) : An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotions or sudden bursts of feeling. It is often used independently and followed by an exclamation mark. Examples: wow, oh, ouch.

Examples of Parts of Speech in Sentences:

• Noun : The dog chased the ball. (“dog” is a noun that functions as the subject of the sentence.)
• Pronoun : She is reading a book. (“she” is a pronoun that replaces the name of a female person.)
• Adjective : I have a beautiful house. (“beautiful” is an adjective that describes the quality of the noun “house.”)
• Verb : They danced all night. (“danced” is a verb that describes the action performed by the subject “they.”)
• Adverb : She sings beautifully . (“beautifully” is an adverb modifying the verb “sings,” indicating how she sings.)
• Preposition : The book is on the table. (“on” is a preposition that shows the relationship between the book and the table.)
• Conjunction : I like tea, but I don’t like coffee. (“but” is a conjunction connecting two contrasting statements.)
• Interjection : Wow , what a stunning view! (“wow” is an interjection expressing surprise or amazement.)

इन सभी Parts of Speech की परिभाषायें एवं उदाहरण विस्तार से आगे दिए जा रहे हैं-

A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place or thing.

किसी व्यक्ति, वस्तु या स्थान को प्रकट करने वाले शब्द को Noun कहते हैं।

Examples of Noun :

• Ashoka was a great king.
• The rose smells sweet.
• Delhi is a big city.
• The sun is very hot.
• He is in the class.
• Come here, Mohan.
• Gold is yellow.
• Honesty is the best policy.

उपर्युक्त वाक्यों में Ashoka, king, Delhi, city, rose, sun, gold, class, honesty, policy तथा Mohan का प्रयोग Nouns की तरह हुआ है।

Learn More : Nouns – Definition, Types and Rules with Examples Noun

A Pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.

सर्वनाम (Pronoun) वह शब्द है जो Noun के स्थान पर प्रयोग किया जा सके।

Examples of Pronoun:

• Madan is absent because he is ill.
• The books are where you left them.

उपर्युक्त वाक्यों में he और them सर्वनाम (Pronoun) हैं क्योंकि he का प्रयोग Madan के लिए और them का प्रयोग books के लिए हुआ है।

Learn More : Pronoun – Definition, Types, Rules and Examples

3. Adjective

An Adjective is a word used to add something to the meaning of a noun.

विशेषण (Adjective) वह शब्द है जो Noun के ज्ञान में कुछ वृद्धि करता है, अर्थात जो किसी संज्ञा (Noun) की विशेषता को प्रकट करता है।

Examples of Adjective:

• He is a brave boy.
• There are thirty boys in this class.

उपर्युक्त वाक्यों में brave, thirty और this विशेषण (Adjective) हैं।

Learn More : Adjectives – Definition, Forms, Types, Usage and Examples

A Verb is a word used to say something about some person, place or thing.

क्रिया (Verb) वह शब्द है जिसे किसी व्यक्ति, स्थान या वस्तु के विषय में कुछ बताने के लिए प्रयोग किया जाता है।

Examples of Verb:

• The girl wrote a letter.
• Delhi is a big city..
• He played cricket.
• The earth moves round the sun.
• Iron and copper are useful metals.
• The sun rises in the east.

उपर्युक्त वाक्यों में wrote, is, are, played, rises, moves क्रियायें (Verbs) हैं।

Learn More : Verbs – Definition, Types, Usage and Examples

An Adverb is a word which modifies the meaning of a Verb, and Adjective or another Adverbs used in the sentence.

क्रिया-विशेषण (Adverb) वह शब्द होता है जो Verb, Adjective तथा वाक्य में प्रयुक्त अन्य Adverb की विशेषता प्रकट करता है।

Examples of Adverb:

• He worked the sum quickly. (quickly-क्रिया (Verb) worked को modify कर रहा है।)
• This flower is very beautiful. (very-विशेषण (Adjective) beautiful को modify कर रहा है।)
• She spoke quite correctly. (quite क्रिया-विशेषण (Adverb) correctly को modify कर रहा है।)

Modify का अर्थ है- अर्थ में वृद्धि करना अर्थात विशेषता प्रकट करना। अतः उपर्युक्त वाक्यों में quickly, very और quite- Adverbs हैं।

Learn More : Adverbs: Definition, Types, Usage and Examples

6. Preposition

A Preposition is a word used with a noun or a pronoun to show how the person, place or thing denoted by the noun or pronoun stands in relation to something else.

सम्बन्धसूचक शब्द (Preposition) वह शब्द है जो किसी Noun या Pronoun के साथ प्रयोग में आकर उस Noun या Pronoun द्वारा सूचित व्यक्ति, स्थान या वस्तु का सम्बन्ध अन्य किसी Noun या Pronoun से प्रदर्शित करता है।

Examples of Preposition:

• There is a parrot in the garden.
• The girl is fond of songs.
• A little boy sat under a tree.

इन वाक्यों में in, of, under का प्रयोग Preposition की तरह हुआ है।

Learn More : Prepositions: Meaning, Definition, Usage and Examples

7. Conjunction (Connector)

A Conjunction is a word used to join two words or sentences.

संयोजक (Conjunction) वह शब्द है जो दो शब्दों या वाक्यों को जोड़ता है।

Examples of Conjunction:

• Rama and Hari are friends. (“and” Rama और Hari दो शब्दों को जोड़ता है।)
• Mohan ran fast but he missed the train. (“but”, ‘Mohan ran fast’ और ‘He missed the train’ को जोड़ता है।)
• Two and two make four. (“and” द्वारा दो शब्द Two और two जोड़े गये हैं।)

उपर्युक्त वाक्यों में and और but संयोजक (Conjunction) हैं।

Learn More : Conjunction – Meaning, Definition, Types, Usage and Examples

8. Interjection

An Interjection is a word which expresses some sudden feelings.

विस्मयसूचक शब्द (Interjection) वह शब्द है जो अचानक हृदय से निकलने वाले उद्गारों को प्रकट करता है।

Examples of Interjection:

• Hurrah! we have won the match.
• Alas! she is dead.

उपर्युक्त वाक्यों में Hurrah और Alas Interjection हैं।

Learn More : Interjections – Definition, Usage and Examples

Test Yourself

Name the Part of Speech of each italicized word in the following sentences:

• Mohan sat on a wall.
• Where do you live?
• How very cold the night is!
• Edison invented the electric bulb.
• All roads lead to Delhi.
• Have mercy upon us.
• He has a good memory.
• We should profit by experience.
• I shot an arrow into the air.
• He has a chain of gold.
• His courage won him honour.
• Gold and silver are costly.
• Ah! Have they gone?
• He gave me five apples.
• Akbar was a great king.
• The girl wrote a letter to her cousin.
• This flower is very beautiful.
• The lazy boy was punished.
• The hand has five fingers.

In Summary, The different categories into which words are grouped based on their grammatical functions and properties in English grammar.

Examples : Nouns (person, place, thing), Verbs (action, state), Adjectives (descriptive), Adverbs (modifies verbs/adjectives), Pronouns (replaces nouns), Prepositions (relationships), Conjunctions (connects), Interjections (expresses emotions).

FAQs FROM PARTS OF SPEECH

What are the eight parts of speech? The eight parts of speech are noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

What is a noun? A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. It can be a subject, object, or possessive in a sentence.

What is a verb? A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. It is the central component of a sentence and indicates what the subject does or experiences.

What is an adjective? An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. It provides more information about the qualities or characteristics of the noun or pronoun.

What is an adverb? An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It provides information about the manner, place, time, degree, or frequency of an action or quality.

What is a pronoun? A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition. It refers to a person, thing, or idea previously mentioned or understood in the context.

What is a preposition? A preposition is a word that establishes a relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. It indicates location, time, direction, or manner.

What is a conjunction? A conjunction is a word used to connect words, phrases, or clauses. It shows how the different parts of a sentence are related to each other.

What is an interjection? An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotions or sudden bursts of feeling. It is often used independently and followed by an exclamation mark.

How many parts of speech are there in English? There are traditionally eight parts of speech in English: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. However, some sources may categorize them differently or include additional subcategories.

• English Grammar
• Parts of Speech

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What i answer in eight types of speech

Here are eight common types of speech and suggestions on what you might say or how you might respond in each:

Informative Speech:

• Share factual information, explanations, or insights on a topic.
• Use clear and concise language, and provide supporting evidence or examples.

