The Nine Parts of Speech

Breanna Call
2 days ago
8 min read

Knowing the function of words will help you understand grammar, usage, and punctuation rules.

Photo of a woman reading an open book. Photo by Enzo Muñoz on Pexels.

In order to grasp editing rules, you’ll need to understand how words function in a sentence. The function of words or groups of words is known as “parts of speech.” Because every language is constructed differently, this tip focuses on the parts of speech in English.

The number of English parts of speech is up for debate. Grammarians agree that there are at least eight parts of speech, but in the modern grammar world, some argue it is more accurate to say there are nine.

You’ll learn more about this debate as you read this tip. Then, we’ll let you decide if there should be eight or nine parts of speech. For now, let’s look at the nine categories. Here are simple definitions for each:

Noun	Person, place, thing, or idea.
Pronoun	Placeholder or identifier for a noun.
Verb	Action or state of being.
Adjective	Descriptor for a noun.
Determiner	Clarification of a noun.
Adverb	Descriptor for an adjective, verb, or other adverb.
Preposition	Descriptor for a location/time or introduction for an object.
Conjunction	Connector of words, clauses, or phrases.
Interjection	Short exclamation.

Now that you’ve read the nine definitions, we’ll identify the one that is up for debate: determiner. Determiners were traditionally considered a type of adjective, but now, more and more grammarians are moving determiners into their own category. You’ll see why in our section on determiners.

You’ll also learn how to categorize each word in a sentence as a part of speech. When doing so, it’s crucial to understand that words can serve as different parts of speech depending on their placement in the sentence. Take the word flower in the following sentences.

Violet is a kind of flower.

I love the flower pattern on that fabric.

In the first sentence, flower is a noun. In the second sentence, flower is an adjective.

So when determining parts of speech, remember context plays a huge role.

1. Noun

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Here are some examples:

Person	Aunt Susan, Rosa Parks, prince, astronaut, teacher
Place	home, Cleveland, Africa, church, 4th Avenue, club
Thing	mouse, laugh, sunset, diploma, atmosphere
Idea	concept, wish, thought, proposal, apology

Nouns are underlined in the following sentences:

Amelia Rae knew she would grow up to be a pilot.

Did Noah try the red and white lollipop?

As Jenny and Trent stood inside the gazebo and looked into each other’s eyes, they knew it was love at first sight.

2. Pronoun

A pronoun is a placeholder or identifier for a noun. We use pronouns to make speech easier or less clunky. Instead of saying the same noun over and over again, we can replace it with a pronoun. Examples of pronouns are I, she, we, their, it, whose, himself, this, no one, each other, and which.

Let’s look at the following paragraph. Notice, it doesn’t have any pronouns.

Carolina lived in Mexico with her mother, father, and three brothers. Carolina was quick on her feet. So when Carolina’s parents decided the responsibility of caring for the chickens would now belong to Carolina, Carolina quickly recruited her brothers to help. At first, her brothers were happy to help, but then her brothers realized her brothers could have spent the time playing instead.

Yikes. This paragraph is hard to read through because there are so many instances of Carolina and her brothers. Let’s add in some pronouns and see how that reads.

Carolina lived in Mexico with her mother, father, and three brothers. She was quick on her feet. So when her parents decided the responsibility of caring for the chickens would now belong to her, she quickly recruited her brothers to help. At first, they were happy to help, but then they realized they could have spent the time playing instead.

This reads much more smoothly. She and her took the place of Carolina, so we didn’t have to use Carolina over and over. (Note: Her isn’t underlined when it is considered a determiner. More on that later.) Similarly, they took the place of her brothers. Nouns and pronouns work together to make it easier to speak, read, and write.

3. Verb

A verb is any kind of action: kicking, sang, picks up, has, or thought. Verbs also include states of being. This refers to verbs like am, are, will, should, do, did, and could, which aren’t necessarily visible actions but are still verbs.

Verbs in their most basic form, often included with to, are called infinitive verbs: to run, to wish, to feel.

Verbs can also change tense to help describe if the action took place in the past, present, or future.

Past: ran, wished, felt

Present: run, runs, wish, feel

Future: will run, will wish, will feel

Verbs are underlined in the following sentences:

The student didn’t want to take the test, but Mr. Van Pelt insisted the student’s grade would plummet if the student didn’t.

I am certain Jillian is up to no good because I overheard her talking with Pete about stealing all the lightbulbs.

On the chair was Great Aunt Ida’s cat, who ate more mice than I could ever imagine possible.

4. Adjective

An adjective describes a noun: the way it looks, how it feels or smells, how it acts, and much more. Some examples are cold, yellow, smart, quick, elated, short, and sleek.

Adjectives are underlined in the following sentences:

The pink, fading sun shimmered off the blue-green lake that was as cold and icy as it got all year.

Margot was irritated at her annoying little brother because he had taken her crisp store-bought apple without permission.

I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk to drive on my new set of expensive wheels.

