The words we use when we communicate can be divided into nine parts, also known as word classes. The nine parts of speech refer to the different types of words and the functions they serve. In this post, we’ll detail each of the nine parts of speech and provide examples for each.
Nouns
You may remember learning that a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. We use nouns all the time – sometimes they’re the subject of the sentence, and sometimes they’re the object. If a noun is proper, meaning it’s an official name, you should capitalize it in your writing. In the following examples, the nouns are in bold:
The interview with Jack went great.
We traveled to Hawaii over the summer.
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Pronouns
These words are generic stand-ins for the noun in a sentence. They allow us to avoid repeating the name of something over and over. Certain pronouns refer to people or animals (he, she, we, who, us, etc.), while others can be used for inanimate things (it, this, which, etc.), as seen in the following examples:
Who made this pie? It is delicious.
We will have to look out for each other.
Verbs
Verbs are action words. They tell us what’s happening, whether it’s physical (run, walk, dance, etc.), non-physical (agree, believe, assume, etc.), or a state of something (become, was, etc.). They change form depending on the tense – past, present, or future – like in the examples below:
We’re going home tomorrow.
Let’s eat before the food gets cold.
Adjectives
These words are used to describe nouns and pronouns. Not only do they describe things in terms of the five senses – how something looks, feels, smells, sounds, and tastes – they also specify quantities of things, types of things, etc. Speech would be pretty boring and nondescript without adjectives!
Hand over the blue sweater.
There are three possibilities.
Adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs and adjectives. Often, they end in –ly, but not always! If you want to describe how, where, when, why, how often, or to what extent something happens, you’ll use an adverb.
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The Eiffel Tower sparkles periodically.
It rains in the desert sometimes.
Prepositions
There are many prepositions in the English language. These words indicate physical relationships between words. They refer to spatial, temporal, or role dynamics between a noun and the other words around it. For example:
Stir the dry ingredients into the batter.
The wind is working against us.
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are like joints. They connect or coordinate words, phrases, and clauses. Like prepositions, they indicate relationships, but not in a physical sense. They can indicate a cause-and-effect relationship or a contrast (e.g., because, though, since), or they can coordinate words (e.g., and, but, or).
I drink both tea and coffee.
The picnic is canceled because it’s raining.
Articles/Determiners
These words specify and modify nouns, and they’re necessary for a sentence to be grammatically correct. The most common articles are the, a, and an. Determiners identify and quantify nouns (e.g., these, those, which).
A girl walked by, but she wasn’t the girl you’re looking for.
I’m only making enough food for a few
Interjections
Interjections are short phrases and words that stand on their own. They contain a complete thought or feeling without needing to be worked into a sentence. We use them all the time, often without realizing it! Some examples include:
Oh.
Hmm.
Aww!
Proofreading and Editing
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