Parts of Speech Lesson - Definition, 8 Types and Examples

Created by ProProfs Editorial Team

The ProProfs editorial team is comprised of experienced subject matter experts. They've collectively created over 10,000 quizzes and lessons, serving over 100 million users. Our team includes in-house content moderators and subject matter experts, as well as a global network of rigorously trained contributors. All adhere to our comprehensive editorial guidelines, ensuring the delivery of high-quality content.

Learn about Our Editorial Process

Updated: Feb 5, 2025

Lesson

In English grammar, we have parts of speech, the fundamental categories of words that make up our language. Parts of speech play a specific role in constructing meaningful sentences. They are the building blocks of communication, allowing us to express thoughts, ideas, and emotions with precision and clarity.

From identifying different types of words to understanding their relationships within a sentence, learning about parts of speech is necessary for developing strong language skills.

What Are Parts of Speech?

Parts of speech refer to the basic classifications of words based on their syntactic roles and functions in a sentence. They are the primary categories that define how words operate and relate to one another in the structure of a language. These categories include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Key Characteristics:

Each part of speech has a specific role in sentence structure, such as naming things, describing actions, or modifying other words.
Parts of speech define how words relate to each other grammatically within a sentence.

Example:

"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."

In this sentence, we can identify different parts of speech:

Fox, dog (naming words)
Jumps (action word)
Quick (describing word)

Take This Quiz :

Parts Of Speech MCQ Quiz With Answers!

The 8 Main Parts of Speech

There are 8 parts of speech in English grammar. These categories are essential for constructing grammatically correct and meaningful sentences -

Nouns

Nouns are the naming words of our language. They identify people, places, things, or ideas. Nouns can be concrete, referring to tangible objects we can perceive with our senses (e.g., table, house, dog), or abstract, referring to intangible concepts, qualities, or states (e.g., love, freedom, justice).

Example: The cat sat on the mat. (Concrete nouns)
Example: Her kindness and compassion were evident. (Abstract nouns)

Pronouns

Pronouns act as stand-ins for nouns, preventing repetition and making sentences more concise. They can refer to people or things already mentioned or implied. Common types of pronouns include personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they), possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs), and demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those).

Example: He went to the store, but it was closed. ("He" replaces a previously mentioned male person, and "it" replaces "the store.")

Verbs

Verbs are the action words or "doing" words of our language. They describe what someone or something does, or a state of being. Verbs can express physical actions (e.g., run, jump, eat), mental actions (e.g., think, believe, consider), or states of being (e.g., is, am, are, was, were).

Example: The dog barked at the mailman. (Action verb)
Example: She is a talented musician. (Linking verb)

Take This Quiz :

8 Parts of Speech Practice Test! Trivia Quiz

Adjectives

Adjectives are the describing words of our language. They provide more information about nouns or pronouns, answering questions like "what kind?" "which one?" or "how many?" Adjectives add detail and specificity to our descriptions, making them more vivid and informative.

Example: The tall tree swayed in the wind.
Example: He has two cats and one dog.

Adverbs

Adverbs are versatile words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They provide information about the manner, time, place, frequency, or degree of an action or quality. Adverbs answer questions like "how?" "when?" "where?" "how often?" or "to what extent?"

Example: She sings beautifully. (Modifies the verb "sings")
Example: He arrived very late. (Modifies the adverb "late")

Prepositions

Prepositions are connecting words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. They often indicate location, time, or direction. Prepositions are typically followed by a noun or pronoun, forming a prepositional phrase.

Example: The book is on the table.
Example: She arrived at the airport before noon.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are joining words that connect words, phrases, or clauses. They help create more complex and nuanced sentences by showing the relationship between the connected elements. Common types of conjunctions include coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, for, nor, yet, so), subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, although, since, if, when), and correlative conjunctions (e.g., both...and, either...or, neither...nor).

Example: She went to the store, but it was closed. (Coordinating conjunction)
Example: Although it was raining, they went for a walk. (Subordinating conjunction)
Interjections: Interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotions or sudden outbursts. They are often followed by an exclamation mark and can stand alone or be inserted within a sentence.
- Example: Wow! That was amazing!
- Example:Ouch! That hurt!

Take This Quiz :

Parts of Speech Practice Test

Examples of Parts of Speech in Sentences

"The fluffy cat slept peacefully on the soft, red blanket."
- Nouns: cat, blanket
- Verb: slept
- Adjectives: fluffy, soft, red
- Adverb: peacefully
"Wow! That was an incredibly exciting game!"
- Interjection: Wow!
- Pronoun: That
- Verb: was
- Adjectives: exciting
- Adverb: incredibly
"She quickly ran through the park, but she forgot her keys."
- Pronoun: She
- Verbs: ran, forgot
- Adverb: quickly
- Preposition: through
- Conjunction: but
"Although he was tired, he finished his homework before going to bed."
- Pronoun: He
- Verbs: was, finished, going
- Adjective: tired
- Conjunction: Although
- Preposition: before
"Under the bridge, near the river, lived a family of ducks."
- Prepositions: Under, near
- Noun: bridge, river, family, ducks
- Verb: lived
- Adjective: a

Take This Quiz :

Test on Parts of Speech! Trivia Questions Quiz

Parts of Speech Assessment

Exercise 1: Identify the part of speech of the underlined word in each sentence. Write N for noun, PRO for pronoun, V for verb, ADJ for adjective, ADV for adverb, PREP for preposition, CONJ for conjunction, or INT for interjection.