Parts of Speech in English and Their Functions & Examples

When learning English, one of the most important foundations is understanding parts of speech. They are the building blocks of sentences, helping us organize thoughts and express ideas clearly. Just like different tools in a toolbox, each part of speech has its own job.

Nouns – The Name-Givers

Function: Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.
Examples: People: teacher, Maria; Places: park, Philippines; Things: book, laptop; Ideas: freedom, love
Example sentence: Maria is reading a book at the park.

Pronouns – The Replacers

Function: Pronouns take the place of nouns to avoid repetition.
Examples: he, she, it, they, we, you, I
Example sentence: Maria loves her cat.

Verbs – The Action or State Words

Function: Verbs show actions or states of being.
Examples: run, write, sing, am, is, were
Example sentence: They run every morning before school.

Adjectives – The Describers

Function: Adjectives describe or modify nouns and pronouns. They tell us more about size, color, quantity, and quality.
Examples: beautiful, tall, three, happy
Example sentence: The tall building has beautiful windows.

Adverbs – The Detail-Adders

Function: Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They often answer questions like how, when, where, and to what extent.
Examples: quickly, yesterday, here, very
Example sentence: She sings beautifully in the morning.

Prepositions – The Connectors

Function: Prepositions show relationships between nouns (or pronouns) and other words in a sentence.
Examples: in, on, at, under, between, during
Example sentence: The keys are on the table.

Conjunctions – The Joiners

Function: Conjunctions link words, phrases, or clauses.
Examples: and, but, or, because, although
Example sentence: I wanted to go out, but it started raining.

Interjections – The Emotion Shouters

Function: Interjections express sudden feelings or emotions.
Examples: Wow!, Oh no!, Hey!, Ouch!
Example sentence: Wow! That was an amazing performance.

Why Knowing the Parts of Speech Matters

Understanding parts of speech helps you:
– Write grammatically correct sentences
– Speak more clearly and confidently
– Understand how words interact in a sentence

Think of them as the blueprint for building strong communication skills. Once you know each part’s function, you can mix them together to create powerful and precise messages.

Quick Reference Table

Part of Speech	Function	Example Words	Sample Sentence
Noun	Names people, places, things, ideas	cat, city, joy	The cat sleeps.
Pronoun	Replaces a noun	she, they	She is happy.
Verb	Shows action/state	run, is	They run daily.
Adjective	Describes nouns/pronouns	red, tall	The red car is fast.
Adverb	Describes verbs/adjectives/adverbs	quickly, very	He runs quickly.
Preposition	Shows relationship	in, on	The book is on the desk.
Conjunction	Connects words/phrases/clauses	and, but	I like tea and coffee.
Interjection	Expresses emotion	Oh!, Wow!	Wow! That’s amazing.