Introducing

Parts of Speech
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Introduction
Every word in the English language falls into one or
more categories. These categories determine how
a word functions in a sentence to produce meaning.
These categories are called the parts of speech.
The basic parts of speech are: noun, verb,
adjective, adverb, pronoun, conjunction,
preposition, and interjection.

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Objectives
By the end of this tutorial, you should be
able to:
Recognize the eight parts of speech
Identify the parts of speech in
sentences

Directions
In the first section, you will be introduced to the
eight parts of speech and examples of each.
You must correctly answer a multiple choice
question about each term before moving on to
the next.
But dont worry youll be given a chance to
review and re-do a question if you answer
incorrectly.

Ready?
Click the Go button to
begin.

Noun
Definition:
A noun is a word that names a person,
place, thing, or idea.

Nouns can be either common or

proper.
Nouns are also either concrete or
abstract.

Common Noun
Definition:
A common noun names any person, place, thing,
or idea. Common nouns are NOT capitalized.

Examples:
girl, school, team, happiness

Proper Noun
Definition:
A proper noun names a specific person, place,
thing, or idea. Proper nouns are capitalized.

Examples:
Ms. Altermatt, Millennium Middle
School,
Detroit Tigers

Concrete Noun
Definition:
A concrete noun names something you see,
hear, smell, taste, or touch. In other words,
concrete nouns are nouns you can experience
through your senses.

Examples:
girl, Ms. Altermatt, school, Millennium
Middle School, team, Detroit Tigers

Abstract Noun
Definition:
An abstract noun names ideas,
feelings, and characteristics
Examples:
bravery, love, happiness

Noun
Examples:
boy, school, pen (common)
Johnny, Millennium Middle School,
Sharpie (proper)
girl, bedroom, tree (concrete)
love, daydream, boredom (abstract)

Noun
Another example:
Jennifer realized that summer was over
when a cool breeze blew as the sun
slowly set.

Which of the following has all

the nouns correctly underlined?
(Click on the circle to select your answer.)

I saw the white bird flying in the sky.

The sight of the white bird flying in the sky was
breathtaking.
The white bird soared over the bustling city.

Click this arrow if youd

like to review before

Try Again
Remember: A noun is a word that
names a person, place, thing, or idea.
A noun often has a describing word
right in front of it.

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
The sight of the white bird flying in the sky
was breathtaking, has the nouns correctly
underlined. Sight is an abstract noun. It is a
thing, but you cannot touch it. Bird is also a
thing. Sky is a place.

Click the arrow

to continue.

Verb
Definition:
A verb is a word that expresses an
action or a state of being.

s can be either action verbs or linking ve

Action Verb
Definition:
An action verb is a word that
shows an action.
Examples:
crashed, swim, writes, sings, painted

State of Being Verb

Definition:
A state of being verb, or linking verb, is
a word that connects a noun, pronoun,
or adjective to its subject.

Examples:
am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been

Verb
More examples:
The wind blows through the air.
(Action)
She leaped out of her seat. (Action)
She is a beautiful baby. (State of Being)
He felt sad that day. (State of Being)
His temper was explosive. (State of
Being)

Which of the following does NOT

contain an example of a state of being
verb?
(Click on a sentence to select your answer.)

He is in the hall.
He was late for class.
He ran down the hall.

Click this arrow if youd like to

review before answering.

Read the question

carefully before
answering!

Try Again
Take another look at the possible answers.
He is in the hall.
He was late for class.
He ran down the hall.
There are 2 types of verbs action and state of being
Action verbs show what someone or something is doing
State of being verbs show the condition or position
something is in.
Which one of the above sentences does not show state of
being?

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
He ran down the hall does not show
state of being because ran is an
action. It is what he is doing.

Click the arrow

to continue.

Adjective
Definition:
An adjective is a word used to
describe or modify a noun.
An adjective tells what
kind:
big book
red car
iced coffee

An adjective tells which

one:
those wheels
that disc
these earrings

An adjective tells how

many:
three amigos
some shirts
many hours

Adjective
More information:
A, an, and the are special adjectives called
articles.
This, that, these, and those are called
demonstrative adjectives.

Examples:
The scared, young girl stood on the
stage.
This red McIntosh apple has a fat,
green worm in it.

Which of the following has all

the adjectives correctly
underlined?
(Click on the circle to select your answer.)

The lazy dog sat on the soft cushion.

