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Present participle - the -ing verb, this grammar.com article is about present participle - the -ing verb — enjoy your reading.

part of speech ing words

We are studying grammar. We will be reviewing this matter tomorrow.
the player sitting next to the coach …. the song climbing to number one on the charts ….
the smoking gun the controlling issue
Winning the game became his ultimate objective. Practicing her swing each day improved her golf game.

These ‑ing verbs always show up in a powerful writing style, and we’ll return to study them further in the Grammar eBook Developing a Powerful Writing Style . Hard Copy You may download our entire discussion of the Parts of Speech. Simply download the Grammar eBook Understanding the Parts of Speech .   Previous: Finite Verb - Tense, Person, Number, Mood Next: Past Participle - The -ed Verb

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part of speech ing words

Verbs: present participle ( ing -form)

Present participle / ing -form, (use and formation of the present participle or ing -form of the verb in english), what is the present participle and how is it used (explanation).

The present participle (sometimes also called ing-participle ) or simply ing-form can be used in different ways. It is not limited to a specific word category! In general, it is often utilised as follows:

How is the present participle formed (particularities)?

Spelling differences of the present participle in american and british english.

There are slight differences between British and American English concerning the formation of the present participle ( ing-form ) and accordingly its spelling. The following needs to be considered in detail:

Further explanations relating to the ‘Present participle’

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Gerunds and -ing words in English

Gerunds, verbal nouns, present participles all ending in -ing, 1. the different types of word ending in - ing : .

part of speech ing words

Definitions

  • The gerund is a verb which is used as if it were a noun (Examples 1 & 2 below). Since it is a verb, it can not be qualified by an adjective , nor preceded by an article , but, like other forms of the verb, it can be modified by an adverb and take a complement .
  • A verbal noun (Examples 3 & 4)  is a noun formed  from a verb; some verbal nouns end in - ing . Verbal nouns, like other nouns,  can take a determiner , and be qualified by adjectives.  
  • A participle is an adjective or part of a participial phrase qualifying a noun or a pronoun.  (Examples 5 et 6). The present participle is also used in the progressive aspect of verb tenses (Examples 7 & 8).
  •    Seeing is believing.
  •    Living cheaply in New York is quite possible.
  •   The book was easy reading !
  •    He managed to make a good living.
  •     Smiling, the lady told them they'd won the big prize.
  •    I heard them arguing last night.
  •    I'm taking my brother to the station tonight
  •    The man was phoning his friend, when the lights went out.

2. The gerund in English: the verb used as a noun

  •    Reading that book was very interesting.
  •    Drinking is essential
  •    Drinking too much pop can make you fat.
  •    Taking the bus was rather a good idea.
  •    Swimming regularly is very good exercise.
  •    Taking too many aspirins is dangerous.
  •    I really like sailing .
  •    This article really needs completely rewriting.
  •    He drove two hundred miles without ever stopping.
  •    I look forward to seeing  you again next week.
  •    I'm thinking of painting my house.
  •    I started by carefully turning off the electricity
  •    Do you mind shutting the window, please ?
  •    Will you consider taking the job?
  •    I've really enjoyed meeting you.

Gerund or infinitive?

3. verbal nouns: nouns that are derived from verbs.

  •    That is a very nice painting
  •    We're going to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
  •    After a slow beginning, the show got a bit more lively.
  •    This story has a rather unexpected ending..
  •    The commission demanded the breaking up of the company into two separate units.
  •    Our last meeting was not very productive.

4. Areas of possible confusion

  • For musicians, practising  is essential.
  • For musicians,  practising an instrument is essential
  • For musicians, regular practising   is essential.
  • For musicians, regular practising an instrument is essential . NO !
  • For musicians, regular ly practising  an instrument is essential.
  • For musicians, the regular  practising of an instrument is essential.

5. Present participles

  • Looking out of. .. is an ellipsis or contraction of As I was looking out of. ..,
  • ... I saw the tornado coming is a contraction of ... I saw the tornado that was coming.
  • Looking out of the window, I saw the tornado coming . 
  • In the course of the coming week, I have three interviews to go to.
  • I saw the child standing in the middle of the road.
  • The people living next door are very friendly.      4b The living next door people are very friendly is impossible.
  • This is a seriously interesting book.
  • The winning team will go through to the finals.
  • The team winning in the first round will go through to the finals.
  • I was looking out of the window when I saw the tornado.
  •  At the moment, he's living in Bristol.
  • The company has been doing very well for the past two years.

Active and passive

  • Being seen is more important than being heard.
  • Dominic drove three hundred miles without ever being stopped.
  • They began their holiday by getting hopelessly lost .
  •  Everyone watched the building getting demolished.
  •  At the moment they 're being sold at half price.

part of speech ing words

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part of speech ing words

All “ing” Verbs (List, Examples, Grammar)

ing verbs

What are common “ing” verbs? Before we dive into the list of words (or verbs) that end in “ing,” understanding the meaning of the two words is the first necessity. What does “ing” mean? What does it denote? Why are they added to verbs?

What are verbs? And “ing” verbs? 

First, it’s crucial to understand what verbs are. To put it simply, verbs are words that show action. Any word which denotes an action is called a verb . Some examples of verbs are run , swim, sleep, talk, walk, etc. 

These words show that an object is doing something. They are either running, swimming, going for a walk, etc. They tell us about the current state or the action that the object is performing. Verbs are an essential part of many languages that exist around the world.

However, some verbs can get confusing because they also act as a noun.

Some examples include: 

  • Bat: Bat is a type of animal, but it is also an act of hitting a ball when playing a game
  • Fish : Fish are animals, and at the same time, it also refers to the activity of hunting fish (to fish). 

"ing" verbs list

What does adding the suffix “ing” mean? 

“Ing” is a popular suffix added after nouns and verbs. When added to a verb, “ing” is often used to form a present participle of the verb. It is also used to show an instance of a process or an action. Some examples of verbs ending in ing are:

  • Running, Swimming, Walking, Talking, Sleeping. 

These words now show that the object is in the process of doing an action. The most important thing to remember here is that “ing” transforms the verb into a “present participle” form.

"ing" verbs list

List of common verbs ending in “ing”

Now that we have an understanding of the two words and why they are used, let’s look at a list of verbs ending in “ing”:

Swim- Swimming 

Run- Running

Write- Writing

Drink- Drinking

Walk- Walking

Talk- Talking

Sleep- Sleeping 

Marry- Marrying

Work- Working

Rest- Resting

Hunt- Hunting

Bowl- Bowling

Play- Playing 

Sit- Sitting

Smoke-Smoking

Ride- Riding

Hop- Hopping

Dance- Dancing

Sing- Singing

Yell- Yelling

Shout- Shouting

Break- Breaking

Fall- Falling

Jump- Jumping

Leave- Leaving

Tease- Teasing

Read- Reading

Bake- Baking 

Wash- Washing

Research- Researching

Find- Finding

Eat- Eating

Beat- Beating

Hate- Hating

Like- Liking

Shop- Shopping

Enjoy- Enjoying

Cook- Cooking

Speak- Speaking

Watch- Watching

Fix- Fixing

Jog- Jogging

Flee- Fleeing

Spell- Spelling

Peel- Peeling

Fly- Flying

Type- Typing

Answer- Answering

Offer- Offering

Listen- Listening

Rub- Rubbing

Massage- Massaging

Interrupt- Interrupting

Guess- Guessing

Clean- Cleaning

Paint- Painting

Draw- Drawing

Repair- Repairing

Moan- Moaning

Mourn- Mourning

Sign- Signing

Cut- Cutting

Tear- Tearing

Wear- Wearing

Catch-Catching

Tap- Tapping

Stroke- Stroking

Meet- Meeting

Sink- Sinking

Grow- Growing

Win- Winning

Gamble- Gambling

“ing” verbs list (images)

"ing" verbs list

When added to the end of a verb, “ing” transforms the verb form into a present participle . This shows that the action is currently under process, or to put it simply, that the object is currently performing that action. 

Like “ing” shows that an action is being performed or “is in process.” It needs to be transformed into a past participle form to show that it has been completed. This is shown by using a past form of the verb. Different verbs can have different past participle forms. For instance: Swim- Swam, Walk: Walked, Run- Ran, etc. 

Verbs are an essential part of the English language. This is because they show action. When an object is performing some act, it is denoted by a verb.

Verbs are also an integral part of other languages worldwide for the same reason.

  • Collins: Definition of “Ing” 
  • Cambridge Dictionary: Verb Patterns
  • Collins: Which verbs are followed by “ing” form in English
  • Walden University: Verb Forms: “ing”

Inside this article

part of speech ing words

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part of speech ing words

About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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Understanding the Parts of Speech in English

Yes, the parts of speech in English are extensive and complex. But we’ve made it easy for you to start learning them by gathering the most basic and essential information in this easy-to-follow and comprehensive guide.

White text over orange background reads "Parts of Speech."

Parts of Speech: Quick Summary

Parts of speech assign words to different categories. There are eight different types in English. Keep in mind that a word can belong to more than one part of speech.

Learn About:

  • Parts of Speech
  • Prepositions
  • Conjunctions
  • Interjections

Using the Parts of Speech Correctly In Your Writing

Knowing the parts of speech is vital when learning a new language.

When it comes to learning a new language, there are several components you should understand to truly get a grasp of the language and speak it fluently.

It’s not enough to become an expert in just one area. For instance, you can learn and memorize all the intricate grammar rules, but if you don’t practice speaking or writing colloquially, you will find it challenging to use that language in real time.

Conversely, if you don’t spend time trying to learn the rules and technicalities of a language, you’ll also find yourself struggling to use it correctly.

Think of it this way: Language is a tasty, colorful, and nutritious salad. If you fill your bowl with nothing but lettuce, your fluency will be bland, boring, and tasteless. But if you spend time cultivating other ingredients for your salad—like style, word choice, and vocabulary— then it will become a wholesome meal you can share with others.

In this blog post, we’re going to cover one of the many ingredients you’ll need to build a nourishing salad of the English language—the parts of speech.

Let’s get choppin’!

What Are the Parts of Speech in English?

The parts of speech refer to categories to which a word belongs. In English, there are eight of them : verbs , nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Many English words fall into more than one part of speech category. Take the word light as an example. It can function as a verb, noun, or adjective.

Verb: Can you please light the candles?
Noun: The room was filled with a dim, warm light .
Adjective: She wore a light jacket in the cool weather.

The parts of speech in English are extensive. There’s a lot to cover in each category—much more than we can in this blog post. The information below is simply a brief overview of the basics of the parts of speech. Nevertheless, the concise explanations and accompanying example sentences will help you gain an understanding of how to use them correctly.

Graphic shows the eight different parts of speech and their functions.

What Are Verbs?

Verbs are the most essential parts of speech because they move the meaning of sentences along.

A verb can show actions of the body and mind ( jump and think ), occurrences ( happen or occur ), and states of being ( be and exist ). Put differently, verbs breathe life into sentences by describing actions or indicating existence. These parts of speech can also change form to express time , person , number , voice , and mood .

There are several verb categories. A few of them are:

  • Regular and irregular verbs
  • Transitive and intransitive verbs
  • Auxiliary verbs

A few examples of verbs include sing (an irregular action verb), have (which can be a main verb or auxiliary verb), be , which is a state of being verb, and would (another auxiliary verb).

My little sister loves to sing .
I have a dog and her name is Sweet Pea.
I will be there at 5 P.M.
I would like to travel the world someday.

Again, these are just the very basics of English verbs. There’s a lot more that you should learn to be well-versed in this part of speech, but the information above is a good place to start.

What Are Nouns?

Nouns refer to people ( John and child ), places ( store and Italy ), things ( firetruck and pen ), and ideas or concepts ( love and balance ). There are also many categories within nouns. For example, proper nouns name a specific person, place, thing, or idea. These types of nouns are always capitalized.

Olivia is turning five in a few days.
My dream is to visit Tokyo .
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.
Some argue that Buddhism is a way of life, not a religion.

On the other hand, common nouns are not specific to any particular entity and are used to refer to any member of a general category.

My teacher is the smartest, most caring person I know!
I love roaming around a city I’ve never been to before.
This is my favorite book , which was recommended to me by my father.
There’s nothing more important to me than love .

Nouns can be either singular or plural. Singular nouns refer to a single entity, while plural nouns refer to multiple entities.

Can you move that chair out of the way, please? (Singular)
Can you move those chairs out of the way, please? (Plural)

While many plural nouns are formed by adding an “–s” or “–es,” others have irregular plural forms, meaning they don’t follow the typical pattern.

There was one woman waiting in line.
There were several women waiting in line.

Nouns can also be countable or uncountable . Those that are countable refer to nouns that can be counted as individual units. For example, there can be one book, two books, three books, or more. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted as individual units. Take the word water as an example. You could say I drank some water, but it would be incorrect to say I drank waters. Instead, you would say something like I drank several bottles of water.

What Are Pronouns?

A pronoun is a word that can take the place of other nouns or noun phrases. Pronouns serve the purpose of referring to nouns without having to repeat the word each time. A word (or group of words) that a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent .

Jessica went to the store, and she bought some blueberries.

In the sentence above, Jessica is the antecedent, and she is the referring pronoun. Here’s the same sentence without the proper use of a pronoun:

Jessica went to the store, and Jessica bought some blueberries.

Do you see how the use of a pronoun improves the sentence by avoiding repetitiveness?

Like all the other parts of speech we have covered, pronouns also have various categories.

Personal pronouns replace specific people or things: I, me, you, he, she, him, her, it, we, us, they, them.

When I saw them at the airport, I waved my hands up in the air so they could see me .

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership : mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, whose.

I think that phone is hers .

Reflexive pronouns refer to the subject of a sentence or clause. They are used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

The iguanas sunned themselves on the roof of my car.

Intensive pronouns have the same form as reflexive pronouns and are used to emphasize or intensify the subject of a sentence.

I will take care of this situation myself .

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to specific individuals or objects but rather to a general or unspecified person, thing, or group. Some examples include someone, everybody, anything, nobody, each, something, and all.

Everybody enjoyed the party. Someone even said it was the best party they had ever attended.

Demonstrative pronouns are used to identify or point to specific pronouns: this, that, these, those.

Can you pick up those pens off the floor?

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions and seek information: who, whom, whose, which, what.

Who can help move these heavy boxes?

Relative pronouns connect a clause or a phrase to a noun or pronoun: who, whom, whose, which, that, what, whoever, whichever, whatever.

Christina, who is the hiring manager, is the person whom you should get in touch with.

Reciprocal pronouns are used to refer to individual parts of a plural antecedent. They indicate a mutual or reciprocal relationship between two or more people or things: each other or one another.

The cousins always giggle and share secrets with one another .  

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns, usually by describing, identifying, or quantifying them. They play a vital role in adding detail, precision, and imagery to English, allowing us to depict and differentiate the qualities of people, objects, places, and ideas.

The blue house sticks out compared to the other neutral-colored ones. (Describes)
That house is pretty, but I don’t like the color. (Identifies)
There were several houses I liked, but the blue one was unique. (Quantifies)

We should note that identifying or quantifying adjectives are also referred to as determiners. Additionally, articles ( a, an, the ) and numerals ( four or third ) are also used to quantify and identify adjectives.

Descriptive adjectives have other forms (known as comparative and superlative adjectives ) that allow for comparisons. For example, the comparative of the word small is smaller, while the superlative is smallest.

