L4 Parts Of Speech Reference Sheet
VERBS
A verb or compound verb asserts something about the subject of the sentence and express actions,
events, or states of being.
Rover bit his master on the hand.
The verb "bit" describes the action Rover took.
Next week Amanda will cook dinner for 20 guests.
Here the compound verb "will cook" describes an action that will take place in the future.
NOUNS
A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract idea. Nouns are usually
the first words which small children learn.
The highlighted words in the following sentences are all nouns:
Last week the horse got caught in the fence.
John Jones was a builder.
In the mind of the teacher, all students are clever
PRONOUNS
A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he," "which," "none," and
"you" to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive.
In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a subjective personal pronoun and acts as
the subject of the sentence:
I was going to school.
You love golf.
He took her shopping so she would spend time with him.
When the alarm went, they ran to school.
We will meet at her place this afternoon.
It is in the drawer.
ADJECTIVES
An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. An
adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.
In the following examples, the highlighted words are adjectives:
The brilliant moon rose in the dark sky.
The weathered boat rocked gently on the calm sea.
The angry mother drew her wrinkled face into a frown.
ADVERBS
An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. An adverb indicates
manner, time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as "how," "when," "where," "how
much".
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In the following examples, each of the highlighted words is an adverb:
The teacher quickly called the roll.
In this sentence, the adverb "quickly" modifies the verb "called" and indicates in what manner (or
how fast) the roll was called.
The shopkeeper waited impatiently while his customer browsed.
Similarly in this sentence, the adverb "impatiently" modifies the verb "waited" and describes the
manner in which the shopkeeper waited.
I heard the gently whispered words of goodbye and I cried softly.
In this sentence the adverb "gently" modifies the adjective "whispered." The adverb “softly” indicates
how I cried.
CONJUNCTIONS
You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following example:
I drank the orange juice and the lemonade.
Have lunch with me if you have the time.
I love horse riding because I grew up on a farm.
After we left school, we began our apprenticeship as carpenters.
PREPOSITIONS
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence.
In the following examples, the highlighted words are prepositions:
The cake is on the table.
The telephone is beneath the window.
The chair is against the wall.
The doctor is beside the bed.
She ate popcorn during the movie.
In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun in space or in time.
INTERJECTIONS
An interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion. It is not grammatically related to
any other part of the sentence.
You usually follow an interjection with an exclamation mark. Interjections are uncommon in formal
academic prose, except in direct quotations.
The highlighted words in the following sentences are interjections:
Got a new computer eh?
Oh no, don’t say you forgot!
Hey! Come back here!
I don't know you think but, gee whizz, I reckon that girl is clever!
Ouch, that was really hard!
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