PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, JEDDAH
CAMBRIDGE CURRICULUM SECTION (CCS)
(Session 2025-2026)
Subject: English
Grade: VIII
Board notes
Language focus: Parts of speech
LESSON 1 | REFRESH YOUR BASICS
TOPIC 1 | PARTS OF SPEECH (WORD CLASS)
Parts of speech are the fundamental categories into which words can be classified based on their
grammatical and syntactical functions within a sentence. These categories help us understand how
words are used and how they relate to one another in a sentence.
Identifying Parts of Speech
1. Nouns: Nouns are words that identify people, places, things, or concepts. They can serve as subjects,
objects, or complements in sentences. Nouns are of different types:
• Common nouns: name any one of a group of persons, places, things, or ideas and are generally not
capitalized like player- club- window- honesty- happiness
• Proper nouns: name a particular person, place, thing, or idea and begin with a capital letter like JackEngland- Niagara Falls
• Concrete nouns: name a person, place, or thing that can be perceived by one or more of the senses
(sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell) like hand- table- mobile
• Abstract nouns: name an idea, a feeling, a quality, or a characteristic like love- friendship- hatredloyalty
• Countable nouns: nouns that can be counted and have a plural form. We can use a/an/ many/ (a) few
before them like apple- bus- school
• Uncountable nouns: nouns that cannot be counted and have no plural form. We cannot use a/an/
many/ (a) few before them, but we can use much / (a) little before them like water- money- furniturenews- luggage- equipment
• Collective nouns: nouns that refer to groups of people or things describing them as a unit like flockbunch- pack- team- family
2. Pronouns:
Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition. They can refer to people, things, places, and ideas.
Pronouns are of different types:
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Personal pronouns: Personal pronouns are used to refer to specific people or things and can be
divided into two main types:
Subject pronouns which are I, we (first person pronouns), you (second person pronoun), he, she,
it, they (third person pronouns)
Object pronouns which are me, us (first person pronouns), you (second person pronoun), him,
her, it, them (third person pronouns).
Reflexive pronouns: Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of the
sentence are the same and they are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves,
themselves.
o
o
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N.B: These pronouns can be used to emphasize a preceding noun or pronoun and, in this case, they are
called intensive pronouns. For example, “Sara herself told me she wasn’t coming to the party.”
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Demonstrative pronouns: Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific things or
people. They are this, that, these, those.
Possessive pronouns: Possessive pronouns are used to show ownership or possession. They are
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.
Interrogative pronouns: Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. The examples of
them are many like who, whom, what, which, whose, where, when, etc.
Relative pronouns: Relative pronouns are used to connect one clause to another. They are who,
whose, which, whom, that, etc.
3. Verbs:
Verbs express actions, occurrences, or states of being. They are the core of a sentence and indicate
what is happening. They are of many types like action verbs (run–eat…), state verbs (love, feel…),
linking verbs (v. to be, seem…), transitive verbs (those that have an object like feed, love…), intransitive
verb (they don’t have an object), auxiliary verbs (v. to be, v. to do…), modal verbs (can, may…), phrasal
verbs (set off, put out, put off…etc.), and imperative verbs (commanding verbs).
4. Adjectives:
Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns by providing additional information about their attributes.
Adjectives can be simple ones like graceful, informative…, comparative like taller, hotter…, superlative
like the hugest, the earnest…, compound adjectives like sugar-free, coordinating like ‘long, dull night’,
or participle adjectives like excited, interesting…etc.
5. Adverbs:
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, indicating how, when, where, or to what extent an
action takes place. They can be adverbs of manner like politely, angrily…, adverbs of time like rarely,
soon…, adverbs of place like here, outside…, or adverbs of degree like extremely, intensively…etc.
6. Prepositions:
Prepositions show relationships between nouns/pronouns and other words in a sentence, indicating
location, direction, time, or manner like in, on, beneath…etc.
7. Conjunctions:
Conjunctions are words used to connect clauses, phrases, or words in a sentence. They help create
complex and meaningful relationships between ideas. There are different types of conjunctions:
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Coordinating conjunctions: These connect words, phrases, or independent clauses of
equal importance. The common coordinating conjunctions are: for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, so (FANBOYS).
Example: She wanted to go out, but it was raining.