The lazy dog sat on that soft cushion.
The German shepherd chewed on the sofa
cushion.
The German shepherd chewed on that sofa
cushion.
Click this arrow if youd
like to review before

Try Again
Take another look at these examples.
The lazy dog sat on the soft cushion.
The lazy dog sat on that soft cushion.
The German shepherd chewed on the sofa cushion.
The German shepherd chewed on that sofa
cushion.

Remember: All of the following words are

adjectives -- a, an, the, this, that, these, and
those
Click the arrow to try
again.

Youre Right!
The German shepherd chewed on that sofa
cushion, has the adjectives underlined
correctly. German describes the type of
shepherd, sofa describes the cushion, the is an
article, and that is a demonstrative adjective.

Adverb
Take a look at the following sentences where the adverbs
are correctly underlined. You will later select the best
definition for this part of speech.

Brad walked very quickly to class.

Proudly, Ashley beamed after
getting her science test back.
Finally, the bell rang to end the
day.
Six swans swam serenely in the
pond.

Adverb
Have you figured it out yet?
Here are more examples to help refine
your definition.
Contains an adverb After a week of
waiting anxiously, Toms letter finally
arrived yesterday.
Does NOT contain an adverb Toms

letter came in the mail.

Which of the following is the

best definition for adverb?
(Click on a definition to select your answer.)

A word that modifies or describes a verb

A word that tells who, what, or when
A word that describes a verb, an adjective,
or another adverb
None of the above

Click this arrow if youd

like to review before

Try Again
Look at this example.
Yesterday, six swans swam very swiftly, yet
gracefully, through the water.

Think about what is described.

What information is being added to the
sentence?

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
An adverb is used to tell more about or
modify a verb, adjective or other adverb.
Adverbs often tell how, when, where, or
to what extent something is happening.
Adverbs are often formed by adding ly
to an adjective (slowly, quickly,
helpfully).

Pronoun
Think about the following sentences where
pronouns are underlined correctly. You will later
select the best definition for this part of speech.

He took his one-ton backpack home.

Pronoun
Another example:

It scared him to death.

Pronoun
More examples:

You could have knocked me

over with a feather.
Johnny, get yourself to
my office right away!

Which of the following is the

best definition for pronoun?
(Click on a definition to select your answer.)

A word that describes a person

A word that shortens the action in the sent
ence
A word that takes the place of a noun
A word used in the place of an adjective

Click this arrow if youd

like to review before

Try Again
Think about the examples again.
You could have knocked me over with a
feather.
Johnny, get yourself to my office right
away!

Are these taking the place of other

words?
What kind of words are they replacing?
Click the arrow to try
again.

Youre Right!
Pronouns are words that are
substitutes for nouns in a
sentence.
Pronouns are used to make writing more
concise, less wordy.
Be careful with pronouns. If you
use too many then your writing
becomes vague and confusing.

Conjunction
Take a look at the following sentences where
the conjunctions are correctly underlined.
Charlie and his dog sprinted across the field.
Charlie stopped, but his dog kept going.
Should Charlie chase the dog or go home for
dinner?

Start thinking about what you think is

best definition for this part of speech.

Conjunctions
More examples:
The boys and girls filled the halls and
classrooms.
It was strange that they didnt bring paper or
pencils.
I was happy and sad at the same time; happy
that school was starting, but sad that summer
was over.

Which of the following is the

best definition for a
conjunction?
(Click on a definition to select your answer.)

A word that replaces a verb

A word that joins words or groups of
words
A word that only describes actions

Click this arrow if youd

like to review before

Try Again
Think carefully about the words and, but, and
or.
What purpose are they serving in the
sentence?
Do they add description or help make
connections?

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
Conjunctions are words that join
words or phrases in a sentence.
Conjunctions are also used in join
ideas in compound sentences.
Examples of compound sentences are:
The boy forgot his homework.
The boy bravely went to class.
The boy forgot his homework, but bravely
went to class.

Prepositions
Definition:
A preposition is a word or phrase that
shows how a noun or a pronoun relates
to another word in a sentence.
Think of it this way:
A preposition helps to show
relationships. For example, on and
above show a relationship between the
ball and the table.

Prepositions
The following is a list of commonly used
about
prepositions.
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath

Prepositions
More examples:
The car danced across the icy road.
The car skidded through the tunnel.
The stars in the clear night sky winked
at me.
Suddenly the snow fell from the sky.

Which of the following

sentences has the preposition
underlined correctly?
(Click on a circle to select your answer.)

The wind juggled the trees leaves.

The wind blew the leaves from the
trees.
The wind moved the leaves from the
tree.

