ENGLISH MAKES EASY
ENGLISH SPECIALIZATION
PART OF SPEECH
What are the 8 Parts of Speech?
1. Noun
2. Pronoun
3. Adjective
4. Verb
5. Adverb
6. Conjunction
7. Preposition
8. Interjection
1. NOUN
A noun is a person, an animal, place, thing, or idea/abstract.
Nouns are the subject of a sentence.
Example:
Kylie is a pro-golfer.
The dog was lonely for me.
The bakery has fresh baked goods.
Love is a beautiful thing.
Types of Nouns in English
Nouns are among the most important words in the English language – without them, we’d have a difficult time speaking and writing about anything. This guide to noun types is intended as a basic overview. Every type of noun comes with its own rules, so be sure to read more in our pages about specific types of nouns.
Abstract Nouns
Abstract nouns are those referring to ideas, concepts, emotions, and other “things” you can’t physically interact with. You can’t see, taste, touch, smell, or hear something named with an abstract noun. Some abstract noun examples are included in the following sentences.
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Success seems to come easily to certain people.
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His hatred of people smoking indoors is legendary.
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She has an incredible love for nature.
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This is of great importance.
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He received an award for his bravery.
Collective Nouns
When talking about types of noun, it’s important to remember collective nouns. A collective noun is a word that refers to a group. It can be either singular or plural, but is usually used in the singular. Some collective noun examples are included in the following sentences.
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Our team is enjoying an unbroken winning streak.
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There’s a pack of hyenas outside.
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Watch out for that swarm of bees.
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You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a herd of wild horses.
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Our class graduates two years from now.
Common Nouns
Common nouns are used to refer to general things rather than specific examples. Common nouns are not normally capitalized unless they are used as part of a proper name or are placed at the beginning of a sentence. Some common noun examples are included in the following sentences.
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Be sure to pick a top university.
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Stack those boxes carefully.
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Would you like a cookie with your coffee?
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People are strange.
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My dog won’t stop barking.
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Concrete Nouns
Concrete nouns are words used for actual things you can touch, see, taste, feel, and hear – things you interact with every day. Notice that concrete nouns can also be countable, uncountable, common, proper, and collective nouns. Some concrete noun examples are included in the following sentences.
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Please remember to buy oranges.
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Have a seat in that chair.
Types of Nouns:
1. Common Noun
A noun that does not name a specific person, place or thing.
Example: dog, cat, car, house, etc.
2. Proper Noun
A noun that names a specific person, place or thing.
Example: New York City, Mulawarman University, etc.
Proper Noun Examples
In the following sentences, proper noun examples are compared with common nouns. Notice that the proper nouns are specific and unique, while the common nouns are much more general in nature.
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Common noun: I want to be a writer.
Proper noun: Agatha Christie wrote many books.
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Common noun: I’d like to adopt a cat.
Proper noun: Cleopatra is the cutest kitten ever.
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Common noun: Would you like a cookie?
Proper noun: I’m craving Oreos.
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Common noun: Let’s go to the city.
Proper noun: Let’s go to San Francisco.
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Common noun: My teacher starts work before sunup.
Proper noun: Mr. Bell seems to understand what students need.
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Common noun: I think that’s a planet, not a star.
Proper noun: I can see Jupiter tonight.
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Common noun: He’s always hanging out with his girlfriend.
Proper noun: He never goes anywhere without Sarah.
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Common noun: There are a lot of important documents in the archives.
Proper noun: There are many important documents at The Library of Congress.
How to Use Proper Nouns
It’s easy to use proper nouns, once you know what they are. Simply place them in your sentences as you would common nouns, ensuring that you capitalize them. Here are some examples to help you get started.
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Brett had hoped for an easy teacher for his algebra class, but he got Ms. Boggs, whose unreasonable demands and short temper made the semester unbearable.
→ Teacher is a common noun. Ms. Boggs is a proper noun.
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Gloria had a craving, and not just any cookie would do. She went to the store and bought a box of Oreos.
→ Cookie is a common noun. Oreos is a proper noun.
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We wanted to try a new restaurant, so we went to Taste of Thai.
→ Restaurant is a common noun. Taste of Thai is a proper noun.
Proper Noun Examples
Identify the proper noun in each sentence:
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The boy threw the ball to his dog, Wilson.
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I’d like you to meet my friend Jeremy.
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We’ll be vacationing in Aspen this year.
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My second grade teacher was Mrs. Gilbert, an old battle-axe.
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We went to Smith’s Furniture and bought a new couch to replace our old one.
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Do you think the Dolphins will win the game?
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I’m flying first-class on Emirate Airlines.
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Thomas Jefferson was a president and philosopher.
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My best friend moved to Israel to study.
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When the Titanic sank, the captain went down with the ship.