Proper adjectives (which are derived from proper nouns) describe specific nouns. They usually retain the same spelling or are slightly modified, but they’re always capitalized. For example, the proper noun France can be turned into the proper adjective French.

What Are Adverbs?

Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire clauses. Although many adverbs end in “–ly,” not all of them do. Also, some words that end in “–ly” are adjectives, not adverbs ( lovely ).

She dances beautifully .

In the sentence above, beautifully modifies the verb dances.

We visited an extremely tall building.

Here, the adverb extremely modifies the adjective tall.

He had to run very quickly to not miss the train.

The adverb very modifies the adverb quickly.

Interestingly , the experiment yielded unexpected results that left us baffled.

In this example, the word interestingly modifies the independent clause that comprises the rest of the sentence (which is why they’re called sentence adverbs ).

Like adjectives, adverbs can also have other forms when making comparisons. For example:

strongly, more strongly, most strongly, less strongly, least strongly

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions provide context and establish relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other words in a sentence. They indicate time, location, direction, manner, and other vital information. Prepositions can fall into several subcategories. For instance, on can indicate physical location, but it can also be used to express time.

Place the bouquet of roses on the table.
We will meet on Monday.

There are many prepositions. A few examples include: about, above, across, after, before, behind, beneath, beside, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, onto, past, regarding, since, through, toward, under, until, with, without.

Prepositions can contain more than one word, like according to and with regard to.

What Are Conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that join words, phrases, or clauses together within a sentence and provide information about the relationship between those words. There are different types of conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance: and, but, for, not, or, so, yet.

I like to sing, and she likes to dance.

Correlative conjunctions come in pairs and join balanced elements of a sentence: both…and, just as…so, not only…but also, either…or, neither…nor, whether…or.

You can either come with us and have fun, or stay at home and be bored.

Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses to independent clauses. A few examples include: after, although, even though, since, unless, until, when , and while.

They had a great time on their stroll, even though it started raining and they got soaked.

Conjunctive adverbs are adverbs that function as conjunctions, connecting independent clauses or sentences. Examples of conjunctive adverbs are also, anyway, besides, however, meanwhile, nevertheless, otherwise, similarly, and therefore .

I really wanted to go to the party. However , I was feeling sick and decided to stay in.
I really wanted to go to the party; however , I was feeling sick and decided to stay in.

What Are Interjections?

Interjections are words that express strong emotions, sudden reactions, or exclamations. This part of speech is usually a standalone word or phrase, but even when it is  part of a sentence, it does not relate grammatically to the rest of .

There are several interjections. Examples include: ahh, alas, bravo, eww, hello, please, thanks, and oops.

Ahh ! I couldn’t believe what was happening.

When it comes to improving your writing skills, understanding the parts of speech is as important as adding other ingredients besides lettuce to a salad.

The information provided above is indeed extensive, but it’s critical to learn if you want to write effectively and confidently. LanguageTool—a multilingual writing assistant—makes comprehending the parts of speech easy by detecting errors as you write.

Give it a try—it’s free!

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What Is A Gerund? Definition And Examples

  • What Is A Gerund?
  • How Do Gerunds Function?
  • Gerund Vs. Participle Phrase
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Sometimes, looks can be deceiving. Jumping to conclusions about things can land you in trouble. This is certainly the case when it comes to words we use in English. Take gerunds for example: they look a lot like verbs but they don’t act like them at all. In fact, they prefer to act like nouns.

What gives? Gerunds come from verbs, after all, so why do they refuse to act like them? Are they going through a rebellious phase? Do nouns throw better parties? It isn’t our place to judge the habits of parts of speech, but it is worth taking a closer look at gerunds to figure out the best ways to use them in sentences. (You don’t want their identity crisis to make you look like a fool who uses improper grammar!)

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What is a gerund ?

A gerund is a form of a verb that ends in -ing that is used as a noun . As you may know, a verb is a word that refers to actions or states of being, and a noun is a word that we use to refer to people, places, things, and ideas. A gerund is like a blend of verbs and nouns. It looks like a verb, but it acts like a noun. For example, the word swimming is an example of a gerund. We can use the word swimming in a sentence as a noun to refer to the act of moving around in water as in Swimming is fun . When used in sentences, gerunds are treated as third person singular nouns (like he ,  she , and  it ).

A gerund phrase is a phrase that includes the gerund, its objects, and its modifiers. Because they are derived from verbs, gerunds can take objects or be modified by adverbs . Just like noun phrases, gerund phrases are treated as nouns in sentences. In the sentence I love carefully collecting action figures , the gerund phrase carefully collecting action figures is the direct object (phrase).

To turn a verb into a gerund, all you need to do is add -ing to the base form of a verb. The base form is the form of a verb you will find if you look up a verb in our dictionary . When making a gerund, there are a few things to watch out for:

  • Unless a verb ends in -ee or -ie, we drop the final -e in a verb before adding -ing as in joking, taking , and making .
  • If a verb ends in -ee, add -ing like normal as in agreeing , fleeing , and seeing .
  • If a verb ends in -ie, replace it with – y before adding -ing as in lying (lie), tying (tie), and dying (die).

As with present participles , sometimes we double a final consonant when making a gerund. For example, the gerund of run is running. Generally speaking, these are the rules of when to double a final consonant to form a gerund:

  • If a one-syllable verb ends in consonant-vowel-consonant , double the final consonant, as in strumming , cutting , blurring , and spinning .
  • Rule 1 is ignored if the verb ends in – w or – y as in knowing or playing.
  • For longer verbs that end in consonant-vowel-consonant , we only double the final consonant if the last syllable is stressed:
  • Stressed: omitting, referring, forgetting
  • Unstressed: visiting, eliciting, fidgeting

List of gerunds

You can turn any verb you want (except a  modal verb ) into a gerund. Here is a list of gerunds formed from a variety of verbs:

  • philosophizing

Curious about types of verbs but don’t know where to start? How about this close look at action verbs?

Examples of gerunds in a sentence

Let’s take a look at some sentences that use gerunds:

  • Baking is one of my favorite hobbies.
  • She loves reading books to the children at the library.
  • When it comes to hunting deer, nobody is better than Leroy.
  • Katey much prefers playing with kittens to raising them.
  • The movie star has a very strenuous fitness routine that involves dieting , jogging , sprinting , running , and lifting weights.

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How do gerunds function?

Just like nouns and noun phrases, gerunds and gerund phrases can be used in several different ways in sentences. In general, there are four different ways that we use gerunds: as subjects , subject complements , direct objects , and objects of prepositions .

Gerunds as nouns

As stated already, gerunds look like verbs but behave like nouns. Likewise, gerund phrases behave like noun phrases . In practice, this means that gerunds and gerund phrases can be the subject of sentences/clauses or be the subject complement connected to the subject by an auxiliary verb (helping verb). Let’s look at examples of each of these ideas:

  • Gerund as a subject: Sleeping is hard if you suffer from anxiety.
  • Gerund phrase as a subject: Being rude to customers won’t earn you many tips.
  • Gerund as a subject complement: His favorite activity is reading.
  • Gerund phrase as a subject complement: The thing she hated most about school was getting up early.

Gerunds as objects

Just like nouns and noun phrases, gerunds and gerund phrases can be used as objects in sentences/clauses. They can be used as both direct objects as well as objects of prepositions:

  • Gerund as a direct object: Helena has mastered fencing.
  • Gerund phrase as a direct object: They hate mowing the lawn. 
  • Gerund as an object of a preposition: He quickly resorted to begging.
  • Gerund phrase as an object of a preposition: Holidays are perfect for visiting family.

What are Gerunds chart

Gerund vs. participle phrase

Gerunds have the exact same spelling as present participles of verbs. For example, both the gerund and present participle of go is going. However, gerunds and participles serve different functions in sentences. The biggest difference between the two is that gerunds are used as nouns while present participles are not. Instead, present participles are used to form the continuous verb tenses and are used in participle phrases . Unlike gerunds, participle phrases are used as adjectives and not nouns. For example, in the sentence Feeling confident, she sang with passion, the participle phrase feeling confident modifies the pronoun she.

Brimming with information, this review of participles will answer any questions you have on the subject.

To review, gerunds are used as nouns, while present participles are used in verb tenses and participle phrases are used as adjectives. The following sentences show how gerunds and participles/participial phrases are used differently.

  • Cooking is a useful skill to learn. ( Cooking is a gerund used as a noun.)
  • The chefs are cooking steaks. ( Cooking is a present participle used to form the present continuous tense.)
  • Chef Romero, cooking with gusto, prepared a 10-course meal. ( Cooking is used as a participle in a participle phrase that modifies the noun Chef Romero .)

If you are still a little confused, remember that gerunds are used as nouns. This means that gerunds can only do the same jobs that nouns do: act as subjects, subject complements, and objects. Gerunds don’t act as modifiers and are not used as verbs.

Let’s look at a few more sentences. Read each sentence carefully and see if you can tell if the bolded word is a gerund or a participle.

  • Snowboarding seems pretty dangerous.
  • We were surfing all day yesterday.
  • Staring blankly at his test, Craig knew he was going to fail.
  • Diana quickly grew tired of the constant complaining of the rude customers.
  • The magazine is focused on fishing and the lives of fishermen.
  • The creepy ghost was speaking gibberish.
  • Giving speeches is hard for most people.
  • The brave adventurers, knowing just what to do, rescued the lost prince.

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Are you ready to take the official gerunds quiz now? Take it here!

Answers: 1. Gerund 2. Participle, continuous verb tense 3. Participle 4. Gerund 5. Gerund 6. Participle, continuous verb tense 7. Gerund 8. Participle

Another verb form that vexes people is the split infinitive. What exactly is it?

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The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

  • Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
  • M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
  • B.A., English, State University of New York

A part of speech is a term used in traditional grammar for one of the nine main categories into which words are classified according to their functions in sentences, such as nouns or verbs. Also known as word classes, these are the building blocks of grammar.

Every sentence you write or speak in English includes words that fall into some of the nine parts of speech. These include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections. (Some sources include only eight parts of speech and leave interjections in their own category.)

Parts of Speech

  • Word types can be divided into nine parts of speech:
  • prepositions
  • conjunctions
  • articles/determiners
  • interjections
  • Some words can be considered more than one part of speech, depending on context and usage.
  • Interjections can form complete sentences on their own.

Learning the names of the parts of speech probably won't make you witty, healthy, wealthy, or wise. In fact, learning just the names of the parts of speech won't even make you a better writer. However, you will gain a basic understanding of sentence structure  and the  English language by familiarizing yourself with these labels.

Open and Closed Word Classes

The parts of speech are commonly divided into  open classes  (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) and  closed classes  (pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections). Open classes can be altered and added to as language develops, and closed classes are pretty much set in stone. For example, new nouns are created every day, but conjunctions never change.

In contemporary linguistics , parts of speech are generally referred to as word classes or syntactic categories. The main difference is that word classes are classified according to more strict linguistic criteria. Within word classes, there is the lexical, or open class, and the function, or closed class.

The 9 Parts of Speech

Read about each part of speech below, and practice identifying each.

Nouns are a person, place, thing, or idea. They can take on a myriad of roles in a sentence, from the subject of it all to the object of an action. They are capitalized when they're the official name of something or someone, and they're called proper nouns in these cases. Examples: pirate, Caribbean, ship, freedom, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Pronouns stand in for nouns in a sentence . They are more generic versions of nouns that refer only to people. Examples:​  I, you, he, she, it, ours, them, who, which, anybody, ourselves.

Verbs are action words that tell what happens in a sentence. They can also show a sentence subject's state of being ( is , was ). Verbs change form based on tense (present, past) and count distinction (singular or plural). Examples:  sing, dance, believes, seemed, finish, eat, drink, be, became.

Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They specify which one, how much, what kind, and more. Adjectives allow readers and listeners to use their senses to imagine something more clearly. Examples:  hot, lazy, funny, unique, bright, beautiful, poor, smooth.

Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs. They specify when, where, how, and why something happened and to what extent or how often. Many adjectives can be turned into adjectives by adding the suffix - ly . Examples:  softly, quickly, lazily, often, only, hopefully, sometimes.

Preposition

Prepositions  show spatial, temporal, and role relations between a noun or pronoun and the other words in a sentence. They come at the start of a prepositional phrase , which contains a preposition and its object. Examples:  up, over, against, by, for, into, close to, out of, apart from.

Conjunction

Conjunctions join words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. There are coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions. Examples:  and, but, or, so, yet.

Articles and Determiners

Articles and determiners function like adjectives by modifying nouns, but they are different than adjectives in that they are necessary for a sentence to have proper syntax. Articles and determiners specify and identify nouns, and there are indefinite and definite articles. Examples of articles:  a, an, the ; examples of determiners:  these, that, those, enough, much, few, which, what.

Some traditional grammars have treated articles  as a distinct part of speech. Modern grammars, however, more often include articles in the category of determiners , which identify or quantify a noun. Even though they modify nouns like adjectives, articles are different in that they are essential to the proper syntax of a sentence, just as determiners are necessary to convey the meaning of a sentence, while adjectives are optional.

Interjection

Interjections are expressions that can stand on their own or be contained within sentences. These words and phrases often carry strong emotions and convey reactions. Examples:  ah, whoops, ouch, yabba dabba do!

How to Determine the Part of Speech

Only interjections ( Hooray! ) have a habit of standing alone; every other part of speech must be contained within a sentence and some are even required in sentences (nouns and verbs). Other parts of speech come in many varieties and may appear just about anywhere in a sentence.

To know for sure what part of speech a word falls into, look not only at the word itself but also at its meaning, position, and use in a sentence.

For example, in the first sentence below,  work  functions as a noun; in the second sentence, a verb; and in the third sentence, an adjective:

  • Bosco showed up for  work  two hours late.
  • The noun  work  is the thing Bosco shows up for.
  • He will have to  work  until midnight.
  • The verb  work  is the action he must perform.
  • His  work  permit expires next month.
  • The  attributive noun  (or converted adjective) work  modifies the noun  permit .

Learning the names and uses of the basic parts of speech is just one way to understand how sentences are constructed.

Dissecting Basic Sentences

To form a basic complete sentence, you only need two elements: a noun (or pronoun standing in for a noun) and a verb. The noun acts as a subject, and the verb, by telling what action the subject is taking, acts as the predicate. 

In the short sentence above,  birds  is the noun and  fly  is the verb. The sentence makes sense and gets the point across.

You can have a sentence with just one word without breaking any sentence formation rules. The short sentence below is complete because it's a verb command with an understood "you" noun.

Here, the pronoun, standing in for a noun, is implied and acts as the subject. The sentence is really saying, "(You) go!"

Constructing More Complex Sentences

Use more parts of speech to add additional information about what's happening in a sentence to make it more complex. Take the first sentence from above, for example, and incorporate more information about how and why birds fly.

  • Birds fly when migrating before winter.

Birds and fly remain the noun and the verb, but now there is more description. 

When  is an adverb that modifies the verb fly.  The word before  is a little tricky because it can be either a conjunction, preposition, or adverb depending on the context. In this case, it's a preposition because it's followed by a noun. This preposition begins an adverbial phrase of time ( before winter ) that answers the question of when the birds migrate . Before is not a conjunction because it does not connect two clauses.

