Parts of Speech: The 8 Building Blocks of English

Every English word belongs to a category called a part of speech. Understanding them is the first step to good grammar.

1. Noun

Names a person, place, thing or idea: teacher, London, courage.

2. Pronoun

Replaces a noun: he, she, they, it.

3. Verb

Shows action or state: run, think, is.

4. Adjective

Describes a noun: a beautiful garden.

5. Adverb

Describes a verb, adjective or adverb: She sings sweetly.

6. Preposition

Shows relationship: in, on, under, between.

7. Conjunction

Joins words or clauses: and, but, because.

8. Interjection

Expresses emotion: Wow! Alas!