Parts of Speech in English Grammar

Chapter.1

Parts of Speech

Every language consists on its basic elements that are called words. As a building is made by
bricks; language is made by words. First we will know about a word.

A word is a speech sound or a combination of sound having a particular meaning for an idea,
object or thought and has a spoken or written form. In English language word is composed by
an individual letter (e.g., 'I'), I am a boy, or by combination of letters (e.g., Jam, name of a
person) Jam is a boy. Morphology, a branch of linguistics, deals with the structure of words
where we learn under which rules new words are formed, how we assigned a meaning to a
word? How a word functions in a proper context? How to spell a word? Etc.

Some different examples are: Boy, kite, fox, mobile phone, nature, etc.

There are nine parts of speech in the English grammar: noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective,
preposition, conjunction, interjection and determiners. Some writes and websites count only
eight parts of speech and place determiner under the category of adjectives. However, advance
studies count determiner as a separate parts of speech. These nine parts of speech indicate how
the words function within the sentence. An individual word may function as more than one
part of speech when used in various sentences.

Here are the nine parts of speech in English grammar:

1. Noun
2. Pronoun
3. Verb
4. Adverb
5. Adjective
6. Preposition
7. Conjunction
8. Interjection
9. Articles

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 Chapter.2

Noun

A noun is a word used for a place, person, or thing. Everything which has a name and we talk
about it is a noun. Everything is donated by a name and that naming word is called a "noun".
Often a noun will be the name for something we can touch (e.g., lamb, pen, table), but
sometimes a noun will be the name for something we cannot touch (e.g., happiness,
determinism, truth).

Some examples of noun:

Everything is represented by a word that is called a noun. Some of the examples of noun are
written below:
 People: Ali, boy, singer.
 Animals: Cat, cow, elephant.
 Places: Karachi, city, street.
 Objects: Cup, pencil, book.
 Qualities: Boldness, sorrow.
 Actions: Writing, listening, running.

Types of Noun

There are many types of noun depending upon some aspects. One noun may fall in multiple
categories. A common noun may be a countable noun and at a same time that noun may be a
concrete e.g., pencil is a common noun it is countable, concrete and as well it is singular noun.
Some main types of noun are tabulated below.

1. Proper Noun

A proper noun is the given name of a person, or a specific place or thing, i.e. its own name (e.g.,
Imran, Karachi, and Rover). A proper noun always starts with a capital letter. All days and
months are proper noun and start with capital letters (e.g. Sunday, March, and December).
Name of all Person, name of countries, name of oceans are counted in category of proper nouns
(e.g., Mashal, Pakistan, Atlantic).

2. Common Noun

A common noun is the word used for a class of person, place, or thing (e.g., person, city, and
dog). Common nouns are not capitalized unless used in start of a sentence. There are some
exceptions like in poetry where every word of new line is capitalized. Something that is
personified in poetry is also capitalized e.g., "So Nature incites them in their hearts" (Prologue-
Geoffrey Chaucer)

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 3. Abstract Noun
Abstract nouns are things you cannot see or touch. Abstract nouns do not have physical
existence. These nouns are difficult to guess. Sometime learners get confused with abstract noun
and adjectives. Abilities and emotions are abstract noun e.g. bravery, joy, determination etc.
4. Collective Noun

Collective nouns are words that denote groups' collection or multitude of something. These
noun are used as singular e.g. team, army, concert.

5. Compound Noun

Compound nouns are nouns made up of more than one word. For example: court-martial,
pickpocket, water bottle. Some compound nouns are two words (e.g., peace pipe), some are
hyphenated (e.g., play-off), and some have become single words (e.g., eye-opener). And, many
of them are currently transitioning through those stages. Therefore, spelling compound nouns
can be a nightmare. Some compound nouns form their plural by adding an s to the principal
word, not necessarily to the end (e.g., brothers-in-law).

6. Countable Noun

A countable noun is a noun that can be counted in numbers like one pen, two cars with both a
singular and a plural form. (E.g. dog/dogs, pie/pies).

7. Uncountable Noun

An uncountable noun is a noun without a plural form For example: oxygen, patience. Such
nouns do not include counting. All abstract noun falls under the uncountable category of nouns.

8. Gender-specific Nouns

Gender-specific nouns are nouns that are definitely male or female. For example: king, vixen,
and actress. A blonde is a woman. A blond is a man.

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 Chapter.3
Pronoun

Pronoun is defined as a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. It takes place of a noun. Read
the paragraph written below.

(Jam is a boy of sixteen. Jam is studying in 9th class. Jam has two brothers. Jam loves playing
football. Jam is captain of his team.)

Look at above paragraph. The name Jam looks strange in every sentence due to
repetition of noun Jam. We replace it with pronoun to make a sentence beautiful and easy to
avoid word redundancy. We will replace it with appropriate pronoun and read it again.