Persuasive Speech:

• Convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint or take a specific action.
• Use logical arguments, emotional appeals, and credible evidence to support your position.

Demonstrative Speech:

• Teach the audience how to do something or how something works.
• Use step-by-step instructions, visual aids, and hands-on demonstrations if possible.

Motivational Speech:

• Inspire and motivate the audience to achieve a goal or overcome challenges.
• Use personal stories, anecdotes, and powerful language to convey a positive message.

Impromptu Speech:

• Speak on a topic without prior preparation.
• Organize your thoughts quickly, use simple and clear language, and provide basic information.

Toast or Roast Speech:

• Offer a celebratory toast or humorous tribute to someone (toast) or gently tease and entertain (roast).
• Be respectful in a toast and use humor with care in a roast.
• Speak at a funeral or memorial service to honor and remember the deceased.
• Share memories, express condolences, and offer comfort to the bereaved.

Question and Answer (Q&A) Session:

• Respond to questions from the audience or interviewer.
• Be concise, honest, and clear in your answers, and if you don’t know something, admit it.

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• Practice Parts of Speech Exercises to Improve Your Grammar Skills

Parts of Speech Exercises with Answer

Understanding the Parts of speech is crucial for mastering the English language. Whether you're a student or a writer, knowing how to identify and use the different parts of speech will improve your grammar, writing, and communication skills. This guide will explain the meaning, definition, and uses of each part of speech, along with practical examples and exercises to solidify your understanding.

What are Parts of Speech?

Parts of speech refer to the categories into which words are classified based on their function within a sentence.

The main parts of speech in English are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives , adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Common Confusions:

Noun vs. Pronoun: A noun names a specific item, while a pronoun replaces a noun.

Example: "John (noun) loves his (pronoun) dog."

Adjective vs. Adverb: Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Example: "She is a quick (adjective) learner." vs. "She learns quickly (adverb)."

Tips for Learning

Regularly practice identifying the parts of speech in sentences.

Incorporate varied parts of speech into your writing to make it more dynamic.

Try creating sentences that use multiple parts of speech effectively.

Worksheet to Solve

Complete the exercises below to practice identifying and using the different parts of speech. Each section is designed to help you recognize nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Part 1: Identify the Parts of Speech

Underline the word in each sentence and identify its part of speech.

The cat jumps over the fence.

She went to the store to buy groceries.

The flowers in the garden are beautiful.

They quickly finished their homework.

He sat under the tree to read a book.

And they lived happily ever after.

Wow! That was an amazing performance!

Part 2: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate part of speech indicated in parentheses.

The sun sets in the __________ (noun).

__________ (pronoun) is going to the park with her friends.

He __________ (verb) the ball across the field.

The __________ (adjective) puppy wagged its tail.

She spoke __________ (adverb) during the presentation.

The gift is __________ ( preposition ) the table.

I like pizza, __________ (conjunction) I also enjoy pasta.

__________ (interjection), that’s a great idea!

Part 3: Sentence Creation

Create one sentence for each part of the speech listed below:

Preposition:

Conjunction:

Interjection:

Part 4: Paragraph Practice

Write a short paragraph (4-5 sentences) and underline one example of each part of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection).

Part 5: Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct part of speech for the underlined word in each sentence.

The cat sat on the mat.

c) Preposition

d) Adjective

Quickly, the rabbit dashed into the bushes.

d) Conjunction

He is a brilliant student.

b) Adjective

They went to the concert last night.

The children played outside until it got dark.

a) Conjunction

b) Interjection

Part 6: Match the Columns

Match the word in Column A with its correct part of speech from Column B.

Part 7: Correct the Sentences

Correct the following sentences by choosing the right part of speech.

She drive the car fastly.

Him is going to the market.

They was very excited for the trip.

The book is in the table.

Wow, you did good in your exams!

Answer Key:

jumps – Verb

She – Pronoun

beautiful – Adjective

quickly – Adverb

under – Preposition

And – Conjunction

Wow! – Interjection

The sun sets in the west (noun).

She (pronoun) is going to the park with her friends.

He kicked (verb) the ball across the field.

The playful (adjective) puppy wagged its tail.

She spoke confidently (adverb) during the presentation.

The gift is on (preposition) the table.

I like pizza, but (conjunction) I also enjoy pasta.

Wow (interjection), that’s a great idea!

Noun: The dog barked loudly.

Pronoun: He is my best friend.

Verb: She danced gracefully at the party.

Adjective: The red car is very fast.

Adverb: He ran quickly to catch the bus.

Preposition: The book is on the shelf.

Conjunction: I wanted to go to the movie, but I was too tired.

Interjection: Oh no! I forgot my keys.

Example Answer:

Wow! (Interjection) She (Pronoun) quickly (Adverb) ran to (Preposition) the store because (Conjunction) she needed a new red (Adjective) dress (Noun). It (Pronoun) was raining (Verb), but she didn't mind.

She drives the car quickly. (Corrects verb tense and adverb)

He is going to the market. (Corrects pronoun usage)

They were very excited for the trip. (Corrects verb tense)

The book is on the table. (Corrects preposition)

Wow, you did well in your exams! (Corrects adverb use)

Test Your Understanding: Parts of Speech

Which word in the sentence "The cat slept on the sofa" is a noun?

What is the pronoun in the sentence "He finished his homework early"?

a) Finished

d) Homework

Identify the verb in the sentence "They played football yesterday."

a) Football

d) Yesterday

Which word is an adjective in the sentence "The tall man walked quickly"?

What is the adverb in the sentence "She always arrives on time"?

Check the Answers Below

Takeaways from the topic “parts of speech”.

Understanding and mastering the parts of speech is fundamental to effective communication and writing.

With regular practice, you’ll be able to identify and use each part of speech correctly, leading to better grammar and more polished writing.

Keep practising with various exercises to strengthen your skills!

FAQs on Practice Parts of Speech Exercises to Improve Your Grammar Skills

1. What are parts of speech exercises?

Parts of speech exercises are activities designed to help students identify and correctly use the different parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, in sentences.

2. Where can I find parts of speech exercises with answers?

You can find parts of speech exercises with answers on Vedantu.

3. How can parts of speech exercises help improve grammar?

Parts of speech exercises provide structured practice, allowing students to repeatedly work through examples, reinforcing their understanding and helping to improve overall grammar skills.

4. Why should I use parts of speech exercises with answers?

Using parts of speech exercises with answers allows you to check your work, understand mistakes, and learn the correct usage of different parts of speech, leading to better grammar comprehension.

5. Can I learn parts of speech exercises for offline practice?

Yes, you can learn parts of speech exercises for offline practice from the Vedantu website, making it easy to study anytime, anywhere.

6. What is the benefit of using parts of speech exercises with answers?

The benefit of using parts of speech exercises with answers is that it provides instant feedback, helping you to learn from your errors and solidify your understanding of grammar rules.

7. How does the transformation of parts of speech exercises help in learning?

Transformation of parts of speech exercises helps in learning by challenging students to change the form of words (e.g., nouns to adjectives) within sentences, thus deepening their understanding of how different parts of speech function.

8. Where can I find comprehensive parts of speech exercises?

Comprehensive parts of speech exercises can be found on educational websites, in grammar textbooks, and through online learning platforms that offer downloadable content.

9. How can I practice the transformation of parts of speech exercises?

You can practice transformation of parts of speech exercises by working through examples where you convert one part of speech to another within a sentence, such as turning a noun into a verb or an adjective into an adverb.

10. Are there free parts of speech exercises with answers available online?

Yes, there are free parts of speech exercises with answers available on Vedantu.

Parts of Speech | English Grammar for Class 6 PDF Download

What are Parts of Speech?

• In a sentence, words are the basic units that each have their own meanings. 
• We can group words into different types , called parts of speech, based on how they are used and what they do. 
• A single word can act as more than one part of speech depending on how it's used. 
• Knowing the parts of speech helps us understand the exact meaning of a word.
• There are eight parts  of speech in English: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

1. The Noun

• This part of speech refers to words that are used to name persons, places, things, events, or ideas . All nouns are naming words.
• Example : Alex, woman, child (person); lion, rabbit, bear (animal); dove, crow, eagle (bird); Paris, Tokyo, Australia (place); laptop, phone, book (thing); bravery, wisdom (idea), etc. 
• Whatever we can see, feel, or think and have names are considered nouns.