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  • Subjects, Verbs, and Objects
  • What Is a Rhetorical Device? Definition, List, Examples
  • What Is The Speech Act Theory: Definition and Examples
  • A List of Exclamations and Interjections in English
  • What Is Nonverbal Communication?
  • Examples and Usage of Conjunctions in English Grammar
  • Linguistic Variation
  • Definition and Examples of Interjections in English
  • Definition and Examples of Jargon
  • Understanding the Types of Verbs in English Grammar
  • Complementary vs. Complimentary: How to Choose the Right Word
  • Basic Grammar: What Is a Diphthong?
  • Subordinating Conjunctions

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Understanding the 8 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

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General Education

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If you’re trying to learn the grammatical rules of English, you’ve probably been asked to learn the parts of speech. But what are parts of speech and how many are there? How do you know which words are classified in each part of speech?

The answers to these questions can be a bit complicated—English is a difficult language to learn and understand. Don’t fret, though! We’re going to answer each of these questions for you with a full guide to the parts of speech that explains the following:

  • What the parts of speech are, including a comprehensive parts of speech list
  • Parts of speech definitions for the individual parts of speech. (If you’re looking for information on a specific part of speech, you can search for it by pressing Command + F, then typing in the part of speech you’re interested in.) 
  • Parts of speech examples
  • A ten question quiz covering parts of speech definitions and parts of speech examples

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s begin!

Feature Image: (Gavina S / Wikimedia Commons)

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What Are Parts of Speech? 

The parts of speech definitions in English can vary, but here’s a widely accepted one: a part of speech is a category of words that serve a similar grammatical purpose in sentences.  

To make that definition even simpler, a part of speech is just a category for similar types of words . All of the types of words included under a single part of speech function in similar ways when they’re used properly in sentences.

In the English language, it’s commonly accepted that there are 8 parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, and prepositions. Each of these categories plays a different role in communicating meaning in the English language. Each of the eight parts of speech—which we might also call the “main classes” of speech—also have subclasses. In other words, we can think of each of the eight parts of speech as being general categories for different types within their part of speech . There are different types of nouns, different types of verbs, different types of adjectives, adverbs, pronouns...you get the idea. 

And that’s an overview of what a part of speech is! Next, we’ll explain each of the 8 parts of speech—definitions and examples included for each category. 

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There are tons of nouns in this picture. Can you find them all? 

Nouns are a class of words that refer, generally, to people and living creatures, objects, events, ideas, states of being, places, and actions. You’ve probably heard English nouns referred to as “persons, places, or things.” That definition is a little simplistic, though—while nouns do include people, places, and things, “things” is kind of a vague term. I t’s important to recognize that “things” can include physical things—like objects or belongings—and nonphysical, abstract things—like ideas, states of existence, and actions. 

Since there are many different types of nouns, we’ll include several examples of nouns used in a sentence while we break down the subclasses of nouns next!

Subclasses of Nouns, Including Examples

As an open class of words, the category of “nouns” has a lot of subclasses. The most common and important subclasses of nouns are common nouns, proper nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, and count and mass nouns. Let’s break down each of these subclasses!

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Common nouns are generic nouns—they don’t name specific items. They refer to people (the man, the woman), living creatures (cat, bird), objects (pen, computer, car), events (party, work), ideas (culture, freedom), states of being (beauty, integrity), and places (home, neighborhood, country) in a general way. 

Proper nouns are sort of the counterpart to common nouns. Proper nouns refer to specific people, places, events, or ideas. Names are the most obvious example of proper nouns, like in these two examples: 

Common noun: What state are you from?

Proper noun: I’m from Arizona .

Whereas “state” is a common noun, Arizona is a proper noun since it refers to a specific state. Whereas “the election” is a common noun, “Election Day” is a proper noun. Another way to pick out proper nouns: the first letter is often capitalized. If you’d capitalize the word in a sentence, it’s almost always a proper noun. 

Concrete Nouns and Abstract Nouns

Concrete nouns are nouns that can be identified through the five senses. Concrete nouns include people, living creatures, objects, and places, since these things can be sensed in the physical world. In contrast to concrete nouns, abstract nouns are nouns that identify ideas, qualities, concepts, experiences, or states of being. Abstract nouns cannot be detected by the five senses. Here’s an example of concrete and abstract nouns used in a sentence: 

Concrete noun: Could you please fix the weedeater and mow the lawn ?

Abstract noun: Aliyah was delighted to have the freedom to enjoy the art show in peace .

See the difference? A weedeater and the lawn are physical objects or things, and freedom and peace are not physical objects, though they’re “things” people experience! Despite those differences, they all count as nouns. 

Collective Nouns, Count Nouns, and Mass Nouns

Nouns are often categorized based on number and amount. Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group of something—often groups of people or a type of animal. Team , crowd , and herd are all examples of collective nouns. 

Count nouns are nouns that can appear in the singular or plural form, can be modified by numbers, and can be described by quantifying determiners (e.g. many, most, more, several). For example, “bug” is a count noun. It can occur in singular form if you say, “There is a bug in the kitchen,” but it can also occur in the plural form if you say, “There are many bugs in the kitchen.” (In the case of the latter, you’d call an exterminator...which is an example of a common noun!) Any noun that can accurately occur in one of these singular or plural forms is a count noun. 

Mass nouns are another type of noun that involve numbers and amount. Mass nouns are nouns that usually can’t be pluralized, counted, or quantified and still make sense grammatically. “Charisma” is an example of a mass noun (and an abstract noun!). For example, you could say, “They’ve got charisma, ” which doesn’t imply a specific amount. You couldn’t say, “They’ve got six charismas, ” or, “They’ve got several charismas .” It just doesn’t make sense! 

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Verbs are all about action...just like these runners. 

A verb is a part of speech that, when used in a sentence, communicates an action, an occurrence, or a state of being . In sentences, verbs are the most important part of the predicate, which explains or describes what the subject of the sentence is doing or how they are being. And, guess what? All sentences contain verbs!

There are many words in the English language that are classified as verbs. A few common verbs include the words run, sing, cook, talk, and clean. These words are all verbs because they communicate an action performed by a living being. We’ll look at more specific examples of verbs as we discuss the subclasses of verbs next!

Subclasses of Verbs, Including Examples

Like nouns, verbs have several subclasses. The subclasses of verbs include copular or linking verbs, intransitive verbs, transitive verbs, and ditransitive or double transitive verbs. Let’s dive into these subclasses of verbs!

Copular or Linking Verbs

Copular verbs, or linking verbs, are verbs that link a subject with its complement in a sentence. The most familiar linking verb is probably be. Here’s a list of other common copular verbs in English: act, be, become, feel, grow, seem, smell, and taste. 

So how do copular verbs work? Well, in a sentence, if we said, “Michi is ,” and left it at that, it wouldn’t make any sense. “Michi,” the subject, needs to be connected to a complement by the copular verb “is.” Instead, we could say, “Michi is leaving.” In that instance, is links the subject of the sentence to its complement. 

Transitive Verbs, Intransitive Verbs, and Ditransitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are verbs that affect or act upon an object. When unattached to an object in a sentence, a transitive verb does not make sense. Here’s an example of a transitive verb attached to (and appearing before) an object in a sentence: 

Please take the clothes to the dry cleaners.

In this example, “take” is a transitive verb because it requires an object—”the clothes”—to make sense. “The clothes” are the objects being taken. “Please take” wouldn’t make sense by itself, would it? That’s because the transitive verb “take,” like all transitive verbs, transfers its action onto another being or object. 

Conversely, intransitive verbs don’t require an object to act upon in order to make sense in a sentence. These verbs make sense all on their own! For instance, “They ran ,” “We arrived ,” and, “The car stopped ” are all examples of sentences that contain intransitive verbs. 

Finally, ditransitive verbs, or double transitive verbs, are a bit more complicated. Ditransitive verbs are verbs that are followed by two objects in a sentence . One of the objects has the action of the ditransitive verb done to it, and the other object has the action of the ditransitive verb directed towards it. Here’s an example of what that means in a sentence: 

I cooked Nathan a meal.

In this example, “cooked” is a ditransitive verb because it modifies two objects: Nathan and meal . The meal has the action of “cooked” done to it, and “Nathan” has the action of the verb directed towards him. 

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Adjectives are descriptors that help us better understand a sentence. A common adjective type is color.

#3: Adjectives

Here’s the simplest definition of adjectives: adjectives are words that describe other words . Specifically, adjectives modify nouns and noun phrases. In sentences, adjectives appear before nouns and pronouns (they have to appear before the words they describe!). 

Adjectives give more detail to nouns and pronouns by describing how a noun looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels, or its state of being or existence. . For example, you could say, “The girl rode her bike.” That sentence doesn’t have any adjectives in it, but you could add an adjective before both of the nouns in the sentence—”girl” and “bike”—to give more detail to the sentence. It might read like this: “The young girl rode her red bike.”   You can pick out adjectives in a sentence by asking the following questions: 

  • Which one? 
  • What kind? 
  • How many? 
  • Whose’s? 

We’ll look at more examples of adjectives as we explore the subclasses of adjectives next!

Subclasses of Adjectives, Including Examples

Subclasses of adjectives include adjective phrases, comparative adjectives, superlative adjectives, and determiners (which include articles, possessive adjectives, and demonstratives). 

Adjective Phrases

An adjective phrase is a group of words that describe a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. Adjective phrases can appear before the noun or noun phrase in a sentence, like in this example: 

The extremely fragile vase somehow did not break during the move.

In this case, extremely fragile describes the vase. On the other hand, adjective phrases can appear after the noun or noun phrase in a sentence as well: 

The museum was somewhat boring. 

Again, the phrase somewhat boring describes the museum. The takeaway is this: adjective phrases describe the subject of a sentence with greater detail than an individual adjective. 

Comparative Adjectives and Superlative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used in sentences where two nouns are compared. They function to compare the differences between the two nouns that they modify. In sentences, comparative adjectives often appear in this pattern and typically end with -er. If we were to describe how comparative adjectives function as a formula, it might look something like this: 

Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).

Here’s an example of how a comparative adjective would work in that type of sentence: 

The horse was faster than the dog.

The adjective faster compares the speed of the horse to the speed of the dog. Other common comparative adjectives include words that compare distance ( higher, lower, farther ), age ( younger, older ), size and dimensions ( bigger, smaller, wider, taller, shorter ), and quality or feeling ( better, cleaner, happier, angrier ). 

Superlative adjectives are adjectives that describe the extremes of a quality that applies to a subject being compared to a group of objects . Put more simply, superlative adjectives help show how extreme something is. In sentences, superlative adjectives usually appear in this structure and end in -est : 

Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object).

Here’s an example of a superlative adjective that appears in that type of sentence: 

Their story was the funniest story. 

In this example, the subject— story —is being compared to a group of objects—other stories. The superlative adjective “funniest” implies that this particular story is the funniest out of all the stories ever, period. Other common superlative adjectives are best, worst, craziest, and happiest... though there are many more than that! 

It’s also important to know that you can often omit the object from the end of the sentence when using superlative adjectives, like this: “Their story was the funniest.” We still know that “their story” is being compared to other stories without the object at the end of the sentence.

Determiners

The last subclass of adjectives we want to look at are determiners. Determiners are words that determine what kind of reference a noun or noun phrase makes. These words are placed in front of nouns to make it clear what the noun is referring to. Determiners are an example of a part of speech subclass that contains a lot of subclasses of its own. Here is a list of the different types of determiners: 

  • Definite article: the
  • Indefinite articles : a, an 
  • Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
  • Pronouns and possessive determiners: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
  • Quantifiers : a little, a few, many, much, most, some, any, enough
  • Numbers: one, twenty, fifty
  • Distributives: all, both, half, either, neither, each, every
  • Difference words : other, another
  • Pre-determiners: such, what, rather, quite

Here are some examples of how determiners can be used in sentences: 

Definite article: Get in the car.  

Demonstrative: Could you hand me that magazine?  

Possessive determiner: Please put away your clothes. 

Distributive: He ate all of the pie. 

Though some of the words above might not seem descriptive, they actually do describe the specificity and definiteness, relationship, and quantity or amount of a noun or noun phrase. For example, the definite article “the” (a type of determiner) indicates that a noun refers to a specific thing or entity. The indefinite article “an,” on the other hand, indicates that a noun refers to a nonspecific entity. 

One quick note, since English is always more complicated than it seems: while articles are most commonly classified as adjectives, they can also function as adverbs in specific situations, too. Not only that, some people are taught that determiners are their own part of speech...which means that some people are taught there are 9 parts of speech instead of 8! 

It can be a little confusing, which is why we have a whole article explaining how articles function as a part of speech to help clear things up . 

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Adverbs can be used to answer questions like "when?" and "how long?"

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives (including determiners), clauses, prepositions, and sentences. Adverbs typically answer the questions how?, in what way?, when?, where?, and to what extent? In answering these questions, adverbs function to express frequency, degree, manner, time, place, and level of certainty . Adverbs can answer these questions in the form of single words, or in the form of adverbial phrases or adverbial clauses. 

Adverbs are commonly known for being words that end in -ly, but there’s actually a bit more to adverbs than that, which we’ll dive into while we look at the subclasses of adverbs!

Subclasses Of Adverbs, Including Examples

There are many types of adverbs, but the main subclasses we’ll look at are conjunctive adverbs, and adverbs of place, time, manner, degree, and frequency. 

Conjunctive Adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs look like coordinating conjunctions (which we’ll talk about later!), but they are actually their own category: conjunctive adverbs are words that connect independent clauses into a single sentence . These adverbs appear after a semicolon and before a comma in sentences, like in these two examples: 

She was exhausted; nevertheless , she went for a five mile run. 

They didn’t call; instead , they texted.  

Though conjunctive adverbs are frequently used to create shorter sentences using a semicolon and comma, they can also appear at the beginning of sentences, like this: 

He chopped the vegetables. Meanwhile, I boiled the pasta.  

One thing to keep in mind is that conjunctive adverbs come with a comma. When you use them, be sure to include a comma afterward! 

There are a lot of conjunctive adverbs, but some common ones include also, anyway, besides, finally, further, however, indeed, instead, meanwhile, nevertheless, next, nonetheless, now, otherwise, similarly, then, therefore, and thus.  

Adverbs of Place, Time, Manner, Degree, and Frequency

There are also adverbs of place, time, manner, degree, and frequency. Each of these types of adverbs express a different kind of meaning. 

Adverbs of place express where an action is done or where an event occurs. These are used after the verb, direct object, or at the end of a sentence. A sentence like “She walked outside to watch the sunset” uses outside as an adverb of place. 

Adverbs of time explain when something happens. These adverbs are used at the beginning or at the end of sentences. In a sentence like “The game should be over soon,” soon functions as an adverb of time. 

Adverbs of manner describe the way in which something is done or how something happens. These are the adverbs that usually end in the familiar -ly.  If we were to write “She quickly finished her homework,” quickly is an adverb of manner. 

Adverbs of degree tell us the extent to which something happens or occurs. If we were to say “The play was quite interesting,” quite tells us the extent of how interesting the play was. Thus, quite is an adverb of degree.  

Finally, adverbs of frequency express how often something happens . In a sentence like “They never know what to do with themselves,” never is an adverb of frequency. 

Five subclasses of adverbs is a lot, so we’ve organized the words that fall under each category in a nifty table for you here: 

     

It’s important to know about these subclasses of adverbs because many of them don’t follow the old adage that adverbs end in -ly. 

