An Easy Guide for English Learners
If English sentences sometimes feel confusing or disorganised, you’re not alone.
The secret to understanding English grammar is learning parts of speech.
Once you know what job each word does, English starts to feel logical, predictable,
and far more enjoyable.
What Are Parts of Speech?
Parts of speech are the basic categories of words, based on their
function in a sentence. Think of a sentence as a team, each word has a role, and
when every word does its job correctly, the sentence works perfectly.
The Eight Main Parts of Speech in English
| # | Part of Speech | Main Job |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nouns | Name people, places, things, or ideas |
| 2 | Pronouns | Replace nouns to avoid repetition |
| 3 | Verbs | Show actions or states of being |
| 4 | Adjectives | Describe nouns |
| 5 | Adverbs | Describe verbs, adjectives, or adverbs |
| 6 | Prepositions | Show relationships (time, place, direction) |
| 7 | Conjunctions | Connect words or clauses |
| 8 | Interjections | Express emotion or reaction |
Detailed Breakdown with Examples
1. Nouns
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Person | teacher, Sarah |
| Place | school, Paris |
| Thing | book, car |
| Idea | freedom, happiness |
Sentence: The teacher loves her job.
Common challenge: Missing articles
❌ I bought car.
✅ I bought a car.
❌ I bought car.
✅ I bought a car.
Tip: Singular nouns in English usually need a, an, or the.
2. Pronouns
Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Sentence: Sarah loves her dog. She walks it every day.
Sentence: Sarah loves her dog. She walks it every day.
Common challenge: Gender confusion (he / she)
Tip: English pronouns show gender, so always check who you are talking about.
3. Verbs
| Verb Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Action Verbs | run, jump, write |
| State Verbs | am, is, are, was |
Common challenge: Missing “s”
❌ He work every day.
✅ He works every day.
❌ He work every day.
✅ He works every day.
4. Adjectives
Examples: tall, red, beautiful, cold
Sentence: The red car is fast.
Sentence: The red car is fast.
Tip: Adjectives usually come before the noun.
5. Adverbs
Examples: quickly, often, very
Sentence: She runs quickly.
Sentence: She runs quickly.
Common challenge: Using adjectives instead of adverbs
6. Prepositions
Examples: in, on, at, under, next to
Sentence: The cat is under the table.
Sentence: The cat is under the table.
Tip: Learn prepositions in phrases, not through translation.
7. Conjunctions
Examples: and, but, because, although
Sentence: I wanted to go out, but it started to rain.
Sentence: I wanted to go out, but it started to rain.
8. Interjections
Examples: Wow!, Oops!, Oh no!
Sentence: Wow! That was amazing!
Sentence: Wow! That was amazing!
Why Parts of Speech Matter
| Benefit | Result |
|---|---|
| Clear sentences | You communicate ideas accurately |
| Fewer mistakes | You understand word roles |
| More confidence | You stop guessing |
Final Thought
Parts of speech are the foundation of English grammar. Once you understand
what job each word performs, English stops feeling random and starts to make
sense. Learn slowly and notice patterns.