These descriptions are kept purposely brief. If they aren’t entirely clear to you, you may read more here: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parts-of-speech/. (Click the links to “read more” after each paragraph on the Grammarly Blog).
Noun
A noun is like the star of the sentence; it’s the word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are the foundation of sentences.
Examples:
- Dog: The dog chased its tail.
- Paris: Paris is known as the City of Love.
- Love: Love conquers all.
Other nouns in those sentences include “tail,” “city,” “love,” the “City of Love,” and “all.”
Tip: Nouns can be singular (one) or plural (more than one), which is often created by simply adding an “s” to the end of the word. Remember to use the correct form in your sentences, consistently, throughout.
Notice that regular nouns are not capitalized, such as rain, cats, or dogs.
However, actual names or titles — which are called “proper nouns” — are capitalized. Notice the capitalization in this sample sentence:
John Lennon sang lead when The Beatles performed “All You Need Is Love” on their album, Magical Mystery Tour, which was recorded live during the first global television broadcast, Our World, in the segment representing the United Kingdom.
Note that, in MLA format, titles of brief works are placed within quotation marks, while longer works (or collections of shorter works) are written in italics.
Pronoun
Pronouns are like sentence superheroes. They swoop in to replace nouns to avoid repetition and keep our writing smooth.
Examples:
- He: John loves pizza, and he can eat it every day.
- She: Sarah enjoys reading; she often loses herself in a good book.
- It: The book is on the shelf; it’s waiting for you.
Tip: Common pronouns include he, she, it, they, we, and you.
Verb
Verbs are the action stars of our sentences. They tell us what someone or something does. What are the nouns doing? The type of words that explain what the persons, places, or things are doing are verbs.
Examples:
- Run: She runs every morning.
- Jump: The cat jumped onto the table.
- Think: I think we’ll have pizza for dinner.
Tip: Verbs often change form to show tense (past, present, future). For example, run becomes ran in the past tense.
Pro-tip: Sometimes things aren’t really doing anything, actually. They’re just being — or about to be, or used to be. To express those sorts of ideas, a special set of verbs are different forms of the word “be:” be, is, am, are, was, were, been, do, does, did, can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, have, has, had.
Note that, if you say those fast, in pairs, you can memorize them pretty easily. (Note also that, from “do” on, they are more accurately described as auxiliary or modal verbs, but that’s more complicated than we need to “be” in this course.)
Adjective
Adjectives add color and detail to our nouns. They describe or modify nouns, making our sentences vivid.
Examples:
- Fluffy: The fluffy kitten napped in the sun.
- Enormous: The enormous cake was gone in minutes.
- Happy: She had a happy smile on her face.
Tip: Many adjectives end in -ly, like friendly or sunny.
Adverb
Adverbs are like supporting actors; they modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, answering questions like how, when, where, or to what extent.
Examples:
- Quickly: She ran quickly to catch the bus.
- Easily: He learned to parallel park easily.
- Very: The pizza was very delicious.
Tip: Most adverbs end in -ly, but not all of them.
Conjunction
Conjunctions are like the glue of our sentences. They connect words, phrases, or clauses within sentences.
Examples:
- And: She likes pizza and pasta.
- But: I’m tired, but I’ll finish the work.
- Or: Do you want tea or coffee?
Tip: Conjunctions help us combine ideas and create complex sentences.
Preposition
Prepositions show relationships between nouns and other words in a sentence. They tell us where something is or when something happened.
Examples:
- Under: The cat is under the table.
- After: We’ll meet after the movie.
- In: There’s a surprise in the box.
Tip: Prepositions are often used in phrases, like “in the box” or “after the movie.”
Pro-tip: These phrases are called “prepositional phrases.” Fancy! Read more about them here: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/prepositional-phrase/
Interjection
Interjections are expressive words or phrases that convey strong emotions or reactions. They add flavor and emotion to our sentences.
Examples:
- Wow: Wow, that’s pretty cool.
- Ouch: Ouch, that hurt!
- Yay: Yay! We won the game!
Tip: Interjections are like the spices in our writing — they make it more flavorful. Yum!
Recap
Now that we’ve discussed our eight, key “parts of speech,” practice identifying them in your own writing.
Remember, writing is an art, and these parts of speech are your tools. The more you practice, the better you’ll become.
Have you ever got a new video game or console? At first, using a new controller or remembering specific commands can be difficult. Eventually, though, you learn to use them intuitively. You don’t even notice the controller or pause to consider the specific uses of each button or key. You just use them, seamlessly and smoothly.
The goal here isn’t to identify the parts of speech every time you write. The goal is to write seamlessly and smoothly, with complete sentences, and clear, effective writing.
Activities
Throughout this lesson, we’ll engage in various activities to reinforce your understanding of each part of speech. We’ll provide examples, exercises, and opportunities for you to practice identifying and using these crucial components of language.
Next Steps
Understanding the parts of speech is a significant step toward becoming a confident and skilled writer. In our next lesson, we’ll explore how these parts of speech come together to form sentences. Until then, have fun experimenting with words and language!