Sample Sentences:

• Amanda  lives in Paris .
• John  uses a fountain pen for writing.
• Lisa  is very talented.
• Marcus  is looking very dashing.
• Today is Emma’s  birthday.
• My sister is moving to Tokyo .

2. The Pronoun

• This part of speech refers to a word that replaces a noun. 
• They eliminate the need for repetition. 
• A pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun, which is called its antecedent.
• Example : I, you, he, she, we, ours, mine, yours, his, her, him, hers, they, them, theirs, it, etc.
• Kevin is a very diligent student. He  always works hard.
• The biggest portion is yours .
• They  are Canadian.
• The coach gave all of us  instructions.
• Sarah gave her  notebook to Maya.
• His  house is bigger than ours .

3. The Adjective

• This part of speech refers to a word that modifies, describes , or gives more information  about a noun or pronoun . 
• Adjectives are  describing words and normally come before the nouns.
• Example : fast, quiet, useful, much, pretty, old, blue, smart, beautiful, big, sad, red, young, fun, crazy, three, etc.
• The tiny  girl had a red  kite.
• The diligent  worker received "A" grade.
• I have three  bikes.
• Wow! That pizza is amazing .
• She is a young  teacher.
• Max is a clever  boy.

4. The Verb

• This part of speech refers to a word that tells us what the subject  does , or what happens to it, or what state it is in, or what possesses.
• Examples : am, is, was, are, were, have, has, had, do, does, did, be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been, should, could, will, would, might, can, may, must, shall, ought (to), go, speak, run, eat, play, live, walk, like, etc.
• They are  always prepared for any situation.
• Nora is  charming.
• Jake runs  every day.
• I enjoy  chocolate ice-cream.
• We had  a nutritious meal.
• I believe  that he is right.

5. The Adverb

• This part of speech refers to a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb . 
• Adverbs tell us how, when, where, how often, and to what degree (extent) something happens or takes place. Adverbs often end in -ly.
• Examples : gently, quickly, extremely, carefully, well, slowly, quietly, very, always, never, too, tomorrow, here, etc.
• He ate his cake quickly .
• The chef carefully  prepared the dish.
• Liam was extremely  happy about his new toy.
• She danced beautifully .
• We are leaving tomorrow .
• He looked everywhere  for his glasses.

The word "quickly" describes how the action of finishing the homework was done, making it an adverb.

6. The Preposition

• This part of speech refers to a word or a group of words that shows its relation with another noun or pronoun or a verb. 
• Therefore, it can also be called a ‘ relation ’ word and comes before a noun or a pronoun in a sentence. 
• They are used to indicate time, place, direction, or relationship.
• Example : in, on, into, at, by, upon, across, beside, between, of, out of, for, above, below, throughout, outside, before, near, etc.
• Mia’s cat is lying  under the chair.
• She placed her bag on  the desk.
• He sat on  the rug.
• They will meet at  3 o’clock in the afternoon.
• Look behind  the couch.

7. The Conjunction (Connectors or Linking Words)

This part of speech refers to a word that joins two or more words, phrases, or clauses. There are three kinds of conjunctions:

• Coordinating Conjunctions: These are the words that join words, phrases, and clauses of equal grammatical importance in the sentence. Example: and, but, or, so, nor, for, yet.
• Correlative Conjunctions: These are the words that join equally important ideas, but they work in pairs. Example: either...or, both...and, not only...but also, neither…nor, whether…or, either…or.
• Subordinating Conjunctions: These are the words that join words, phrases, and clauses that are not equal. Example: because, although, while, since, after, as, as if, before, even if, even though, if, so that, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, whether.
• He wants to leave, but  he cannot.
• She is kind and  diligent.
• Would you prefer a cup of coffee or  tea?
• He didn’t pass the exam because  he wasn’t ready.
• We were thirsty, so  we ordered lemonade.
• I was tired but  I still finished my project.

8. The Interjection

• This part of speech refers to a word or phrase that expresses strong, sudden emotions. 
• It expresses strong feelings of joy, sadness, surprise, appreciation, condemnation, etc. 
• Since interjections are commonly used to convey strong emotions, they are usually followed by an exclamation mark but in case of mild interjections, a comma is placed after the interjection.
• Example : Ouch!, Alas!, Oh!, Bravo!, Fantastic!, Gorgeous!, Wow!, Hurrah!, Pooh!, Pshaw!, Fie!, Gosh!
• Ouch !  I hurt my foot.
• Hurray !  Next week is a vacation.
• Hey !  You made a mistake.
• Oh ,  we’re late for the meeting.
• Oh !  I’m late for my appointment.
• Wow !  I passed the driving test.

The word "beautiful" describes the noun "flowers," so it is an adjective.

Note 1: Articles and determiners like a, an, the, some, any, etc., are also adjectives but they are studied separately due to their importance in modifying the meaning of the word they qualify.

Note 2: Same Word – Several Parts of Speech

There are words that can be used in more than one way. This implies that a word can function as several different parts of speech. The function of a word in a sentence decides to which part of speech it belongs.

Note the highlighted words in the following sentences:

• She likes to watch plays  on TV. (noun)
• He plays  basketball during his free time. (verb)
• I would like a drink . (noun)
• They drink  too much soda. (verb)
• Alex bought a new sofa  for his living room. (noun)
• She is planning to buy a sofa  bed for her guest room. (adjective)

Parts of Speech With Examples

Sentences with All Parts of Speech

The (article) friendly (adjective) grey (adjective) cat (noun) sleeps (verb) under (preposition) the (article) big (adjective) tree (noun).

He (pronoun) cheerfully (adverb) sings (verb) the (article) song (noun) every (adjective) night (noun) in (preposition) the (article) moonlight (noun).

The (article) young (adjective) woman (noun) shares (verb) her (pronoun) knowledge (noun) with (preposition) the (article) students (noun).

Our (pronoun) cousin (noun) rarely (adverb) cooks (verb) delicious (adjective) meals (noun) in (preposition) his (pronoun) free (adjective) time (noun).

Before (preposition) the (article) movie (noun), they (pronoun) ate (verb) at (preposition) the (article) restaurant (noun) and (conjunction) enjoyed (verb) a (article) dessert (noun).

She (pronoun) was (verb) extremely (adverb) excited (adjective) when (conjunction) she (pronoun) found (verb) the (article) rare (adjective) book (noun).

We (pronoun) carefully (adverb) packed (verb) our (pronoun) bags (noun) with (preposition) warm (adjective) clothes (noun) for (preposition) the (article) trip (noun).

The (article) experienced (adjective) chef (noun) demonstrated (verb) the (article) intricate (adjective) recipe (noun) to (preposition) the (article) cooks (noun) patiently (adverb).

At (preposition) the (article) park (noun), they (pronoun) usually (adverb) have (verb) a (article) picnic (noun) near (preposition) the (article) lake (noun).

I (pronoun) have (verb) always (adverb) admired (verb) such (adjective) a (article) stunning (adjective) sculpture (noun) in (preposition) our (pronoun) gallery (noun).

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The Complete Guide to Spanish Grammar

Looking to learn Spanish grammar but don’t know where to start?

Don’t worry—if you take it bit by bit, you too will be able to navigate the intricacies of Spanish grammar!

In this post, we’ll go over all the essential elements of Spanish grammar, and provide resources where you can learn them in depth. It’s like our very own Spanish grammar Wiki.

Ready to get started?

Prefixes and Suffixes 

Personal pronouns, subject pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, reflexive pronouns, relative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, interrogative pronouns, definite articles, indefinite articles, infinitive verbs, verb groups, verb conjugation, regular and irregular verbs, essential verbs, ser and estar, verbs like gustar, stem-changing verbs, pronominal verbs, reflexive verbs, phrasal verbs, modal verbs, active and passive voice, present tense, present participle, past imperfect, past participle, future tense, conditional tense, perfect tense, present perfect , future perfect, pluperfect tense, progressive tense, present progressive , past progressive, indicative mood, subjunctive mood, imperative mood, negative commands, adjective endings, adjective placement, adjective clauses, possessive adjectives, comparative and superlative adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, adjectives as nouns, relative adjectives, types of adverbs, adverb placement, adverb endings, prepositions, prepositions of place, the personal a, por and para, verbs and prepositions, conjunctions, contractions, sentence structure, transition words, comparisons, reported speech , question words, por qué v porque, question marks, exclamations and interjections, writing mechanics, punctuation, capitalization.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Nouns are essentially the name for any person, animal, place, thing, quality, idea or action.

