Advertisements | | Advertisements | | | | | | use for the fastest search of WordReference. | © 2024 WordReference.com | any problems. | 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 ClassesThe 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 SpeechRead 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. PrepositionPrepositions 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. ConjunctionConjunctions join words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. There are coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions. Examples: and, but, or, so, yet. Articles and DeterminersArticles 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. InterjectionInterjections 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 SpeechOnly 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 SentencesTo 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 SentencesUse 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 Is a Phrase? Definition and Examples in Grammar
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Understanding the 8 Parts of Speech: Definitions and ExamplesGeneral Education If you’re trying to learn the grammatical rules of English, you’ve probably been asked to learn the parts of speech. But what are parts of speech and how many are there? How do you know which words are classified in each part of speech? The answers to these questions can be a bit complicated—English is a difficult language to learn and understand. Don’t fret, though! We’re going to answer each of these questions for you with a full guide to the parts of speech that explains the following: - What the parts of speech are, including a comprehensive parts of speech list
- Parts of speech definitions for the individual parts of speech. (If you’re looking for information on a specific part of speech, you can search for it by pressing Command + F, then typing in the part of speech you’re interested in.)
- Parts of speech examples
- A ten question quiz covering parts of speech definitions and parts of speech examples
We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s begin! Feature Image: (Gavina S / Wikimedia Commons) What Are Parts of Speech? The parts of speech definitions in English can vary, but here’s a widely accepted one: a part of speech is a category of words that serve a similar grammatical purpose in sentences. To make that definition even simpler, a part of speech is just a category for similar types of words . All of the types of words included under a single part of speech function in similar ways when they’re used properly in sentences. In the English language, it’s commonly accepted that there are 8 parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, and prepositions. Each of these categories plays a different role in communicating meaning in the English language. Each of the eight parts of speech—which we might also call the “main classes” of speech—also have subclasses. In other words, we can think of each of the eight parts of speech as being general categories for different types within their part of speech . There are different types of nouns, different types of verbs, different types of adjectives, adverbs, pronouns...you get the idea. And that’s an overview of what a part of speech is! Next, we’ll explain each of the 8 parts of speech—definitions and examples included for each category. There are tons of nouns in this picture. Can you find them all? Nouns are a class of words that refer, generally, to people and living creatures, objects, events, ideas, states of being, places, and actions. You’ve probably heard English nouns referred to as “persons, places, or things.” That definition is a little simplistic, though—while nouns do include people, places, and things, “things” is kind of a vague term. I t’s important to recognize that “things” can include physical things—like objects or belongings—and nonphysical, abstract things—like ideas, states of existence, and actions. Since there are many different types of nouns, we’ll include several examples of nouns used in a sentence while we break down the subclasses of nouns next! Subclasses of Nouns, Including ExamplesAs an open class of words, the category of “nouns” has a lot of subclasses. The most common and important subclasses of nouns are common nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, and count and mass nouns. Let’s break down each of these subclasses! Common Nouns and Proper NounsCommon nouns are generic nouns—they don’t name specific items. They refer to people (the man, the woman), living creatures (cat, bird), objects (pen, computer, car), events (party, work), ideas (culture, freedom), states of being (beauty, integrity), and places (home, neighborhood, country) in a general way. Proper nouns are sort of the counterpart to common nouns. Proper nouns refer to specific people, places, events, or ideas. Names are the most obvious example of proper nouns, like in these two examples: Common noun: What state are you from? Proper noun: I’m from Arizona . Whereas “state” is a common noun, Arizona is a proper noun since it refers to a specific state. Whereas “the election” is a common noun, “Election Day” is a proper noun. Another way to pick out proper nouns: the first letter is often capitalized. If you’d capitalize the word in a sentence, it’s almost always a proper noun. Concrete Nouns and Abstract NounsConcrete nouns are nouns that can be identified through the five senses. Concrete nouns include people, living creatures, objects, and places, since these things can be sensed in the physical world. In contrast to concrete nouns, abstract nouns are nouns that identify ideas, qualities, concepts, experiences, or states of being. Abstract nouns cannot be detected by the five senses. Here’s an example of concrete and abstract nouns used in a sentence: Concrete noun: Could you please fix the weedeater and mow the lawn ? Abstract noun: Aliyah was delighted to have the freedom to enjoy the art show in peace . See the difference? A weedeater and the lawn are physical objects or things, and freedom and peace are not physical objects, though they’re “things” people experience! Despite those differences, they all count as nouns. Collective Nouns, Count Nouns, and Mass NounsNouns are often categorized based on number and amount. Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group of something—often groups of people or a type of animal. Team , crowd , and herd are all examples of collective nouns. Count nouns are nouns that can appear in the singular or plural form, can be modified by numbers, and can be described by quantifying determiners (e.g. many, most, more, several). For example, “bug” is a count noun. It can occur in singular form if you say, “There is a bug in the kitchen,” but it can also occur in the plural form if you say, “There are many bugs in the kitchen.” (In the case of the latter, you’d call an exterminator...which is an example of a common noun!) Any noun that can accurately occur in one of these singular or plural forms is a count noun. Mass nouns are another type of noun that involve numbers and amount. Mass nouns are nouns that usually can’t be pluralized, counted, or quantified and still make sense grammatically. “Charisma” is an example of a mass noun (and an abstract noun!). For example, you could say, “They’ve got charisma, ” which doesn’t imply a specific amount. You couldn’t say, “They’ve got six charismas, ” or, “They’ve got several charismas .” It just doesn’t make sense! Verbs are all about action...just like these runners. A verb is a part of speech that, when used in a sentence, communicates an action, an occurrence, or a state of being . In sentences, verbs are the most important part of the predicate, which explains or describes what the subject of the sentence is doing or how they are being. And, guess what? All sentences contain verbs! There are many words in the English language that are classified as verbs. A few common verbs include the words run, sing, cook, talk, and clean. These words are all verbs because they communicate an action performed by a living being. We’ll look at more specific examples of verbs as we discuss the subclasses of verbs next! Subclasses of Verbs, Including ExamplesLike nouns, verbs have several subclasses. The subclasses of verbs include copular or linking verbs, intransitive verbs, transitive verbs, and ditransitive or double transitive verbs. Let’s dive into these subclasses of verbs! Copular or Linking VerbsCopular verbs, or linking verbs, are verbs that link a subject with its complement in a sentence. The most familiar linking verb is probably be. Here’s a list of other common copular verbs in English: act, be, become, feel, grow, seem, smell, and taste. So how do copular verbs work? Well, in a sentence, if we said, “Michi is ,” and left it at that, it wouldn’t make any sense. “Michi,” the subject, needs to be connected to a complement by the copular verb “is.” Instead, we could say, “Michi is leaving.” In that instance, is links the subject of the sentence to its complement. Transitive Verbs, Intransitive Verbs, and Ditransitive VerbsTransitive verbs are verbs that affect or act upon an object. When unattached to an object in a sentence, a transitive verb does not make sense. Here’s an example of a transitive verb attached to (and appearing before) an object in a sentence: Please take the clothes to the dry cleaners. In this example, “take” is a transitive verb because it requires an object—”the clothes”—to make sense. “The clothes” are the objects being taken. “Please take” wouldn’t make sense by itself, would it? That’s because the transitive verb “take,” like all transitive verbs, transfers its action onto another being or object. Conversely, intransitive verbs don’t require an object to act upon in order to make sense in a sentence. These verbs make sense all on their own! For instance, “They ran ,” “We arrived ,” and, “The car stopped ” are all examples of sentences that contain intransitive verbs. Finally, ditransitive verbs, or double transitive verbs, are a bit more complicated. Ditransitive verbs are verbs that are followed by two objects in a sentence . One of the objects has the action of the ditransitive verb done to it, and the other object has the action of the ditransitive verb directed towards it. Here’s an example of what that means in a sentence: I cooked Nathan a meal. In this example, “cooked” is a ditransitive verb because it modifies two objects: Nathan and meal . The meal has the action of “cooked” done to it, and “Nathan” has the action of the verb directed towards him. Adjectives are descriptors that help us better understand a sentence. A common adjective type is color. #3: AdjectivesHere’s the simplest definition of adjectives: adjectives are words that describe other words . Specifically, adjectives modify nouns and noun phrases. In sentences, adjectives appear before nouns and pronouns (they have to appear before the words they describe!). Adjectives give more detail to nouns and pronouns by describing how a noun looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels, or its state of being or existence. . For example, you could say, “The girl rode her bike.” That sentence doesn’t have any adjectives in it, but you could add an adjective before both of the nouns in the sentence—”girl” and “bike”—to give more detail to the sentence. It might read like this: “The young girl rode her red bike.” You can pick out adjectives in a sentence by asking the following questions: - Which one?
- What kind?
- How many?
- Whose’s?
