Part of Speech
In the English
language, words can be considered as the smallest elements that have
distinctive meanings. Based on their use and functions, words are categorized
into several types or parts of speech. This article will offer definitions and
examples for the 8 major parts of speech in English grammar- Noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, conjunction, preposition, and interjection
1. Noun
This part of a speech refers to words
that are used to name persons, things, animals, places, ideas, or events. Nouns
are the simplest among the 8 parts of speech, which is why they are the first
ones taught to students in primary school.
Examples:
§
Tom Hanks is very
versatile.
§
The
italicized noun refers to a name of a person.
§
Dogs can be
extremely cute.
§
In
this example, the italicized word is considered a noun because it names an
animal.
§
It
is my birthday.
§
The
word “birthday” is a noun which refers to an event.
There are different types of nouns
namely:
§
Proper– proper nouns
always start with a capital letter and refers to specific names of persons,
places, or things.
Examples:
Volkswagen Beetle, Shakey’s Pizza, Game of Thrones
§
Common– common nouns
are the opposite of proper nouns. These are just generic names of persons,
things, or places.
Examples:
car, pizza parlor, TV series
§
Concrete– this kind
refers to nouns which you can perceive through your five senses.
Examples:
folder, sand, board
§
Abstract- unlike
concrete nouns, abstract nouns are those which you can’t perceive through your
five senses.
Examples:
happiness, grudge, bravery
§
Count– it refers to
anything that is countable, and has a singular and plural form.
Examples:
kitten, video, ball
§
Mass– this is the
opposite of count nouns. Mass nouns are also called non-countable nouns, and
they need to have “counters” to quantify them.
Examples
of Counters: kilo, cup, meter
Examples
of Mass Nouns: rice, flour, garter
§
Collective– refers to a
group of persons, animals, or things.
Example:
faculty (group of teachers), class (group of students), pride (group of lions)
2. Pronoun
A
pronoun is a part of a speech which functions as a replacement for a noun. Some
examples of pronouns are: I, it, he, she, mine, his, hers, we, they, theirs, and ours.
Sample
Sentences:
§ Janice is a very stubborn
child. She just stared at me and when I told her to stop.
§ The largest slice is mine.
§ We are number one.
The
italicized words in the sentences above are the pronouns in the sentence.
3. Adjective
This part of a speech is used to
describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives can specify the quality, the size, and
the number of nouns or pronouns.
Sample
Sentences:
§
The
carvings are intricate.
§
The
italicized word describes the appearance of the noun “carvings.”
§
I
have two hamsters.
§
The
italicized word “two,” is an adjective which describes the number of the noun
“hamsters.”
§
Wow!
That doughnut is huge!
§
The
italicized word is an adjective which describes the size of the noun
“doughnut.”
4. Verb
This is the most important part of a
speech, for without a verb, a sentence would not exist. Simply put, this is a
word that shows an action (physical or mental) or state of being of the subject
in a sentence.
Examples of “State of Being Verbs” : am, is, was, are, and were
Sample
Sentences:
§
As
usual, the Stormtroopers missed their shot.
§
The
italicized word expresses the action of the subject “Stormtroopers.”
§
They
are always prepared in emergencies.
§
The
verb “are” refers to the state of being of the pronoun “they,” which is the
subject in the sentence.
5. Adverb
Just like adjectives, adverbs are also
used to describe words, but the difference is that adverbs describe adjectives,
verbs, or another adverb.
The
different types of adverbs are:
§
Adverb of Manner– this refers to
how something happens or how an action is done.
Example:
Annie danced gracefully.
The
word “gracefully” tells how Annie danced.
§
Adverb of Time- this states
“when” something happens or “when” it is done.
Example:
She came yesterday.
The
italicized word tells when she “came.”
§
Adverb of Place– this tells
something about “where” something happens or ”where” something is done.
Example:
Of course, I looked everywhere!
The
adverb “everywhere” tells where I “looked.”
§
Adverb of Degree– this states the
intensity or the degree to which a specific thing happens or is done.
Example:
The child is very talented.
The
italicized adverb answers the question, “To what degree is the child talented?”
6. Preposition
This part of a speech basically refers to
words that specify location or a location in time.
Examples of Prepositions: above, below, throughout,
outside, before, near, and since
Sample
Sentences:
§
Micah
is hiding under the
bed.
§
The
italicized preposition introduces the prepositional phrase “under the bed,” and
tells where Micah is
hiding.
§
During the game,
the audience never stopped cheering for their team.
§
The
italicized preposition introduces the prepositional phrase “during the game,”
and tells when the
audience cheered.
7. Conjunction
The conjunction is a part of a speech
which joins words, phrases, or clauses together.
Examples of Conjunctions: and, yet, but, for, nor,
or, and so
Sample
Sentences:
§
This
cup of tea is delicious and very
soothing.
§
Kiyoko
has to start all over again because she
didn’t follow the professor’s instructions.
§
Homer
always wanted to join the play, but he
didn’t have the guts to audition.
The
italicized words in the sentences above are some examples of conjunctions.
8. Interjection
This
part of a speech refers to words which express emotions. Since interjections
are commonly used to convey strong emotions, they are usually followed by an
exclamation point.
Sample Sentences:
§
Ouch! That must
have hurt.
§
Hurray, we won!
§
Hey! I said
enough!
The bold words attached to the main
sentences above are some examples of interjections.
All the best.....
All the best.....
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