As with English, Spanish nouns have several classifications. There are nine different types of nouns in total, and understanding them is complicated by the simple fact that you probably aren’t familiar with noun classifications in English, either (guilty). 

Knowing nouns in Spanish is essential to building sentences. Click here to learn 80+ commonly used nouns, and the nine types of Spanish nouns (with examples!). Plus,…

If you only speak English, it may take some time to get your head around the concept of gender in Spanish grammar. But just go with it! 

Put simply, every noun in Spanish is classified as either masculine or feminine. 

And, while there are some rules regarding gender , whether a word is masculine or feminine is not always obvious. That’s why it’s important to learn the gender of a noun at the same time you learn its translation. 

Read this guide to learn about masculine and feminine Spanish words. Learn how to use and determine Spanish gender, the best tips for studying gender rules, resources to…

Plural nouns—as opposed to singular nouns—are relatively easy to form in Spanish. More often than not it’s as straightforward as adding “s” or “es” to the end of a word (just like in English!).

However, there are situations where the spelling of a word may change or the word is kept the same and only the article changes, and you’ve got to take into account the gender of the word. 

The Spanish plural isn’t as tricky as it looks. In fact, some Spanish pluralization rules are pretty similar to English ones! There are only eight rules you need to…

The subject of a sentence (the word for whatever is performing an action, usually a noun) is typically placed first in a sentence, followed by a verb and then an object (if the verb actually has an object).

This structure often changes, though: the noun can be placed differently in order to emphasize different parts of the sentence, and you’ll often find that adjectives come before a lot of nouns. 

Prefixes and suffixes are additions to the beginning and end of a word (respectively) which modify its meaning.

For example, adding the suffix -ito / -ita  to the end of a word conveys smallness or endearment. If you take the word  gato (cat) and add -ito  it becomes gatito, which means “little kitten/cat.”

Knowing prefixes and suffixes will help you understand the meaning of a word even if it’s unfamiliar to you!

Master 20 common prefixes to unlock word meanings. Learn prefixes like mal-, ben- and sobre- and you’ll start noticing them everywhere. Knowing these will let you see at a…

Read this blog post to learn 30 essential Spanish suffixes that native speakers use all the time. Learn to recognize common suffixes like -ario/a, -ada, -mente and many…

Pronouns are words which are used in the place of a noun (e.g. using “he,” “she” or “they” in place of using someone’s actual name). 

Spanish however has a few more pronouns than we’re used to in English. There are five ways of saying “you” , and to use them we must consider things like the formality of the situation and even what area of the world you’re in .

Spanish pronouns are incredibly important to using the language correctly. But with so many different kinds, how do you know how to use them? Lucky for you, this guide…

Personal pronouns are short words which replace the names of people, things or places in order to make a sentence shorter and more concise—for example, instead of repeating a person’s name over and over in a conversation, we could substitute it with the word “they.” 

They are split into “subject pronouns” and “object pronouns,” depending on the role the word takes in a sentence.  

The subject pronouns replace the name of the subject in a sentence: whoever is performing the action. Spanish has 12 subject pronouns, which are:

• Tú  — you (singular, informal)
• Usted — you (singular, formal)
• Ustedes — you (plural, formal or informal depending on the country)
• Ellos /  ellas — they
• Vosotros / vosotras — you (plural, informal used in Spain)
• Nosotros / nosotras — we

Spanish subject pronouns are a foundational concept you need to understand in order to learn the language. Check out this guide so you can learn the Spanish personal…

Next we have object pronouns, which replace the “object” of the sentence: the person or thing that receives the action of a verb. We split these into “direct object” and “indirect object.”

Direct object pronouns in Spanish are little words that replace nouns so you don’t sound repetitive and unnatural. Click here to learn all 8 of the direct object pronouns…

Direct object pronouns

Direct object pronouns receive the action of the verb directly. For example, in the phrase  su papá la quiere (her dad loves her), the direct object is “her,” because she is receiving the action of the verb “love”.

Spanish direct object pronouns are:

• Lo , la — him, her, it, you (formal)
• Los , las — them, you all (formal in Spain)
• Os  — you all (informal in Spain)

Indirect object pronouns

Indirect object pronouns are indirectly affected by the action of the verb.

For example, consider the phrase le escribo una carta.  (I write him a letter). In this case,  le  (him or her) is the indirect object, as the verb is not directly affecting them.

They’re almost the same as direct object pronouns — just with  lo and la becoming  le, and  los  and  las  becoming  les:

• Le  — him, her, it, you (formal)
• Les — them, you all (formal in Spain)

Like the rest of the pronouns we’ve seen, possessive pronouns are also words which replace nouns — but also indicate ownership.

They’re often confused with possessive adjectives, which are different because possessive adjectives merely describe nouns and do not actually replace them.  

Here are the possessive pronouns in Spanish:

• Mío , mía , míos , mías — mine
• Tuyo , tuya , tuyos , tuyas — yours (informal singular)
• Suyo , suya , suyos , suyas — his, hers, theirs, yours (formal singular and plural)
• Vuestro , vuestra , vuestros , vuestras — yours (informal plural in Spain)
• Nuestro , nuestra , nuestros , nuestras — ours

Master Spanish possessive pronouns with this simple guide to usage rules, example sentences and more. Plus, learn where to find helpful resources, like exercises and…

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things . They change depending on the distance of the speaker, and of course the gender of whatever is being referred to.

Sometimes, though, you’ll find yourself in situations where you don’t actually know the gender of the object you’re referring to: in these cases, you’ll want to use neuter demonstrative pronouns.

• Este  (m),  esta (f),  esto (n) — this
• Estos  (m),  estas (f) — these
• Ese  (m),  esa (f),  eso (n) — that
• Esos  (m),  esas (f) — those
• Aquel (m),  aquella (f),  aquello (n) — that (over there)
• Aquellos (m),  aquellas (f) — those (over there)

Spanish demonstratives are essential to know—they’re needed to sound less repetitive and more like a native, and you’ll hear them 24/7. Click here to learn to say…

When the object of a verb refers to the same noun as the subject of that verb, we use reflexive pronouns. 

Here are the reflexive pronouns alongside their English translations:

• Me  —  myself
• Te   — yourself
• Se   — himself, herself, themselves 
• Se — yourself (formal), yourselves (formal in Spain)
• Os   — yourselves (informal in Spain)
• Nos   — ourselves

Relative pronouns are words or phrases which refer back to a noun that was used earlier in communication. In English, they’re often words like “who,” “whose,” “that” and “which.” 

For example, in the phrase “the food that I bought,” the relative pronoun is “that.”

The following words and phrases are used as relative pronouns in Spanish:

• Quien , quienes 
• El que , la que , los que , las que
• El cual , la cual , los cuales , las cuales
• Lo que , lo cual
• Cuando ,  donde

Spanish relative pronouns are vital to make your speech sound more natural and fluid. But how do these pronouns (like “que,” “quien” and “lo cual”) actually function? Read…

Indefinite pronouns are words which don’t actually refer to anything in particular—that is, they aren’t specific to any person, amount, or thing. In English we would use words like “anything,” “everybody,” “none,” “several” and “some.”

Here are a few of common indefinite pronouns you’ll come across in Spanish:

• Alguien — s omebody, someone
• Alguno / alguna / algunos / algunas — one, some, any
• Cualquiera — any, any one, anyone
• Nada  — nothing, not anything
• Nadie   — no one, not anyone
• Ninguno / ninguna — none, no one
• Otro / otra — other one, another one
• Poco / poca — little, few

Indefinite pronouns are extremely handy words. So learn to talk about anything (literally) with 13 indefinite pronouns in Spanish. From something to nothing, these words…

Finally, we have interrogative pronouns: these are pronouns which are used to ask questions (hence the name “interrogative”). 

Here are some of the most common interrogative pronouns in Spanish:

• D ónde  — where
• Q ué — what
• Por qué  — why
• Cómo  — how
• Cuándo  — when
• Quién — who

Spanish interrogative words are crucial to any level of conversation. Here’s everything you need to know about how to ask questions in Spanish, including the essential…

An article is a word which identifies a part of a speech as a noun, without actually describing it.

