Parts of speech are categories that describe how words function in a sentence. A word may name something, express an action, describe another word, connect ideas, show a relationship, or perform another grammatical role.
Start with The 8 Parts of Speech for an overview of the main word classes and their functions. You can then explore detailed lessons on nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
Since and for are both used to talk about time, but they do not mean the same thing. Mixing them up can make a sentence sound incorrect, even when the idea is clear. The difference is simple once you see…
In, on, and at are small words, but choosing the wrong one can change the meaning of a sentence or make it sound unnatural. These three prepositions are often confused because they all relate to place and time, yet each…
Common nouns and proper nouns both name people, places, and things, but they do not work in the same way. The difference is not about meaning alone. It is about how specific the reference is and how that specificity affects…
Capitalization of proper nouns means using capital letters for specific names, not general things. In English grammar, this rule is consistent and non-negotiable. If a word names a particular person, place, organization, brand, or event, it must be capitalized. Capital…
Sometimes one event is already complete before another begins. English can express that relationship compactly with structures such as having finished the report or having missed the train. These are commonly called perfect participles or perfect participial clauses. They are…
Past participles appear in familiar structures such as has written, was repaired, a broken window, and the documents signed yesterday. The same form can help build a verb phrase or add information about a noun, depending on the sentence around…
The -ing form appears throughout English. You see it in is reading, the woman reading by the window, and I heard someone calling my name. The form looks the same, but its role changes with the structure around it. In…
Why can both It may rain tonight and It might rain tonight be correct? The common explanation that may means “more likely” and might means “less likely” sounds simple, but it does not explain how these modal verbs actually work.…
Modal verbs such as can, might, should, and must are easy to recognize, but their meanings are not always as simple as the usual one-word labels suggest. Can does more than show ability, must does more than express obligation, and…
The verb have appears in some of the most common sentence patterns in English. You can have a car, have lunch, have a problem, have your hair cut, or have finished your work. The word looks familiar in each case,…
A conjunction is a word that connects ideas, words, or clauses in a sentence. This page gives you a clear list of conjunctions used in English, along with short meanings and examples to help you see how each one works…
A conjunctive adverb is a word or adverbial expression that shows how one sentence or independent clause relates to another. Common examples include however, therefore, moreover, meanwhile, and otherwise. Unlike a coordinating conjunction, a conjunctive adverb does not grammatically join…