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Here's a helpful list of pronouns. (Attanata / Flickr )

#5: Pronouns

Pronouns are words that can be substituted for a noun or noun phrase in a sentence . Pronouns function to make sentences less clunky by allowing people to avoid repeating nouns over and over. For example, if you were telling someone a story about your friend Destiny, you wouldn’t keep repeating their name over and over again every time you referred to them. Instead, you’d use a pronoun—like they or them—to refer to Destiny throughout the story. 

Pronouns are typically short words, often only two or three letters long. The most familiar pronouns in the English language are they, she, and he. But these aren’t the only pronouns. There are many more pronouns in English that fall under different subclasses!

Subclasses of Pronouns, Including Examples

There are many subclasses of pronouns, but the most commonly used subclasses are personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and interrogative pronouns. 

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are probably the most familiar type of pronoun. Personal pronouns include I, me, you, she, her, him, he, we, us, they, and them. These are called personal pronouns because they refer to a person! Personal pronouns can replace specific nouns in sentences, like a person’s name, or refer to specific groups of people, like in these examples: 

Did you see Gia pole vault at the track meet? Her form was incredible!

The Cycling Club is meeting up at six. They said they would be at the park. 

In both of the examples above, a pronoun stands in for a proper noun to avoid repetitiveness. Her replaces Gia in the first example, and they replaces the Cycling Club in the second example. 

(It’s also worth noting that personal pronouns are one of the easiest ways to determine what point of view a writer is using.) 

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to indicate that something belongs to or is the possession of someone. The possessive pronouns fall into two categories: limiting and absolute. In a sentence, absolute possessive pronouns can be substituted for the thing that belongs to a person, and limiting pronouns cannot. 

The limiting pronouns are my, your, its, his, her, our, their, and whose, and the absolute pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs . Here are examples of a limiting possessive pronoun and absolute possessive pronoun used in a sentence: 

Limiting possessive pronoun: Juan is fixing his car. 

In the example above, the car belongs to Juan, and his is the limiting possessive pronoun that shows the car belongs to Juan. Now, here’s an example of an absolute pronoun in a sentence: 

Absolute possessive pronoun: Did you buy your tickets ? We already bought ours . 

In this example, the tickets belong to whoever we is, and in the second sentence, ours is the absolute possessive pronoun standing in for the thing that “we” possess—the tickets. 

Demonstrative Pronouns, Interrogative Pronouns, and Indefinite Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns include the words that, this, these, and those. These pronouns stand in for a noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned in a sentence or conversation. This and these are typically used to refer to objects or entities that are nearby distance-wise, and that and those usually refer to objects or entities that are farther away. Here’s an example of a demonstrative pronoun used in a sentence: 

The books are stacked up in the garage. Can you put those away? 

The books have already been mentioned, and those is the demonstrative pronoun that stands in to refer to them in the second sentence above. The use of those indicates that the books aren’t nearby—they’re out in the garage. Here’s another example: 

Do you need shoes? Here...you can borrow these. 

In this sentence, these refers to the noun shoes. Using the word these tells readers that the shoes are nearby...maybe even on the speaker’s feet! 

Indefinite pronouns are used when it isn’t necessary to identify a specific person or thing . The indefinite pronouns are one, other, none, some, anybody, everybody, and no one. Here’s one example of an indefinite pronoun used in a sentence: 

Promise you can keep a secret? 

Of course. I won’t tell anyone. 

In this example, the person speaking in the second two sentences isn’t referring to any particular people who they won’t tell the secret to. They’re saying that, in general, they won’t tell anyone . That doesn’t specify a specific number, type, or category of people who they won’t tell the secret to, which is what makes the pronoun indefinite. 

Finally, interrogative pronouns are used in questions, and these pronouns include who, what, which, and whose. These pronouns are simply used to gather information about specific nouns—persons, places, and ideas. Let’s look at two examples of interrogative pronouns used in sentences: 

Do you remember which glass was mine? 

What time are they arriving? 

In the first glass, the speaker wants to know more about which glass belongs to whom. In the second sentence, the speaker is asking for more clarity about a specific time. 

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Conjunctions hook phrases and clauses together so they fit like pieces of a puzzle.

#6: Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that are used to connect words, phrases, clauses, and sentences in the English language. This function allows conjunctions to connect actions, ideas, and thoughts as well. Conjunctions are also used to make lists within sentences. (Conjunctions are also probably the most famous part of speech, since they were immortalized in the famous “Conjunction Junction” song from Schoolhouse Rock .) 

You’re probably familiar with and, but, and or as conjunctions, but let’s look into some subclasses of conjunctions so you can learn about the array of conjunctions that are out there!

Subclasses of Conjunctions, Including Examples

Coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and correlative conjunctions are three subclasses of conjunctions. Each of these types of conjunctions functions in a different way in sentences!

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are probably the most familiar type of conjunction. These conjunctions include the words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (people often recommend using the acronym FANBOYS to remember the seven coordinating conjunctions!). 

Coordinating conjunctions are responsible for connecting two independent clauses in sentences, but can also be used to connect two words in a sentence. Here are two examples of coordinating conjunctions that connect two independent clauses in a sentence: 

He wanted to go to the movies, but he couldn’t find his car keys. 

They put on sunscreen, and they went to the beach. 

Next, here are two examples of coordinating conjunctions that connect two words: 

Would you like to cook or order in for dinner? 

The storm was loud yet refreshing. 

The two examples above show that coordinating conjunctions can connect different types of words as well. In the first example, the coordinating conjunction “or” connects two verbs; in the second example, the coordinating conjunction “yet” connects two adjectives. 

But wait! Why does the first set of sentences have commas while the second set of sentences doesn’t? When using a coordinating conjunction, put a comma before the conjunction when it’s connecting two complete sentences . Otherwise, there’s no comma necessary. 

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions are used to link an independent clause to a dependent clause in a sentence. This type of conjunction always appears at the beginning of a dependent clause, which means that subordinating conjunctions can appear at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence following an independent clause. (If you’re unsure about what independent and dependent clauses are, be sure to check out our guide to compound sentences.) 

Here is an example of a subordinating conjunction that appears at the beginning of a sentence: 

Because we were hungry, we ordered way too much food. 

Now, here’s an example of a subordinating conjunction that appears in the middle of a sentence, following an independent clause and a comma: 

Rakim was scared after the power went out. 

See? In the example above, the subordinating conjunction after connects the independent clause Rakim was scared to the dependent clause after the power went out. Subordinating conjunctions include (but are not limited to!) the following words: after, as, because, before, even though, one, since, unless, until, whenever, and while. 

Correlative Conjunctions

Finally, correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that come in pairs, like both/and, either/or, and neither/nor. The two correlative conjunctions that come in a pair must appear in different parts of a sentence to make sense— they correlate the meaning in one part of the sentence with the meaning in another part of the sentence . Makes sense, right? 

Here are two examples of correlative conjunctions used in a sentence: 

We’re either going to the Farmer’s Market or the Natural Grocer’s for our shopping today. 

They’re going to have to get dog treats for both Piper and Fudge. 

Other pairs of correlative conjunctions include as many/as, not/but, not only/but also, rather/than, such/that, and whether/or. 

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Interjections are single words that express emotions that end in an exclamation point. Cool!

#7: Interjections 

Interjections are words that often appear at the beginning of sentences or between sentences to express emotions or sentiments such as excitement, surprise, joy, disgust, anger, or even pain. Commonly used interjections include wow!, yikes!, ouch!, or ugh! One clue that an interjection is being used is when an exclamation point appears after a single word (but interjections don’t have to be followed by an exclamation point). And, since interjections usually express emotion or feeling, they’re often referred to as being exclamatory. Wow! 

Interjections don’t come together with other parts of speech to form bigger grammatical units, like phrases or clauses. There also aren’t strict rules about where interjections should appear in relation to other sentences . While it’s common for interjections to appear before sentences that describe an action or event that the interjection helps explain, interjections can appear after sentences that contain the action they’re describing as well. 

Subclasses of Interjections, Including Examples

There are two main subclasses of interjections: primary interjections and secondary interjections. Let’s take a look at these two types of interjections!

Primary Interjections  

Primary interjections are single words, like oh!, wow!, or ouch! that don’t enter into the actual structure of a sentence but add to the meaning of a sentence. Here’s an example of how a primary interjection can be used before a sentence to add to the meaning of the sentence that follows it: 

Ouch ! I just burned myself on that pan!

While someone who hears, I just burned myself on that pan might assume that the person who said that is now in pain, the interjection Ouch! makes it clear that burning oneself on the pan definitely was painful. 

Secondary Interjections

Secondary interjections are words that have other meanings but have evolved to be used like interjections in the English language and are often exclamatory. Secondary interjections can be mixed with greetings, oaths, or swear words. In many cases, the use of secondary interjections negates the original meaning of the word that is being used as an interjection. Let’s look at a couple of examples of secondary interjections here: 

Well , look what the cat dragged in!

Heck, I’d help if I could, but I’ve got to get to work. 

You probably know that the words well and heck weren’t originally used as interjections in the English language. Well originally meant that something was done in a good or satisfactory way, or that a person was in good health. Over time and through repeated usage, it’s come to be used as a way to express emotion, such as surprise, anger, relief, or resignation, like in the example above. 

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This is a handy list of common prepositional phrases. (attanatta / Flickr) 

#8: Prepositions

The last part of speech we’re going to define is the preposition. Prepositions are words that are used to connect other words in a sentence—typically nouns and verbs—and show the relationship between those words. Prepositions convey concepts such as comparison, position, place, direction, movement, time, possession, and how an action is completed. 

Subclasses of Prepositions, Including Examples

The subclasses of prepositions are simple prepositions, double prepositions, participle prepositions, and prepositional phrases. 

Simple Prepositions

Simple prepositions appear before and between nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences to convey relationships between people, living creatures, things, or places . Here are a couple of examples of simple prepositions used in sentences: 

I’ll order more ink before we run out. 

Your phone was beside your wallet. 

In the first example, the preposition before appears between the noun ink and the personal pronoun we to convey a relationship. In the second example, the preposition beside appears between the verb was and the possessive pronoun your.

In both examples, though, the prepositions help us understand how elements in the sentence are related to one another. In the first sentence, we know that the speaker currently has ink but needs more before it’s gone. In the second sentence, the preposition beside helps us understand how the wallet and the phone are positioned relative to one another! 

Double Prepositions

Double prepositions are exactly what they sound like: two prepositions joined together into one unit to connect phrases, nouns, and pronouns with other words in a sentence. Common examples of double prepositions include outside of, because of, according to, next to, across from, and on top of. Here is an example of a double preposition in a sentence: 

I thought you were sitting across from me. 

You see? Across and from both function as prepositions individually. When combined together in a sentence, they create a double preposition. (Also note that the prepositions help us understand how two people— you and I— are positioned with one another through spacial relationship.)  

Prepositional Phrases

Finally, prepositional phrases are groups of words that include a preposition and a noun or pronoun. Typically, the noun or pronoun that appears after the preposition in a prepositional phrase is called the object of the preposition. The object always appears at the end of the prepositional phrase. Additionally, prepositional phrases never include a verb or a subject. Here are two examples of prepositional phrases: 

The cat sat under the chair . 

In the example above, “under” is the preposition, and “the chair” is the noun, which functions as the object of the preposition. Here’s one more example: 

We walked through the overgrown field . 

Now, this example demonstrates one more thing you need to know about prepositional phrases: they can include an adjective before the object. In this example, “through” is the preposition, and “field” is the object. “Overgrown” is an adjective that modifies “the field,” and it’s quite common for adjectives to appear in prepositional phrases like the one above. 

While that might sound confusing, don’t worry: the key is identifying the preposition in the first place! Once you can find the preposition, you can start looking at the words around it to see if it forms a compound preposition, a double preposition of a prepositional phrase. 

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10 Question Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Parts of Speech Definitions and Examples

Since we’ve covered a lot of material about the 8 parts of speech with examples ( a lot of them!), we want to give you an opportunity to review and see what you’ve learned! While it might seem easier to just use a parts of speech finder instead of learning all this stuff, our parts of speech quiz can help you continue building your knowledge of the 8 parts of speech and master each one. 

Are you ready? Here we go:  

1) What are the 8 parts of speech? 

a) Noun, article, adverb, antecedent, verb, adjective, conjunction, interjection b) Noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, determiner, clause, adjective, preposition c) Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, conjunction, interjection, preposition

2) Which parts of speech have subclasses?

a) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs b) Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions c) All of them! There are many types of words within each part of speech.

3) What is the difference between common nouns and proper nouns?

a) Common nouns don’t refer to specific people, places, or entities, but proper nouns do refer to specific people, places, or entities.  b) Common nouns refer to regular, everyday people, places, or entities, but proper nouns refer to famous people, places, or entities.  c) Common nouns refer to physical entities, like people, places, and objects, but proper nouns refer to nonphysical entities, like feelings, ideas, and experiences.

4) In which of the following sentences is the emboldened word a verb?

a) He was frightened by the horror film .   b) He adjusted his expectations after the first plan fell through.  c) She walked briskly to get there on time.

5) Which of the following is a correct definition of adjectives, and what other part of speech do adjectives modify?

a) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify nouns and noun phrases.  b) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify verbs and adverbs.  c) Adjectives are describing words, and they modify nouns, verbs, and adverbs.

6) Which of the following describes the function of adverbs in sentences?

a) Adverbs express frequency, degree, manner, time, place, and level of certainty. b) Adverbs express an action performed by a subject.  c) Adverbs describe nouns and noun phrases.

7) Which of the following answers contains a list of personal pronouns?

a) This, that, these, those b) I, you, me, we, he, she, him, her, they, them c) Who, what, which, whose

8) Where do interjections typically appear in a sentence?

a) Interjections can appear at the beginning of or in between sentences. b) Interjections appear at the end of sentences.  c) Interjections appear in prepositional phrases.

9) Which of the following sentences contains a prepositional phrase?

a) The dog happily wagged his tail.  b) The cow jumped over the moon.  c) She glared, angry that he forgot the flowers.

10) Which of the following is an accurate definition of a “part of speech”?

a) A category of words that serve a similar grammatical purpose in sentences. b) A category of words that are of similar length and spelling. c) A category of words that mean the same thing.

So, how did you do? If you got 1C, 2C, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6A, 7B, 8A, 9B, and 10A, you came out on top! There’s a lot to remember where the parts of speech are concerned, and if you’re looking for more practice like our quiz, try looking around for parts of speech games or parts of speech worksheets online!

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What’s Next?

You might be brushing up on your grammar so you can ace the verbal portions of the SAT or ACT. Be sure you check out our guides to the grammar you need to know before you tackle those tests! Here’s our expert guide to the grammar rules you need to know for the SAT , and this article teaches you the 14 grammar rules you’ll definitely see on the ACT.

When you have a good handle on parts of speech, it can make writing essays tons easier. Learn how knowing parts of speech can help you get a perfect 12 on the ACT Essay (or an 8/8/8 on the SAT Essay ).

While we’re on the topic of grammar: keep in mind that knowing grammar rules is only part of the battle when it comes to the verbal and written portions of the SAT and ACT. Having a good vocabulary is also important to making the perfect score ! Here are 262 vocabulary words you need to know before you tackle your standardized tests.

