PARTS OF SPEECH

Knowing the parts of speech can help you understand how words are used in English sentences. You can find a word's part of speech in a dictionary for each word meaning. Usually the part of speech is listed directly after the word or its pronunciation. Look at your dictionary to see how the parts of speech are abbreviated; the abbreviations are often listed on a separate page at the beginning or end of the book.

ADJECTIVES

Large, sweet, succulent strawberries are being sold at the corner market.
He is kind, friendly, and sincere.

An adjective modifies a noun, a pronoun, or other substantive (a group of words functioning as a noun) by limiting, qualifying, or specifying. An adjective phrase is a group of words that includes an adjective as the main word: exceptionally intelligent.

ADVERBS

I bought that fruit yesterday.
She usually exercises very early in the morning.
Consequently, she has a great deal of energy.

An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb, or an entire sentence by limiting, qualifying, or specifying.

ARTICLES

An earthquake can be a great disaster.
Open the door to the kitchen.

An article is a word used to signal a noun and to specify its application. In English, there are three articles. The indefinite articles are a and an and the definite article is the.

CONJUNCTIONS

I felt tired but happy.
Take this end of the rope and tie it to the tree.

A conjunction is a word that joins two or more words, phrases, or clauses. These are the coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, so, nor, for, yet. These are the correlative conjunctions: both...and, either...or, neither...nor.

INTERJECTIONS

Ouch! That hurts.
Wow! What an amazing sight!

An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion. An interjection occurs in spoken conversation separately from other sentences.

NOUNS

People use computers to perform many tasks.
Honesty and integrity are characteristics that I admire.

A noun names a person, place, thing, action, or idea. A noun can function as the subject or object of a verb, the object of a preposition, or an appositive. A noun phrase is a group of words comprised of a noun or a pronoun as the main word: a memorable adventure. Some nouns are countable, or count nouns: dollar-dollars. Other nouns are uncountable, or noncount nouns: money. Some nouns can function as both a count and noncount function, depending on their meaning in context.

PREPOSITIONS

My boss walked into the conference room in Building 12.
Several coworkers walked out of the building after 5:30.

A preposition shows a relationship, such as time, place, or direction. A preposition comes before a substantive and indicates the relation of that substantive to a verb, an adjective, or another substantive. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that includes a preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase: into the conference room.

PRONOUNS

They are unable to locate it.
Everybody is capable of learning this.
He wrote himself a note.
Mine is at the office; hers is at home.

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun or noun phrase. A pronoun designates a person, place, or thing asked for, previously specified, or understood from the context.

VERBS

Computers are becoming more widespread as time goes on.
Now that I've taken a nap, I feel quite refreshed.
These strawberries must have been picked just now.

A verb expresses existence, action, or occurrence. A verb phrase may be one word, or it may consist of one or more auxiliary verbs plus a main verb. Some verbs are transitive (vt); they must be followed by a direct object: like. Other verbs are intransitive (vi): happen. Some verbs can function as both a vt and a vi, depending on their meaning in context.

WORDS HAVE MANY FUNCTIONS

One word may have more than one function, depending on how it is used in a sentence.

Before our friends arrive, we'll tidy up the house. (adv.)
Before our friends' arrival, we'll tidy up the house. (prep.)
That question opens up a whole can of worms. (n.)
That question can hardly be answered in a short time. (aux. v.)
The ineffective workers were canned from their jobs. (v.)
What is the objective of this lesson? (pron.)
What an interesting lesson this is! (adj.)

Updated September 7, 2004


ESL Department ESL970G Email marsha_chan@wvmccd.cc.ca.us

Marsha Chan
Mission College
3000 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054-1897
(408) 855-5314