It sounds complicated but it all makes sense when you see what the English equivalent would be: in this case, articles in English are “the,” “a” and “an.” For example:

“ The baby started to cry, so I gave him a bottle”

Articles can also be classified as “definite” and “indefinite” articles, which are explained below. 

Definite and indefinite articles in Spanish are words like “the,” “a” and “an.” And they’re incredibly useful little words! Read on to learn everything you need to know…

The definite article is used when the noun being referred to is already known to the speaker or reader. It refers to a specific, defined object.

In Spanish it has four forms, depending on the gender and number of the noun in question:

• El , la , los ,  las — the

In contrast, definite articles are used when the noun being referred to is general, or is not known to the speaker or reader. 

Like definite articles, indefinite articles in Spanish also reflect the gender and number of the noun. These are:

• Un , una — a, an
• Unos ,  unas — some

Verbs are words used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.

Using verbs in Spanish is a bit more complex than in English—the following section has a run down of the most important things you should know. 

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/spanish-verbs-flashcards/

An infinitive is the form of a verb which states nothing but an action—that is, they tell us nothing about who is actually performing the action, and when it’s being (or was) performed.

The English equivalent would be when we use verbs with “to” in front, such as: “to go,” “to sleep” or “to think.”

While in English our infinitive verbs begin with the word “to” in Spanish we identify them by their endings: -ar, -er and -ir . 

Spanish infinitives are an important part of the language. Read this guide to discover five common uses for Spanish verbs in their infinitive forms. You’ll also learn how…

Spanish verbs are split into three groups based on whether they end in -ar , -er , or -ir .

Each group is conjugated differently, so it’s important to know where the verb belongs so that you can conjugate them accordingly.

Verb conjugation is what we call it when a verb is changed to reflect a person, tense, number and mood.

In Spanish, we start with the infinitive verb and modify its ending according to who we’re talking about and how.

Let’s say that I want to say “I speak.” Here are the basic steps:

• Identify the verb you want to conjugate. In this case it would be  hablar  (“to speak”)
• Decide who is performing the action (aka the subject). In this case, I am the subject
• Find the appropriate ending. Use a verb conjugation table to find the ending that corresponds with “I” in the present tense. This will be -o
• Conjugate the verb. Remove  -ar  from  hablar  and add -o.  This gives us  hablo (“I speak.”).

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/how-to-conjugate-spanish-verbs/

Vosotros is the informal way to say “you all” in Spain, and it’s important to learn if you want to travel there or speak Castilian Spanish! This guide covers what vosotros…

While most verbs in Spanish are regular and so follow the usual conjugation pattern, a large portion of them—42%, to be exact—are actually irregular verbs .

This means that they (unhelpfully) don’t always follow standard conjugation patterns, so you’ll have to learn their conjugations individually!

Irregular verbs in Spanish are extremely common, so they’re essential to know. Click here to learn 20 of the most useful irregular Spanish verbs, such as “ser,” “estar,”…

To learn Spanish you need to work smarter, not harder.

So instead of learning everything you possibly can when you first start out, stick to what will get you the most results—you need to learn the essential , most common verbs before you get into the more complex ones. 

These 150+ most common Spanish verbs are must-knows for Spanish learners because they appear so often! Click here for a lesson on the most important verbs in the Spanish…

Hard Spanish verbs got you down? Many of the most common Spanish verbs have some tricky conjugations in certain tenses. Here are 33 difficult Spanish verbs, along with…

Learning when to use tener vs haber can be a tricky part of learning Spanish. If they both mean “to have,” how do you know which one to use? Read this to learn when to use…

The word hay in Spanish is used by native speakers everywhere, from news reports to daily conversations. But many learners struggle to understand what hay means and…

Whether to use ser or estar (which both mean “to be”) is probably one of the most Googled questions by us Spanish learners. 

In general, I like to remember that ser  is for more permanent states, whereas  estar  is used for more transient states. 

Of course, it would be no fun if the rules were that simple, so check out our post for a full run down!

Ser vs. estar: which one should you use? Both verbs mean “to be” but how do you know which one is used in which situation? This guide will show you the differences between…

The verb “haber” pops up in Spanish conversations, literature and entertainment all the time, but it can be tricky to get the hang of as a learner. Click here to learn…

While verbs like  gustar (to like) appear complicated at first, the good news is that if you take a bit of time to understand them they really do make sense. 

With these verbs the object of the sentence becomes the subject, and the subject becomes the indirect object.

For example, to say “I like you” in Spanish is me gustas— directly translated this would be something like “to me, you are pleasing.”

With the verb gustar “you” becomes subject (where it would normally be the object), and is therefore conjugated from gustar into gustas. “I” then becomes the indirect object (instead of the subject), which necessitates the indirect object pronoun me.

Don’t let Spanish verbs like “gustar” catch you off guard! Find out how to use and conjugate the tricky “gustar” (to like, to be pleasing). Then, get to know 100+ other…

Stem-changing verbs are verbs which do not only change their endings while being conjugated, their “stem”, or the beginning of the verb, also changes. 

There are three main types of stem changing verbs:

• E to ie stem-changing verbs
• E to i stem-changing verbs
• O to ue stem-changing verbs

Spanish stem-changing verbs don’t follow normal conjugation rules and are a vital step in your learning journey. Read this blog post to learn how to identify, conjugate…

Tener and venir are two of the most common Spanish irregular verbs. You’ll hear them all the time, so it’s important to learn how to conjugate them! In this post, you’ll…

This is a type of verb which requires a reflexive pronoun (the me, te, se etc. pronouns that I mentioned earlier in the post). They’re easy to identify as they end in -se instead of the regular  -ar, -er  or  -ir infinitive ending. 

There are several types of pronominal verbs, but purely pronominal verbs cannot exist without a reflexive pronoun. 

Pronominal verbs Spanish language learners study can pose a major challenge due to their purely reflexive and chameleon-like properties. Luckily, they can easily be boiled…

Reflexive verbs are a type of pronominal verb. They too end in -se , and refer to an action that a subject performs on itself—in contrast to a regular verb, where the subject performs the action on someone or something else. 

For example:

• Lavar  —  to wash
• Lavarse  —  to wash yourself

Knowing how to use reflexive verbs in Spanish is essential! In this post, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to using Spanish reflexive verbs, covering everything from…

Next on the list of grammar terms you never knew existed we have phrasal verbs! These are verbs which actually change their meaning when you add an adverb or preposition to them. 

They’re on the advanced side, but learning them will help you to express yourself better—and also make your Spanish sound pretty flash. 

Spanish phrasal verbs are super common—you’ll hear them all the time in Spanish conversation. Check out these 32 commonly used phrasal verbs and learn how to use them…

The Spanish verb “acabar” is a useful little word to know! Learn how to conjugate “acabar” as well as its four main uses in the Spanish language. Find out when the word…

These verbs indicate meanings such as likelihood, ability, suggestion, or advice. 

In English, these verbs include words like “can,” “would,” “should” or “might.” Here are a few common ones in Spanish:

• Poder  — can, to be able to
• Saber  — to know how to
• Querer  — to want
• Deber  — must, should

What are Spanish modal verbs? How do you use them? Become a modal master with this playful, slightly messy guide.

Saber and conocer are two words that mean “to know” in Spanish. But how do you know which one to use: Saber vs conocer? These verbs have different meanings and it’s…

The active voice is what we use to communicate the vast majority of the time. It’s a form of a verb in which the subject is performing the action, while the passive voice is where the subject undergoes the action of the verb.

By contrasting these examples, you should get a better idea of what they are:

• Active: You broke the glass
• Passive: The glass was broken by you

In Spanish, the passive voice is formed with the formula subject + ser + past participle.

The Spanish passive voice highlights who receives a verb’s action instead of who is doing it. Click here to learn how to use the passive voice in Spanish, how to form it,…

You’re probably aware what a tense is, but just for those of us who appreciate more formal explanations: tense indicates the time of an action in relation to the time of utterance.

There are 14 tenses to explore in Spanish, each with different conjugations depending on the subject — so buckle up!

