Eight Parts of Speech Overview
Let's start by first reviewing a list of the parts of speech to know their definition and examples. Next, we will learn about each part of speech in more detail to understand how we can use the correct form of a word to build sentences.
Word Basics: The Eight Parts of Speech Overview
Because the parts of speech are considered the building blocks of the language, we learn the parts of speech for two main reasons:
- by knowing the elements of English, you'll have an easier time using them correctly in your writing;
- by knowing how these elements are being used, you'll also have an easier time learning their meaning.
Let's start by first reviewing a list of the parts of speech to know their definition and examples. Next, we will learn about each part of speech in more detail to understand how we can use the correct form of a word to build sentences.
These words work together to make all kinds of messages. When you know what part of speech a word is, it's easier to see the meaning of a sentence. The parts of speech are:
| Part of Speech | What is it? | Examples | Sentence Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nouns | name a person, place, thing, or idea | teacher, Robert, college, California, phone, cat, success, loyalty | Robert lives in a small apartment in California with his wife and two cats. |
| 2. Pronouns | take a noun's place | he, it, you, they, I | He teaches college courses. |
| 3. Adjectives | describe a noun or pronoun | smart, cute, expensive, black, incredible | His black cat only eats expensive food. The cat is cute, but it is picky. |
| 4. Verbs | describe an action or a state | teach, eat, talk, achieve – be, feel, think, believe | His wife works as a teacher, too. She loves her job. |
| 5. Adverbs | describe a verb, adjective, or adverb | clearly, happily, here, well, intelligently, always | They always go to work together. This is a very useful arrangement. |
| 6. Prepositions | show a relationship of place, time, location, or direction between words | in, on, over, at, to | On Saturdays, they go to the beach. |
| 7. Conjunctions | connect words, phrases, and clauses | and, so, because, but, if, when | Robert and his wife are happy because their life is perfect. |
| 8. Interjections | tell emotion or surprise | yay, oh no, oops | Yeah, life is good for Robert, his wife, and their two cats. Cheerio! |
To easily understand more grammar explanations later, it is necessary to list one other type of word:
| 9. Articles | introduce nouns | a, an, the | Robert's friend has a cat and an apartment, too. The cat often sleeps at Robert's place. |
Now that we know what all parts of speech are, let's look at them in more detail to see how they are different from each other and how they are used in sentences.
Source: Saylor Academy