The Eight Parts of Speech

Every word in a sentence does a job. Grammar groups words by the job they do, and these groups are called the parts of speech. Knowing them makes every other grammar topic easier, because rules are always explained in terms of nouns, verbs, adjectives and so on.

1. Noun

A noun names a person, place, thing, animal or idea.

2. Pronoun

A pronoun stands in place of a noun so we do not repeat it.

3. Verb

A verb shows an action or a state of being. Every complete sentence needs one.

4. Adjective

An adjective describes or adds information about a noun or pronoun.

5. Adverb

An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It often tells how, when, where or how much.

6. Preposition

A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word — often place, time or direction.

7. Conjunction

A conjunction joins words, phrases or clauses.

8. Interjection

An interjection expresses sudden feeling. It is usually followed by an exclamation mark.

The same word, different jobs

A word's part of speech depends on how it is used in the sentence, not on the word itself.

Quick tip for MCQs

When asked "which part of speech is the underlined word?", cover the word and ask what job the gap needs: a name (noun), an action (verb), a description of a noun (adjective) or a description of an action (adverb).