Spanish tenses are something you have to know to become fluent in Spanish. Many are used every day (like the simple present, preterite and imperfect tenses), while others…

The present tense in Spanish is the most basic tense, and what you’ll start off learning. It’s used to express actions which:

• Are happening now
• Are habitually performed
• Generally exist

Learn the present tense in Spanish with this in-depth guide for beginners. From regular -ar, -er and -ir Spanish present tense verb conjugations to irregular stem-changing…

The present participle comes after another verb and expresses a continuous action. Think of them as the “-ing” words in English. 

To form the present participle in Spanish, remove the  -ar, -er   and  -ir from the infinitive verb and simply add -ando (for an -ar verb) and -iendo (for -er and -ir verbs). 

The gerund in Spanish is a great construction for talking about things that are currently happening. In this post, you’ll learn all about what a gerund is, how to form it…

At first glance, the past tense seems just as straightforward as the present tense — except that it’s actually not. 

There are several types of past tenses in Spanish, and we’ll explain the main ones below. 

Knowing how to use the Spanish past tense is a vital skill to have. Read this if you’re ready to master it! This guide breaks down each of the five Spanish past tenses:…

This verb tense expresses an action which took place at a specific point in the past. Specifically actions or events which:

• Are completed
• Occurred on specific times/dates or during a specific time period
• Have specific beginnings or endings
• Took place in a sequence

In contrast, the past imperfect expresses an action in the past which was ongoing or didn’t have a defined beginning/end. Here are some of its uses in Spanish:

• Repeated or habitual actions in the past 
• Something that was in progress in the past
• Descriptions of people/things in the past
• People’s ages in the past
• Times and dates in the past 

The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to talk about past habitual actions, describe the past, give times and dates and more! This post will take you through how to form…

The past participle is a form of a verb used as a noun, an adjective, or to make “perfect tenses.”

For example, consider the sentence:  I have eaten.  “Eaten” is the past participle of “to eat.”

To form the past participle in Spanish, we just remove the infinitive ending ( -ar, -er  and  -ir ) and add -ado (for -ar verbs) or -ido  (for  -er  and  -ir verbs).

The past participle in Spanish isn’t just for the perfect tense. It can be used in many forms to express yourself in various ways. As a noun, adjective, adverb…even to…

To talk about the future in Spanish, we have a few options—which thankfully have some pretty close equivalents in English. Note that the first two options are most commonly used.

• Simple future.   Hablaré con ella. (I’ll talk to her). This tense is formed by conjugating a verb with a specific ending.
• Ir + a + infinitive .  Voy a hablar con ella. (I’m going to talk to her). This is formed by using the present simple conjugation of the verb  ir  (in this case  voy ) plus a (meaning “to”) plus  hablar  (the infinitive form of the verb “to talk)
• Future perfect.  Habré hablado con ella.  (I will have talked to her). To form this, we conjugate haber in the simple future tense ( h abré ) and add the past participle of the main verb ( hablado)

Knowing the future tense in Spanish opens up a million new conversational possibilities, like discussing future plans, reported speech and making “if” statements. This…

The conditional tense is incredibly useful for conversation and for forming advanced phrases, and once I discovered it it opened up a whole new world of expressing myself. 

In layman’s terms, the conditional indicates degrees of possibility in the present, future and past—like when we’re talking about something that might happen in the future, something that didn’t happen in the past or something that will probably never happen.

The Spanish conditional indicates possibilities and hypotheticals by changing the endings of verbs to -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais or -ían. This post will take you…

This tense is used to talk about actions or events that have occurred in the recent past, started in the past and continues to the present day, or when something has happened a certain number of times. For example: 

“They have been waiting for you”

In Spanish it’s formed by using the verb haber (to have) and the past participle.

Present perfect is formed by conjugating  haber  (to have) in the present tense, and pairing it with the past participle. 

He querido  verte. (I have wanted to see you)

The present perfect in Spanish is used to talk about things that happened in the past—but still affect the present. Click here to learn everything you need to know about…

Future perfect is formed by conjugating haber  (to have) in the—you guessed it—future tense, and pairing it with the past participle. 

¿ Habrás terminado mañana? (Will you have finished tomorrow?)

The Spanish future perfect tense is used to talk about things that will have happened in the future. Click here for the complete rundown—you’ll learn how to form it with…

The pluperfect tense has several uses, the main one being to indicate that an action took place before another action in the past. 

We form it by conjugating haber  (to have) in the past imperfect tense, and again, pairing it with the past participle. 

Habías dicho que sí. (You had said yes)

The pluscuamperfecto or pluperfect Spanish tense might seem scary, but it’s really not! Study this Spanish tense and learn its conjugations to talk about actions that…

Progressive is a type of tense that expresses an incomplete action at a specific time. 

In order to form the progressive tense in Spanish, we use the formula estar (to be) + present participle (finally, we’re moving away from the past participle!). 

Estoy saliendo. (I’m leaving)

We use the progressive tense in Spanish to describe what’s happening, what was happening or what will be happening. In this post, you’ll learn when to use the Spanish…

The present progressive tense is pretty self explanatory: it’s a progressive tense, used in the present.

Following the same formula as above, we conjugate  estar  in the present tense and add the present participle. 

Estamos intentando . (We’re trying)

The present progressive in Spanish is used to describe what you’re doing right now. Follow the three steps in this guide to master the present progressive (which is…

Again, past progressive is a progressive tense which is used in the past. 

Following the same formula estar + present participle, we conjugate estar  in the past imperfect tense and add the present participle. 

Estábamos intentando . (We were trying)

The past progressive in Spanish can help make your sentences sound a whole lot more interesting. So what is the Spanish past progressive, how do you form it, when do you…

Mood in Spanish grammar isn’t what it first appears—it doesn’t have to do with your state of mind. 

In the context of grammar, it’s a category of verb form which expresses whether something is:

• A fact (indicative mood)
• A condition (subjunctive mood) 
• A command (imperative mood)

Verb conjugations change depending on which mood you’re speaking in, so it’s important to understand when and how to use each one.

The indicative mood is the mood we use most often to communicate. Simply put, it’s used to express anything that we consider to be fact.

Being able to differentiate and choose between the subjunctive vs. indicative Spanish moods is essential to becoming fluent. Read this guide to know everything you need…

The subjunctive mood can be trickier to understand and use. This is due in part to the fact that the subjunctive in English is pretty vague, so we aren’t very familiar with it. 

Where the indicative mood is objective, the subjunctive is  subjective —it’s used to express something that is wished, imagined or possible.

Struggling with the Spanish subjunctive? Click here to learn exactly how to conjugate the subjunctive, the difference between the subjunctive and other moods, plus when to…

Spanish subjunctive practice might be just what you need to master this tricky mood. Click here to practice the Spanish subjunctive with quizzes containing 25+ questions.…

The Spanish imperfect subjunctive helps you express opinions, hopes, denials, doubts and hypothetical situations—something you’ll hear and use a lot in Spanish. Click…

The imperative mood is used to form commands or requests. 

While ordering someone around may sound impolite, you’d be surprised how often this mood comes up in our day to day lives: e.g. “come here” or “take the next right turn.” 

Spanish commands are super useful in everyday speech—and they’re not too difficult to learn! Click here for the complete rundown of how to make commands in Spanish,…

Vosotros commands are used in Spain to ask “you all” to do (or not to do) something. From asking people to come to your party to telling others not to make too much noise,…

In contrast to affirmative commands (where you tell someone/something to do something), negative commands are where you tell someone/something  not to do something. 

In addition to the  no (no) that you’ll add to the start of the verb, the verb itself is also conjugated differently—so it pays to learn the conjugations for both affirmative and negative commands. 

This complete guide covers everything you’ll need to know about forming negative commands in Spanish. See how and when to use negative Spanish commands, learn the…

You may remember from your elementary school days that adjectives are “ describing words .” While this is true, more formally they’re defined as “a word which names an attribute of a noun.” 

Like many things in Spanish, adjectives usually have to reflect the number and gender of the noun (or pronoun) it’s describing. Let’s have a deeper look at them.

