CATEGORY
DEFINITION
HOW TO IDENTIFY IT
EXAMPLES
NOUN
A word that varies in number;
it refers to a thing, a being,or an idea.
It is always preceded by a determiner
(even if it's the zero article ∅for proper nouns)
and often by an adjective.
The boy
a computer
∅ offices
their car
his phone
two cats
rare expressions
VERB
The central element of a clause,
around which the other elementsare organized.
It expresses a state or an action.
It usually comes after a noun or pronoun subject,
and/or before a noun, pronoun,
or prepositional phrase(preposition + noun phrase).
She works there.
Cleaning your house is a weekly task.
PREPOSITION
An invariable word, often short,
that introduces a complement.
The prepositional complement is nominal,
usually a noun phrase or a pronoun.
in the evening
at night
behind the curtain
on it
CONJUNCTION
An invariable word that links two clauses.
It connects two clauses,
but may sometimes appearat the beginning of a sentence.
Once he had eaten, he left.
She is absent because she is sick.
I did the dishes and cleaned the house.
ADJECTIVE
A word that describes a noun or pronoun.
It is invariable in genderand number in English
(unlike in French),
but may take a comparative(young → younger)
or superlative form (→ youngest) if short.
It is placed after a linking verb or,within a noun phrase,
usually between the determinerand the noun it describes.
He is nice.
a wooden chair
PRONOUN
It replaces a noun phrase.
A subject pronoun comes before the verb,while a direct/indirect object pronouncomes after the verb.
They are happy.
I gave it to them.
ADVERB
It describes an adjective, another adverb,or how the action of the verb is done.
It tends to be placedas close as possible to the verb it modifies,or before the adjective or adverb it refers to.Many adverbs end in –ly.
She hastily packed her bags.
His paper is very good.
They arrived too early for the show.
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