Chapter 1: The Parts of Speech – Learn English Grammar

1.1 What Are Parts of Speech?

The parts of speech are the building blocks of English grammar. Every word in a sentence belongs to one of these eight categories, each serving a specific function.

The 8 Parts of Speech:

1. Noun – Names a person, place, thing, or idea.
2. Pronoun – Replaces a noun.
3. Verb – Shows action or state of being.
4. Adjective – Describes a noun or pronoun.
5. Adverb – Describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
6. Preposition – Shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word.
7. Conjunction – Joins words, phrases, or clauses.
8. Interjection – Expresses strong emotion.

Let’s explore each part of speech in detail.

1.2 The Eight Parts of Speech in Detail

1. Nouns

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Types of Nouns:

Type	Definition	Example
Common noun	General name of a person, place, or thing	dog, city, book
Proper noun	Specific name (always capitalized)	John, Paris, Coca-Cola
Concrete noun	Something you can touch	apple, table, phone
Abstract noun	An idea, quality, or feeling	love, freedom, honesty
Collective noun	A group of things/people	team, family, flock

Examples:

• The dog (common noun) is barking.
• Emily (proper noun) is my best friend.
• She values honesty (abstract noun).

---

2. Pronouns

A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition.

Types of Pronouns:

Type	Example
Personal	I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Possessive	my, your, his, her, their
Demonstrative	this, that, these, those
Interrogative	who, what, where, which
Relative	who, which, that
Reflexive	myself, yourself, himself

Examples:

• She is a great dancer. (instead of repeating “Emma” multiple times)
• Is this your bag?

---

3. Verbs

A verb expresses an action or a state of being.

Types of Verbs:

Type	Definition	Example
Action verb	Shows action	run, eat, write
Linking verb	Connects the subject to a description	am, is, seem
Auxiliary (Helping) verb	Helps the main verb	have, do, will

Examples:

• She writes every day. (Action)
• He is tired. (Linking)
• They are studying for the test. (Helping verb + action verb)

---

4. Adjectives

An adjective describes a noun or pronoun.

Types of Adjectives:

• Descriptive: blue sky, large house
• Quantitative: few books, many people
• Demonstrative: this book, those flowers
• Possessive: my car, their house
• Interrogative: which dress? whose bag?

Examples:

• The red (descriptive) car is fast.
• I have two (quantitative) dogs.

---

5. Adverbs

An adverb describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

Types of Adverbs:

Type	Example
Manner (how?)	quickly, slowly, beautifully
Place (where?)	here, there, everywhere
Time (when?)	now, later, yesterday
Frequency (how often?)	always, sometimes, never

Examples:

• She sings beautifully. (modifies verb ‘sings’)
• He is very tall. (modifies adjective ‘tall’)

---

6. Prepositions

A preposition shows the relationship between a noun and another word.

Common Prepositions:

• Place: in, on, under, between
• Time: before, after, during
• Direction: to, from, into

Examples:

• The book is on the table.
• We will meet after lunch.

---

7. Conjunctions

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses.

Types of Conjunctions:

Type	Definition	Example
Coordinating	Connects equal parts	and, but, or, nor, so
Subordinating	Connects dependent clauses	because, although, since
Correlative	Comes in pairs	either… or, neither… nor

Examples:

• I like coffee and tea. (Coordinating)
• I stayed home because it was raining. (Subordinating)

---

8. Interjections

An interjection expresses strong emotion.

Examples:

• Wow! That was amazing!
• Oops! I dropped my phone.

Exercises

A. Identify the part of speech of the underlined word:

1. She runs fast.
2. This is my favorite book.
3. Oh! I forgot my keys.
4. We will go after lunch.
5. He has three dogs.

B. Choose the correct word to fill in the blank:

1. I love ______ (this/these) song.
2. She writes ______ (beautiful/beautifully).
3. The cat is hiding ______ (in/on) the table.
4. We were late ______ (because/and) of traffic.
5. I have ______ (some/any) water left.

Answers

A. Identify the part of speech:

1. runs – Verb
2. favorite – Adjective
3. Oh! – Interjection
4. after – Preposition
5. three – Adjective

B. Choose the correct word:

1. I love this song.
2. She writes beautifully.
3. The cat is hiding under the table.
4. We were late because of traffic.
5. I have some water left.