Overview

Parts of speech refer to the different functions that words or groups of words can have in sentences. This unit reviews the different parts of speech used in the English language.

Nouns name people, places, things, and ideas. Depending on what they represent, nouns fall into many different categories. These include singular or plural, possessive, concrete or abstract, proper or common, and collective nouns. Pronouns are used in place of nouns in sentences and thus function similarly to nouns. Different types of pronouns include personal and possessive, reflexive and intensive, demonstrative, interrogative and relative, and indefinite pronouns.

Verbs express actions or states of being. Action verbs can be transitive or intransitive. Linking verbs do not show action; rather, they join the subjects of sentences with words that identify or describe the subjects. Verb phrases consist of main verbs and auxiliary, or helping, verbs.

Modifiers limit the meanings of other words. Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Additional parts of speech are prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.