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Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Parts of Speech in English

Parts of speech are categories of words that perform similar grammatical roles in phrase and sentence structures. You might wonder what the different parts of speech are and how to identify them. This reference explains parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, determiners, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections, with examples.

You’ll also learn about open and closed word classes, how to determine a part of speech in a sentence, and their roles in simple and complex sentence constructions. This guide includes a useful picture, a video, and a quiz on parts of speech to help solidify your understanding.

Parts of Speech

Parts of Speech

What Are Parts Of Speech?

Parts of speech are word categories defined by their roles in sentence structures. These categories are organized by the functions and meanings they convey. In English, there are around ten common parts of speech:  nouns ,  verbs ,  adjectives ,  adverbs ,  pronouns ,  prepositions ,  conjunctions ,  interjections ,  determiners , and  articles .

Open and Closed Word Classes

Closed word classes  are parts of speech that do not have newer words introduced over time. These include pronouns, conjunctions, determiners, and prepositions.

Open word classes  are parts of speech that can have newer words introduced over time. These include nouns, verbs, adjectives, interjections, and adverbs.

Different Parts of Speech (with Examples)

The noun (n.).

A  noun  gives a name to something. There are different types of nouns like proper, collective, possessive, and common nouns.

Jeffrey, Korea, pen, New Year, dog, cat, elephant, garden, school, work, music, town, Manila, teacher, farmer, Bob, Sean, Michael, police officer, France, coffee, football, danger, happiness…

Example sentences:

  • The  teacher  told the  children  to stop chattering in class.
  • John  is good at  French  but weak at  History .

Common Noun :  Names a general item.

  • Here is a  cup .
  • Do you want a  cake ?

Proper Noun:  Names a specific item.

  • The capital of  England  is  London .
  • Sarah  is beautiful.

Collective Noun:  Refers to a group.

  • The  swarm  of bees was headed straight towards our picnic.
  • At church on Sunday, the  choir  sings loudly.

Possessive Noun:  Shows ownership.

  • This is my  dog’s  ball.
  • That is  Sarah’s  friend.

The Verb (v.)

A  verb  describes an action. There are three main types: action, linking, and modal verbs.

Walk, is, seem, realize, run, see, swim, stand, go, have, get, promise, invite, listen, sing, sit, laugh, walk…

  • Don’t  try  to  run  before you can  walk .
  • Did you  kiss  anybody?
  • Leave  me alone!

Action Verb :  Describes an action.

  • The man  walked  down the street.
  • I  laughed  at his joke.
  • She  ran  to catch the bus before it left.
  • The chef  chopped  the vegetables into small pieces for the salad.

Linking Verb:  Connects the subject to a noun, adjective, or pronoun.

  • Sarah  feels  cold.
  • I  am  very tired.
  • The flowers in the garden  are  blooming beautifully in the spring.
  • The soup  smells  delicious and makes my mouth water.

Modal Verb:  Helps the main verb and shows the speaker’s thoughts.

  • I  might  walk to the park this afternoon.
  • He  can  eat the last slice of cake.
  • You  must  listen to me!

The Pronoun (pron.)

A  pronoun  replaces a noun. There are various types of pronouns like reflexive, indefinite, possessive, and relative pronouns.

I, me, we, you, he, she, yours, himself, its, my, that, this, those, us, who, whom

  • Richard isn’t at work this week;  he ‘s gone on holiday.
  • Don’t tell  her  the truth.
  • She tried it  herself .
  • You can’t blame  him  for  everything .
  • The woman  who  called yesterday wants to buy the house.

Reflexive Pronoun:  Refers to self.

  • I am going to keep this last cupcake for  myself .
  • Peter always puts  himself  first.

Indefinite Pronoun:  Refers to a non-specific person or item.

  • Can you take  all ?
  • I need to speak to  someone  about this rash on my arm.

Possessive Pronoun:  Shows ownership.

  • This bag is not  yours , it’s  mine .
  • Her book is so new, while  his  looks vintage.

Relative Pronoun:  Introduces an adjective clause.

  • This is the woman  who  will be working with you.
  • Is this the book  that  everyone is raving about?

The Adjective (adj.)

An  adjective  describes a noun or pronoun.

Beautiful, seven, cute, second, tall, blue, angry, brave, careful, healthy, little, old, generous, red, smart, two, small, tall, some, good, big, useful, interesting…

  • This is a  blue  car.
  • The  small  squirrel ran up the tree.
  • During the thunderstorm, we saw some  heavy  rain.
  • My mother has  short  hair.
  • The documentary on TV last night was very  interesting .
  • My son has an  impressive  collection of toy soldiers.
  • The weather is  hot  and  sunny  today.
  • My vacation was  exciting .
  • The leaves on that tree are  green  and  large .

The Adverb (adv.)

An  adverb  modifies an adjective, verb, or another adverb. Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all do.

Neatly, tomorrow, very, badly, fully, carefully, hardly, nearly, hungrily, never, quickly, silently, well, really, almost…

  • This is an  extremely  attractive photograph.
  • I have a  very  large pet dog.
  • My car drives  quickly .
  • When I am running late for work, I eat my breakfast  rapidly .
  • The boy is crying  loudly .
  • She  carefully  preserved all his letters.

Determiners and Articles

Determiners and articles help clarify the nouns they introduce.  Articles  can be definite ( the ) or indefinite ( a ,  an ).

The, a, an, this, that, these, those, many, few, each, every, some, any, no, which, what

  • The  cat is sleeping on  a  mat.
  • Can  an  apple be green?
  • This  book is very interesting.
  • Each  student must bring their own lunch.

The Conjunction (conj.)

A  conjunction  connects words, phrases, or clauses. Some common conjunctions are  and ,  but ,  or ,  so ,  because , and  although .

And, but, or, so, because, although, if, until, while, since, when, after, before, as

  • I want to buy a sandwich  and  a drink.
  • She was tired  but  happy.
  • You can go to the party  or  stay home.
  • They were late  because  of the traffic.
  • Although  it was raining, we went for a walk.

The Preposition (prep.)

A  preposition  shows the relationship of a noun (or pronoun) to another word. Common prepositions include  at ,  on ,  in ,  by ,  with , and  about .

At, on, in, by, with, about, above, below, between, during, for, from, over, under, through

  • The cat is  on  the roof.
  • She sat  by  the window.
  • We will meet  at  the park  in  the afternoon.
  • The book is  about  a boy  with  a magical power.

The Interjection (interj.)

An  interjection  is a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion or sudden exclamation. Common interjections include  wow ,  ouch ,  oh , and  hey .

Wow, ouch, oh, hey, ah, ugh, ew, hmm, yay, yikes, whoa, oops, aha, hurray, ew, oh no

  • Wow ! That’s amazing!
  • Ouch ! That hurt.
  • Oh ! I didn’t see you there.
  • Hey ! Wait for me.
  • Yay ! We won the game.

In this section, you’ve learned about different parts of speech with examples and sample sentences. Each part of speech plays a unique role in creating meaningful sentences.

How To Determine A Part Of Speech In A Sentence

To determine a part of speech in a sentence, look at the word being used, its context, and what meaning it brings to the sentence structure. Here are some questions you can ask about a particular word:

  • Is it a person, place, idea, name, or thing?  It is a  noun .
  • Is the word used in place of a noun?  It is a  pronoun .
  • Does the word convey an action, occurrence, or state of being?  It is a  verb .
  • Does the word modify a noun?  It is an  adjective .
  • Does the word modify a verb, adjective, or itself?  It is an  adverb .
  • Is the word placed in front of a noun to form a modifying phrase?  It is a  preposition .
  • Does the word link a phrase or clause?  It is a  conjunction .
  • Is the word a quick expression of emotion?  It is an  interjection .
  • Is the word placed before a noun to clarify it?  It is a  determiner  or an  article .

By asking these questions, you can identify the correct part of speech for any word in a sentence.

Parts of Speech and Sentence Construction

Simple/basic sentences.

In its simplest form, a sentence can have one  independent clause .

For example, the sentence “I walk to the store” contains one clause.

  • “I” is the subject of the clause, while “walk” is the verb.
  • The ending phrase, “walk to the store” would be the verb phrase, or  predicate , of the sentence.

This entire sentence “I walk to the store” is an independent clause, expresses one subject doing one action — and is known as a  simple sentence .

Knowing this, apply the fact that nouns and pronouns will often be the subjects or objects of simple sentences, while verbs will convey actions. So once again:

  • I  (subject, pronoun)
  • walk  (verb)
  • to  (preposition)
  • the  (article)
  • store  (object, noun)

Complex Sentences

Complex sentences contain an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. These sentences use conjunctions such as  because, since, which,  or  who  to connect clauses. Consider the structure and an example below:

  • Independent Clause:  She reads a book
  • Dependent Clause:  because she wants to learn

By combining these clauses, one forms a complex sentence:  She reads a book because she wants to learn.

Other examples of complex sentences:

  • Although the weather was cold, they decided to go for a hike.
  • She completed her assignment before she went out with her friends.
  • When you finish your homework, we can go to the movies.
  • Because my coffee was too cold, I heated it in the microwave.
  • If you save your money, you can buy a new bicycle.

English Parts of Speech

Parts of Speech Video

Learn all parts of speech in English with a useful video lesson.

Parts Of Speech Quiz

Here are some Parts Of Speech exercises for you to practice:

A. In the sentence “I ran to the tallest tree”, what part of speech is the word “tallest”?

  • A preposition
  • An adjective

B. In the 2000s, the word  staycation  described the act of staying home for a vacation. Since “staycation” is a noun and a new word, what class of words does it belong to?

  • The Open word class
  • The Closed word class
  • The Infinitive word class

C. In the sentence “I’ll have a few tacos”, what part of speech is the phrase “a few”?

  • Interjections
  • Determiners

Answers: A) 3, B) 1, C) 3

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  • Parts of speech

The 8 Parts of Speech | Chart, Definition & Examples

The 8 Parts of Speech

A part of speech (also called a word class ) is a category that describes the role a word plays in a sentence. Understanding the different parts of speech can help you analyze how words function in a sentence and improve your writing.

The parts of speech are classified differently in different grammars, but most traditional grammars list eight parts of speech in English: nouns , pronouns , verbs , adjectives , adverbs , prepositions , conjunctions , and interjections . Some modern grammars add others, such as determiners and articles .

Many words can function as different parts of speech depending on how they are used. For example, “laugh” can be a noun (e.g., “I like your laugh”) or a verb (e.g., “don’t laugh”).

Table of contents

  • Prepositions
  • Conjunctions
  • Interjections

Other parts of speech

Interesting language articles, frequently asked questions.

A noun is a word that refers to a person, concept, place, or thing. Nouns can act as the subject of a sentence (i.e., the person or thing performing the action) or as the object of a verb (i.e., the person or thing affected by the action).

There are numerous types of nouns, including common nouns (used to refer to nonspecific people, concepts, places, or things), proper nouns (used to refer to specific people, concepts, places, or things), and collective nouns (used to refer to a group of people or things).

Ella lives in France .

Other types of nouns include countable and uncountable nouns , concrete nouns , abstract nouns , and gerunds .

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A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. Pronouns typically refer back to an antecedent (a previously mentioned noun) and must demonstrate correct pronoun-antecedent agreement . Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, places, concepts, and things.

There are numerous types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (used in place of the proper name of a person), demonstrative pronouns (used to refer to specific things and indicate their relative position), and interrogative pronouns (used to introduce questions about things, people, and ownership).

That is a horrible painting!

A verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., “jump”), occurrence (e.g., “become”), or state of being (e.g., “exist”). Verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence is doing. Every complete sentence must contain at least one verb.

Verbs can change form depending on subject (e.g., first person singular), tense (e.g., simple past), mood (e.g., interrogative), and voice (e.g., passive voice ).

Regular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participle are formed by adding“-ed” to the end of the word (or “-d” if the word already ends in “e”). Irregular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some other way.

“I’ve already checked twice.”

“I heard that you used to sing .”

Other types of verbs include auxiliary verbs , linking verbs , modal verbs , and phrasal verbs .

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be attributive , appearing before a noun (e.g., “a red hat”), or predicative , appearing after a noun with the use of a linking verb like “to be” (e.g., “the hat is red ”).

Adjectives can also have a comparative function. Comparative adjectives compare two or more things. Superlative adjectives describe something as having the most or least of a specific characteristic.

Other types of adjectives include coordinate adjectives , participial adjectives , and denominal adjectives .

An adverb is a word that can modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or sentence. Adverbs are often formed by adding “-ly” to the end of an adjective (e.g., “slow” becomes “slowly”), although not all adverbs have this ending, and not all words with this ending are adverbs.

There are numerous types of adverbs, including adverbs of manner (used to describe how something occurs), adverbs of degree (used to indicate extent or degree), and adverbs of place (used to describe the location of an action or event).

Talia writes quite quickly.

Other types of adverbs include adverbs of frequency , adverbs of purpose , focusing adverbs , and adverbial phrases .

A preposition is a word (e.g., “at”) or phrase (e.g., “on top of”) used to show the relationship between the different parts of a sentence. Prepositions can be used to indicate aspects such as time , place , and direction .

I left the cup on the kitchen counter.

A conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence (e.g., words, phrases, or clauses).

The main types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions (used to connect items that are grammatically equal), subordinating conjunctions (used to introduce a dependent clause), and correlative conjunctions (used in pairs to join grammatically equal parts of a sentence).

You can choose what movie we watch because I chose the last time.

An interjection is a word or phrase used to express a feeling, give a command, or greet someone. Interjections are a grammatically independent part of speech, so they can often be excluded from a sentence without affecting the meaning.

Types of interjections include volitive interjections (used to make a demand or request), emotive interjections (used to express a feeling or reaction), cognitive interjections (used to indicate thoughts), and greetings and parting words (used at the beginning and end of a conversation).

Ouch ! I hurt my arm.

I’m, um , not sure.

The traditional classification of English words into eight parts of speech is by no means the only one or the objective truth. Grammarians have often divided them into more or fewer classes. Other commonly mentioned parts of speech include determiners and articles.

  • Determiners

A determiner is a word that describes a noun by indicating quantity, possession, or relative position.

Common types of determiners include demonstrative determiners (used to indicate the relative position of a noun), possessive determiners (used to describe ownership), and quantifiers (used to indicate the quantity of a noun).

My brother is selling his old car.

Other types of determiners include distributive determiners , determiners of difference , and numbers .

An article is a word that modifies a noun by indicating whether it is specific or general.

  • The definite article the is used to refer to a specific version of a noun. The can be used with all countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., “the door,” “the energy,” “the mountains”).
  • The indefinite articles a and an refer to general or unspecific nouns. The indefinite articles can only be used with singular countable nouns (e.g., “a poster,” “an engine”).

There’s a concert this weekend.

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech, make sure to check out some of our language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

  • Common nouns
  • Proper nouns
  • Collective nouns
  • Personal pronouns
  • Uncountable and countable nouns
  • Verb tenses
  • Phrasal verbs
  • Types of verbs
  • Active vs passive voice
  • Subject-verb agreement

A is an indefinite article (along with an ). While articles can be classed as their own part of speech, they’re also considered a type of determiner .

The indefinite articles are used to introduce nonspecific countable nouns (e.g., “a dog,” “an island”).

