ALF Guide - Parts of Speech

Correct use of parts of speech in English is very important. Each part of speech explains how a word is used in a sentence.

Part of speech	Function
Noun	Names something (student, university, knowledge)
Adjective	Describes the noun (black, quick)
Pronoun	Replaces a noun (I, me, we, us, he, him, she, her, it, they, them) (Possessive - my/mine, your/yours, his, its, etc. or reflexive - myself, themselves, etc.)
Verb	Describes what action is being done (running, walking)
Adverb	Describes how something is being done (quickly, thoroughly, hard)
Preposition	Expresses a relationship of space, time or direction (to, on, at, under)
Conjunction	Connects words or groups of words (and, or, but, although, so)
* Interjection	Conveys emotion (“Wow!”), creates a pause (er um...)
** Article	Defines a noun as being specific or unspecific (a/an/the/zero article)

* Interjections are generally not used in academic writing
** Most parts of speech lists will not include articles. See the separate resource for more information on articles.

Parts of speech can change or move position depending on their functions and meanings

Alex made his ideas	concrete.

Alex’s job is to	concrete	driveways.

In this sentence concrete functions as an adjective.

In this sentence concrete functions as a verb.

Notice how the words studied, exam and hard have changed their functions in the sentences below.

Example 1:

Claudia	studied	hard	for	her	next	exam.
Proper noun	Verb	Adverb	Preposition	Possessive pronoun	Adjective	Noun

Example 2:

It	was	a	hard	exam	because	the	most studied
3d person pronoun	Verb	Indefinite article	Adjective	Noun	Conjunction	Definite article	Superlative adjective / participle

	topics	were	not	on	the	exam	paper.
	Plural noun	Verb	Adverb used with verb to form the negative	Preposition	Definite article	Adjective	Noun

Parts of speech live in families so please remember to check the function of your chosen word in a sentence – see an example below:

Word	Part of speech	Example in a sentence
To adopt	verb in the infinitive form	They decided to adopt that useful approach to teaching manners in their school.
Adopted	adjective	Their adopted kitten was cute.
Adoptive	adjective	Her adoptive parents changed her life for the better.
Adoption	noun	There are many kittens available for adoption.
Adopting	verb in gerund form	They considered adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Adoptable	adjective	Older cats are less adoptable than kittens.

For more information on academic word lists and sub-list families, see the links in the ‘Learn more’ section of this module.

Important rules to remember

Adjectives describe nouns. Adverbs describe verbs:

He made a quick* decision.*	An adjective answers the question “What sort of?” and is usually used before a noun.
He made a decision quickly.	An adverb answers the questions “How? In what manner?” and usually comes after the verb.

Please note there are some verbs that can be followed by adjectives, not adverbs. Sometimes the meaning changes:

His parents grew old.	The adjective ‘old’ describes parents. In this case, grew = became
Some crops grow quickly.	The adverb quickly describes the verb ‘grow’. In this case, grow ≠ become

Other verbs that can be followed by adjectives:
appear, be, become, feel, look (= appear), seem, smell, sound, taste, turn (= become), grow (= become)

Apply what you have learnt in this module and click on the correct option(s) below

Writing on that topic was a difficulty task.

The graduation party was a successful.

The globalisation process is often seen as threatening world languages and cultures.

Try again

The adjective difficult is needed before the noun “task”.

The adjective does not need an article. The correct sentence will be “The graduation party was successful” or “The graduation party was a success”.

Correct

Quick Tip 1

Focus on the function of the word when using parts of speech to form sentences.

Quick Tip 2

Consult the dictionary and the thesaurus to ensure you have chosen the correct part of speech (look at examples).

Quick Tip 3

Ensure you are using the correct form of the required part of speech, e.g., correct tense choice for verbs or plural/singular forms for nouns.

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The ALF Guide

Example from a student assignment – read through this paragraph looking for mistakes with parts of speech

For explanation, click on the underlined text

Suggested revision