English 9 / Unit 9: Grammar and Usage
9.1 Parts of Speech
Notes
Every word in a sentence plays a role, called its part of speech.
| Part | Job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | person, place, thing, idea | Maya, city, freedom |
| Pronoun | replaces a noun | she, they, it, who |
| Verb | action or state of being | run, is, seemed |
| Adjective | describes a noun or pronoun | tall, three, blue |
| Adverb | describes a verb, adjective or adverb | quickly, very, never |
| Preposition | shows a relationship | in, under, after, of |
| Conjunction | joins words or clauses | and, but, because |
| Interjection | shows emotion | wow, oh, hey |
- A word's part of speech depends on how it is used: "a fast car" (adjective) vs. "she ran fast" (adverb).
Practice
In "The exhausted runner collapsed quietly," what part of speech is "quietly"?
It describes how the runner collapsed.
In "She hid the key under the mat," which word is a preposition?
"Under" shows the relationship between the key and the mat.
In "Courage is contagious," what part of speech is "courage"?
It names an idea.
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