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Answers: 1 – Wilson, 2 – Jeremy, 3 – Aspen, 4 – Mrs. Gilbert, 5 – Smith’s Furniture, 6 – Dolphins, 7 – Emirate Airlines, 8 – Thomas Jefferson, 9 – Israel, 10 – Titanic
Countable Noun Examples
Anything that can be counted, whether singular – a dog, a house, a friend, etc. or plural – a few books, lots of oranges, etc. is a countable noun. The following countable noun examples will help you to see the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. Notice that singular verbs are used with singular countable nouns, while plural verbs are used with plural countable nouns.
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There are at least twenty Italian restaurants in Little Italy.
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Megan took a lot of photographs when she went to the Grand Canyon.
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Your book is on the kitchen table.
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How many candles are on that birthday cake?
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You have several paintings to study in art appreciation class.
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There’s a big brown dog running around the neighborhood.
Uncountable Noun Examples
Anything that cannot be counted is an uncountable noun. Even though uncountable nouns are not individual objects, they are always singular and one must always use singular verbs in conjunction with uncountable nouns. The following uncountable noun examples will help you to gain even more understanding of how countable and uncountable nouns differ from one another. Notice that singular verbs are always used with uncountable nouns.
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There is no more water in the pond.
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Please help yourself to some cheese.
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I need to find information about Pulitzer Prize winners.
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You seem to have a high level of intelligence.
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Please take good care of your equipment.
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Let’s get rid of the garbage.
Uncountable nouns can be paired with words expressing plural concept. Using these words can make your writing more specific. Here are some examples of how to format interesting sentences with uncountable nouns.
• Garbage – There are nine bags of garbage on the curb.
• Water – Try to drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
• Advice – She gave me a useful piece of advice.
• Bread – Please buy a loaf of bread.
• Furniture – A couch is a piece of furniture.
• Equipment – A backhoe is an expensive piece of equipment.
• Cheese – Please bag ten slices of cheese for me.
Countable and Uncountable Nouns Exercises
Is the underlined noun countable or uncountable?
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The children fell asleep quickly after a busy day of fun.
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Be careful! The water is deep.
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The parade included fire trucks and police cars.
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We like the large bottles of mineral water.
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My mother uses real butter in the cakes she bakes.
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How many politicians does it take to pass a simple law?
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Most kids like milk, but Joey hates it.
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Most pottery is made of clay.
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Michael can play several different musical instruments.
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I was feeling so stressed that I ate an entire box of cookies.
2. PRONOUN
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
Example: I, me, my, you, your, he, she, it , us, we, they, them, his, her, their, mine, our, myself, himself, herself, itself, yourself, themselves, ourselves, who, whose, whom, anybody, anyone, everybody, nobody, someone, somebody.
What Is a Pronoun?
Pronouns make up a small subcategory of nouns. The distinguishing characteristic of pronouns is that they can be substituted for other nouns. For instance, if you’re telling a story about your sister Sarah, the story will begin to sound repetitive if you keep repeating “Sarah” over and over again.
Sarah has always loved fashion. Sarah announced that Sarah wants to go to fashion school.
You could try to mix it up by sometimes referring to Sarah as “my sister,” but then it sounds like you’re referring to two different people.
Sarah has always loved fashion. My sister announced that Sarah wants to go to fashion school.
Instead, you can use the pronouns she and her to refer to Sarah.
Sarah has always loved fashion. She announced that she wants to go to fashion school.
Personal Pronouns
There are a few different types of pronouns, and some pronouns belong to more than one category. She and her are known as personal pronouns.
The other personal pronouns are I and me, you, he and him, it, we and us, and they and them. If you learned about pronouns in school, these are probably the words your teacher focused on. We’ll get to the other types of pronouns in a moment.
Antecedents
Pronouns are versatile. The pronoun it can refer to just about anything: a bike, a tree, a movie, a feeling. That’s why you need an antecedent. An antecedent is a noun or noun phrase that you mention at the beginning of a sentence or story and later replace with a pronoun. In the examples below, the antecedent is highlighted and the pronoun that replaces it is bolded.
My family drives me nuts, but I love them.
The sign was too far away for Henry to read it.
Sarah said she is almost finished with the application.
In some cases, the antecedent doesn’t need to be mentioned explicitly, as long as the context is totally clear. It’s usually clear who the pronouns I, me, and you refer to based on who is speaking.
It’s also possible to use a pronoun before you mention the antecedent, but try to avoid doing it in long or complex sentences because it can make the sentence hard to follow.
I love them, but my family drives me nuts.
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns make up another class of pronouns. They are used to connect relative clauses to independent clauses. Often, they introduce additional information about something mentioned in the sentence. Relative pronouns include that, what, which, who, and whom. Traditionally, who refers to people, and which and that refer to animals or things.
The woman who called earlier didn’t leave a message. All the dogs that got adopted today will be loved. My car , which is nearly twenty years old, still runs well.
Whether you need commas with who, which, and that depends on whether the clause is restrictive or nonrestrictive.
Who vs. Whom—Subject and Object Pronouns
Now that we’ve talked about relative pronouns, let’s tackle the one that causes the most confusion: who vs. whom.
Who is a subject pronoun, like I, he, she, we, and they.
Whom is an object pronoun, like me, him, her, us and them.