In is primarily classed as a preposition, but it can be classed as various other parts of speech, depending on how it is used:

  • Preposition (e.g., “ in the field”)
  • Noun (e.g., “I have an in with that company”)
  • Adjective (e.g., “Tim is part of the in crowd”)
  • Adverb (e.g., “Will you be in this evening?”)

As a part of speech, and is classed as a conjunction . Specifically, it’s a coordinating conjunction .

And can be used to connect grammatically equal parts of a sentence, such as two nouns (e.g., “a cup and plate”), or two adjectives (e.g., “strong and smart”). And can also be used to connect phrases and clauses.

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  • Proper Nouns
  • Countable and Uncountable Nouns
  • Gerunds and Infinitives
  • Types of Nouns
  • Abstract Nouns
  • Collective Nouns
  • Compound Nouns
  • Plural Nouns
  • Common Noun
  • Conjunctions
  • Preposition

What are Gerunds?

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Gerunds: The Basics

Examples of gerunds.

  • Swimming in the ocean has been Sharon’s passion since she was five years old.
  • The ballerina taught us  dancing .
  • Apologizing to me  isn't enough this time.
  • She is afraid of flying .
  • They are capable of  doing  hard work.

Parts of Speech – Word Classes

What is an adverb? What is a preposition? What is a…?

These are questions that students sometimes ask when a teacher is explaining a grammar point.

The different parts of speech (or all of those “grammar words” as some students call them) are important to know when learning English, or any other language.

In order to help solve doubts about what the different parts of speech are and what functions they have, I created a summary chart and a video explaining the main differences between each one.

Parts of Speech in English – ESL Video

In our ESL video, we look at the eight parts of speech in traditional English grammar. These parts of speech, sometimes called word classes, include: Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections .

We give an explanation of how each word class is used and have included example sentences. For some of the parts of speech we also look at sub-classes such as subject pronouns and possessive pronouns, the different types of adverbs such as adverbs of manner, adverbs of frequency, etc.

In the final section we talk about how some teachers sometimes include a 9th part of speech which can be either Articles or Determiners. Again, we include examples.

This ESL video to ideal to give students a general overview of the different parts of speech in English.

Summary Chart

Parts of Speech in English - Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections.

English Teacher Resource

English Parts of Speech Charts - Word Classes

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The Parts of Speech – Definitions and Examples

The different parts of speech are the breakdown and classification of words in English that show their unique functions and properties. In core language, a single word can function as two or more parts of speech.

Differentiating between the 9 parts of speech is the first step to building your grammar skills and writing tools. Keep reading to learn the definitions and examples of each category!

What are the 9 Basic Parts of Speech?

A noun is any place, person, idea, or thing. Some examples of nouns include:

There are various classifications of nouns you can use in your writing. Proper nouns are specific names for places, persons, ideas, or things. Meanwhile, common nouns are generic class nouns. A possessive noun is another type of noun that demonstrates belonging. 

We can also classify this part of speech as an abstract noun, concrete noun, count noun, and uncountable noun.

The placement of the noun in a sentence also determines its function. A noun can be in the nominative or objective case. The nominative functions include subject and subject complement. And the types of objects are direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition.

A quick introduction to pronouns shows they are classes of words that take the place of nouns. Some examples of pronouns include he, that, whoever, myself.

This quick guide to pronouns shows they can be classified as: 

  • Personal pronoun (I, he, she, you, etc.)
  • Demonstrative pronouns (that, those, these, this, etc.).
  • Interrogative pronouns (what, when, why, how, etc.).
  • Relative pronouns (who/whom, whose, which, etc.).
  • Indefinite pronouns (anybody, everybody, somebody, everything, etc.).
  • Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, herself, etc.).
  • Intensive pronouns (myself, yourself, herself, etc.).

Pronouns can further be divided into first-person pronoun, second-person pronoun, and third-person pronoun.

A verb is a word that conveys time while showing a condition, an action, or the fact that something exists. All complete sentences should contain at least one verb unless using an interjection.

Verbs can be treated as either lexical verbs/action verbs (study, love, drink) or auxiliary verbs (seem, is, have). 

A verb phrase combines verbs with linking verbs and lexical categories of verbs. Some examples include:

  • Has become.

Phrasal verbs are forms of verbs that consist of two or more words. Here are some examples:

  • Put up with.

When you add “up with” after the simple verb “put,” you create a brand-new verb with a new meaning. Therefore, phrasal verbs should be treated as complete verbs because of their unique definitions.

Some verbs are reflexive. A reflexive verb is where the subject and object are one since the sentence uses reflexive pronouns like “himself” or “itself.”

Whether you’re using a lexical or auxiliary verb, this part of the speech always expresses time through the different tenses. For instance, the verb “eats” is a present-tense verb, and its past form is “ate.”

4. Adjective

Another part of speech is the adjective , which modifies or describes a noun or a pronoun. It typically answers the questions “what kind,” “which one,” or “how much.” For example:

The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are sometimes categorized as adjectives. “The” is a definite article, and “a” and “an” are indefinite articles.

Adjective classes include:

  • Absolute adjectives.
  • Appositive adjectives.
  • Attributive adjectives.
  • Predicative adjectives.
  • Compound adjectives.
  • Qualitative adjectives.
  • Denomial adjectives.
  • Participial adjectives.
  • Demonstrative adjectives.

Adverbs are a word class that modifies adjectives, verbs, and fellow adverbs. One frequent adverb marker is the suffix -ly, such as “healthily,” “badly,” and “swiftly.”

But the discussion of adverbs goes beyond words that describe actions. There are also adverbs of degree, place, time, and frequency. The English language also considers “most days,” “to visit my friend,” “very loudly,” and other adverbial phrases as adverbs.

Adverbial phrases are under the phrasal categories, including verb phrases, adjective phrases, etc.

6. Conjunction

A conjunction is a word that binds words, clauses, and phrases. “And,” “but,” “because,” and “consequently” are some examples of conjunctions.

Conjunctions make it easy to construct more complex sentences because you can easily add new clauses. The category distinctions of this part of speech are:

  • Coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, etc.)
  • Subordinating conjunctions (after, although, unless, since, if, etc.)
  • Correlative conjunctions (not only… but also, either… or, etc.)

7. Preposition

Prepositions show relations of space, time, and role between nouns, pronouns, and other words. They are at the start of prepositional phrases. Here are some examples of prepositions:

  • Apart from.

8. Determiner

A determiner is like an adjective because it also modifies nouns. However, these words are essential for proper syntax as opposed to adjectives. They can be classified as indefinite and definite. New grammar rules now treat articles as determiners. Examples of determiners include:

  • Which. 

9. Interjection

The last part of speech is the interjection which may have standalone functions in sentences. “Whoops,” “ouch,” “ah,” and “hooray” can be an entire sentence on their own.

Parts of Speech Chart

Analyzing the parts of speech is different for every individual language. Here’s an overview of the different categories in English.

NounPerson, thing, place, or eventShe is the new .
PronounReplaces a noun is the new assistant. bag is missing.
VerbExpresses time while demonstrating a condition, action, or the fact that something existsShe the new assistant. I what she that day.
AdjectiveModifies a noun or a pronounShe is the assistant. Jane is selling her apartment.
AdverbModifies a verb, adjective, or fellow adverb. remove your makeup.
ConjunctionConnects clauses, words, or sentencesI like candles I like reed diffusers. She asked me not to attend she won’t be there.
PrepositionConnects a noun to another wordMy dog went the neighbor’s house.
DeterminerDetermines a noun buzzcut suits your face shape.
InterjectionShort exclamation ! That was an impressive performance.

When A Word is Also Two Different Kinds of Speech

Sometimes, words have more than one role in the English language. For example, some nouns can also act as adjectives called adjectival nouns. In the phrase “race car,” “race” modifies “car,” so its usage is as an adjective instead of a noun.

A noun can be used in verbal senses. Consider the word “work” in these sentences.

  • My new work is more promising than the old one. (noun)
  • Shew works in a new industry. (verb)

Open and Closed Word Classes

The two classifications of the parts of speech include open and closed classes. The open classes can be changed and added as the language changes. 

  • Adjectives.

Meanwhile, closed classes are parts of speech that do not change. These include:

  • Prepositions.
  • Conjunctions.
  • Articles and determiners.
  • Interjections.

In some languages, verbs and adjectives form closed classes. This closedness of verbs is common in Basque and Persian verbs .

Linguistics , or the study of language, does not recommend the label “part of speech” anymore. Instead, the discipline favors “syntactic category” or “word class.”

What Part of Speech is With?

In the stricter sense, the only use of “with” is as a preposition. You can find it before a noun or a pronoun to form prepositional phrases. Use it to show togetherness, associations, and connections between people and objects.

What Part of Speech is And?

The conjunction “and” connects words, clauses, and phrases. It can also combine sentences that need to be presented at once.

What Part of Speech is My?

“My” is a possessive pronoun that can also act as an adjective, determiner, or interjection.

Are You Using the Parts of Speech the Right Way?

This guide has shown you the nine parts of speech and their grammatical functions. By now, you should already be able to give definitions and examples of each category, so they make sense. 

To correctly use the parts of speech, ask yourself, “what is the function of this word in the sentence?” Keep practicing until you master the traditional grammar rules of English!

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Parts of Speech

What are the parts of speech, a formal definition.

Table of Contents

The Part of Speech Is Determined by the Word's Function

Are there 8 or 9 parts of speech, the nine parts of speech, (1) adjective, (3) conjunction, (4) determiner, (5) interjection, (7) preposition, (8) pronoun, why the parts of speech are important, video lesson.

parts of speech

  • You need to dig a well . (noun)
  • You look well . (adjective)
  • You dance well . (adverb)
  • Well , I agree. (interjection)
  • My eyes will well up. (verb)
  • red, happy, enormous
  • Ask the boy in the red jumper.
  • I live in a happy place.
  • I caught a fish this morning! I mean an enormous one.
  • happily, loosely, often
  • They skipped happily to the counter.
  • Tie the knot loosely so they can escape.
  • I often walk to work.
  • It is an intriguingly magic setting.
  • He plays the piano extremely well.
  • and, or, but
  • it is a large and important city.
  • Shall we run to the hills or hide in the bushes?
  • I know you are lying, but I cannot prove it.
  • my, those, two, many
  • My dog is fine with those cats.
  • There are two dogs but many cats.
  • ouch, oops, eek
  • Ouch , that hurt.
  • Oops , it's broken.
  • Eek! A mouse just ran past my foot!
  • leader, town, apple
  • Take me to your leader .
  • I will see you in town later.
  • An apple fell on his head .
  • in, near, on, with
  • Sarah is hiding in the box.
  • I live near the train station.
  • Put your hands on your head.
  • She yelled with enthusiasm.
  • she, we, they, that
  • Joanne is smart. She is also funny.
  • Our team has studied the evidence. We know the truth.
  • Jack and Jill went up the hill, but they never returned.
  • That is clever!
  • work, be, write, exist
  • Tony works down the pit now. He was unemployed.
  • I will write a song for you.
  • I think aliens exist .

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

Video for Each Part of Speech

part of speech ing words

The Most Important Writing Issues

The top issue related to adjectives.

Don't write...Do write...
very happy boy delighted boy
very angry livid
extremely posh hotel luxurious hotel
really serious look stern look

The Top Issue Related to Adverbs

  • Extremely annoyed, she stared menacingly at her rival.
  • Infuriated, she glared at her rival.

The Top Issue Related to Conjunctions

correct tick

  • Burger, Fries, and a shake
  • Fish, chips and peas

The Top Issue Related to Determiners

wrong cross

The Top Issue Related to Interjections

The top issue related to nouns, the top issue related to prepositions, the top issue related to pronouns, the top issue related to verbs.

Unnatural (Overusing Nouns)Natural (Using a Verb)
They are in agreement that he was in violation of several regulations.They agree he violated several regulations.
She will be in attendance to present a demonstration of how the weather will have an effect on our process.She will attend to demonstrate how the weather will affect our process.
  • Crack the parts of speech to help with learning a foreign language or to take your writing to the next level.

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Ohio candidate won’t talk about abortion bans — because he doesn't like the word 'ban'

Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal

Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio candidate won’t talk about abortion bans — because he doesn't like the word 'ban'

Ohio Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno is in a difficult position when it comes to abortion , and he appears to be trying to hedge.

To win a close race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, he needs an important part of the Republican coalition — abortion opponents— to show up to the polls.

But while Ohioans have mostly elected Republicans in recent decades, most voters clearly disagree with abortion foes. A sweeping abortion-rights measure sailed through last November by a 14-point margin .

That leaves Moreno, a Cleveland businessman, the choice of alienating a key part of his coalition or a huge swath of voters in the middle. These days, he seems to be using semantics to avoid stating his position on that pivotal issue. That’s after he criticized others for waffling.

Moreno’s campaign didn’t respond to questions for this story, but Moreno has made numerous public statements on the matter.

When he was running in Republican primaries, Moreno made several versions of the statement he made on Jan. 13, 2022 on Cincinnati’s 55WKRC radio when asked for his position on abortion.

“ Absolute pro-life, no exceptions ,” Moreno said at the 7:43 mark on this recording. That sounds a lot like support for an abortion ban — possibly without exceptions.

Then earlier this year in the midst of another GOP Senate primary, Moreno was seeking to distinguish himself from Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, who was also seeking the nomination. Speaking to a group of Dayton Republicans on March 10, Moreno noted that Dolan in 2019 “voted against the heartbeat bill. Right. So this is a guy who’s not on our side.”

The “heartbeat bill” is Senate Bill 23, which banned the great majority of abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy — a point at which many women don’t know they’re pregnant. It included no exceptions for rape or incest. Supporters called it the “heartbeat bill” because, with very few exceptions, it bans abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected.

Doctors who specialize in reproductive health say the exceptions it does make for the mother’s health are vague and confusing for professionals who have to deal with quickly deteriorating patients . They were left to interpret it anyway on June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court   terminated abortion-rights protections under Roe v Wade and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost rushed to court to give SB 23 the immediate force of law.

In the months that ensued, many women and girls learned to their horror that for them, the “heartbeat bill” was an abortion ban.

They include a 10-year-old rape victim whose existence Yost questioned . They also include other minors who were rape victims, cancer patients, women with doomed pregnancies and others who threatened suicide if they had to continue their pregnancies .

They and their doctors might have believed they needed abortions, but while the Ohio law was in effect, for them the procedure was banned.

Ohio voters last November demonstrated strong disagreement with the “heartbeat” law by overwhelmingly approving a constitutional amendment overturning it. In an op-ed last week, Moreno’s opponent, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, said Ohioans’ position on abortion was clear: “A woman’s health care decisions should be between her and her doctor – not politicians.”

Moreno might not be saying that. But he is answering questions about abortion by saying he doesn’t use the word “ban.”

“I have never said the word ‘ban,’ I don’t look at that at all that way,” Moreno told Statehouse News Bureau’s Karen Kasler on March 1 when she asked him whether he supported a proposal for a 15-week national abortion ban. “What I say is that abortion is mostly up to the states and the states make those decisions.”

By July, Moreno was saying that all the talk of abortion bans was a construct of the media and the Democratic Party. He said that even though the Supreme Court had given the states power to ban abortion without exception and he had supported an Ohio law that banned it after six weeks in the vast majority of cases.

“I’ve never used the term ‘ban,'” Moreno told CNN on July 16. “That’s a term the Democrats and the media like to use.”