5. Determiner

Now we’ve reached the modern grammarian debate: are determiners adjectives or do they merit their own category?

Determiners are similar to adjectives in the sense that they give detail to nouns. However, modern grammarians say there is a slight difference between adjectives and determiners. Experts argue that while adjectives describe nouns, determiners clarify nouns.

For example, that would be a determiner in “She lives in that house.” Similar to an adjective, that gives detail about the house, but it doesn’t necessarily describe the house. We don’t know any specific features about the house after reading “that house.” We just get clarification on which house we are talking about.

If we add green to our example sentence—“She lives in that green house”—green would act as an adjective to describe the house. We now know what color the house is. Are you understanding the subtle difference between determiners and adjectives?

More examples of determiners are the, a, his, her, all, which, these, both, many, and thirteen. Determiners are underlined in the following sentences:

I grew up on that corner at the house her uncle passes on his drive to work.

When every gust of wind blows through my hair, I can’t help but think of all those cornfields swaying in the summer breeze.

Javier’s mother told him to keep whichever of the five speckled eggs he wanted.

One trick to find a determiner is to ask whether or not the word answers any of these questions: which, whose, or how many. For example, which corner? That corner. Whose hair? My hair. How many eggs? Five eggs.

What do you think? Should determiners be listed as a separate part of speech? Or should we group them with adjectives?

6. Adverb

Adverbs add description to many parts of speech, including adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. Because adverbs describe or modify several different parts of speech, it can take some practice to identify them. Generally, you can tell if a word is an adverb if it can answer the following questions: how, in what way, when, where, and to what extent.

Let’s take the adverb extremely. It can be used to describe the adjective red in “The extremely red skin needed aloe vera.” You can ask the question, How red was the skin? The answer: The skin was extremely red. You’ve got an adverb!

As another example, the word not in the third sentence below is an adverb. The question you can ask to check also uses how: How happy are you? I’m not happy. Not is an adverb!

The questions are a great starting place to help identify adverbs. Don’t worry; you’ll get better with practice!

Other examples of adverbs include slowly, there, often, certainly, therefore, almost, and what. Adverbs are underlined in the sentences below:

Why would you carry that fragile blue pitcher so clumsily?

I probably could eat fourteen sandwiches if I practiced often enough.

I am not happy that you scarcely ever think about your very important future here.

7. Preposition

Prepositions describe a location or time, or they introduce an object. Ever hear the saying, “A preposition is whatever a frog can do in relation to a log”? It’s not a bad way to identify prepositions. A frog can go over a log as well as under, around, into, on top of, behind, in front of, beneath, and much more. All these words are examples of prepositions.

The frog-log example identifies a lot of prepositions, but there are many other prepositions that can’t be identified with this example. For instance, other prepositions include with, at, of, due to, and before.

Prepositions are underlined in the sentences below:

I can’t go on the trip because of my illness.

Before work, I lie in my bed until the cat at my feet jumps onto the floor.

I will take the cake with cherries and chocolate that is among the desserts sitting against the wall.

8. Conjunction

Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses. Common conjunctions can be identified by using the acronym FANBOYS.

F	for
A	and
N	nor
B	but
O	or
Y	yet
S	so

Some conjunctions come in pairs, like if . . . then, either . . . or, and but . . . also. Other conjunctions include conversely, therefore, as long as, and by the time.

Conjunctions are underlined in the sentences below:

Jane neither liked lemons nor limes.

Pine trees are found in the forest while palm trees are found on the beach.

I don’t want to ski or snowboard, but my mother and father insist.

9. Interjection

Interjections are exclamations or abrupt remarks. They can be used as interruptions or precede or follow a sentence. Some examples of interjections include ooh, wow, shoot, and boom.

Interjections are underlined in the sentences below:

Yay, I can’t wait to go shopping!

I thought I was about to win, alas.

“Please be careful”—crash!—“with the dishes.”

Listen up! We have a fire drill tomorrow.

Now that you’ve read through the parts of speech, what do you think? Should there be eight or nine parts of speech in the English language?

Whatever you decide, the more you understand the parts of speech, the cleaner your manuscript will look and the better you’ll understand your editor’s track changes. For example, conjugation rules change based on how the parts of speech are arranged. And you’ll know when to use a comma between two adjectives and when to leave it out.

Diving deep into the construction of the English language will only improve your understanding of grammar, usage, and punctuation rules. And if you’re not sure what part of speech a word is, email us and let’s figure it out together.

The Published Examples

Color Key:

Noun Pronoun Verb Adjective Determiner Adverb Preposition Conjunction

Book cover for Beautiful Ashes by Shelly Edwards Jorgensen with an image of a young girl and paper burning behind it. A true story of murder, betrayal, and one woman's search for peace.

She was careful about many things but had vastly miscalculated the costs of staying. I wished she had left Dad years earlier when she’d asked. Her fear of losing everything had cost us exactly that—everything. That morning, I would have traded it all for even a fractured family—all three houses, the cabin, my Mustang, my loft, European vacations. Anything.