Jam is a boy of sixteen. He is studying in 9th class and has two brothers. He loves playing
football and he is captain of his team.

Types of Pronoun

Pronouns are categorized into many types.

i. Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns refer to a person's name. We use personal pronouns as a substitute for a
person's name. There are two kinds of personal pronoun: Subjective and objective pronouns.

(a) Subjective pronoun: Subjective pronouns replace the subject in a sentence.

Common subjective pronouns are I, we, you, he, she, it, and they

Example: I love watching TV.

(b) Objective pronouns: Objective pronouns replace the object in a sentence.

Common objective pronouns are me, us, you, him, her, it, and them

Examples: She gave him a present on his birthday.

ii. Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are the pronouns that show ownership and possession in a sentence. We
categorize possessive pronoun into two types:

 Strong possessive pronoun

 Weak possessive pronoun

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The strong possessive pronouns include yours mine, his, hers, its, theirs, yours, and ours. They
refer back to a noun or noun phrase already used, replacing it to avoid repetition: "I said that
pen was mine." Strong possessive pronouns are sometime called absolute possessive pronoun.

The weak possessive pronouns include your, my, her, his, its, their, our, and, your. Their
function is as a determiner in front of a noun to express whom something belongs to: "I said
that's my pen." Sometime we call them possessive adjectives.

iii. Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun is a pronoun that relates the relative clause to another clause within
a sentence. In addition, introduces the relative clause or an adjective clause. In mostly cases it
acts as a subject of the relative clause. The most commonly used relative pronouns are
mentioned below.

Examples: Whom, whoever, whomever, who, that, which and whose

Example in a sentence:

 She does not know which pack of pencil you want.

 "Which pack of pencil you want" is a relative clause, and the relative pronoun "which"
has linked it to the main clause.

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 Chapter.4

Verb

A verb shows the happening or state of something. It is an action word. It can show:

 If somebody does something; like: This cat sleeps all day.

 If something has done onto someone; like: A stranger patted the stray cat.
 The state of someone or something; like: The cat is alive fortunately.

Verb is the most important part of any sentence. A sentence does not make sense without a verb
in it. There are some instants where a one-word answer can make up for a whole sentence; like,
yes or indeed, etc, without the use of verb, but these responses are not used in formal writing.

Verbs can also consist of more than one word, such as:

 The children were playing in the backyard.

Types of Verbs

These are the main kinds of verbs:

 Linking Verbs
 Transitive Verbs
 Auxiliary Verbs
 Modal Verbs.

1) Linking Verbs

Linking verb is a verb that connects a sentence together. It does not mean anything on its own
but makes sense when used in a sentence. Common Linking Verbs that are used are: Is, am, are,
was, were

Examples in sentences:

 The birds are flying high up in the sky. She is always looking fabulous.

In the above examples, we can see that the linking verbs are connecting the subject with the rest
of the sentence. Without Linking Verbs, the sentences do not have a complete structure.

2) Action Verbs

Action verbs show action. They create an image of the happening in your head.

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 3) Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary Verbs help the main verb in a sentence and are called Helping Verbs. Auxiliary Verbs,
when used with ordinary verbs help in changing the tenses, mood or voice of a sentence. They
also help in making negatives and interrogatives of sentences. Auxiliary Verbs are also simply
called Auxiliaries. Common words that come under this category are as follows:

 Is, am, are, was, were, have, do, etc

Examples in sentences:

 I was going to the shop.

Here the Auxiliary is used to form a continuous tense.

 The car door was opened.

Here it is used in formation of a sentence in passive voice.

 I have to reach the airport at 5:00 am.

To form questions, to emphasize on something, or to make a request, the Auxiliary Do is used.

 Do you know where the parking lot is?

 You do look great.
 Do visit!

4) Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are the verbs that are used before the ordinary verbs to show meanings such as:
possibilities, permission, certainty etc. They can just simply be called Modals. Common Modal
Verbs that are used are as follows:

 Can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought

Never and dare are also used as modal verbs sometimes.

Examples in sentences:

 You dare not do such a thing. You must be Sara's sister.

 You could have stopped them.

Modals are mostly put in the category of Auxiliaries. Then they are sometimes called Modal
Auxiliaries.

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 Chapter.5
Adverb

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It provides us with
further information about a verb, adjective or another adverb. It tells us in which manner, at
what place or time, something happened, or is/was done.

Look at the examples below.

 Ali walks swiftly.

 She took the grocery out of the shopping bags very
 That is a really sweet child.

In the first example, the adverb swiftly is modifying the verb walks and is telling us the manner
in which Ali walks.
In the second example, the adverb very is modifying another adverb, carefully.
In the third one, the adverb really is modifying the word sweet, which is an adjective.

