Concept 1 · free preview
Parts of speech
Understand
English words fall into 8 parts of speech. Which one a word is depends on its job (function) in the sentence, not on its spelling.
| Part of speech | Job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | names a person, thing, place, quality or idea | Ravi, book, Lucknow, honesty |
| Pronoun | stands in place of a noun | he, she, it, they, who |
| Adjective | describes a noun/pronoun | tired farmer, red pen |
| Verb | shows an action or a state | run, write, is |
| Adverb | modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb (how, when, where) | slowly, very, late |
| Preposition | links a noun/pronoun to another word | in, on, under, before lunch |
| Conjunction | joins words or clauses | and, but, because, before you leave |
| Interjection | a sudden feeling (pain, joy, surprise) | Ouch!, Hurrah!, Alas! |
Rule
Abstract noun = name of a quality, state or idea that cannot be seen or touched: honesty, childhood, freedom
The same word can be different parts of speech: a short walk (noun) / we walk daily (verb)
before + noun = preposition (before lunch); before + clause = conjunction (before you leave)
late/fast/hard: with a noun an adjective (a late arrival), with a verb an adverb (She came late)
Example
'The tired farmer rested under a tree.' → tired = adjective (describes farmer), rested = verb, under = preposition, tree = noun.
Remember
Ask: what is the word telling us about? About a noun → adjective; about a verb → adverb.
Common mistake
Treating every -ly word as an adverb. friendly, lovely and lonely are adjectives (a friendly dog).
Check yourself
'He works HARD.' — what part of speech is HARD?