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.
Adjectives of emotion describe how someone feels or what emotional tone something conveys. These words help express internal states such as happiness, fear, anger, surprise, or sadness. They answer the question “What kind of feeling?” and are often used when…
Adjectives of size are words that describe the physical dimensions or overall scale of a noun. They tell us how big, small, tall, short, wide, or narrow something is. These adjectives answer the question “How big is it?” and often…
Some English verbs can connect a subject with two objects in the same clause. In Lena handed the receptionist her passport, the verb handed is followed by the receptionist and her passport. The first identifies the person receiving something, while…
In Maya knows the answer, knows presents Maya’s knowledge as a state. In This coat belongs to Daniel, belongs expresses a relationship rather than something Daniel or the coat is actively doing. These are stative uses of verbs. Stative verbs…
In communication, we often need to show that something belongs to someone or something. That’s where possessive nouns come in. It’s a noun that shows ownership or a relationship between one noun and another. For example, in Lisa’s book, the…
In English, some nouns are made by joining two or more words together to create a single idea. These are called compound nouns. Words like toothbrush, ice cream, and mother-in-law are all compound nouns. Each one combines smaller words into…
Some nouns refer to things you can count, like chairs or books. Others refer to things you can’t count directly, such as milk, advice, or information. These are called uncountable nouns. They describe substances, ideas, or categories that are seen…
Words that come after a verb do not automatically form a direct object. In The lantern flickered throughout the storm, the phrase throughout the storm adds information about the flickering, but it is not an object of the verb. The…
In the sentence Lena opened the parcel, the verb opened connects directly to the parcel. That noun phrase tells you what Lena opened and functions as the direct object. This is a transitive use of the verb. Transitive verbs are…
In The garden looks peaceful, looks connects the garden with a description of it. In Megan became a doctor, became connects Megan with the role a doctor. In both sentences, the verb creates a relationship between the subject and information…
In Mason lifted the box, the verb lifted describes a visible action. In Ella considered the proposal, considered describes a mental process. The two activities are very different, but both present something happening rather than simply describing a state. These…
Adjectives of color describe the appearance of nouns based on hue, shade, or tone. They answer the question “What color is it?” and help paint a more accurate mental image for the listener or reader. These adjectives can refer to…