We’ll look at more examples of adjectives as we explore the subclasses of adjectives next! Subclasses of Adjectives, Including ExamplesSubclasses of adjectives include adjective phrases, comparative adjectives, superlative adjectives, and determiners (which include articles, possessive adjectives, and demonstratives). Adjective PhrasesAn adjective phrase is a group of words that describe a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. Adjective phrases can appear before the noun or noun phrase in a sentence, like in this example: The extremely fragile vase somehow did not break during the move. In this case, extremely fragile describes the vase. On the other hand, adjective phrases can appear after the noun or noun phrase in a sentence as well: The museum was somewhat boring. Again, the phrase somewhat boring describes the museum. The takeaway is this: adjective phrases describe the subject of a sentence with greater detail than an individual adjective. Comparative Adjectives and Superlative AdjectivesComparative adjectives are used in sentences where two nouns are compared. They function to compare the differences between the two nouns that they modify. In sentences, comparative adjectives often appear in this pattern and typically end with -er. If we were to describe how comparative adjectives function as a formula, it might look something like this: Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object). Here’s an example of how a comparative adjective would work in that type of sentence: The horse was faster than the dog. The adjective faster compares the speed of the horse to the speed of the dog. Other common comparative adjectives include words that compare distance ( higher, lower, farther ), age ( younger, older ), size and dimensions ( bigger, smaller, wider, taller, shorter ), and quality or feeling ( better, cleaner, happier, angrier ). Superlative adjectives are adjectives that describe the extremes of a quality that applies to a subject being compared to a group of objects . Put more simply, superlative adjectives help show how extreme something is. In sentences, superlative adjectives usually appear in this structure and end in -est : Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object). Here’s an example of a superlative adjective that appears in that type of sentence: Their story was the funniest story. In this example, the subject— story —is being compared to a group of objects—other stories. The superlative adjective “funniest” implies that this particular story is the funniest out of all the stories ever, period. Other common superlative adjectives are best, worst, craziest, and happiest... though there are many more than that! It’s also important to know that you can often omit the object from the end of the sentence when using superlative adjectives, like this: “Their story was the funniest.” We still know that “their story” is being compared to other stories without the object at the end of the sentence. DeterminersThe last subclass of adjectives we want to look at are determiners. Determiners are words that determine what kind of reference a noun or noun phrase makes. These words are placed in front of nouns to make it clear what the noun is referring to. Determiners are an example of a part of speech subclass that contains a lot of subclasses of its own. Here is a list of the different types of determiners: - Definite article: the
- Indefinite articles : a, an
- Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
- Pronouns and possessive determiners: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
- Quantifiers : a little, a few, many, much, most, some, any, enough
- Numbers: one, twenty, fifty
- Distributives: all, both, half, either, neither, each, every
- Difference words : other, another
- Pre-determiners: such, what, rather, quite
Here are some examples of how determiners can be used in sentences: Definite article: Get in the car. Demonstrative: Could you hand me that magazine? Possessive determiner: Please put away your clothes. Distributive: He ate all of the pie. Though some of the words above might not seem descriptive, they actually do describe the specificity and definiteness, relationship, and quantity or amount of a noun or noun phrase. For example, the definite article “the” (a type of determiner) indicates that a noun refers to a specific thing or entity. The indefinite article “an,” on the other hand, indicates that a noun refers to a nonspecific entity. One quick note, since English is always more complicated than it seems: while articles are most commonly classified as adjectives, they can also function as adverbs in specific situations, too. Not only that, some people are taught that determiners are their own part of speech...which means that some people are taught there are 9 parts of speech instead of 8! It can be a little confusing, which is why we have a whole article explaining how articles function as a part of speech to help clear things up . Adverbs can be used to answer questions like "when?" and "how long?" Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives (including determiners), clauses, prepositions, and sentences. Adverbs typically answer the questions how?, in what way?, when?, where?, and to what extent? In answering these questions, adverbs function to express frequency, degree, manner, time, place, and level of certainty . Adverbs can answer these questions in the form of single words, or in the form of adverbial phrases or adverbial clauses. Adverbs are commonly known for being words that end in -ly, but there’s actually a bit more to adverbs than that, which we’ll dive into while we look at the subclasses of adverbs! Subclasses Of Adverbs, Including ExamplesThere are many types of adverbs, but the main subclasses we’ll look at are conjunctive adverbs, and adverbs of place, time, manner, degree, and frequency. Conjunctive AdverbsConjunctive adverbs look like coordinating conjunctions (which we’ll talk about later!), but they are actually their own category: conjunctive adverbs are words that connect independent clauses into a single sentence . These adverbs appear after a semicolon and before a comma in sentences, like in these two examples: She was exhausted; nevertheless , she went for a five mile run. They didn’t call; instead , they