The semantic distinctions might seem ironic in light of the fact that in March 2023 Moreno slammed other politicians for waffling on their commitment to fighting abortion. He was asked by a member of a group of Batavia Republicans, “What are you going to do when you run to stand out against the other candidates (to show) you are truly the 100% pro-life candidate?”

Moreno was definite.

“I think you need to insist that candidates say the following words: ‘I am unapologetically pro-life,'” he said in a video clip of the event provided to the Capital Journal. “What happens a lot of times is that they’ll say, ‘Oh, I’m pro-life.’ But then they all of a sudden pivot as the media likes to call it. And then they go off the rails there.”

Moreno then said, “My perspective is pretty simple,” and listed positions politicians might have on things like taxes. “None of that really matters if you can’t say that you advocate for the most foundational thing in our Declaration of Independence, which is the right you have to life.”

Lauren Beene is a pediatrician who co-founded Ohio Physicians for Reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision and the sudden enforcement of SB 23. She said Moreno can’t have it both ways.

“A ban is a ban,” Beene said in an email Wednesday. “SB 23 bans abortion based on the presence of fetal heart cell electrical impulses being detectable on ultrasound. This happens about two weeks after a woman’s missed period (or six weeks since their most recent period). This is before most people know they are pregnant so they have no option to get an abortion at that point. It doesn’t matter if Bernie Moreno prefers to not use the word ‘ban’ to describe SB 23, because banning abortion for almost all Ohioans who may need one is what SB 23 effectively does.”

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Do you think vice president kamala harris should be the next president, 'talk about weird': nancy mace cnn appearance described as 'most entertaining train wreck'.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), an ally of Donald Trump , made a splash on the internet after an appearance on CNN that some said went off the rails.

Mace, who became better known after she alienated much of her caucus when she joined the small group of renegade Republicans who voted to oust former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the House Speakership, appeared on a CNN panel, where the topic of Kamala Harris ' race was broached by others.

At one point, Mace says, "I wouldn't back someone that I thought was a misogynist and I fully back Donald Trump in 2024." In another instance from panel, she says she will say Vice President Kamala Harris' name "however I want to."

ALSO READ: Donald Trump deep in debt while foreign money keeps coming: disclosure

In response to Mace refusing to correctly pronounce Harris' first name, Rachel Vindman — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's wife — said, "She is pathetic. A total fraud."

Eric Columbus, an Obama appointee, said, "Talk about weird — it’s very weird to say you’ll keep saying someone’s name wrong!"

Independent journalist Aaron Rupar also chimed in, saying, "These are the sorts of things you say when you are completely amoral person who stands for nothing more than getting attention on TV."

Democratic strategist Keith Edwards responded to the moment Mace was confronted with comments Trump made about Harris' race. She first claimed she didn't know what Trump said and, after fellow panelists told her exactly what his remarks were, she still refused to condemn what he said.

"I didn't say it and I would not say it," Mace said before the CNN segment ended.

"Oh my god," Edwards responded.

Another Democratic strategist, Adam Parkhomenko , also replied: " I have been watching this live and she is out of f------ control."

Stand up comedian Pete Dominick said, "This is the most entertaining train wreck I’ve seen in a bit."

Watch below or click the link here.

'Monsoon brides': Extreme weather fuels Pakistan child marriages

As monsoon rains were about to break over Pakistan, 14-year-old Shamila and her 13-year-old sister Amina were married off in exchange for money, a decision their parents made to help the family survive the threat of floods.

"I was happy to hear I was getting married... I thought my life would become easier," Shamila told AFP after her wedding to a man twice her age in hope of a more prosperous life.

"But I have nothing more. And with the rain, I fear I will have even less, if that is possible."

Pakistan's high rate of marriages for underage girls had been inching lower in recent years, but after unprecedented floods in 2022, rights workers warn such weddings are now on the rise due to climate-driven economic insecurity.

The summer monsoon between July and September is vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security, but scientists say climate change is making them heavier and longer, raising the risk of landslides, floods and long-term crop damage.

Many villages in the agricultural belt of Sindh have not recovered from the 2022 floods, which plunged a third of the country underwater, displaced millions and ruined harvests.

"This has led to a new trend of 'monsoon brides'," said Mashooque Birhmani, the founder of the NGO Sujag Sansar, which works with religious scholars to combat child marriage.

"Families will find any means of survival. The first and most obvious way is to give their daughters away in marriage in exchange for money."

Birhmani said since the 2022 floods, child marriage has spiked in villages in Dadu district, one of the worst-hit areas that for months resembled a lake.

In Khan Mohammad Mallah village, where Shamila and Amina were married in a joint ceremony in June, 45 underage girls have become wives since the last monsoon -- 15 of them in May and June this year.

"Before the 2022 rains, there was no such need to get girls married so young in our area," said village elder Mai Hajani, 65.

"They would work on the land, make rope for wooden beds, the men would be busy with fishing and agriculture. There was always work to be done".

Parents told AFP that they hurried the marriage of their daughters to save them from poverty, usually in exchange for money.

Shamila's mother-in-law, Bibi Sachal, said they gave 200,000 Pakistan Rupees ($720) to the young bride's parents –- a major sum in a region where most families survive on around one dollar a day.

- 'I thought I would get lipstick' -

Najma Ali was initially swept up in the excitement of becoming a wife when she married at 14 in 2022 and began living with her in-laws, as is tradition in Pakistan.

"My husband gave my parents 250,000 rupees for our wedding. But it was on loan (from a third party) that he has no way of paying back now," she said.

"I thought I would get lipstick, makeup, clothes and crockery," she told AFP, cradling her six-month-old baby.

"Now I am back home with a husband and a baby because we have nothing to eat."

Their village, which lies on the banks of a canal in the Main Nara Valley, is barren and there are no fish left in the polluted water -- its stench overwhelms the area.

"We had lush rice fields where girls used to work," said Hakim Zaadi, 58, the village matron and Najma's mother.

"They would grow many vegetables, which are all dead now because the water in the ground is poisonous. This has happened especially after 2022," she added.

"The girls were not a burden on us before then. At the age girls used to get married, they now have five children, and they come back to live with their parents because their husbands are jobless."

- 'I want to study' -

Child marriages are common in parts of Pakistan, which has the sixth-highest number of girls married before the age of 18 in the world, according to government data published in December.

The legal age for marriage varies from 16 to 18 in different regions, but the law is rarely enforced.

UNICEF has reported "significant strides" in reducing child marriage, but evidence shows that extreme weather events put girls at risk.

"We would expect to see an 18 percent increase in the prevalence of child marriage, equivalent to erasing five years of progress," it said in a report after the 2022 floods.

Dildar Ali Sheikh, 31, had planned to marry off his eldest daughter Mehtab while living in an aid camp after being displaced by the floods.

"When I was there, I thought to myself 'we should get our daughter married so at least she can eat and have basic facilities'," the daily wage labourer told AFP.

Mehtab was just 10 years old.

"The night I decided to get her married, I couldn't sleep," said her mother, Sumbal Ali Sheikh, who was 18 when she married.

An intervention from the NGO Sujag Sansar led to the wedding being postponed, and Mehtab was enrolled in a sewing workshop, allowing her to earn a small income while continuing her education.

But when the monsoon rains fall, she is overcome by dread that her promised wedding will also arrive.

"I have told my father I want to study," she said. "I see married girls around me who have very challenging lives and I don't want this for myself."

'Very strong' typhoon buffets Japan's Pacific coast

A "very strong" typhoon buffeted Japan's Pacific coast with fierce winds and heavy rain on Friday, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and trains in the Tokyo area and leaving over 2,000 homes without power.

Located about 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of Tokyo, Typhoon Ampil was packing gusts of up to 216 kilometers per hour as it headed northeast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The eye of the typhoon was not expected to make landfall, instead barreling northeastward up the Honshu coast and skirting the Tokyo region, home to around 40 million people, before heading back into the Pacific from Saturday.

The JMA rated the weather system as "very strong", one notch below its highest category of "violent typhoon", with maximum wind speeds of 195 kilometers per hour.

The agency warned people to be "on high alert for violent storms, tidal waves, landslides, flooding in low-lying lands, and river floods".

Risk of heavy rains-linked disasters will increase through Friday night in the Kanto area surrounding Tokyo and through Saturday morning in the northern Tohoku region, it said in a statement.

The US military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast maximum sustained wind speeds of 105 knots (195 kilometers per hour) by 3:00 am Saturday (1800 GMT Friday) off the coastal Chiba region east of the capital.

More than 18,000 people were advised to evacuate in Chiba prefecture east of Tokyo, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a statement.

Some 2,000 households in Tokyo's neighboring prefectures, mainly Chiba, were without power as of Friday afternoon due to the typhoon, according to the utility operator.

- Flights cancelled -

All Nippon Airways cancelled 335 domestic and international flights on Friday, with more planned for Saturday, affecting about 72,000 passengers.

Japan Airlines has so far scrapped 361 flights, hitting 57,000 customers.

Major parts of Japan's bullet train network were also set to close Friday -- including the busy section between Tokyo and Nagoya -- while Tokyo Disneyland's operator said the park would close from 3:00 pm.

The typhoon comes as Japan marks the "obon" holiday week when millions return to their hometowns, and days after Tropical Storm Maria dumped record rains in parts of the north.

"We will check our phones for any information on the internet and if the typhoon seems OK, then we'll go outside," said Isamu Teruya, 47, a visitor from Saga Prefecture who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday.

"If the rain is really bad, then we will stay inside our hotel and relax," Teruya told AFP.

Typhoons in the region have been forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change, according to a study released last month.

Researchers from universities in Singapore and the United States analysed more than 64,000 modeled historic and future storms from the 19th century through the end of the 21st century to come up with the findings.

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How Trump's new gibberish speeches are alienating swing voters

Inside the tax cut that changed everything for the middle class in america, this project 2025 goal is on a fast track despite trump and vance distancing themselves.

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Did Trump Say Election Fraud Allows for 'Termination' of US Constitution?

The former president continued to push 2020 election conspiracy theories in late 2022., nur ibrahim, published dec. 5, 2022.

Correct Attribution

About this rating

In a Truth Social post on Dec. 3, 2022, Trump repeated his claim that the 2020 election results were fraudulent, and argued that this allows "for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution." Many interpreted this to mean he had called for a termination of the Constitution. Trump later denied this, arguing that he meant "steps must be immediately taken to RIGHT THE WRONG" of election fraud.

In early December 2022, former U.S. President Donald Trump continued his election denialism push and called for the termination of the Constitution, among other "rules and regulations," in order to reinstate him to power. Trump's controversial comments were posted on Truth Social on Dec. 3,  after a report came out detailing Twitter's deliberations leading up to its decision to suppress links to a 2020 article in the New York Post describing emails allegedly found on a laptop computer belonging to Hunter Biden , then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's son. 

In a post made on his verified Truth Social account, Trump wrote: 

So, with the revelation of MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION in working closely with Big Tech Companies, the DNC, & the Democrat Party, do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. Our great "Founders" did not want, and would not condone, False & Fraudulent Elections!

Following Trump's statement, numerous politicians across both parties criticized him, but many Republicans continued to express loyalty towards Trump, who had announced in November that he would make another bid for the presidency in 2024. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had not commented on Trump's statement as of this writing. 

"Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation and should be universally condemned," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said . 

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney wrote on Twitter : "Donald Trump believes we should terminate 'all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution' to overturn the 2020 election. That was his view on 1/6 and remains his view today. No honest person can now deny that Trump is an enemy of the Constitution."

[Learn more:   Latest in the Hunter Biden Laptop Saga: CBS News Taps Expert Who Says It's Real ]

The " Twitter Files " were released as a thread on writer Matt Taibi's Twitter account, and given to him by Elon Musk's team. The thread described Twitter's decision to limit access to a New York Post article, published weeks before the 2020 presidential election, that alleged Hunter Biden tried, in 2015, to arrange a meeting between his father and an executive at a Ukrainian company that Hunter worked for. 

Trump did not explain what he meant by that statement but on Dec. 5, 2022, he posted a follow-up denying he called to "terminate" the Constitution. He wrote:

The Fake News is actually trying to convince the American People that I said I wanted to "terminate" the Constitution. This is simply more DISINFORMATION & LIES, just like RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, and all of their other HOAXES & SCAMS. What I said was that when there is "MASSIVE & WIDESPREAD FRAUD & DECEPTION," as has been irrefutably proven in the 2020 Presidential Election, steps must be immediately taken to RIGHT THE WRONG. Only FOOLS would disagree with that and accept STOLEN ELECTIONS. MAGA!

In sum, Trump posted on Truth Social that, what he believed to be, election fraud in the 2020 presidential election allows "for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution." For that reason, we rated this claim "Correct Attribution."

Some onlookers of the Truth Social post interpreted the statement to mean that he was calling for the termination of the Constitution. After that, Trump issued a follow-up statement denying that claim, arguing that, in the original Truth Social post, he meant "steps must be immediately taken to RIGHT THE WRONG" of election fraud.

Astor, Maggie. "Trump's Call for 'Termination' of Constitution Draws Rebukes." The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2022. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/us/politics/trump-constitution-republicans.html.

Collinson, Stephen. "Trump's Call to Terminate the Constitution Is a Fantasy, but It's Still Dangerous | CNN Politics." CNN, 5 Dec. 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/05/politics/donald-trump-constitution-analysis/index.html.

Fung, Brian. "Released Twitter Emails Show How Employees Debated How to Handle 2020 New York Post Hunter Biden Story | CNN Business." CNN, 3 Dec. 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/02/tech/musk-twitter-hunter-biden/index.html.

Schonfeld, Zach. "Liz Cheney Seizes on Trump's Call to Terminate Constitution." The Hill, 4 Dec. 2022, https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3761581-liz-cheney-seizes-on-trumps-call-to-terminate-constitution/.

"Truth Social." Truth Social, https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/109449803240069864. Accessed 5 Dec. 2022.  

5 Dec. 2022: Added in context, Trump's follow up statement.

Dec. 5, 2022: This article was updated to include a follow-up statement from Trump in which he denied calling for the termination of the Constitution.

By Nur Ibrahim

Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing.

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Grammar: Main Parts of Speech

Definitions and examples.

The name of something, like a person, animal, place, thing, or concept. Nouns are typically used as subjects, objects, objects of prepositions, and modifiers of other nouns.

  • I = subject
  • the dissertation = object
  • in Chapter 4 = object of a preposition
  • research = modifier

This expresses what the person, animal, place, thing, or concept does. In English, verbs follow the noun.

  • It takes a good deal of dedication to complete a doctoral degree.
  • She studied hard for the test.
  • Writing a dissertation is difficult. (The "be" verb is also sometimes referred to as a copula or a linking verb. It links the subject, in this case "writing a dissertation," to the complement or the predicate of the sentence, in this case, "hard.")

This describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives typically come before a noun or after a stative verb, like the verb "to be."

  • Diligent describes the student and appears before the noun student .
  • Difficult is placed after the to be verb and describes what it is like to balance time.

Remember that adjectives in English have no plural form. The same form of the adjective is used for both singular and plural nouns.

  • A different idea
  • Some different ideas
  • INCORRECT: some differents ideas

This gives more information about the verb and about how the action was done. Adverbs tells how, where, when, why, etc. Depending on the context, the adverb can come before or after the verb or at the beginning or end of a sentence.

