Practice
Parts of speech: identify the job of each word
Sign in to saveThe word light can be a noun in Turn on the light, an adjective in a light bag, or a verb in They light a candle. Its spelling stays the same, but its job changes with the sentence.
Identify the common parts of speech and explain the job a word does in a short sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs /naʊnz, vɜːbz, ˈædʒɪktɪvz, ænd ˈædvɜːbz/
The short answer
The main parts of speech at this level are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, and interjections. Identify the word by the job it does in its sentence.
The small dog barked loudly.
Why it works: Dog is a noun, small is an adjective, barked is a verb, and loudly is an adverb.
5 more examples
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Mina put her keys on the table.
Her is a determiner before the noun keys, and on shows the relationship between the keys and the table.
Not this:Mina put
them there. What changes: Them replaces keys as a pronoun, and there names a place without a following noun. -
We stayed inside because it was raining.
Because joins two clauses and gives the reason for staying inside.
Not this:We stayed inside
during the rain. What changes: During is a preposition followed by the noun phrase the rain; it does not join two clauses. -
Those flowers smell wonderful.
Those points to the noun flowers, and wonderful describes the flowers after the linking verb smell.
Not this:The flowers
smell wonderfullyin the garden. What changes: Wonderfully would describe how someone smells, which is a different meaning from describing the flowers. -
Oh, I left my phone at home!
Oh is an interjection. It gives a short reaction before the rest of the sentence.
Not this:I
left my phoneat home. What changes: Without Oh, the sentence reports the fact but does not include the speaker's immediate reaction. -
The light bag fits under the seat.
Light is an adjective because it describes the noun bag.
Not this:Please
light the candle. What changes: Light is a verb here because it names the action the listener should do.
Read the full guide
Do not try to label a word when it stands alone. Read the sentence, find the main action or state, and then ask what the other words add. A word before a noun may describe it, while a word after a verb may tell you how the action happens.
Start with the job in the sentence
A part of speech is a job label. The same spelling can have different labels in different sentences, so look at what the word does before you name it.
We watched a play after dinner.
Play is a noun because it is the thing we watched.
The children play after dinner.
Play is a verb because it tells us what the children do.
In a quiet room, which word describes the room?
Quiet is an adjective because it describes the noun room.
Find nouns, pronouns, and determiners
A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea. A pronoun can replace a noun. A determiner comes before a noun to show which one, whose one, or how many.
The teacher gave us three worksheets.
Teacher and worksheets are nouns. Us is a pronoun, the points to teacher, and three tells us how many worksheets there are.
Their bus arrives at eight.
Their is a determiner before the noun bus. It shows whose bus it is.
Which word can replace Maria and Chen in Maria and Chen are ready?
They can replace Maria and Chen because they is a plural pronoun.
Use verbs for actions and states
A verb tells us about an action, an event, or a state. Run, write, and cook are action verbs. Be, know, and seem can describe states or conditions.
Leo writes emails every morning.
Writes is the verb because it tells us Leo's regular action.
The soup is hot.
Is is a verb. It links the subject soup to the description hot.
What is the main verb in They seem tired?
Seem is the main verb. It describes the condition of they.
Separate adjectives from adverbs
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun. An adverb often describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Ask whether the word describes a thing or describes how an action happens.
The careful driver stopped safely.
Careful is an adjective because it describes driver. Safely is an adverb because it describes stopped.
The film was very funny.
Funny describes the noun film. Very is an adverb that makes funny stronger.
In She sings beautifully, what does beautifully describe?
Beautifully describes sings, so it is an adverb.
Use prepositions to show relationships
A preposition shows a relationship of place, time, direction, or another connection. It is usually followed by a noun or pronoun: in the box, after lunch, with us, or from India.
Your coat is behind the door.
Behind is a preposition because it connects the coat with the noun phrase the door.
We walked to the station after class.
To shows direction, and after shows time. Each is followed by a noun phrase.
Which preposition fits this place relationship: The cup is ___ the shelf?
On is a natural answer when the cup rests on the top surface of the shelf.
Join ideas with conjunctions
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. And adds information, but shows a difference, and because gives a reason. Read both sides of the conjunction to understand the relationship.
I wanted to walk, but it started to rain.
But joins two clauses that have an unexpected difference.
Nora made tea because her guests were cold.
Because joins the action with the reason for it.
Choose the conjunction for addition: Sam bought bread ___ milk.
Use and because both bread and milk are added to the shopping list.
Notice short reactions
An interjection is a short word or phrase that expresses a reaction. It can stand at the beginning of a sentence and is often followed by a comma or an exclamation mark.
Wow, that puzzle was difficult!
Wow shows the speaker's reaction to the puzzle.
Oops, I sent the message to the wrong person.
Oops shows a reaction to a small mistake before the speaker explains it.
Which word is the interjection in Oh no, the bus has gone?
Oh no is the interjection because it expresses the speaker's reaction.
Before you go
Remember this
Read the whole sentence before naming a part of speech. Find the noun or pronoun, the verb, and the words that describe, connect, point to, or react to them. Then label each word by its job in that sentence.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Parts of speech: identify the job of each word"
What are the main parts of speech in English?
Common parts of speech include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, and interjections. Each label describes the job a word has in a sentence, rather than its spelling alone.
The small dog barked loudly.
How can I identify a noun and a verb?
A noun often names a person, place, thing, or idea, while a verb shows an action or state. In The small dog barked loudly, dog is the noun and barked is the verb. Look for what is named and what happens.
The dog gave a loud bark.
What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun, while an adverb often describes an action, an adjective, or another adverb. In The careful driver stopped safely, careful describes driver and safely describes stopped.
Mina put her keys on the table.
Is a word always the same part of speech?
No. A word can have a different job in a different sentence. Light is an adjective in The light bag fits under the seat, but it is a verb in Please light the candle. Use the sentence to choose the label.
Mina put them there.
What do prepositions and conjunctions do?
Prepositions show a relationship, usually before a noun phrase, as in on the table. Conjunctions join words or clauses, as in We stayed inside because it was raining. The phrase or clause after the word helps you tell them apart.
We stayed inside because it was raining.