English has eight parts of speech, each serving a distinct role in sentences. Understanding these categories is fundamental to clear writing and accurate reading comprehension.
Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas. Common nouns are general (dog, city), while proper nouns are specific names (Rex, Paris). Pronouns replace nouns (he, she, they, it). Subject pronouns act as subjects; object pronouns receive actions.
Verbs express actions (run, write), states of being (is, seem), or possession (have, own). Every sentence requires a subject and a verb. Tenses indicate when: present (walk), past (walked), future (will walk).
Adjectives describe nouns (tall, blue, interesting). Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (quickly, very, extremely). Prepositions show relationships between words — typically location, time, or direction (in, on, at, during, through).