  • Enthusiastically describes how he completed the course and answers the how question.
  • Recently modifies the verb enroll and answers the when question.
  • Then describes and modifies the entire sentence. See this link on transitions for more examples of conjunctive adverbs (adverbs that join one idea to another to improve the cohesion of the writing).

This word substitutes for a noun or a noun phrase (e.g. it, she, he, they, that, those,…).

  • they = applicants
  • He = Smith; that = ideas; those = those ideas

This word makes the reference of the noun more specific (e.g. his, her, my, their, the, a, an, this, these, … ).

  • Jones published her book in 2015.
  • The book was very popular.

Preposition

This comes before a noun or a noun phrase and links it to other parts of the sentence. These are usually single words (e.g., on, at, by ,… ) but can be up to four words (e.g., as far as, in addition to, as a result of, …).

  • I chose to interview teachers in the district closest to me.
  • The recorder was placed next to the interviewee.
  • I stopped the recording in the middle of the interview due to a low battery.

Conjunction

A word that joins two clauses. These can be coordinating (an easy way to remember this is memorizing FANBOYS = for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or subordinating (e.g., because, although, when, …).

  • The results were not significant, so the alternative hypothesis was accepted.
  • Although the results seem promising, more research must be conducted in this area.

Auxiliary Verbs

Helping verbs. They are used to build up complete verbs.

  • Primary auxiliary verbs (be, have, do) show the progressive, passive, perfect, and negative verb tenses .
  • Modal auxiliary verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) show a variety of meanings. They represent ability, permission, necessity, and degree of certainty. These are always followed by the simple form of the verb.
  • Semimodal auxiliary verbs (e.g., be going to, ought to, have to, had better, used to, be able to,…). These are always followed by the simple form of the verb.
  • primary: have investigated = present perfect tense; has not been determined = passive, perfect, negative form
  • The modal could shows ability, and the verb conduct stays in its simple form; the modal may shows degree of certainty, and the verb lead stays in its simple form.
  • These semimodals are followed by the simple form of the verb.

Common Endings

Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs often have unique word endings, called suffixes . Looking at the suffix can help to distinguish the word from other parts of speech and help identify the function of the word in the sentence. It is important to use the correct word form in written sentences so that readers can clearly follow the intended meaning.

Here are some common endings for the basic parts of speech. If ever in doubt, consult the dictionary for the correct word form.

Common Noun Endings

suffrage, image, postage

arrival, survival, deferral

: kingdom, freedom, boredom

: interviewee, employee, trainee

: experience, convenience, finance

teacher, singer, director

archery, cutlery, mystery

neighborhood, childhood, brotherhood

: economics, gymnastics, aquatics

reading, succeeding, believing

racism, constructivism, capitalism

community, probability, equality

: accomplishment, acknowledgement, environment

happiness, directness, business

: ministry, entry, robbery

: scholarship, companionship, leadership

: information, expression, complexion

structure, pressure, treasure

Common Verb Endings

congregate, agitate, eliminate

: straighten, enlighten, shorten

: satisfy, identify, specify

: categorize, materialize, energize

Common Adjective Endings

workable, believable, flexible

educational, institutional, exceptional

: confused, increased, disappointed

: wooden, golden, broken

: Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese

wonderful, successful, resourceful

: poetic, classic, Islamic

exciting, failing, comforting

childish, foolish, selfish

evaluative, collective, abrasive

: Canadian, Russian, Malaysian

priceless, useless, hopeless

friendly, daily, yearly

gorgeous, famous, courageous

funny, windy, happy

Common Adverb Endings

: quickly, easily, successfully

backward(s), upwards, downwards

clockwise, edgewise, price-wise

Placement and Position of Adjectives and Adverbs

Order of adjectives.

If more than one adjective is used in a sentence, they tend to occur in a certain order. In English, two or three adjectives modifying a noun tend to be the limit. However, when writing in APA, not many adjectives should be used (since APA is objective, scientific writing). If adjectives are used, the framework below can be used as guidance in adjective placement.

  • Determiner (e.g., this, that, these, those, my, mine, your, yours, him, his, hers they, their, some, our, several,…) or article (a, an, the)
  • Opinion, quality, or observation adjective (e.g., lovely, useful, cute, difficult, comfortable)
  • Physical description
  • (a) size (big, little, tall, short)
  • (b) shape (circular,  irregular, triangular)
  • (c) age (old, new, young, adolescent)
  • (d) color (red, green, yellow)
  • Origin (e.g., English, Mexican, Japanese)
  • Material (e.g., cotton, metal, plastic)
  • Qualifier (noun used as an adjective to modify the noun that follows; i.e., campus activities, rocking chair, business suit)
  • Head noun that the adjectives are describing (e.g., activities, chair, suit)

For example:

  • This (1) lovely (2) new (3) wooden (4) Italian (5) rocking (6) chair (7) is in my office.
  • Your (1) beautiful (2) green (3) French (4) silk (5) business (6) suit (7) has a hole in it.

Commas With Multiple Adjectives

A comma is used between two adjectives only if the adjectives belong to the same category (for example, if there are two adjectives describing color or two adjectives describing material). To test this, ask these two questions:

  • Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written in reverse order?
  • Does the sentence make sense if the word “and” is written between them?

If the answer is yes to the above questions, the adjectives are separated with a comma. Also keep in mind a comma is never used before the noun that it modifies.

  • This useful big round old green English leather rocking chair is comfortable . (Note that there are no commas here because there is only one adjective from each category.)
  • A lovely large yellow, red, and green oil painting was hung on the wall. (Note the commas between yellow, red, and green since these are all in the same category of color.)

Position of Adverbs

Adverbs can appear in different positions in a sentence.

  • At the beginning of a sentence: Generally , teachers work more than 40 hours a week.
  • After the subject, before the verb: Teachers generally work more than 40 hours a week.
  • At the end of a sentence: Teachers work more than 40 hours a week, generally .
  • However, an adverb is not placed between a verb and a direct object. INCORRECT: Teachers work generally more than 40 hours a week.

More Detailed Rules for the Position of Adverbs

  • Adverbs that modify the whole sentence can move to different positions, such as certainly, recently, fortunately, actually, and obviously.
  • Recently , I started a new job.
  • I recently started a new job.
  • I started a new job recently .
  • Many adverbs of frequency modify the entire sentence and not just the verb, such as frequently, usually, always, sometimes, often , and seldom . These adverbs appear in the middle of the sentence, after the subject.
  • INCORRECT: Frequently she gets time to herself.
  • INCORRECT: She gets time to herself frequently .
  • She has frequently exercised during her lunch hour. (The adverb appears after the first auxiliary verb.)
  • She is frequently hanging out with old friends. (The adverb appears after the to be verb.)
  • Adverbial phrases work best at the end of a sentence.
  • He greeted us in a very friendly way .
  • I collected data for 2 months .

Main Parts of Speech Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

  • Mastering the Mechanics: Nouns (video transcript)
  • Mastering the Mechanics: Introduction to Verbs (video transcript)
  • Mastering the Mechanics: Articles (video transcript)
  • Mastering the Mechanics: Introduction to Pronouns (video transcript)
  • Mastering the Mechanics: Modifiers (video transcript)

Writing Tools: Dictionary and Thesaurus Refresher Video

Note that this video was created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

  • Writing Tools: Dictionary and Thesaurus Refresher (video transcript)

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All About Child Speech and Language Milestones

Everything you need to know about your child's speech and language milestones, from their first words to verbal development and beyond.

1-Year-Old Language Development

2-year-old language development, 3-year-old language development, 4-year-old language development, the bottom line.

From first words to full sentences, your child's language skills will advance significantly in the first few years of life. But it can be hard to know if they're hitting expected milestones , and you might find yourself wondering: When exactly will my toddler start talking?

"Every child develops on their own timeline, but the best way to help develop your baby's language skills is to simply talk to them," says Rahil Briggs, Psy.D., a child psychologist at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City. "The number-one way children learn to speak and boost their vocabulary is by listening to their parents at home."

We turned to speech and language experts to learn more about child verbal development, along with what to expect at every age. Ahead, find all the answers to your child's speech milestones, from 1 to 4 years old.

Your little one is just beginning to communicate beyond crying. At this age, your kid should be able to do the following.

Say a handful of words

Your toddler still has a limited vocabulary at this point, but you can help it grow by reading out loud and talking to them every day , Dr. Briggs recommends. "At this age, the main concern is that baby's speech is 'mama' and 'dada' specific, meaning that when [they say] those two words, [they are] actually referring to Mom [or] Dad—not the cup or dog."

Imitate your voice

Even though your child isn't saying many words, they're babbling a lot and attempting to imitate the sounds of others. Parents "should be hearing vowel and consonant babbling by 8 or 9 months, and it continues as your baby starts to form words around 12 months," Dr. Briggs says.

Respond accordingly

Pediatricians are mostly concerned with your child's receptive language right now. Do they recognize your voice? Do they turn their head toward different sounds? Do they laugh when others laugh?

"Even at this age, your baby can communicate with intent and get what they want by pointing or looking toward an object. They should also be able to follow your eyes and look where you're looking," says Kenn Apel, Ph.D., president of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders in Minneapolis and co-author of Beyond Baby Talk . These responsive actions are more important than how many words your child can say at this age.

Follow simple direction

In addition to responding, see if your child follows simple one-step directions and commands, such as raising their arms when you say "up," taking a sip of water when you tell them to, handing over a toy upon request, and stopping what they're doing when you say "no" (although they will probably try to do it again!).

Use hand and body gestures

During the first year, kids will use their hands and body movement to help them communicate with their limited vocabulary. And while gesturing is a natural part of communication for people of all ages, little kids in particular will use gesturing to help their cognitive and language skills build. According to research , kids who use gesturing when talking can be a positive sign of language growth.

This age is the magic number for gauging if a child is on track with speech. Around this period, your growing toddler should be able to do the following.

Expand their vocabulary

By 24 months, your child should be using about 50 words regularly, such as more , juice , and Grandma . "The year between 12 and 24 months is the most exciting year in terms of language development," Dr. Briggs says. "Your [child] is having a vocabulary boost and should be repeating words they hear from you."

Link together words

You should also notice your toddler putting together two-word sentences, such as "My ball" or "Car go." But don't worry about pronunciation at this point—only about 50% of what they say will be completely understandable.

Use pronouns

By now, your tot will start understanding the concept of "me" and "you"—although they might not always use the words properly. For example, they might refer to themselves as "you." This is common and nothing to worry about; they'll get the hang of it in time.

Identify objects and body parts

Your child should be able to point to their nose, eyes, mouth, and so forth and start saying each body part, although many children will point well before they can verbalize it. Your little one can also point to pictures of the correct objects when prompted with "Where is the ball?" or "Show me the dog."

Your little one is developing into quite the chatterbox . By now, your toddler should be able to do the following.

Speak clearly in simple sentences

After your child turns 3 years old , you should easily understand what they say—or at least 75% of it. "You can hold a conversation with a child this age where [they] ask you questions and tell you things that happened in [their] day," Dr. Briggs says.

String multiple words together

You'll be amazed at how your little one talks in sentences between three and six words. "They are complete sentences, but simple ones, such as 'Mommy is eating,'" Dr. Apel says. To help your child get plenty of practice stringing words together, try helping them along in a few fun ways:

  • Add the word "please" to another word to create a word combo like "up please."
  • Repeat two-word combinations back to your child when they use them.
  • Model word combinations to your child to encourage them to try.

Choose the right words

The days of pointing are nearly over. Your kid should know a word for almost everything they want to identify, and they should be able to ask for or indicate objects verbally.

Follow two-part requests

Understanding and carrying out more complicated requests is another development. Your tot should act accordingly when directed with commands, such as "Please take off your boots and put them on the shelf."

According to Dr. Apel, "These should still be simple directions used in an everyday context so that it's something [they've] experienced before. If it's a brand-new experience, it might be more difficult for your child to carry it out."

You're officially in "big kid" territory now. Your child is growing in leaps and bounds, and their language is getting quite impressive. At this age, your child should be able to do the following.

Speak clearly in more complex sentences

Your growing preschooler now has the ability to tell you an entire story—such as the cool stuff they're doing at preschool—and you can understand nearly every word of it. "By [the time your child is age] 4, even strangers should be able to understand what [they] are saying," Dr. Apel says.

Identify colors, shapes, and letters

Experts say 4-year-olds should name at least some colors, shapes, and letters. Take every chance to explore different letters and words with them, Dr. Apel suggests. "You can take any moment, such as eating breakfast, as a chance to teach something new. For instance, explain how Cheerios is a long word, but milk is a short one. It might take only a few minutes, but a child can learn a lot in that short amount of time."

Understand the concept of time

Your child might not be able to tell time yet, but they should understand the general concept of ordering moments throughout the day—breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, dinner at night, for example.

"It's important for kids to have some redundancy in life," Dr. Apel explains. "Doing the same things each day is good because it allows them to concentrate on picking up the language around them, not the task."

Follow more complex commands

At 4, your child should be able to follow three- or four-step commands, such as "Put your book away, brush your teeth, and then get in bed." Your child should also be able to verbalize their own wants and needs, making requests such as "I want pizza for dinner, and I want to watch Toy Story before bed."

Pediatricians and speech pathologists are always on the lookout for issues with receptive language, so if your child can't follow instructions or doesn't seem to understand what you're saying, it's advised to consult a health care professional.

It's important to remember that all children are different, and every child develops at a unique rate. Milestones are an estimate, and not an exact guidance. That being said, if you find that you have questions or concerns about your child's language development, be sure to reach out to a pediatrician or health care provider for further assistance.

American Academy of Pediatrics. Language Development: 1 Year Olds .

Stanford Children's Health. Age-Appropriate Speech and Language Milestones .

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Three to Four Years .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Important Milestones: Your Baby By Four Years .

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  2. Parts of Speech Definitions and Types with Examples

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COMMENTS

  1. Verb Forms: "-ing," Infinitives, and Past Participles

    Review some basic grammar in these instructional pages on the main parts of speech, sentence structure, and more.

  2. Definition and Examples of -ing Forms in Grammar

    An -ing form is a contemporary linguistic term for the present participle and gerund in English grammar.

  3. Present Participle

    Every verb in the English language has a present participle, and you form it the same way for every verb: Just add ‑ing. Sometimes you'll have to drop an ending silent ‑e, as in write and writing. Sometimes you'll have to double up an ending consonant, as in begin and beginning or occur and occurring. But all present participles end in ...

  4. Explanation and use of the English present participle (ing form)

    The present participle (sometimes also called ing-participle) or simply ing-form can be used in different ways. It is not limited to a specific word category! In general, it is often utilised as follows: The present participle can assume the role of different parts of speech : As a full/main verb in the ing-form (progressive form) in the ...

  5. Gerunds present participles and other -ing forms

    1. The different types of word ending in - ing : The English language does not use many grammatical "endings", but some of those it does use have several different functions. The - ing ending is one of them. Words ending in -ing can be gerunds, verbal nouns, or present participles. Distinguishing (= gerund) between these, and using them correctly is not always easy - until you understand ...

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  7. -ing

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  8. Participles: -ing and -ed

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  9. The ending "-ing" in English: rules and examples

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  14. The 9 Parts of Speech: Definitions and Examples

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  17. The 8 Parts of Speech

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  18. English Grammar Rules

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