Word Classes (Parts of Speech)
What word classes are
Every word does a job in a sentence. The job it does is called its word class (or "part of speech"). Knowing them helps you spell, punctuate and answer 11+ grammar questions.
The main word classes
| Word class | Job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing or idea | dog, London, happiness |
| Pronoun | Replaces a noun | he, she, it, they, we |
| Verb | An action or a "being" word | run, jump, is, was |
| Adjective | Describes a noun | happy, red, enormous |
| Adverb | Describes a verb (how, when, where) | quickly, yesterday, here |
| Preposition | Shows position or direction | on, under, before, into |
| Conjunction | Joins words or clauses | and, but, because, although |
| Determiner | Comes before a noun | the, a, this, my, some |
Nouns in more detail
- Common noun: a general thing — city, teacher.
- Proper noun: a specific name, always a capital letter — Paris, Monday.
- Collective noun: a group — a herd, a team.
- Abstract noun: an idea you can't touch — love, courage.
Spotting the class
Ask what the word is doing:
- Can you put "the" in front? → probably a noun.
- Does it show an action? → verb.
- Does it describe a noun? → adjective.
- Does it end in "-ly" and describe how? → often an adverb.
Worked example
In "The fluffy cat slept peacefully," name the word class of each key word.
- The = determiner, fluffy = adjective, cat = noun, slept = verb, peacefully = adverb. ✓
Common mistakes
- Mixing up adjectives (describe nouns) and adverbs (describe verbs).
- Forgetting proper nouns need a capital letter.
- Thinking a word always has the same class — run can be a verb ("I run") or a noun ("a run").
Top tips
- Learn one clear example for each class.
- To tell adjective from adverb, ask: does it describe a thing (adjective) or how something is done (adverb)?
- Watch for words that change class depending on the sentence.
Quick recap
- Nouns name, verbs do, adjectives describe nouns, adverbs describe verbs.
- Pronouns replace nouns; prepositions show position; conjunctions join; determiners come before nouns.
- Proper nouns take capital letters; a word's class depends on its job in the sentence.