Spanish adjectives are essential for every Spanish learner. Describe almost anything with ease using these 50 common adjectives in Spanish. Read on to learn how to…

Trying to describe someone? Use these 100 common Spanish adjectives to describe a person. Find the perfect word to describe a person’s personality, emotions and physical…

In need of some advanced Spanish adjectives? Check out this list of 32 Spanish adjectives that are guaranteed to add some lovely color to your spoken language. Each word…

Learning opposites in Spanish will help you remember new vocabulary faster and more effectively. From Spanish antonyms such as viejo and joven to rápido and lento, this…

• -o —  masculine singular
• -os — masculine plural
• -a — feminine singular
• -as — feminine plural
• -e —  masculine/feminine singular
• -es —  masculine/feminine plural
• -ista —  masculine/feminine singular
• – istas —  masculine/feminine plural
• Adjectives that end in a consonant also do not change for gender, only for number. To change these adjectives from singular to plural we usually just add  -es  to the end, however there are several exceptions to this rule

You may already be aware that adjectives are placed differently in Spanish than in English: the majority of the time, the adjective is placed after the noun it modifies. 

But there are a couple of exceptions, so be aware of these cases where the adjective actually goes in front:

• Proper nouns
• Nouns/relations that we only have one of
• Inherent qualities that are always associated with that noun
• When you already know the noun that the adjective is referencing

Spanish adjective placement is the opposite of English…except on a few occasions. Click here to learn everything you need to know about adjective placement in Spanish,…

You know we’re getting deep when we start talking about clauses. 

A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb. In the case of an adjective clause, it’s essentially a group of words—including a subject and a verb—which functions much the same as a regular adjective. 

Spanish adjective clauses work the same as regular adjectives, but use more words to get the point across. Click here to learn everything you need to know about Spanish…

Possessive adjectives are adjectives which indicate a relationship of possession—whether it be strict ownership or other types of ownership to a lesser degree. 

They’re words like “my,” “mine,” “ours” and “theirs.”

Want to brush up on your Spanish possessive adjectives? These useful little words are used all the time in Spanish, and this complete guide will help you master them! It…

These two sorts of adjectives help describe relationships between two (or more) objects.

Comparative adjectives compare the quality of two things (“she is taller than him”), while a superlative expresses the highest degree of the quality (“she is the  tallest “).

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/spanish-comparative-and-superlative/

Demonstrative adjectives identify the relative position of someone or something in time or space. 

Demonstrative adjectives in Spanish express three types of distance:

• Este — this
• Aquel — that (over there)

And because they’re adjectives—don’t forget that they’ll change to reflect number and gender!

By now we know what an adjective is, and what a noun is. But what about using an adjective as a noun?

There are a couple of ways that adjectives can be altered to function as a noun:

1. Adding an article

2. Modifying an adjective with a demonstrative adjective

3. Using the article  lo

4. Using the personal  a

Did you know you can use adjectives as nouns in Spanish with five easy techniques? Just by adding a single extra word, such as a definite article or demonstrative…

These are adjectives which show relation in a sentence—hence the nomenclature. They introduce new information about something or someone that has been previously mentioned in the form of a relative clause. 

For example, in English we use the word “whose.” In Spanish, we would use cuyo, cuya, cuyos and cuyas (depending on the gender and number of whatever you’re referring to).

The relative adjective “cuyo” in Spanish is a useful word for learners to know. In this post, you’ll learn all about the word “cuyo,” including its forms and uses, shown…

Adverbs are a word or phrase which modifies other words in a sentence (usually an adjective, verb or another adverb) to further describe details such as place, time, manner or degree. 

Because they don’t modify nouns, adverbs don’t change according to gender or number like other classes of words do—that’s one less thing to worry about, at least!

Spanish adverbs are used everywhere the language, but luckily they’re not hard to learn. We’ll show you 100 examples of common Spanish adverbs and how they’re used in…

Adverbs can be placed into several categories depending on the sort of information they provide. Let’s have a look at the main ones and some examples:

• Adverbs of place give information about a place or location that something is happening, answering the question “where?”. For example aquí (here) and cerca  (close)
• Adverbs of frequency  describe how often an action is performed. For example a veces ( sometimes) and siempre (always)
• Adverbs of manner  express the way in which an action is performed by answering “how?” or “in what way?”. For example juntos  (together) and bien  (well)
• Adverbs of degree modify adjectives, and answer the question “how much/many?”. For example mucho  (much), peor  (worse)
• Adverbs of time  as the name suggests, these adverbs describe the time and duration of something. They answer questions like “when?” and “how long?”. For example ya  (already) and pronto  (soon)

Spanish adverbs of frequency are incredibly useful words that allow you to say how often something happens. Check out these 30 common Spanish frequency words plus some…

Adverbs in Spanish are usually placed either right before or right after the word they are modifying, and the type of word determines this placement. As a general rule, we can assume that they are usually:

• Placed a fter verbs
• Placed before adjectives
• Flexible if modifying the meaning of a sentence

Many adverbs in Spanish end in  -mente , which is like the equivalent of words ending in “-ly” in English (like “slowly,” “quickly,” or “regularly”).

We can form an adverb by using almost any singular feminine adjective and adding  -mente. 

Rápida (quick, fem. sing.) + – mente = rápidamente  (quickly)

Prepositions play a huge role in the meaning of sentences, but are often overlooked by those studying Spanish. 

Prepositions are words—or a group of words—used before nouns, pronouns or noun phrases to link them to other words in a sentence.

They communicate things like direction, time, location, spatial relationship, or introduce an object. 

Spanish prepositions are an essential part of the language! Read up on the 40 most common prepositions in Spanish, together with their usage and example sentences. This…

“Volver a” seems like a simple Spanish phrase but there’s more to it than meets the eye! Master the phrase with this complete guide to using the verb. You’ll learn its…

These prepositions describe the position of something (or someone) in relation to something else. There are a few to learn, but here are some of the most common ones to get you started:

• A  —  to, by, at
• Cerca de   — near to
• Debajo de   — under
• Encima de  — on top of
• En frente de  — in front of

Prepositions of place in Spanish can take your learning above and beyond! All puns aside, these prepositions are crucial for language learners. In this post, you’ll find…

Even after many years of learning Spanish, the “personal a” still trips me up a bit—probably because there is no equivalent in English.

It’s a preposition that is placed between the verb and the direct object of a sentence when the direct object is a person or a pet.  It doesn’t translate to anything, but we need to use it nonetheless!

Llamo a mi novio — I call my boyfriend

The personal a in Spanish can be a tricky grammar point for many learners since there’s no English equivalent. Click here to learn everything you need to know about the…

Like  ser  and  estar , whether you should use por  or  para  is another great conundrum of the Spanish learner.

They both loosely translate to “for”—however they’re pretty versatile in their meanings—so it can be pretty challenging figuring out when to use one over the other .

Here are some basic points to remember:

Por is used to mean “by” someone , while para is “for” someone

• Por is used for reason, while para is for purpose

Por is for traveling around or through somewhere, para is for the destination

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/por-and-para/

There are a whole lot of Spanish verbs which either must be used with a preposition, or change their meanings when paired with a preposition.

Unfortunately there isn’t a specific rule to help you learn them—you’ll have to pick them up as you use them!

Here are a couple of common examples:

• Soñar con  — to dream about
• Cuidar a  — to take care of
• Preocuparse por — to be worried about

Learning Spanish verbs with prepositions can help you learn about Spanish sentence structure and memorize key phrases. Here, you’ll find 30 of the most common Spanish…

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/spanish-verbs-prepositions/

Conjunctions are words used to connect other words and sentences, and they’ll help you bridge from beginner to intermediate and advanced by allowing you to make more complex sentences. 

Let’s take a look at some of the most common Spanish conjunctions:

• Pero — but, yet
• Aunque — though, even though, but
• Para que — so that, so, in order to/for
• Porque — because
• Así que — so

They seem basic, but don’t underestimate them—you’d be surprised what knowing them will do for your Spanish!

Spanish conjunctions help you clearly express your thoughts and ideas with more complex sentences that flow naturally. Check out these 45 essential conjunctions and learn…

A contraction is a shortened version of a word or phrase, created by the omission of letters and sounds. 

In English you’ll see contractions with an apostrophe: “I’m” (from I am), “couldn’t” (from could not), “you’ll” (from you will). 

I’m happy to tell you that in Spanish, there are only two contractions to remember:

1.  A + el = al

2.  De + el = del

Don’t worry: This guide to Spanish contractions won’t let you down! Find out when to form contractions… and when not to. Learn all about “al” and “del” and how to use…

So you’ve learned a bunch of Spanish words, now you need to string them together to make a coherent sentence—luckily, it’s not super complicated! 

Let’s have a look at some of the main components of sentences in Spanish.

