The 8 Parts of Speech
ScholarSkills Definitions of the Parts of Speech
- A noun is a naming word: nouns name persons, places, things, or ideas.
- A pronoun takes the place of a noun.
- A verb is an action, being, or helping word.
- A subject is a word or group of words that answers the question: who or what verb?
- The predicate is a word or group of words that tells us what the subject is doing or being.
- An object is a word or group of words that answers the question: verb who or what?
- An indirect object is a word that answers the question verb to whom or for whom?
- A subject complement is a word or group of words that answers the question “verb who or
- what?” when the verb is a linking word.
- When the complement is an adjective it is called a predicate adjective.
- When the complement is a noun or pronoun it is called a predicate nominative.
- An adverb is a word or group of words that answers the following questions:
- verb where? verb when? verb why? verb how?. Adverbs also answer “how?” and “to what
- extent?” about adjectives and other adverbs.
- An adjective is a word or group of words that answers the following questions:
- what kind? which one? how many nouns?
- A phrase is a group of words without a subject-verb relationship.
- Prepositions are words which begin phrases that end with a noun or pronoun and act like
- adverbs or adjectives.
- Conjunctions connect. They help us to create and understand the relationships between
- words and groups of words in sentences.
- Coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS—For,And,Nor,But,Or,Yet,So) connect words and help
- to create compound sentences.
- Subordinating conjunctions create dependent clauses and complex sentences.
- A clause is a group of words with a subject-verb relationship.
- Dependent clauses are incomplete thoughts.
- Independent clauses are complete sentences.