Subordinating conjunctions: These connect a dependent clause to an independent
clause, showing a relationship such as time, cause, or condition. Examples include
because, although, since, if, when, while, unless, even though.
Example: I will call you when I reach home.
Correlative conjunctions: These are pairs of conjunctions used together to join equal
elements. Examples include either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also.
Example: She is both talented and hardworking.
8. Interjections:
Interjections are words or short phrases used to express strong emotion or sudden feelings. They can
stand alone or be inserted into a sentence. They are often followed by an exclamation mark.
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Examples include: wow, ouch, oh, alas, hey, yikes, hooray, oh no, aha, eh
Example: Wow! That performance was amazing.
Example: Oh no, I forgot my keys!
✅ Important Tips for Your FLE Checkpoint Exam
📖 How Parts of Speech Questions Appear in the Exam (Reading) 📝✨
These are the types of questions you might see in your FLE Checkpoint Exam related to parts of
speech:
1️⃣ What does "it" refer to?
Example: (Stage 7, Progression 2023, Paper 1)
You’ll need to identify what noun “it” is replacing in the passage.
2️⃣ The writer uses personal pronouns in the ...paragraph. What effect does this create?
Example: (April 2023, Paper 1)
Think about how using words like I, we, you makes the writing more personal or direct.
3️⃣ Why does the writer use imperatives in paragraph...?
Example: (April 2023, Paper 1)
Look for command verbs (e.g. Do this, Think about...) and explain their purpose.
4️⃣ Why does the writer use a conjunction in ...?
Example: (Progression 2023, Paper 1)
You’ll need to explain why the writer connects ideas using and, but, although, etc.
5️⃣ What part of speech are the hyphenated (-) words? Tick one box.
✏️
Example: (Progression 2022, Paper 2)
Identify whether the hyphenated word is a noun, adjective, etc.
6️⃣ The writer uses a grammatical function to refer to the influence of the game of chess.
Which one word does the writer use to do that?
♟️
Example: (Stage 9, Progression 2023, Paper 2)
You’ll need to find the specific word that refers back to “chess” and explain its function.
Study Tip: Be familiar with how pronouns, verbs, conjunctions, and other parts of speech
function in real texts. Practice identifying them in different types of writing!
How Parts of Speech Are Tested in the FLE Checkpoint Exam (Writing)
1️⃣ Use the Correct Word Form 💬
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2️⃣
Make sure you’re using the correct noun, adjective, or adverb in your writing.
❌ Wrong: We need time of relax.
✅ Correct: We need time of relaxation.
Capitalize Proper Nouns 🔠
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Always start proper nouns with a capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence.
❌ Wrong: My favourite month is may.
✅ Correct: My favourite month is May.
3️⃣ Use the Right Pronoun 👥
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Choose the correct pronoun to replace a noun accurately.
❌ Wrong: Mobile phones are important. It helps us stay in touch.
✅ Correct: Mobile phones are important. They help us stay in touch.
4️⃣ Know Your Parts of Speech 🧠📖
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Prepositions: Show the relationship between words. (e.g. in, on, under)
Conjunctions: Connect words or clauses. (e.g. and, but, although)
Interjections: Express strong emotions. (e.g. Wow! Ouch! Oh!)
PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, JEDDAH
CAMBRIDGE CURRICULUM SECTION (CCS)
(Session 2025-2026)
Practice sheet
Name: _________________________________
Language focus: Parts of speech
Subject: English
Grade & Sec.: VIII-____
SECTION 1: GRAMMAR READING
1. Adverb
Circle the adverb that shows how Dave danced.
→ Dave put on his best shirt before dancing energetically.
2. Adjective / Noun
Label whether each of these words is an adjective or noun.
→ steep, shoe, muddy, puddle
3. Adverb
Circle the adverb in this sentence:
→ Everyone cheered as Dave ran majestically over the finishing line.
4. Conjunction
Underline the conjunction in the sentence below.
→ Once he had eaten, Dave decided that it was his turn to load the dishwasher.
5. Conjunction
Circle the conjunction in this sentence:
→ Dave loves his fish and chips. Although he knows that fatty food is unhealthy, he still eats them
twice a week.
6. Pronoun
Write a pronoun in the box below to replace a word in this sentence:
→ When Dave arrives at work, the first thing Dave does is make a cup of tea.
