English Grammar - Parts of Speech

 

English Grammar

Parts of Speech

Words are divided into different classes (parts of speech) according to the work they do in a sentence. In other words, the parts of speech explain how a word is used in a sentence. The parts of speech are eight in number:

Nouns,

Pronouns,

Adjectives,

Verbs,  

Adverbs,

Prepositions,

Conjunctions and

Interjections.

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

Noun - (Naming word)

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. In simple words ‘Noun’ is a name of anything. In a sentence, nouns can play the role of subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, object complement, appositive, or adjective.

Examples:

Sanjoy, India, table, dog, teacher, pen, city, happiness, hope

Example sentences:

Sam lives in Sydney.

Mary uses pen and paper to write letters.

 

Pronoun - (Replaces a Noun)

A pronoun is used in place of a noun to avoid repetition.

Examples:

I, you, we, they, he, she, it, me, us, them, him, her, this, those

Example sentences:

Sonu is in the kitchen. She is preparing dinner. I want her to make coffee for me.

 

Adjective - (Describing word)

An adjective describes, modifies or gives more information about a noun or pronoun.

Examples:

big, happy, green, young, fun, crazy, three

Example sentences:

He is a brave boy.

There are twenty boys in this class.

The little girl had a pink hat.

They live in a beautiful house.

Lisa is wearing a sleeveless shirt today.

He writes meaningless letters.

Ben is an adorable baby.

 

Verb - (Action Word)

A verb is a word or a combination of words that indicates action or a state of being or condition. A verb is the part of a sentence that tells us what the subject performs.

Examples:

go, speak, run, eat, play, live, walk, have, like, are, is

Example sentences:

I like Woodward English.

I study their charts and play their games.

Anil is throwing the ball.

She accepted the job offer.

He thought about his stupid mistake in the test.

John visited his friend for a while and then went home.

The dog ran across the yard.

She left in a hurry.

 

Adverb - (Describes a verb)

An adverb describes/modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It tells how, where, when, how often or to what extent. Many adverbs end in -ly

Examples:

slowly, quietly, very, always, never, too, well, tomorrow, here

Example sentences:

I am usually busy.

Yesterday, I ate my lunch quickly.

She arrived early for the meeting.

I make cookies first.

I do laundry last.

The nightingale sang sweetly.

The solider marched smartly.

 

Preposition - (Shows relationship)

A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word. They can indicate time, place, or relationship.

Examples:

at, on, in, from, with, near, between, about, under, into, over, etc.

Example sentences:

I left my keys on the table for you.

He sat on the chair.

There is some milk in the fridge.

She was hiding under the table.

The cat jumped off the counter.

He drove over the bridge.

She lost her ring at the beach.

The book belongs to Anthony.

They were sitting by the tree.

 

Conjunction - (Joining word)

Conjunctions are used to join clauses, phrases, and words together for constructing sentences. Conjunctions make a link between/among words or groups of words to other parts of the sentence and show a relationship between/among them.

Examples:

and, or, but, because, so, yet, unless, since, if.

Example sentences:

I was hot and exhausted but I still finished the marathon.

I play cricket, and Robin plays football.

When he was sick, I went to see him.

We went to the stadium and enjoyed the cricket match.

Do you want an ice cream or chocolate?

Neither Ram nor Shyam can play baseball.

He ate not only the ice cream but also the chocolate.

 

Interjection - (Expressive word)

An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses something in a sudden or exclamatory way, especially an emotion. It is a short exclamation.

Examples: Ouch! Wow! Great! Help! Oh! Hey! Hi!

Example sentences:

Wow! I passed my English test.

Hurrah! We won the game!

Alas! I failed the exam!

Wow! What a beautiful car!

Oh! I forgot to bring my purse!

Ouch! It hurts!

Eww! It tastes so bad!

Huh! I don't care!

Ouch! That hurt.