When the pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition, the object form is the one you want.
Most people don’t have much trouble with the objective case of personal pronouns because they usually come immediately after the verb or preposition that modifies it.
Please mail it to I.
Please mail it to me.
Ms. Higgins caught they passing notes.
Ms. Higgins caught them passing notes.
Is this cake for we?
Is this cake for us?
Whom is trickier, though, because it usually comes before the verb or preposition that modifies it.
Whom did you speak to earlier?
A man, whom I have never seen before, was asking about you.
Whom should I say is calling?
One way to test whether you need who or whom is to try substituting a personal pronoun. Find the place where the personal pronoun would normally go and see whether the subject or object form makes more sense.
Who/whom did you speak to earlier? Did you speak to he/him earlier?
A man, whom I have never seen before, was asking about you. Have I seen he/him before?
Whom should I say is calling? Should I say she/her is calling?
If the object pronoun (him or her) sounds right, use whom. If the subject pronoun (he or she) sounds right, use who.
Before we move on, there’s one more case where the choice between subject and object pronouns can be confusing. Can you spot the problem in the sentences below?
Henry is meeting Sarah and I this afternoon. There are no secrets between you and I. It doesn’t matter to him or I.
In each of the sentences above, the pronoun I should be me. If you remove the other name or pronoun from the sentence, it becomes obvious.
Henry is meeting I this afternoon. No one keeps secrets from I. It doesn’t matter to I.
Demonstrative Pronouns
That, this, these and those are demonstrative pronouns. They take the place of a noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned.
This is used for singular items that are nearby. These is used for multiple items that are nearby. The distance can be physical or metaphorical.
Here is a letter with no return address. Who could have sent this? What a fantastic idea! This is the best thing I’ve heard all day. If you think gardenias smell nice, try smelling these.
That is used for singular items that are far away. Those is used for multiple items that are far away. Again, the distance can be physical or metaphorical.
A house like that would be a nice place to live. Some new flavors of soda came in last week. Why don’t you try some of those? Those aren’t swans, they’re geese.
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are used when you need to refer to a person or thing that doesn’t need to be specifically identified. Some common indefinite pronouns are one, other, none, some, anybody, everybody, and no one.
Everybody was late to work because of the traffic jam. It matters more to some than others. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.
When indefinite pronouns function as subjects of a sentence or clause, they usually take singular verbs.
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
Use a reflexive pronoun when both the subject and object of a verb refer to the same person or thing.
Henry cursed himself for his poor eyesight. They booked themselves a room at the resort. I told myself it was nothing.
Intensive pronouns look the same as reflexive pronouns, but their purpose is different. Intensive pronouns add emphasis.
I built this house myself. Did you yourself see Loretta spill the coffee?
“I built this house” and “I built this house myself” mean almost the same thing. But “myself” emphasizes that I personally built the house—I didn’t hire someone else to do it for me. Likewise, “Did you see Loretta spill the coffee?” and “Did you yourself see Loretta spill the coffee?” have similar meanings. But “yourself” makes it clear that the person asking wants to know whether you actually witnessed the incident or whether you only heard it described by someone else.
Occasionally, people are tempted to use myself where they should use me because it sounds a little fancier. Don’t fall into that trap! If you use a -self form of a pronoun, make sure it matches one of the uses above.
Please call Sarah or myself if you are going to be late. Loretta, Henry, and myself are pleased to welcome you to the neighborhood.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns come in two flavors: limiting and absolute. My, your, its, his, her, our, their and whose are used to show that something belongs to an antecedent.
Sarah is working on her application. Just put me back on my bike. The studentspracticed their presentation after school.
The absolute possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. The absolute forms can be substituted for the thing that belongs to the antecedent.
Are you finished with your application? Sarah already finished hers. The blue bike is mine. I practiced my speech and the students practiced theirs.
Some possessive pronouns are easy to mix up with similar-looking contractions. Remember, possessive personal pronouns don’t include apostrophes.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used in questions. The interrogative pronouns are who, what, which, and whose.
Who wants a bag of jelly beans? What is your name? Which movie do you want to watch? Whose jacket is this?
3. ADJECTIVE
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. It tells what kind, how many, or which one.
Example: green shirt, sour limes.
4. VERB
A verb is the action of the sentence. It shows what someone or something is doing.
Example: run, paint, read, etc.
5. ADVERB
An adverb describes how the action is performed. They tell how much, how often, when and where something is done.
Example: - The fished jumped quickly from the water.
- The man sat alone.
6. Conjunction
A conjunction is a word that joins words or word groups together.
Some examples conjunctions are: and, but, or, nor, although, yet, so, either, and also.
7. PREPOSITION
A preposition is a word that shows position or, direction.
Some examples are: in, out, under, over, after, out, into, up, down, for, and between.
8. INTERJECTION
An interjection is a word that shows strong emotion.
Such examples are: Wow!, Ouch!, Hurray!, and Oh no!
Interjections can really liven up a sentence. They help to add voice to your writing.