Click this arrow if youd

like to review before

Try Again
Think carefully about the choices.
The wind juggled the trees leaves.
The wind blew the leaves from the tree.
The wind moved the leaves from the tree.

Two of theses sentences contain the same

preposition, but only one has it underlined
correctly. Which one?

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
The wind blew the leaves from the tree
has the preposition underlined correctly.
The word from gives the relationship of
the leaves to the tree.

Interjection
Take a look at the following sentences where the
interjections are correctly underlined. You will later select
the best definition for this part of speech.

Whoa baby! My parents just bought

me a Wii!
They asked me if I was happy, but all I
could say was, oh my gosh.
Yippee! I cant wait to show my
friends.
Dude, they are going to be so jealous.

Interjection
Have you figured it out yet?
Here are more examples to help refine
your definition.
Contains an interjection Wow! I cant
believe how lucky I am.
Does NOT contain an interjection I

am a very lucky person.

Which of the following is the

best definition for interjection?
(Click on a definition to select your answer.)

A word that suggests dialogue

A word that describes who, what, or when
A word or phrase that expresses strong
emotion
None of the above

Click this arrow if youd

like to review before

Try Again
Look at this example.
Yippee! I cant wait to tell my friends.

Think about what is happening in the

sentences.
What information is being added to the
sentence?

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
Interjections are words or phrases that
express strong emotion like pain or
surprise, but otherwise have no meaning.
Interjections are generally set apart from a
sentence by an exclamation point or by a
comma when the feeling is not as strong.

!
Oh m
y
e
H
y
!
gosh
w
o
!
W

Part Two
Directions
Youve made it through the first part of the
tutorial!
Now you will be given poems and asked to
choose which part of speech is shown.
You will be able to look back at a definition
page to help you along the way.

Definitions
Noun: A word used to name a person, place, or thing
Verb: A word used to show action or state of being
Adjective: A word that describes a noun
Adverb: A word that describes a verb, adjective, or another
adverb
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun or noun phrase
Conjunction: A word used to link words, phrases, or clauses
Preposition: A word that shows how a noun relates to
another word in the sentence
Interjection: A word or phrase that expresses strong
emotion
Click on the button to
return to the previous

Untitled

Bang! The starters gun

thin raindrops
sprint.
-Dorthi Charles
Knock at a Star

Which part of speech is highlighted in the above

poem?
(Click on the part of speech to select your
answer.)
Noun
Adverb

Preposition
Click this button if youd like to review
Interjection
the definition page before answering.

Try Again
Take a look at the definitions below and decide which
part of speech is being used when the poet says,
Bang!
Noun: a word that names a person, place, or thing
Adverb: a words that describes a verb, adjective, or another
adverb
Preposition: a word that show how a noun relates to another
word in the sentence
Interjection: A word that expresses strong emotion

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
When Dorthi Charlies wrote, Bang!,
she was using an interjection.
Bang is a sound word that expresses
surprise.

The Wind

The wind stood up, and gave a shout;

He whistled on his fingers, and
Kicked the withered leaves about,
And thumped the branches with his hand,
And said hell kill, and kill, and kill;
And so he will! And so he will!
- James Stephens
Knock at a Star

Which part of speech is highlighted in the above

poem?
Noun

Verb

Try Again
Take a look at the definitions below and decide which
part of speech is being highlighted when the poet
says, The wind stood up, and gave a shout / He
whistled on his fingers.
Noun: A word that names a person, place, or thing
Verb: A word that shows action or state of being
Adjective: A word that describes a noun
Adverb: A word that describes a verb, an adjective, or
another adverb

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
When James Stephens wrote, He
whistled on his fingers / Kicked the
withered leaves about / And thumped
the branches with his hand, he was
using strong action verbs.
He brought imagery and action to the
wind.

The Runner

On a flat road runs the well-trained runner,

He is lean and sinewy with muscular legs,
He is thinly clothed, he leans forward as he
runs,
With lightly closed fists and arms partially
raised.
- Walt Whitman
Knock at a Star

Which part of speech is highlighted in the above

poem?
Conjunction

Adjective

Preposition

Pronoun

Try Again
Take a look at the definitions below and decide which
figure of speech is being used when the poet says,
On a flat road/
With lightly closed fists and arms partially raised.
Conjunction: A word that connects words and phrases
Preposition: A word that shows how a noun relates to
another word in the sentence
Adjective: A word that describes a noun
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
When Walt Whitman wrote,
On a flat road runs the well-trained runner,
He is lean and sinewy with muscular legs,
He is thinly clothed, he leans forward as he runs,
With lightly closed fists and arms partially raised.