texted. Though conjunctive adverbs are frequently used to create shorter sentences using a semicolon and comma, they can also appear at the beginning of sentences, like this: He chopped the vegetables. Meanwhile, I boiled the pasta. One thing to keep in mind is that conjunctive adverbs come with a comma. When you use them, be sure to include a comma afterward! There are a lot of conjunctive adverbs, but some common ones include also, anyway, besides, finally, further, however, indeed, instead, meanwhile, nevertheless, next, nonetheless, now, otherwise, similarly, then, therefore, and thus. Adverbs of Place, Time, Manner, Degree, and FrequencyThere are also adverbs of place, time, manner, degree, and frequency. Each of these types of adverbs express a different kind of meaning. Adverbs of place express where an action is done or where an event occurs. These are used after the verb, direct object, or at the end of a sentence. A sentence like “She walked outside to watch the sunset” uses outside as an adverb of place. Adverbs of time explain when something happens. These adverbs are used at the beginning or at the end of sentences. In a sentence like “The game should be over soon,” soon functions as an adverb of time. Adverbs of manner describe the way in which something is done or how something happens. These are the adverbs that usually end in the familiar -ly. If we were to write “She quickly finished her homework,” quickly is an adverb of manner. Adverbs of degree tell us the extent to which something happens or occurs. If we were to say “The play was quite interesting,” quite tells us the extent of how interesting the play was. Thus, quite is an adverb of degree. Finally, adverbs of frequency express how often something happens . In a sentence like “They never know what to do with themselves,” never is an adverb of frequency. Five subclasses of adverbs is a lot, so we’ve organized the words that fall under each category in a nifty table for you here: It’s important to know about these subclasses of adverbs because many of them don’t follow the old adage that adverbs end in -ly. Here's a helpful list of pronouns. (Attanata / Flickr ) #5: PronounsPronouns are words that can be substituted for a noun or noun phrase in a sentence . Pronouns function to make sentences less clunky by allowing people to avoid repeating nouns over and over. For example, if you were telling someone a story about your friend Destiny, you wouldn’t keep repeating their name over and over again every time you referred to them. Instead, you’d use a pronoun—like they or them—to refer to Destiny throughout the story. Pronouns are typically short words, often only two or three letters long. The most familiar pronouns in the English language are they, she, and he. But these aren’t the only pronouns. There are many more pronouns in English that fall under different subclasses! Subclasses of Pronouns, Including ExamplesThere are many subclasses of pronouns, but the most commonly used subclasses are personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and interrogative pronouns. Personal PronounsPersonal pronouns are probably the most familiar type of pronoun. Personal pronouns include I, me, you, she, her, him, he, we, us, they, and them. These are called personal pronouns because they refer to a person! Personal pronouns can replace specific nouns in sentences, like a person’s name, or refer to specific groups of people, like in these examples: Did you see Gia pole vault at the track meet? Her form was incredible! The Cycling Club is meeting up at six. They said they would be at the park. In both of the examples above, a pronoun stands in for a proper noun to avoid repetitiveness. Her replaces Gia in the first example, and they replaces the Cycling Club in the second example. (It’s also worth noting that personal pronouns are one of the easiest ways to determine what point of view a writer is using.) Possessive PronounsPossessive pronouns are used to indicate that something belongs to or is the possession of someone. The possessive pronouns fall into two categories: limiting and absolute. In a sentence, absolute possessive pronouns can be substituted for the thing that belongs to a person, and limiting pronouns cannot. The limiting pronouns are my, your, its, his, her, our, their, and whose, and the absolute pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs . Here are examples of a limiting possessive pronoun and absolute possessive pronoun used in a sentence: Limiting possessive pronoun: Juan is fixing his car. In the example above, the car belongs to Juan, and his is the limiting possessive pronoun that shows the car belongs to Juan. Now, here’s an example of an absolute pronoun in a sentence: Absolute possessive pronoun: Did you buy your tickets ? We already bought ours . In this example, the tickets belong to whoever we is, and in the second sentence, ours is the absolute possessive pronoun standing in for the thing that “we” possess—the tickets. Demonstrative Pronouns, Interrogative Pronouns, and Indefinite PronounsDemonstrative pronouns include the words that, this, these, and those. These pronouns stand in for a noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned in a sentence or conversation. This and these are typically used to refer to objects or entities that are nearby distance-wise, and that and those usually refer to objects or entities that are farther away. Here’s an example of a demonstrative pronoun used in a sentence: The books are stacked up in the garage. Can you put those away? The books have already been mentioned, and those is the demonstrative pronoun that stands in to refer to them in the second sentence above. The use of those indicates that the books aren’t nearby—they’re out in the garage. Here’s another example: Do you need shoes? Here...you can borrow these. In this sentence, these refers to the noun shoes. Using the word these tells readers that the shoes are nearby...maybe even on the speaker’s feet! Indefinite pronouns are used when it isn’t necessary to identify a specific person or thing . The indefinite pronouns are one, other, none, some, anybody, everybody, and no one. Here’s one example of an indefinite pronoun used in a sentence: Promise you can keep a secret? Of course. I won’t tell anyone. In this example, the