What Are the Parts of Speech? (with Examples)
The term parts of speech refers to the eight word categories. They are: These categories are often referred to as "The Eight Parts of Speech." (They are sometimes called word classes.)In a sentence, every word or phrase can be classified as one of these parts of speech depending on its function in the sentence. Remember, in English, a word which performs a particular function in one sentence might perform a different function in another. Let's take the word well for example.
- You need to dig a well. (noun)
- You look well. (adjective)
- You dance well. (adverb)
- Well, I agree. (interjection)
- My eyes will well up. (verb)
The Parts of Speech (Quick Overview)
Below is a brief explanation for each part of speech with an example.| Part of Speech | Basic Function |
|---|---|
| Adjective | modifies a noun or a pronoun |
|
Examples: happy, red, enormous Example in a sentence: That is an enormous fish. (The adjective enormous modifies the noun fish.) | |
| Adverb | modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb |
|
Examples: happily, loosely, often Example in a sentence: They walked smartly to the counter. (The adverb smartly modifies the verb walked.) | |
| Conjunction | joins words, phrases, and clauses |
|
Examples: and, but, or Example in a sentence: A large bass still eluded Mark and Lee. (The conjunction and joins the nouns Mark and Lee.) | |
| Interjection | expresses emotion |
|
Examples: indeed, well, oops Example in a sentence: Ouch, that hurt. (The interjection Ouch expresses pain.) | |
| Noun | names a person, place, or thing |
|
Examples: man, city, dancing Example in a sentence: Take me to your leader. (The noun leader names a person.) | |
| Preposition | shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence |
|
Examples: at, in, near, on, with Example in a sentence: Sarah sang with Jeremy. (The preposition with shows the relationship between Jeremy, sang, and Sarah.) | |
| Pronoun | replaces a noun |
|
Examples: I, me, you, he, she, we, us, they Example in a sentence: Joanne is smart. She is also funny. (The pronoun She replaces the noun Joanne.) | |
| Verb | identifies an action or state of being |
|
Examples: work, play, think, guess, write, exist, be Example in a sentence: Tony works down the pit now. He was unemployed. (The verb works expresses an action. The verb was expresses a state of being.) | |
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