Parts of speech

Parts of speech

Beginner

Understanding parts of speech is important because it helps us build correct sentences, understand and learn new words faster, use grammar rules correctly and express ideas clearly.

1.Nouns

1.1Countable Nouns

A noun can be countable. A countable noun can be singular(one) or plural (two and more). We can use numbers (one, two, three etc) with countable nouns.

Singular Plural Example
a banana bananas I eat a banana every day.
I eat 2 bananas every day.
a song songs It is a nice song.
My sister sings nice songs every day.
a cup cups Can you give me a cup?
We need 5 cups for our guests.
a dog dogs It is a clever dog.
Dogs are clever animals.
a student students He is a hardworking student.
Students learn hard.

Practice Examples

Point out the countable noun

Apple – Juice → _____ .

Point out the countable noun

Car – Traffic → _____ .

Point out the countable noun

Chair – Furniture → _____ .

1.2Uncountable Nouns

A noun can be uncountable. An uncountable noun has only one form. There is no plural. We cannot use numbers (one, two, three etc) with uncountable nouns.

Uncountable Noun No Plural Example
rice rices I like rice.
I eat rice every day.
music musics I like music.
I listen to different music every day.
butter butters Butter is not very expensive in Italy.
I don't eat butter every morning.
electricity electricities All people use electricity nowadays.
Is electricity expensive?
meat meats A vegetarian is a person who doesn’t eat meat.
I buy meat every week.

Practice Examples

Point out the uncountable noun

Apple – Juice → _____ .

Point out the uncountable noun

Car – Traffic → _____ .

Point out the uncountable noun

Chair – Furniture → _____ .

1.3Proper nouns

Proper nouns are names for people, places and languages.

Proper noun Picture Example 2 picture 2
Effiel Tower effiel tower Taj Mahal taj mahal
United Kingdom united kingdom North America namerica
John john Mark mark

Practice Examples

Find all proper nouns in the sentence

John likes to speak with Anna. _____ , _____ .

Find all proper nouns in the sentence

Sarah lives in London with her cat. _____ , _____ .

Find all proper nouns in the sentence

Mike goes to school in New York. _____ , _____ .

1.4Common nouns

A common noun is a general word for something, not a specific name (for people, places, things, or ideas.)

example Picture Picture 2
table table1 table2
person john mark
water water1 water2

Practice Examples

Find all common nouns in the sentence (ignore articles)

The pretty dog likes to bark. _____ .

Find all common nouns in the sentence (ignore articles)

The big сat jumps over the fence. _____ , _____ .

Find all common nouns in the sentence (ignore articles)

My little sister plays with toys. _____ , _____ .

2.Subject Pronouns

2.1Singular subject pronouns

Singular subject pronouns replace singular nouns and act as the subject of a sentence. They are used to refer to people, things and animals, without saying their name.

Singular(one person/thing) Pronoun Explanation Example
I
(First Person)
i I like pizza.
(I replaces my name.)
You
(Second Person)
u You are my friend.
(You replaces the person's name.)
He
(Third Person Masculine)
he He plays soccer.
(He replaces John.)
She
(Third Person Feminine)
she She is beautiful!
(She replaces the beautiful lady.)
It(animal)
(Third Person Neuter)
it1 It is hungry.
(It replaces the dog.)
It(object) it2 It is very expensive.
(It replaces the table.)

Practice Examples

Find singular subject pronoun(s) in the sentence

She loves reading books in the park. _____ .

Find singular subject pronoun(s) in the sentence

My friends and I are at home. _____ .

Find singular subject pronoun(s) in the sentence

He walks to school in the morning. _____ .

2.2Plural subject pronouns

Plural subject pronouns replace plural nouns and act as the subject of a sentence. These pronouns refer to more than one person or thing.

Plural (two or more people/things) Pronoun Explanation Example
We
(First Person)
we We are happy.
(We replaces My friends and I.)
You
(Second Person)
u2 You are my friends.
(You replaces Three people.)
They
(Third Person)
they They are very nice.
(They replaces The boy and the girl.)

Practice Examples

Find plural subject pronoun(s) in the sentence

They play football every weekend. _____ .

Find plural subject pronoun(s) in the sentence

We enjoy watching movies together. _____ .

Find plural subject pronoun(s) in the sentence

We study hard every day. _____ .

3.Verbs

3.1Verbs

A verb is a word that describes an action (something you do) or a state (how someone or something is or feels.
Verbs are important in every sentence.

Action picture
run run
speak speak
eat eat
call call

Practice Examples

Find all verbs in the sentence (use the forms as given, ignore 'to')

John likes to speak with Anna. _____ , _____ .

Find all verbs in the sentence (use the forms as given, ignore 'to')

The small cat sleeps on the soft bed. _____ .

Find all verbs in the sentence (use the forms as given, ignore 'to')

Mary reads interesting books. _____ .

4.Articles

4.1Indefinite Article

The indefinite articles are "a" and "an". They are used when we talk about something general or not specific.

Article Use before Example
a consonant sounds He has a university degree. (Sounds like 'you-niversity', not a vowel sound)
I can see a dog.
She is a teacher.
He wants to buy a car.
an vowel sounds She is an honest person. (Silent "h" → Sounds like 'onest')
She wants an apple.
He is an actor.
You can see an elephant at our zoo.

We use "a" or "an" with singular countable nouns when we talk about one person or thing or when we mention the person or thing for the first time.
We use "a" or "an" to say what type of thing something is or what kind of person somebody is.