Kinds of Adverbs

Adverbs are categorized into many kinds, such as:

 Adverbs of Time
 Adverbs of Place
 Adverbs of Frequency
 Adverbs of Degree
 Adverbs of Manner
 Adverbs of Reason

I. Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of time tell us about which time an action was performed. These answer the question:
When? Common words which come under the category of adverbs of time are:

 Ago, before, after, later, already, now, never, formerly, soon, since, etc

Examples in sentences:

 I called my friend a few days ago.

 I formerly worked at the pizza shop.

II. Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of Place tell us about at what place an action took place. These answer the question:
Where? Common words which come under the category of adverbs of place are:

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 Here, there, up, out, in, within, away, etc

Examples in sentences:

 Mr. Saud was visiting here an hour ago. I'm going out with my family.

III. Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency show us about how often or how many times a thing took place. These
answer the question: How often? Common words used as adverbs of frequency are:

 Once, twice, again, often, seldom, rarely, always, frequently, etc

Examples in sentences:

 I often go to visit my grandparents. It rarely rains around here.

IV. Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of Degree inform us about to what degree or an extent something happens. These
answer the question: How much? Adverbs of Degree are also known as Adverbs of Quantity.
Common words used as Adverbs of Degree or Quantity are:

 Too, any, almost, so, pretty, rather, quite, partly, altogether, enough, etc

Examples in sentences:

 I was pretty busy yesterday.

 The sauce I bought today was good enough for making my pizza.

In the above examples, we can see that the words pretty and enough both answer the question
of how much.

V. Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of Manner give us information about how or in which manner some action is
preceded. These answer the question: How? Adverbs of manner usually are derived from
adjectives and mostly end in -ly. Following are some common words that come under the
adverbs of manner category:

 Swiftly, clearly, foolishly, well, so, slowly,

Examples in sentences:

 Hassan caught the loose snake bravely.

 Her hair is always well combed.

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  She should do so.

VI. Adverbs of Reason

Adverbs of Reason are the words that are used to state the reason or cause of some happening.
These are also known as Adverb of Cause and answer the question: Why? The common words
that come under this category are:

 Because, hence, therefore, so, etc

Example in sentences:

 I therefore went to the market by myself.

 He was hungry, so he went to the restaurant.

Degrees of Adverbs

Like adjectives, adverbs also have Degrees of Comparison. But, only Adverbs of time, degree
and manner admit to the comparison. Adverbs like now, then, there, once, etc cannot be
compared because of their nature.

Degrees of Comparison

Adverbs of Manner, Degree and Time are changed in form very often to denote comparison.
The degree to which these adverbs change, determines their degree. These degrees are called
Degrees of Comparison. There are three degrees of comparison:
 Positive Degree
 Comparative Degree
 Superlative Degree.

 Positive Degree

An adverb with a positive degree is an adverb in its simple and original form. There is no
comparison going on with anything. It just lets it known that some quality exists in something
or someone. Look at the examples below.

 She walked slowly.

 The car is parked at a near location.

 Comparative Degree

The comparative degree of an adverb shows that the presence of a quality in one thing is more
or higher than its presence in the Positive. This degree is used when the comparison of two
things is happening. Look at the examples below to get a more clear idea.

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  She walked more slowly than her friends.
 The car is park at a nearer location.

 Superlative Degree

The Superlative Degree of Comparison is used when the some quality in one thing or person is
highest than anything or anyone else. Superlative degree is used when a thing or person is in
comparison against more than one thing or person.

Examples:

 Of all the people, she walked the most slowly.

 The car is parked at the next location.

In the above examples, we have compared the thing we were talking about with all the other
things of the like. This is the highest form of comparison and hence is the Superlative Degree.

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 Chapter.6

Adjective

An adjective is defined a word which gives information about a noun, pronoun, or a noun
phrase. It gives additional information about a noun or pronoun. It shows the quality, kind, or
degree of a noun. Look at the examples below.

 Sana gave me eight apples

 The mouse is little.

In the first example, the word eight is telling about the quantity of apples. It is giving additional
information about the apples, hence is an adjective.

In the second example, the word little is telling us about the quality of the mouse, that it is little,
so it is an adjective too.

Preposition

Prepositions are the words that we put before nouns or pronouns. These denote in what relation
the person or thing indicated by it exists, in relation to something else. Look at the examples
below.

 The child jumped off the bed.

 There is a bee in the jar.
 Hani is fond of cheesecakes.

In the first example, the word 'off 'is showing the relation between the action denoted by the
verb jumped, and the noun chair.
In the second example, the word 'in' is showing the relation between bee and the jar.

In the third example, the word 'of' is showing the relation between the quality denoted by the
adjective fond and the noun cheesecake.

 Hence the words off, in and of are Prepositions.

