English Parts of Speech

ENGLISH PARTS OF SPEECH
There are eight parts of speech in the English: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective,
adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. The part of speech indicates
how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the
sentence. An individual word can function as more than one part of speech
when used in different circumstances. Understanding parts of speech is
essential for determining the correct definition of a word when using the
dictionary.
1. NOUN
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.
Example:
man... Butte College... house... happiness

A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are often used with
an article (the, a, an), but not always. Proper nouns always start with a capital
letter; common nouns do not. Nouns can be singular or plural, concrete or
abstract. Nouns show possession by adding 's. Nouns can function in different
roles within a sentence; for example, a noun can be a subject, direct object,
indirect object, subject complement, or object of a preposition.
Example:
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and

then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
2. PRONOUN
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.
Example:
She... we... they... it
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A pronoun is usually substituted
for a specific noun, which is called its antecedent. In the sentence above, the
antecedent for the pronoun she is the girl. Pronouns are further defined by
type: personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things; possessive
pronouns indicate ownership; reflexive pronouns are used to emphasize
another noun or pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause;
and demonstrative pronouns identify, point to, or refer to nouns.
Example:
3. VERB
A verb expresses action or being.
Example:
jump... is... write... become
The verb in a sentence expresses action or being. There is a main verb and
sometimes one or more helping verbs. (" She can sing." Sing is the main
verb; can is the helping verb.) A verb must agree with its subject in number
(both are singular or both are plural). Verbs also take different forms to express
tense.
Example:
4. ADJECTIVE
An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
Example:
pretty... old... blue... smart
An adjective is a word used to modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. It
usually answers the question of which one, what kind, or how many. (Articles
[a, an, the] are usually classified as adjectives.)
Example:

5. ADVERB
An adverb modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another
adverb.
Example:
gently... extremely... carefully... well
An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but
never a noun. It usually answers the questions of when, where, how, why,
under what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly.
Example:
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher,
and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
6. PREPOSITION
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a
phrase modifying another word in the sentence.
Example:
by... with.... about... until

(by the tree, with our friends, about the book, until tomorrow)
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase

modifying another word in the sentence. Therefore a preposition is always part
of a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase almost always functions as
an adjective or as an adverb. The following list includes the most common
prepositions:
Example:

7. CONJUNCTION
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses.
Example:
and... but... or... while... because

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses, and indicates the relationship
between the elements joined. Coordinating conjunctions connect grammatically
equal elements: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Subordinating conjunctions
connect clauses that are not equal: because, although, while, since, etc. There
are other types of conjunctions as well.
Example:
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the

teacher, and then
she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
8. INTERJECTION
An interjection is a word used to express emotion.
Example:
Oh!... Wow!... Oops!

An interjection is a word used to express emotion. It is often followed by an
exclamation point.
Example:
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then
she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
--ooo0ooo--

English Parts of Speech

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ENGLISH PARTS OF SPEECH

man... Butte College... house... happiness

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and

by... with.... about... until

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and

and... but... or... while... because

The young girl brought me a very long letter from the

Oh!... Wow!... Oops!

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