Example Comment
I can see a cat outside. one cat, first mention
She needs a pen. one pen, not a particular pen
She is a smart student. What kind of student? A smart one.
She wants to buy an electric car. What kind of car? An electric one.
I am a doctor. one of many doctors in the world

Here is a table to sum-up the basic rules about using articles

Countable Nouns Uncountable Nouns
Singular a table
the table
table
a money
the money
money
Plural a tables
the tables
tables
-

Practice Examples

Use a or an if necessary. If not - use '-'

_____ hotel

Use a or an if necessary. If not - use '-'

_____ hour

Use a or an if necessary. If not - use '-'

_____ hat

4.2Definite Article

The definite article is "the". It is used when we talk about something specific or known.
"The" is used before both singular and plural countable nouns.
"The" can be used with uncountable nouns when we talk about something specific:Both the speaker and the listener know exactly what .

Example Comment
I can see a cat outside. The cat is black. a specific cat that both the speaker and listener already know, already mentioned in the first sentence
- Can you give me your new books?
- Sure! The books are on the table. You can take them.
specific books, we both understand which exactly books we need
I love the music you make! specific music which you make, not in general

Here is a table to sum-up the basic rules about using articles

Countable Nouns Uncountable Nouns
Singular a table
the table
table
a money
the money
money
Plural a tables
the tables
tables
-

Practice Examples

Use a, an, the or -
  • Do you have _____ envelope? I want to send _____ letter.
Use a, an, the or '-'

I enjoy _____ classes you teach!

Use a, an, the or '-'

I enjoy _____ games we play!

4.3Zero Article

Zero article is actually NO ARTICLE. We often use it to talk about things or people in general.
Zero article is often used before plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns.

Example Comment
My sister loves horses. in general, all the horses in the world
People make mistakes. all the people in the world, any kind of mistakes - nothing specific
I like working with people. people in general, not a specific group of people
I’m afraid of dogs. dogs in general, not specific dogs
Do you like interesting movies? all the interesting movies in the world, in general
I like coffee. in general, as a name of a drink
Money makes the world go round! in general, not specific money or amount of money

Here is a table to sum-up the basic rules about using articles

Countable Nouns Uncountable Nouns
Singular a table
the table
table
a money
the money
money
Plural a tables
the tables
tables
-

Practice Examples

Use a, an, the or '-'

We can live without _____ stress. (general concept)

Use a, an, the or '-'

I prefer _____ tea to _____ coffee. (general preference)

Use a, an, the or '-'

I don't eat _____ sugar. (general preference)

5.Prepositions

5.1Prepositions

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. They help us understand where, when, or how something happens. They can show direction, time, place.
Here are some prepositions you need in everyday life.

Preposition Example Question
on The flowers are on the table Where? (place)
on He works on Sunday. When? (time)
before We want to be there before 12 o'clock When? (time)
at I always meet you at 6 PM. When? (time)
into Put the toy into the box. Where to? (direction / movement)
to She goes to the store every week. Where (to)? (movement / direction)
by She travels by car. How? (method)
in My sister is in the house. Where? (place)
in I start the new course in April. When? (time)

Practice Examples

Find all prepositions in the sentence

I want to come home before you leave. _____ .

Find all prepositions in the sentence

She often sits on the chair. _____ .

Find all prepositions in the sentence

The book is under the table. _____ .

6.Conjunctions

6.1Conjunctions

A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or sentences. It helps ideas flow smoothly.
Here are some conjunctions you need in everyday life.

Conjuction Example Explanation
and Mark and John are friends.
I like paper books and he likes E-books.
'and' adds more information.
but It is sunny, but it is cold. 'but' shows contrast (difference).
or You can watch a film or read a book. 'or' gives a choice.
because I am happy because it is my birthday. 'because' shows a reason.
so She works hard, so she goes to bed early. 'so' shows a result, that something follows from something.

Practice Examples

Find all conjunctions in the sentence

I drink water because I feel thirsty. _____ .

Find all conjunctions in the sentence

She wears a jacket because it is cold. _____ .

Find all conjunctions in the sentence

They study hard because they want good grades. _____ .

7.Adjectives

7.1Adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a noun.
It tells us more about the noun, like how it looks, feels, or behaves.

Example Example with a noun
big It is a big table.
strong He is a strong person.
tasty I want that tasty cake.
interesting These are interesting books.
clever My brother is a very clever person.

Practice Examples

Find all adjectives in the sentence

The big cat jumps over the fence. _____ .

Find all adjectives in the sentence

A happy dog plays in the green park. _____ , _____ .

Find all adjectives in the sentence

Jane's small brother has a red ball. _____ , _____ .

8.Adverbs

8.1Adverbs

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
It tells us how, when, where, or how often something happens.

Adverb Example
well She sings well. (How? → well)
soon We leave soon. (When? → soon)
always I always wake up early. (How often? → always)
very It is very good. (How much? → very)
very+well He speaks English very well.
(How? → well / How well? → very well)
quickly She finishes her homework quickly. (How? → quickly)
completely I can understand you completely. (How? → completely)

Practice Examples

Find all adverbs in the sentence

Hannah speaks French and English well. _____ .

Find all adverbs in the sentence

Sarah quickly finishes her homework. _____ .

Find all adverbs in the sentence

Tom carefully reads books. _____ .

Ready to Practice This Topic?

Join thousands of learners who are improving their English grammar skills every day with GrammarTrack.

Start Practicing Now