A Quick Guide to the Parts of Speech

Most people find understanding the parts of speech to be complicated. Years ago, when I was teaching middle grades Language Arts, I devised a simple guide to the parts of speech to help students learn the basics. Here is what I taught them:

There are eight parts of speech in the English Language. Each one has a specific job. Once you understand the basic job of each one, using them will become easier. Here’s a quick guide to help you understand how they work: (If you wish more in depth information, simply click on the links)

• NOUN: NAMES A noun specifically names something. For example: dog, cat, house

• VERB: ACTS OR “IS” A verb shows action or state of being. For example: He jogs daily. She is attractive.

• ADJECTIVE: DESCRIBES Adjectives describe nouns. For example: good player, happy fellow. old house.

• ADVERB: MODIFIES An adverb is a word that modifies a verb. For example: He ran quickly. She smiled sadly.

• PRONOUN: SUBSTITUTES A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. For example: he (instead of the banker) it (instead of the dog)

• PREPOSITION: RELATES Prepositions show the relationship between two words or phrases. For example: on the floor (what is on the floor) around the block (where was it?)

• INTERJECTION: DRAMATIZES Interjections are placed at the beginning of a sentence to dramatize the thought. For example: Oh, what a pretty dress! Ouch, that hurts!

• CONJUNCTION: CONNECTS Conjunctions are used to connect two words, phrases or sentences. For example: Mary and I are going to the movies. I like apples, but I do not like pears. She likes baking pies and eating them.

See if you can identify the Parts of Speech in these sentences:

1. The old lady walked slowly down the street because she was sick.

2. They lived in a gorgeous house that was built at the turn of the century.

Answers:

First sentence:

Nouns: lady street

Verbs: walked was

Adjectives: the old sick

Adverbs: slowly

Pronouns: she

Prepositions: down

Conjunctions: because

Second Sentence:

Nouns: house century

Verbs: lived was built

Adjectives: gorgeous the a

Pronouns: They that

Prepositions: in at of

From these examples you can see that not all parts of speech are present in every sentence. Can you identify the part of speech that does not appear in either sentence?

You probably missed some answers, but if you want to improve your language skills, practice is the answer. Carry this little “cheat sheet” with you and use it whenever you have to write something. Over time your skills will improve, and you will be more confident about your writing.

Remember that I said this guide is basic. It clearly does not include all of the subtleties of the parts of speech. It is only a quick way to look at a piece of writing and understand how the pieces fit together.

You should also know that learning how to diagram sentences (an antiquated art) is very helpful. A diagram presents a visual representation of word placement in a sentence. Schools don't teach this skill anymore, but they should. If they did, there would be much less confusion regarding the proper use of the parts of speech as well as the English language in general.