The Ten Parts of Speech with Clear Examples
1. A common noun is a person, place, idea, or thing. It is capitalized only at the start of a sentence. It can be a single word, a group of words, or a hyphenated word.
Examples:
The girl was learning to drive
-person (girl)
next to the ocean;
-place (ocean)
It takes self-control
-idea (self-control)
to earn a driver’s license.
-thing (license)
2. A proper noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. It is always capitalized. It may be a single word, a group of words (with or without abbreviations), or a hyphenated word.
Examples:
Josh was honored
-person (Josh)
at U.S. Memorial Auditorium
-place (U.S. Memorial Auditorium)
with the Smith-Lee Award.
-thing (Smith-Lee Award)
3. A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun(s). It can be in the subject case, acting as a “do-er” of the action in the subject case, or acting as a “receiver” of the action in the object case. Pronouns can also serve as singular or plural possessives to show ownership.
Examples:
She walked to town.
-subject case (She)
I gave her a basket.
-object case (her)
It was his wallet.
-possessive (his)
4. An adjective describes a proper noun, a common noun, or a pronoun by describing how many, what kind, or which one.
Examples:
The five teammates
-How Many? (five)
took the tiring trip
-What Kind? (tiring)
to that arena across town.
-Which One? (that)
5. A verb shows a physical or mental action or it describes a state of being.
Examples:
She works long hours,
-physical action (works)
but knows that
-mental action (knows)
there is more to life than work.
-state of being (is)
6. An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb by describing how, when, where, or what degree.
Examples:
Trey walked slowly
-How? (slowly)
because he had arrived early
-When? (early)
to the place where
-Where? (where)
he knew very well.
-What Degree? (very well)
7. A preposition is a word that has a relationship with a common noun, a proper noun, or a pronoun. The preposition is always part of a phrase comes and comes before its object. The preposition asks “What?” and the object provides the answer.
Examples:
The politician voted against the law
-(against) what?…the law
through the secret ballot.
-(through) what?…the secret ballot
8. A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses together. There are three kinds:
-Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses used in the same way.
Example:
The student tries, but does not always succeed.
-(but)
-Correlative conjunctions are paired conjunctions that connect words, phrases, or clauses used in the same way.
Example:
Either you must tell the police, or I will.
-(either, or)
-Subordinating conjunctions come at the beginning of adverb clauses. These clauses restrict the meaning of the rest of the sentence.
Example:
Although he is often late, Ryan shows up to work every day.
-(Although)
9. An article determines number or identification of a noun and always precedes a noun. The “a” article signals a singular noun beginning with a consonant. The “an” article signals a plural noun beginning with a vowel.
Examples:
A lion and an elephant are considered the “kings of the jungle.”
-(a, an, the)
10. An interjection is a word or phrase that shows surprise or emotion. It is usually followed by an exclamation point.
Example:
Hey! Stop that.
-(Hey!)
Find whole-class diagnostic grammar and mechanics assessments, enabling 4th–12th grade teachers to differentiate instruction with 72 targeted worksheets in Teaching Grammar and Mechanics. The book has a full year of 15-minute sentence lifting lessons with standards-based mechanics, spelling, and grammar skills that teach all the conventions needed for successful writing.