person speaking in the second two sentences isn’t referring to any particular people who they won’t tell the secret to. They’re saying that, in general, they won’t tell anyone . That doesn’t specify a specific number, type, or category of people who they won’t tell the secret to, which is what makes the pronoun indefinite. Finally, interrogative pronouns are used in questions, and these pronouns include who, what, which, and whose. These pronouns are simply used to gather information about specific nouns—persons, places, and ideas. Let’s look at two examples of interrogative pronouns used in sentences: Do you remember which glass was mine? What time are they arriving? In the first glass, the speaker wants to know more about which glass belongs to whom. In the second sentence, the speaker is asking for more clarity about a specific time. Conjunctions hook phrases and clauses together so they fit like pieces of a puzzle. #6: ConjunctionsConjunctions are words that are used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences in the English language. This function allows conjunctions to connect actions, ideas, and thoughts as well. Conjunctions are also used to make lists within sentences. (Conjunctions are also probably the most famous part of speech, since they were immortalized in the famous “Conjunction Junction” song from Schoolhouse Rock .) You’re probably familiar with and, but, and or as conjunctions, but let’s look into some subclasses of conjunctions so you can learn about the array of conjunctions that are out there! Subclasses of Conjunctions, Including ExamplesCoordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and correlative conjunctions are three subclasses of conjunctions. Each of these types of conjunctions functions in a different way in sentences! Coordinating ConjunctionsCoordinating conjunctions are probably the most familiar type of conjunction. These conjunctions include the words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (people often recommend using the acronym FANBOYS to remember the seven coordinating conjunctions!). Coordinating conjunctions are responsible for connecting two independent clauses in sentences, but can also be used to connect two words in a sentence. Here are two examples of coordinating conjunctions that connect two independent clauses in a sentence: He wanted to go to the movies, but he couldn’t find his car keys. They put on sunscreen, and they went to the beach. Next, here are two examples of coordinating conjunctions that connect two words: Would you like to cook or order in for dinner? The storm was loud yet refreshing. The two examples above show that coordinating conjunctions can connect different types of words as well. In the first example, the coordinating conjunction “or” connects two verbs; in the second example, the coordinating conjunction “yet” connects two adjectives. But wait! Why does the first set of sentences have commas while the second set of sentences doesn’t? When using a coordinating conjunction, put a comma before the conjunction when it’s connecting two complete sentences . Otherwise, there’s no comma necessary. Subordinating ConjunctionsSubordinating conjunctions are used to link an independent clause to a dependent clause in a sentence. This type of conjunction always appears at the beginning of a dependent clause, which means that subordinating conjunctions can appear at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence following an independent clause. (If you’re unsure about what independent and dependent clauses are, be sure to check out our guide to compound sentences.) Here is an example of a subordinating conjunction that appears at the beginning of a sentence: Because we were hungry, we ordered way too much food. Now, here’s an example of a subordinating conjunction that appears in the middle of a sentence, following an independent clause and a comma: Rakim was scared after the power went out. See? In the example above, the subordinating conjunction after connects the independent clause Rakim was scared to the dependent clause after the power went out. Subordinating conjunctions include (but are not limited to!) the following words: after, as, because, before, even though, one, since, unless, until, whenever, and while. Correlative ConjunctionsFinally, correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that come in pairs, like both/and, either/or, and neither/nor. The two correlative conjunctions that come in a pair must appear in different parts of a sentence to make sense— they correlate the meaning in one part of the sentence with the meaning in another part of the sentence . Makes sense, right? Here are two examples of correlative conjunctions used in a sentence: We’re either going to the Farmer’s Market or the Natural Grocer’s for our shopping today. They’re going to have to get dog treats for both Piper and Fudge. Other pairs of correlative conjunctions include as many/as, not/but, not only/but also, rather/than, such/that, and whether/or. Interjections are single words that express emotions that end in an exclamation point. Cool! #7: Interjections Interjections are words that often appear at the beginning of sentences or between sentences to express emotions or sentiments such as excitement, surprise, joy, disgust, anger, or even pain. Commonly used interjections include wow!, yikes!, ouch!, or ugh! One clue that an interjection is being used is when an exclamation point appears after a single word (but interjections don’t have to be followed by an exclamation point). And, since interjections usually express emotion or feeling, they’re often referred to as being exclamatory. Wow! Interjections don’t come together with other parts of speech to form bigger grammatical units, like phrases or clauses. There also aren’t strict rules about where interjections should appear in relation to other sentences . While it’s common for interjections to appear before sentences that describe an action or event that the interjection helps explain, interjections can appear after sentences that contain the action they’re describing as well. Subclasses of Interjections, Including ExamplesThere are two main subclasses of interjections: primary interjections and secondary interjections. Let’s take a look at these two types of