The 8 PARTS OF

SPEECH
An Overview

Parts of Speech
Determining parts of speech is nothing
more than determining the function/job a
particular word has in a sentence. They all
play a role in the sentence, and one word
might be a noun one time and a verb the
next.
Lets take the word run for example.
Lets go on a RUN after school. (NOUN)
I will RUN to the cafeteria to be first in line
(VERB)

NOUNS
person, place, thing,
idea
Common: chair, pencil, school
Proper: Woodward Academy
Concrete: desk, Aunt Lulu
Abstract: freedom, love
Compound: firefighter
Collective: class, herd

PRONOUNS
Pronouns, for the most part,
take the place of nouns.
There are actually several
different kinds of pronouns,
and they are used much more
than most people realize.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS the basics

FIRST PERSON: I, me, my,
mine, we, our, ours, us
SECOND PERSON: you, your,
yours
THIRD PERSON: he, she, it,
its, his, him, her, hers,
they, their, theirs, them

DEMONSTRATIVE
THIS, THAT, THESE, and THOSE
ONLY used in place of nouns
(be aware of Demonstrative Adjectives
- dont use them before a noun ).
THIS is my book.
THAT is yours.
THESE are my pickles.
THOSE are his shoes.

INTERROGATIVE
WHAT, WHICH, WHO, WHOM, AND
WHOSE
And like all interrogatives,
they start questions:
WHAT are you doing?
WHO do you think you are?

RELATIVE
WHO, WHOM, WHOSE, WHICH, THAT
These look like interrogative
pronouns, but they do NOT ask
questions.
They begin clauses that add more
info to a sentence:
My students, WHO are the best and
brightest, love relative pronouns.
The vegetables THAT are the healthiest
are the green ones.

INDEFINITE
An indefinite pronoun refers to
something that is not definite or
specific or exact.
The indefinite pronouns include
but are not limited to the
following:
all, another, any, each, everybody,
everyone, everything, few, many,
nobody, none, one, several, some,
somebody, either, neither

ADJECTIVES
Adjectives modify nouns &
pronouns
They tell WHICH ONE, WHAT KIND,
and HOW MANY
WHICH ONE: this book or that one
WHAT KIND: the red ball, the tall
kid
HOW MANY: two kids, several moments

DEMONSTRATIVE
ADJECTIVES:
this, that, these, and
those
They are also pronouns - so be
careful how you use them.
To use them as an adjective,
place them directly before a
noun:
THIS book is so good.
THOSE pencils should be put away.

VERBS
Express ACTION or a STATE
OF BEING (linking).
ACTION: cry, leap, laugh, run
STATE OF BEING: is, seems,
looks, appears

HELPING VERBS
Many people are confused about the
difference between LINKING and
HELPING verbs - and for good
reason: many of the words are the
same (is, are, can, could).
HELPING verbs help both ACTION &
LINKING verbs, while LINKING stand
alone.
HELPING: I WILL walk to my class.
LINKING: I AM a teacher.

ADVERBS
Adverbs modify verbs, adverbs, and
adjectives.
They answer the questions how, why,
when, where, to what extent, and
under what condition.
They often end in -LY (badly,
gracefully), but they do not have to.
Words like soon, there, & very are
common adverbs that do not end in
-ly.

PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions express relationships
between other words.
They are ALWAYS in a phrase (hint:
if you see one alone, its an
adverb).
In the pool, near the school, over
the roof, around the fence
COMPOUND PREPS include because of,
in addition to, instead of

CONJUNCTIONS
Conjunction, junction,
whats your function?
TO CONNECT words, phrases,
& clauses
There are two main kinds:
coordinating & correlative

COORDINATING &
CORRELATIVE
COORDINATING are the
FANBOYS:
or, and, nor, but, or yet, so

CORRELATIVE work with a

partner
either or
neither nor
not only but also

INTERJECTIONS
Words used to add feeling or
emphasis to (usually) the
beginning of a sentence. They
can be followed by a comma or a
conjunction.
Wow!
Hey!
Awww,