Not sure how to form sentences in Spanish? Spanish sentences follow a different structure from English ones, after all. Luckily, as long as you remember a few general…

The sentence structure in Spanish usually follows the same formula we use for English:

Subject + verb + object

It would be great if we could just say it’s the same as in English and leave it there, but there a couple of other important points regarding sentence structure:

• It’s not always necessary to add a subject (like we must do in English)
• Pronouns are placed directly before the verb, not after it
• The verb can sometimes be placed in front of the subject

Spanish sentence structure is one of those essential language concepts you need to understand to communicate clearly. Check out our guide to learn proper word order and…

Negation is where we insert a word or phrase to express the opposite meaning of a word or sentence.

In Spanish, it’s usually as straightforward as adding no before the verb in a sentence.

No quiero irme. (I don’t want to go).

It gets a little trickier when it comes to the “double negative,” which is considered incorrect (or non-standard) in English but is used often in correct Spanish.

We do this by using “negative words”—such as nada (nothing) or nunca  (never)—either on their own or in conjunction with  no. 

1. Negative word used alone before the verb Nunca  veo películas.  (I never watch movies).

2.  No  before the verb and negative word after the verb No  veo películas  nunca.  (I never watch movies).

Spanish negation is an important topic to understand, as you’ll undoubtedly find yourself needing to say no. Click here for the complete guide to negation, including the…

Transition words are easy to confuse with conjunctions. The difference is that transition words indicate the relationship between sentences or paragraphs, and removing them won’t actually affect grammatical correctness. 

There are a ton of different types for various situations—such as for explanations, results, emphasis and summaries—and knowing them will really help your Spanish flow. 

Trust me, take some time to learn them and you’ll thank me later!

Spanish transition words are a must-know to make your language flow and sound fluent! Click here to learn what the transition words in Spanish are, the different…

We use a specific type of language to compare and contrast things, whether you realize it or not. Here are some formulas for making simple comparisons in Spanish:

• To compare two things: más/menos + adjective + que
• To compare nouns: más/menos  + noun +  que
• To compare numbers: más/menos + de + number
• To describe a difference in how something is done: más/menos + adverb + que 

Check out the post below to find out how to use superlatives and make comparisons of equality!

Knowing how to make comparisons in Spanish is an unavoidable skill you’ll need when talking with native speakers. Click here to learn the nine Spanish comparison phrases,…

Confused by tan vs. tanto in Spanish? You’re not alone! In this post you’ll learn all the main uses of tan and tanto with simple formulas and plenty of examples in various…

You might actually live your whole life as a Spanish learner and never come across this term, but since we’re here we may as well get the run-down. 

Reported speech is a type of speech that tells you what someone said, but doesn’t actually use the person’s words. 

Mi hermana dice que está cansada. (My sister says she is tired).

To use this type of speech you’ll need to learn “reporting” or “communication” verbs, such as decir (to say, to tell), querer saber (to want to know) and pedir (to ask)

The reported speech Spanish speakers use is similar to its English counterpart—with a few key differences. Read this post for a thorough breakdown of how Spanish…

Learning to ask questions in Spanish is super important—in fact, you could argue that it’s one of the most important things to learn! 

Fortunately it’s relatively simple, especially because in Spanish we don’t need to use auxiliary verbs (like “do” or “does”). Often a question mark and a rising intonation will do just fine, but we can also utilize “question words” to better elicit information.

While they aren’t always essential, we do often need “question words” to form questions. 

We actually covered many of these words earlier under “Interrogative Pronouns,” but these words are so important that it won’t hurt to give this list another read! 

• ¿Quién?  — who?
• ¿ Qué?   ¿Cuál? — what ?
• ¿Cuándo?  — when?
• ¿Dónde?   — where?
• ¿Para qué?  — what for?
• ¿Por qué?  — why?
• ¿Cómo? — how?
• ¿ Cuánto / cuanta / cuantos / cuantas? — how many/how much?

If you used to think it was enough to know the difference between por qué and porque,  you’re not alone (and, unfortunately, you’re also incorrect).  

Spanish is already bursting with por s and  que s, but we’re going to add some variations to the list in the form of por qué, por que, porqué and porque. 

Don’t get too worried, though—here are their basic meanings in a nutshell:

• Por qué —  why
• Por que —  for which, so that (least commonly used)
• Porqué —  reason (noun)
• Porque —  because

Did you know that there are 4 different variations of “por que” in Spanish? The differences are in spaces and accent marks that create different meanings. Read this guide…

No doubt you’ve seen the curious upside down question mark that’s unique to the Spanish language. 

There’s no secret to it—this inverted question mark is used along with a regular question mark to indicate a question, just like in English. If a sentence is long, just use the question marks immediately before the question:

No he probado jamón serrano, ¿ cómo es ?  (I haven’t tried  jamón,  what’s it like?)

It’s used mostly in formal settings these days, so you definitely don’t worry about it if you’re chatting with your Spanish-speaking friends on WhatsApp!

You’ve likely seen an upside down question mark or an upside down exclamation point. But why does Spanish have inverted punctuation? And how should you use it? Learn why…

Exclamations and interjections are both used to express strong feelings and emotions.

An exclamation is usually a phrase or clause used with exclamation marks, whereas interjections are usually single words and are used with commas and question marks in addition to exclamation marks.

Interjections can also be sounds, and are grammatically unrelated to the sentence. 

These not only let you express emotion in just a word or two, they show that you understand what’s going on and they’ll make you sound really fluent!

Check out the posts below to learn some really useful ones. 

Check out 47 Spanish exclamations and other Spanish interjections to add some drama to your interactions with natives! Each entry comes with audio pronunciation and at…

It might feel like you’re going back to elementary school by learning numbers from scratch again, but it’s well worth your while! You’ll need to learn numbers in Spanish for everything from telling the time to making transactions. 

Let’s have a look at numbers one to ten:

• Tres — three
• Cuatro — four
• Cinco — five
• Siete — seven
• Ocho — eight
• Nueve — nine

And then some ordinal numbers:

• Primero / primera — first
• Segundo / segunda — second
• Tercero / tercera — third
• Cuarto / cuarta — fourth
• Quinto / quinta — fifth
• Sexto / sexta — sixth
• Séptimo / septima — seventh
• Octavo / octava — eighth
• Noveno / novena — ninth
• Décimo / decima — tenth

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/spanish-numbers/

Time expressions with “hacer” are used all the time to talk about when something happened or for how long something has/had been happening. Check out these common Spanish…

Writing mechanics are just rules of a written language—things like punctuation, capitalization, spelling and abbreviations. 

You may have already picked up on a couple (such as the quirky “upside down” question mark), but we’re going to go over a few differences between Spanish and English that are important to know. 

For the most part punctuation is pretty straightforward in Spanish. If you’re unsure about something can usually assume that it’s the same as in English, but here are the main things to look out for:

• Question marks.  As mentioned earlier, in more formal writing you need to add an inverted question mark at the  beginning  of the question as well as the end.
• Exclamation marks.  Similarly, inverted exclamation points are also used at the beginning and end of the exclaimed word or phrase in Spanish. 

If there are more than four numerals in a number, a space is supposed to be used to separate the groups of numerals—instead of the comma which we would use in English. For example, in English we would write “1,500,00,” in Spanish the same number would be written as “1 500 000.” In saying this, you may well see numbers of this size written as “1.500.000” in many places.

The last point to remember is that in many Spanish-speaking countries it’s common to see a comma used as a decimal separator, instead of a period like in English. For example the number “20.50” in English is often written in Spanish as “20,50.” 

—¡Hola! —dijo la señora. (“Hello!” said the lady). —Hola, ¿cómo está? —contestó el niño. (“Hello, how are you?” answered the boy).  

Read our Spanish punctuation lesson to learn about how to use periods, commas, semicolons, exclamation marks, question marks and two unique options for quotation marks.…

Spanish doesn’t capitalize words as often as we do in English, so unfortunately we can’t apply the same rules!

The following types of words are not capitalized in Spanish unless it’s the first word in a sentence:

• Months and days of the week
• Book and movie titles (only the first word is capitalized)
• Places (excluding countries and cities)
• Nationalities
• The personal pronoun  yo  (I)

Spanish capitalization can be tricky to get used to because its rules differ greatly from English. To help you out, we’ve broken down all of the rules for when to…

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