interjections! Primary Interjections Primary interjections are single words, like oh!, wow!, or ouch! that don’t enter into the actual structure of a sentence but add to the meaning of a sentence. Here’s an example of how a primary interjection can be used before a sentence to add to the meaning of the sentence that follows it: Ouch ! I just burned myself on that pan! While someone who hears, I just burned myself on that pan might assume that the person who said that is now in pain, the interjection Ouch! makes it clear that burning oneself on the pan definitely was painful. Secondary InterjectionsSecondary interjections are words that have other meanings but have evolved to be used like interjections in the English language and are often exclamatory. Secondary interjections can be mixed with greetings, oaths, or swear words. In many cases, the use of secondary interjections negates the original meaning of the word that is being used as an interjection. Let’s look at a couple of examples of secondary interjections here: Well , look what the cat dragged in! Heck, I’d help if I could, but I’ve got to get to work. You probably know that the words well and heck weren’t originally used as interjections in the English language. Well originally meant that something was done in a good or satisfactory way, or that a person was in good health. Over time and through repeated usage, it’s come to be used as a way to express emotion, such as surprise, anger, relief, or resignation, like in the example above. This is a handy list of common prepositional phrases. (attanatta / Flickr) #8: PrepositionsThe last part of speech we’re going to define is the preposition. Prepositions are words that are used to connect other words in a sentence—typically nouns and verbs—and show the relationship between those words. Prepositions convey concepts such as comparison, position, place, direction, movement, time, possession, and how an action is completed. Subclasses of Prepositions, Including ExamplesThe subclasses of prepositions are simple prepositions, double prepositions, participle prepositions, and prepositional phrases. Simple PrepositionsSimple prepositions appear before and between nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences to convey relationships between people, living creatures, things, or places . Here are a couple of examples of simple prepositions used in sentences: I’ll order more ink before we run out. Your phone was beside your wallet. In the first example, the preposition before appears between the noun ink and the personal pronoun we to convey a relationship. In the second example, the preposition beside appears between the verb was and the possessive pronoun your. In both examples, though, the prepositions help us understand how elements in the sentence are related to one another. In the first sentence, we know that the speaker currently has ink but needs more before it’s gone. In the second sentence, the preposition beside helps us understand how the wallet and the phone are positioned relative to one another! Double PrepositionsDouble prepositions are exactly what they sound like: two prepositions joined together into one unit to connect phrases, nouns, and pronouns with other words in a sentence. Common examples of double prepositions include outside of, because of, according to, next to, across from, and on top of. Here is an example of a double preposition in a sentence: I thought you were sitting across from me. You see? Across and from both function as prepositions individually. When combined together in a sentence, they create a double preposition. (Also note that the prepositions help us understand how two people— you and I— are positioned with one another through spacial relationship.) Prepositional PhrasesFinally, prepositional phrases are groups of words that include a preposition and a noun or pronoun. Typically, the noun or pronoun that appears after the preposition in a prepositional phrase is called the object of the preposition. The object always appears at the end of the prepositional phrase. Additionally, prepositional phrases never include a verb or a subject. Here are two examples of prepositional phrases: The cat sat under the chair . In the example above, “under” is the preposition, and “the chair” is the noun, which functions as the object of the preposition. Here’s one more example: We walked through the overgrown field . Now, this example demonstrates one more thing you need to know about prepositional phrases: they can include an adjective before the object. In this example, “through” is the preposition, and “field” is the object. “Overgrown” is an adjective that modifies “the field,” and it’s quite common for adjectives to appear in prepositional phrases like the one above. While that might sound confusing, don’t worry: the key is identifying the preposition in the first place! Once you can find the preposition, you can start looking at the words around it to see if it forms a compound preposition, a double preposition of a prepositional phrase. 10 Question Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Parts of Speech Definitions and ExamplesSince we’ve covered a lot of material about the 8 parts of speech with examples ( a lot of them!), we want to give you an opportunity to review and see what you’ve learned! While it might seem easier to just use a parts of speech finder instead of learning all this stuff, our parts of speech quiz can help you continue building your knowledge of the 8 parts of speech and master each one. Are you ready? Here we go: 1) What are the 8 parts of speech? a) Noun, article, adverb, antecedent, verb, adjective, conjunction, interjection b) Noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, determiner, clause, adjective, preposition c) Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, conjunction, interjection, preposition 2) Which parts of speech have subclasses? a) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs b) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions c) All of them! There are many types of words within each part of speech. 