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 Chapter.8

Conjunction

Conjunctions are simply words that join sentences, clauses and sometimes words. These join
together sentences are to make them more compact. Unlike Relative Adverbs and Relative
Pronouns, Conjunctions just simply join and perform no other job. Look at the examples below
to get a clear understanding.

 The teacher is young, but

 Sara and Hania are sisters.

In the first example, the conjunction 'but' is joining two sentences and is also making them
smaller. So instead of saying 'but she is talented' we have shortened the sentence and made it
compact.

In the second example, the conjunction and is only joining two words.

Classes of Conjunctions

Conjunctions are divided into two classes:

 Coordinating Conjunctions
 Subordinating Conjunctions.

 Coordinating Conjunctions

The word Co-coordinating means 'of equal rank'. The conjunctions which join together two
sentences or clauses or equal rank or significance are known as Co-coordinating Conjunctions.
They connect two independent clauses together. The main coordinating conjunctions are as
follows:

 And, but, for, nor, or, also, neither -nor, either -or

Examples in sentences:

 Dos bark and cats mew.

 I went to work but my sister stayed at home.

i. Subordinating Conjunctions

The conjunctions which join together an independent clause to a dependent clause are called
Subordinating Conjunctions. The main Subordinating Conjunctions are:

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 After, before, because, if, till, as, that, though, although, unless, etc

Examples in sentences:

 After the rain was over the sun came out again.
 I will wait here till you come back.

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 Chapter.9

Interjections

Interjections are the words or group of words that are used to express and exclaim extreme
emotions. These words are always used with an exclamation mark. Interjections do not have
any grammatical function in a sentence. The words that are commonly used as Interjections are
as follows:

 Hurrah! , Alas! , Oh no! , Oh my God! , What! , etc

Different types of Interjections

Interjections can be used to express various types of emotions such as happiness, surprise,
sadness, anger and greetings. On such various types of emotions we classified them into
different types.

1. Interjections for Greeting

Such interjections are used in sentences to show the emotions of warmness to the person
meeting with.

Examples:

 Good morning! It's great to see you.

 Hey! When you came here?
 Hello! I am Sadaf.

2. Interjections for Happiness

Such interjections are used in sentences to show happiness or joy on any happy occasion.

Examples:

 Yeah! We won!
 Hurrah! I've won!
 Wow! What a pleasant weather!

3. Interjections for Attention

Such interjections are used in sentences to draw the attention of someone.

Examples:

 Hey! Let's go on a picnic!

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  Yo! What is going on?
 Look! Jam is so happy.
 Listen! I am starving.

4. Interjections for Approval

Such interjections are used in sentences to show the sense of agreement or approval for
something.

Examples:

 Well done! You got first position.

 Brilliant! You arrived here in time.

5. Interjections for Surprise

Such interjections are used in sentences to indicate the sense of surprise about something that
has happened.

Examples:

 Oh! What a lovely scene!

 Ah! It sounds good.
 What! She passed away.

6. Interjections for Sorrow

Such interjections are used in sentences to express the emotion of sadness about something
unfortunate has happened.

Examples:
 Alas! He could not recover from his illness.
 Ouch! That hurts.
 Oops, I'm sorry. It was hot.
 Alas! His friend died.

7. Interjections for Shock

Such interjections are used in sentences to express the shock about something happened.

Examples:

 What! What have you done?

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8. Interjections for Anger

Such interjections are used in sentences to express the anger about something unfortunate has
happened by someone's mistake or carelessness.

Examples:

 Excuse me! I am not a beggar.

 Interjections in form of phrases

Some of the interjections are used in common phrases. Few of them are stated as follows:

 What hell! , Goodness gracious! , Good Lord! , Oh my God! , Oh no! , What the heck! , What
Goodness! etc.

Chapter.10

Articles

The adjectives 'a', 'an' and 'the' are usually called Articles. Articles are function words. There are
two kinds of articles:

 Definite Article
 Indefinite Article

 Definite Article:

An article that used to point some specific person or thing is called a definite article. 'The' is the
only definite article.

Examples in sentences:

 The clothes that I bought yesterday were perfect.

 This is the best place I have ever been in.

 Indefinite Article

The articles 'a' and an 'are' called Indefinite Articles because the place or thing talked about is
not particular and is left indefinite.

Examples in sentences:

 One morning a woody woodpecker came to our house.

 It could be any woody woodpecker, not a particular one.

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  Nobody said a word.
 An ostrich is a big bird.

Quantifiers

Quantifiers are the function words that are used before nouns to tell about the quantity of
something. The words that come under the category of Quantifiers are as follows:

 All, no, any, many, some, few, a little, a lot, etc

Examples in sentences:

 I only have some papers left.

 There is a little sausage on the pizza.

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