English Grammar
Grammar Parts of Speech
Definition
The parts of speech are the primary categories of words according to their
function in a sentence.
English has seven main parts of speech. We’ll look at a brief overview of each
below; continue on to their individual chapters to learn more about them.
Nouns
Nouns are words that identify or name people, places, or things. Nouns can
function as the subject of a clause or sentence, an object of a verb, or an
object of a preposition. Words like cat, book, table, girl, and plane are all
nouns.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words that represent nouns (people, places, or things).
Grammatically, pronouns are used in the same ways as nouns; they can
function as subjects or objects. Common pronouns include I, you, she, him,
it, everyone, and somebody.
Verbs
Verbs are words that describe the actions—or states of being—of people,
animals, places, or things. Verbs function as the root of what’s called the
predicate, which is required (along with a subject) to form a complete
sentence; therefore, every sentence must include at least one verb.
Verbs include action words like run, walk, write, or sing, as well as words
describing states of being, such as be, seem, feel, or sound.
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify (add description to) nouns and
(occasionally) pronouns. They can be a part of either the subject or the
predicate. Common adjectives are red, blue, fast, slow, big, tall, and wide. to the way words are used, classified, and structured
together to form coherent written or spoken communication.
This guide takes a traditional approach to teaching English grammar,
breaking the topic into three fundamental elements: Parts of Speech,
Inflection, and Syntax. Each of these is a discrete, individual part, but they
are all intrinsically linked together in meaning.
Parts of Speech
In the first part of the guide, we will look at the basic components of English
—words. The parts of speech are the categories to which different words
are assigned, based on their meaning, structure, and function in a sentence.
We’ll look in great detail at the seven main parts of speech—nouns,
pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and
conjunctions—as well as other categories of words that don’t easily fit in
with the rest, such as particles, determiners, and gerunds.
By understanding the parts of speech, we can better understand how (and
why) we structure words together to form sentences.
Inflection
Although the parts of speech provide the building blocks for English, another
very important element is inflection, the process by which words are
changed in form to create new, specific meanings.
There are two main categories of inflection: conjugation and declension.
Conjugation refers to the inflection of verbs, while declension refers to the
inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Whenever we change
a verb from the present tense to the past tense, for example, we are using
conjugation. Likewise, when we make a noun plural to show that there is
more than one of it, we are using declension.
Syntax
The third and final part of the guide will focus on syntax, the rules and
patterns that govern how we structure sentences. The grammatical
structures that constitute syntax can be thought of as a hierarchy, withsentences at the top as the largest cohesive unit in the language and words
(the parts of speech) at the bottom.
We’ll begin the third part by looking at the basic structural units present in
all sentences—subjects and predicates—and progressively move on to
larger classes of structures, discussing modifiers, phrases, and clauses.
Finally, we will end by looking at the different structures and categories of
sentences themselves.
Using the three parts together
The best way to approach this guide is to think of it as a cross-reference of
itself; when you see a term or concept in one section that you’re unfamiliar
with, check the other sections to find a more thorough explanation. Neither
parts of speech nor inflection nor syntax exist as truly separate units; it’s
equally important to examine and learn about the different kinds of words,
how they can change to create new meaning, and the guidelines by which
they are structured into sentences.
When we learn to use all three parts together, we gain a much fuller
understanding of how to make our speech and writing not only proper, butnatural and effective.
Parts of Speech
Definition
The parts of speech are the primary categories of words according to their
function in a sentence.
English has seven main parts of speech. We’ll look at a brief overview of each
below; continue on to their individual chapters to learn more about them.
Nouns
Nouns are words that identify or name people, places, or things. Nouns can
function as the subject of a clause or sentence, an object of a verb, or an
object of a preposition. Words like cat, book, table, girl, and plane are all
nouns.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words that represent nouns (people, places, or things).
Grammatically, pronouns are used in the same ways as nouns; they can
function as subjects or objects. Common pronouns include I, you, she, him,
it, everyone, and somebody.
Verbs
Verbs are words that describe the actions—or states of being—of people,
animals, places, or things. Verbs function as the root of what’s called the
predicate, which is required (along with a subject) to form a complete
sentence; therefore, every sentence must include at least one verb.
Verbs include action words like run, walk, write, or sing, as well as words
describing states of being, such as be, seem, feel, or sound.
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that modify (add description to) nouns and
(occasionally) pronouns. They can be a part of either the subject or the
predicate. Common adjectives are red, blue, fast, slow, big, tall, and wide.