3) What is the difference between common nouns and proper nouns? a) Common nouns don’t refer to specific people, places, or entities, but proper nouns do refer to specific people, places, or entities. b) Common nouns refer to regular, everyday people, places, or entities, but proper nouns refer to famous people, places, or entities. c) Common nouns refer to physical entities, like people, places, and objects, but proper nouns refer to nonphysical entities, like feelings, ideas, and experiences. 4) In which of the following sentences is the emboldened word a verb? a) He was frightened by the horror film . b) He adjusted his expectations after the first plan fell through. c) She walked briskly to get there on time. 5) Which of the following is a correct definition of adjectives, and what other part of speech do adjectives modify? a) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify nouns and noun phrases. b) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify verbs and adverbs. c) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify nouns, verbs, and adverbs. 6) Which of the following describes the function of adverbs in sentences? a) Adverbs express frequency, degree, manner, time, place, and level of certainty. b) Adverbs express an action performed by a subject. c) Adverbs describe nouns and noun phrases. 7) Which of the following answers contains a list of personal pronouns? a) This, that, these, those b) I, you, me, we, he, she, him, her, they, them c) Who, what, which, whose 8) Where do interjections typically appear in a sentence? a) Interjections can appear at the beginning of or in between sentences. b) Interjections appear at the end of sentences. c) Interjections appear in prepositional phrases. 9) Which of the following sentences contains a prepositional phrase? a) The dog happily wagged his tail. b) The cow jumped over the moon. c) She glared, angry that he forgot the flowers. 10) Which of the following is an accurate definition of a “part of speech”? a) A category of words that serve a similar grammatical purpose in sentences. b) A category of words that are of similar length and spelling. c) A category of words that mean the same thing. So, how did you do? If you got 1C, 2C, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6A, 7B, 8A, 9B, and 10A, you came out on top! There’s a lot to remember where the parts of speech are concerned, and if you’re looking for more practice like our quiz, try looking around for parts of speech games or parts of speech worksheets online! What’s Next?You might be brushing up on your grammar so you can ace the verbal portions of the SAT or ACT. Be sure you check out our guides to the grammar you need to know before you tackle those tests! Here’s our expert guide to the grammar rules you need to know for the SAT , and this article teaches you the 14 grammar rules you’ll definitely see on the ACT. When you have a good handle on parts of speech, it can make writing essays tons easier. Learn how knowing parts of speech can help you get a perfect 12 on the ACT Essay (or an 8/8/8 on the SAT Essay ). While we’re on the topic of grammar: keep in mind that knowing grammar rules is only part of the battle when it comes to the verbal and written portions of the SAT and ACT. Having a good vocabulary is also important to making the perfect score ! Here are 262 vocabulary words you need to know before you tackle your standardized tests. Trending NowHow to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA How to Write an Amazing College Essay What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For? ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take? When should you take the SAT or ACT? 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- Parts of Speech
Parts of Speech - Definition, 8 Types and ExamplesIn 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 ContentsParts 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 SpeechFrequently 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. Leave a Comment Cancel replyYour Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked * Request OTP on Voice Call Post My Comment Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFsRegister with byju's & watch live videos. - Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
Synonyms and antonyms of speech in EnglishSynonyms and examples, see words related to speech, speech | american thesaurus. Word of the Day love someone to the moon and back to love someone very much, usually used to tell someone how much you love them In for a penny, in for a pound: Idioms in The Thursday Murder Club Learn more with +Plus- Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
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To add ${headword} to a word list please sign up or log in. Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one. {{message}} Something went wrong. There was a problem sending your report. Log In 0 The website uses cookies for functionality and the collection of anonymised analytics data. We do not set cookies for marketing or advertising purposes. By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies and our privacy policy . We're sorry, but you cannot use our site without agreeing to our cookie usage and privacy policy . You can change your mind and continue to use our site by clicking the button below. This confirms that you accept our cookie usage and privacy policy. Free English LessonsParts of speech in english – video. Download PDF 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. Quiz Summary0 of 20 Questions completed InformationYou have already completed the quiz before. Hence you can not start it again. Quiz is loading… You must sign in or sign up to start the quiz. You must first complete the following: 0 of 20 Questions answered correctly Time has elapsed You have reached 0 of 0 point(s), ( 0 ) Earned Point(s): 0 of 0 , ( 0 ) 0 Essay(s) Pending (Possible Point(s): 0 ) Well done! You’ve finished! That’s an excellent score and this quiz is extremely difficult! Congratulations! A perfect score on an incredibly difficult quiz! Congratulations! maximum of 20 points Pos. | Name | Entered on | Points | Result | Table is loading | No data available | | | | | | 1 . QuestionFor 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 . QuestionTrue or false: a noun can be a word or a phrase. 3 . QuestionTrue or false: if a word can be a noun, it can only be a noun. 4 . QuestionTrue or false: when analysing parts of speech, you don’t need to think about what the sentence means. 