7. Noun
Circle the five nouns in this sentence:
→ Dave has a lovely house in Yorkshire with a cat and two rabbits.
8. Relative Clause (linking with pronoun “who”)
Insert two commas around the relative clause:
→ Dave who was whistling as he walked arrived at the train station.
9. Verb
Circle all the verbs in this sentence:
→ Dave was the first person in his family to run a marathon.
10. Pronoun (I / Me)
Tick the correct box to say whether ‘I’ or ‘me’ is missing.
Sentence
Dave and _______ enjoy rock music.
I love this photo of Dave and ___.
Dave, Susan and ___ sang together.
11. Parts of speech for the word “before”
What is the word ‘before’ in this sentence? Tick one.
Dave always makes sure he eats his lunch before 1️ o’clock.
Options: Adverb / Preposition / Verb / Conjunction
I
Me
12. Word Class Labelling
Label each word with the correct letter.
A - Noun B – Verb C - Pronoun D – Determiner E - Adverb
Dave hurriedly grabbed a bag of crisps before he left the house.
13. Conjunction
Tick one conjunction to complete the sentence.
Dave wasn’t a strong swimmer __________________ he entered himself for the Sport Relief
Sponsored Swim at his local pool.
although
so that
whenever
because
14. Correct or incorrect...?
a) ‘Correct or incorrect’ includes a conjunction.
b) Love and hate are nouns.
c) Love and hate can also be verbs.
d) Adverbs always end -ly.
e) Always is an adverb.
15. Name that part of speech.
a) Adds detail by describing or modifying something.
b) Combines with a subject and object to form a basic English sentence.
c) Substitute for a noun that has already been clearly defined.
d) Typically partnered with an exclamation mark.
e) Name suggests it precedes a noun and reveals something about its placement.
16. Identify the odd one out.
a) tall – obtuse – cloth – fragrant – lonely
b) vale – price – steps – vast – holiday
c) jump – cliff – ski – race – tumble
d) fast – slow – rapidly – gently – leisure
e) never – and – because – although – yet
17. Identify the underlined parts of speech in each sentence.
a) The cat sat on the mat.
b) Who do you want to win?
c) Woah, that’s rough.
d) I like holidays; however, I dislike flying.
e) I didn’t mean to be mean.
18. Identify the interjection in the sentence:
“Wow! That magic trick was incredible.”
19. Write sentences using the following interjections:
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Ouch! ___________________________________________________________
Wow! ___________________________________________________________
Alas! ___________________________________________________________
Hey! ___________________________________________________________
Huh? ___________________________________________________________
20. Identify the odd one out:
a) Wow – Oh – Hey – Quickly – Alas
b) Oops – Hooray – Sorry – Yikes – Ouch
c) Hmm – Because – Ah – Well – Ugh
d) Oh – Alas – Gently – Aha – Huh
e) Yippee – Alas – Hmm – Although – Oh
SECTION 2: GRAMMAR WRITING
STUDY THE FOLLOWING IMAGE
1. Write three simple sentences describing this image, each starting with a preposition.
Sentence 1: __________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 2: __________________________________________________________________________
Sentence 3: __________________________________________________________________________
2. Write down four nouns naming objects in the image.
1.
2.
3.
4.
3. Build on each of the nouns above, using adjectives to create noun phrases.
1.
2.
3.
4.
4. Write down four verbs and adverbs that could help describe the possible next event in the image.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Now write a full description of this image. Write a detailed paragraph (6–8 sentences) describing
the ruined buildings and destruction in this image.
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Include at least five parts of speech:
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Nouns (e.g., rubble, building, windows)
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Adjectives (e.g., broken, dusty, abandoned)
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Verbs (e.g., collapse, fall, scatter)
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Adverbs (e.g., silently, suddenly, dangerously)
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Prepositional phrases (e.g., under the rubble, between the walls)
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Join two sentences with a relative clause using which or that.
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Keep your description in the present tense, as if you are standing there now.
Example starter: Between the two shattered buildings, piles of broken wood lie scattered across the
ground. The dusty air hangs heavily, and the silence is broken only by the creak of loose beams that
look ready to fall. A single balcony, which is cracked and leaning forward, seems dangerously close to
collapse.
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Relax your mind, study with purpose, and let success unfold!