Parts of speech are words or phrases categorized by grammatical function. The most common are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions. This handout contains basic definitions and examples of different parts of speech and should not replace assignment guidelines.
A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Common nouns name general people, places, things, or ideas and are not capitalized.
Proper nouns name specific people, places, things, or ideas and should be capitalized.
Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition. They usually replace nouns that directly precede them.
Relative pronouns relate clauses to the word(s) the clauses modify. That, what, and which are used with things; who, whom, and whose are used with people; and where is used with places.
Possessive pronouns show ownership. They include words such as my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, and theirs.
Indefinite pronouns take the place of nouns that have not been named at all. They refer to non-specific things. Some common indefinite pronouns include all, any, each, few, none, one, several, and something.
Verbs express action or show a state of being. There are two types of verbs: action verbs and auxiliary or helping verbs.
Action verbs show some kind of activity or state of being.
Auxiliary or helping verbs provide context and functionality, generally as part of a verb phrase. Helping verbs often indicate tense and tone.
Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns to provide description and context. Adjectives answer questions such as What kind?, How many?, Which one?, or Whose?
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to provide description and context. Adverbs answer questions such as How?, When?, Where?, and To what extent? Adverbs often use an -ly ending.
Conjunctions are words that connect other words, phrases, and clauses within a sentence.
Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so [FANBOYS]) link words, phrases, and clauses.
Correlative conjunctions are always used in pairs (both . . . and, neither . . . nor, either . . . or, not only . . . but also) and connect words, phrases, and clauses.
Subordinating conjunctions show relationships of time, reason, purpose, or condition between two clauses.
Prepositions indicate and clarify relationships within a sentence. Prepositions are used to illustrate location, time, or other relationships and are almost always followed by a noun (the object of the preposition).