He used prepositional phrases to show how the

runner (noun) related to the road (another
noun). He also shows how the runners legs
and fists relate using prepositional phrases.

Peach
Touch it to your cheek and its soft
as a velvet newborn mouse
who has to strive to be alive.
Bite in. Runny
honey
blooms on your tongueas if youve bitten open
a whole hive.
And so he will! And so he will!
- Rose Rauter
Knock at a Star

Which part of speech is highlighted in the above

poem?
Adverb

Interjection

Try Again
Take a look at the definitions below and decide what
role each highlighted word has when the poet says,
Its soft as a velvet newborn mouse.
Adverb: A word describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun
Interjection: A word that shows strong emotion
Adjective: A word that describes a noun

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
When Rose Rauter wrote, Its soft as a
velvet newborn mouse, she was using
adjectives to describe a peach (noun)
which is the topic of her poem.

Excerpt from Im Proud of My Preposterpus

Im proud of my Preposterpus,
so ponderous and pale,
I love the way it whistles
when it swizzles ginger ale.
Its magnificent in stature,
fully twenty-four feet tall,
so it tends to draw attention
when I take it to the mall.
- Jack Pretulsky
A Pizza the Size of the Sun

Which figure of speech is highlighted in the above

poem?
Verb
Adjective

Adverb
Pronoun

Try Again
Take a look at the definitions below and decide what
role the highlighted words are playing in the poem
when the poet says, Im proud of my Preposterpus / so
ponderous and pale / Its magnificent in stature.
Verb: A word that expresses action or state of being
Adjective: A word that describes a noun
Adverb: A word that describes a verb, adjective, or another
adverb
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
When Jack Prelutsky wrote, Im proud of
my Preposterpus / so ponderous and
pale, he was using adjectives.
He is describing the narrator (person)
with proud and describing his
Preposterous (thing) with my,
ponderous, and pale.

Dreams
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
- Langston Hughes
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems

Which part of speech is highlighted in the above

poem?
Noun

Pronoun

Verb

Adjective

Try Again
Take a look at the definitions below and decide which
part of speech is being used in each highlighted word
when the poet says, Life is a broken-winged bird / That
cannot fly / Life is a barren field / Frozen with snow.
Noun: A word the names a person, place, or thing
Verb: A word that shows actions or state of being
Adjective: A word describing a noun
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
When Langston Hughes wrote, Life is a
broken-winged bird / That cannot fly, he
was using nouns.
Life and bird are both things. Life is an
abstract noun. Bird is a concrete noun

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

Im making a pizza the size of the sun,
a pizza thats sure to weigh more than a ton,
a pizza too massive to pick up and toss,
a pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce.
Im topping my pizza with mountains of cheese,
with acres of peppers, pimentos, and peas,
with mushrooms, tomatoes, and sausage galore,
with every last olive they had at the store.
My pizza is sure to be one of a kind,
my pizza will leave other pizzas behind,
my pizza will be a delectable treat
that all who love pizza are welcome to eat.
The oven is hot, I believe it will take
a year and a half for my pizza to bake.
I hardly can wait till my pizza is done,
my wonderful pizza is the size of the sun.
- Jack Pretulsky
A Pizza the Size of the Sun

Which part of speech is highlighted in the above poem?

Pronoun

Adjective

Noun

Conjunction

Try Again
Take a look at the definitions below and decide
which part of speech is being used in the
highlighted words, Im making a pizza the
size of the sun / a pizza thats sure to weigh
more than a ton.
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun
Noun: A word naming a person, place, or thing
Adjective: A word describing a noun
Conjunction: A word used to link words, phrases, or sentences

Click the arrow to try

again.

Youre Right!
When Jack Prelutsky wrote, Im making
a pizza the size of the sun / A pizza
thats sure to weigh more than a ton,
he was using nouns.
Pizza and sun are concrete nouns. Size
and ton are abstract nouns.

Congratulations, Youre
Done!
Youve completed the entire tutorial. You
were able to recognize and identify eight
parts of speech.
Important: Keep this screen open and raise
your hand to show your teacher that you
have reached this final page.
While youre waiting, you should start
working on the 3-2-1, Summary! on the
back of your notes sheet.
Click the arrow to see the
bibliography for this

Bibliography
Hughes, Langston. The Dream Keeper and Other
Poems. New
York : Scholastic, Inc., 1996.
Kennedy, X. J., and Kennedy, Dorothy. Knock at a
Star. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1999.
Prelutsky, Jack. A Pizza the Size of the Sun. New
York :
Scholastic, Inc., 1996.

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