5 . QuestionTrue 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 . QuestionFor 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 . QuestionWhat part of speech can describe verbs, adjectives, adverbs or whole sentences? 8 . QuestionWhat part of speech represents or replaces nouns? 9 . QuestionWhat part of speech expresses an emotion or can be used to react to something? 10 . QuestionWhich part of speech doesn’t indicate something about a noun? 11 . QuestionFor the next five questions, match the words in the sentence with the parts of speech. “He slept badly.” Sort elements12 . QuestionMatch the words in the sentence with the parts of speech. “She has bought a second-hand car.” 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.” 16 . QuestionFor the last five questions, tick all the words that are correct. Which words can be nouns? You need to choose three answers. 17 . QuestionWhich words can be adverbs? Only one word here is not an adverb. 18 . QuestionWhich words can be determiners? This time there are two correct answers. 19 . QuestionWhich words can be more than one part of speech? Two answers are correct; one of the others doesn’t even exist! 20 . QuestionWhich words are conjunctions? 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 EnglishNumber 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: 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: 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: 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 EnglishLet’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 SpeechSome 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 EnglishUntil 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 SpeechLook 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! We Offer Video Licensing and ProductionUse our videos in your own materials or corporate training, videos edited to your specifications, scripts written to reflect your training needs, bulk pricing available. Interested? More English LessonsEnglish grammar lessons. - Facebook 153
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SPEECH definition: 1. the ability to talk, the activity of talking, or a piece of spoken language: 2. the way a…. Learn more.
speech: [noun] the communication or expression of thoughts in spoken words. exchange of spoken words : conversation.
Speech definition: the faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to express one's thoughts and emotions by speech sounds and gesture. See examples of SPEECH used in a sentence.
6 meanings: 1. a. the act or faculty of speaking, esp as possessed by persons b. (as modifier) 2. that which is spoken;.... Click for more definitions.
speech: 1 n (language) communication by word of mouth "his speech was garbled" Synonyms: language , oral communication , speech communication , spoken communication , spoken language , voice communication Examples: Strategic Arms Limitation Talks negotiations between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics opened in 1969 ...
Synonyms speech speech lecture address talk sermon These are all words for a talk given to an audience. speech a formal talk given to an audience:. Several people made speeches at the wedding. lecture a talk given to a group of people to tell them about a particular subject, often as part of a university or college course:. a lecture on the Roman army
1. [count] : a spoken expression of ideas, opinions, etc., that is made by someone who is speaking in front of a group of people. She has to make/give/deliver a speech at the convention. a graduation speech about/on embracing future challenges. He kept revising his speech [=the words that he had written for his speech] right up until the last ...
SPEECH definition: 1. someone's ability to talk, or an example of someone talking: 2. a formal talk that someone…. Learn more.
5 [countable] a group of lines that an actor speaks in a play in the theater She has the longest speech in the play. see figure of speech; Thesaurus speech. lecture; address; talk; sermon; These are all words for a talk given to an audience. speech a formal talk given to an audience: Several people made speeches at the wedding.
Speech definition: What is spoken or expressed, as in conversation; uttered or written words.
Define speech. speech synonyms, speech pronunciation, speech translation, English dictionary definition of speech. n. 1. a. The faculty or act of speaking. b. The faculty or act of expressing or describing thoughts, feelings, or perceptions by the articulation of words....
Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon.There are many different intentional speech acts, such as informing, declaring, asking, persuading, directing; acts may vary in various aspects like enunciation, intonation, loudness, and tempo to convey ...
SPEECH meaning: 1. the ability to talk, the activity of talking, or a piece of spoken language: 2. the way a…. Learn more.
The meaning of speech. Definition of speech. English dictionary and integrated thesaurus for learners, writers, teachers, and students with advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels.
speech ( countable and uncountable, plural speeches) ( uncountable) The ability to speak; the faculty of uttering words or articulate sounds and vocalizations to communicate . He had a bad speech impediment. After the accident she lost her speech. ( uncountable) The act of speaking, a certain style of it. Synonyms:see Thesaurus: speech.
speech - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. All Free.
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 ...
The parts of speech definitions in English can vary, but here's a widely accepted one: a part of speech is a category of words that serve a similar grammatical purpose in sentences. To make that definition even simpler, a part of speech is just a category for similar types of words. All of the types of words included under a single part of ...
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.
SPEECH - Synonyms, related words and examples | Cambridge English Thesaurus
True or false: a word can be different parts of speech depending on its function and meaning in the sentence. 1. 2. True or false: a noun can be a word or a phrase. 1. True. 2. False. True or false: if a word can be a noun, it can only be a noun.