English Language Terminology: Word Classes

Word Classe

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Nouns Nouns are often called naming words. They are the names we give to people, places, objects etc.

They can usually be used in answer to the question ‘what name do you give this?’

Types of noun

Nouns

Proper

Common

Concrete

Abstract

Collective

• Proper nounsusually begin with a capital

letter, referring to specific people and places: Charlie, Paris

• Common nounsless specific and usually refer to types of people, places, feelings etc. Most nouns are common and they can be divided further into…

• Concrete nounsthings that exist physically, things

that we can see and feel: computer, hand, house

• Abstract nounsthings that do not exist physically, for example feelings, ideas and qualities: friendship, sadness, democracy

• Collective nounsrefer to groups of people, animals or objects: team, community, flock

Don’t forget! Count nouns are nouns that can be pluralised, e.g. birds, trees.Non-count nouns have no plural form because they cannot be counted, e.g. courage, rugby

Adjectives …are describing words. They are used to describe nouns.

Comparatives make a comparison, usually ending in –er (e.g. colder, faster)Superlatives indicate the highest degree, usually ending in –est (e.g. coldest, fastest)

Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives can also be made by putting more in front of the adjectiveSuperlatives can also be formed by putting most in front of the adjective

Verbs Verbs are often known as doing words, but they can also refer to ‘mental actions’ e.g.

think, anticipate, and to states e.g. the house stands on a hill

Verbs tell you what the subject is doing or being

Infinitives

• To be is an example of an infinitive (or base form)

• All verbs have an infinitive from which all other forms of the verb are derived

• They also include to: to run, to decide, to fly

Verbs • Verbs which refer to physical actions are

called dynamic verbs

• Verbs which refer to states or conditions are called stative verbs

• Verbs which have an object are called transitive verbs

• Verbs which do not have an object are called intransitive verbs

Main verbs and auxiliary verbs

• The main verb is a single verb that expresses the main meaning

• Auxiliary verbs (aka helping verbs) are verbs that are placed in front of the main verbs:

I must have been thinking about something else

• Auxiliary verbs are of two types: primary verbs and modal verbs…

Primary verbsBe

HaveDo

• They can indicate when something happened, add emphasis, be used to construct questions and negatives.

Modal auxiliaries

• These are only ever used in conjunction with a main verb

Can Will Shall May MustCould Woul

dShould

Might

Active voice• This is used when the subject acts

or does something• An active sentence tells us what the

subject didRachel clipped her nailsThe car hit the fawn

• The subject performs the action to the object

Passive voice• This is used where the subject has

something done to it, or is the receiver of the action. The subject does not act here

• A passive sentence tells us what was done to the subject:

Rachel’s toenails were clippedThe fawn was hit by the car

• The subject has the action done to it

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Adverbs• These usually give us more

information about verbs

• They describe verbs in the same way adjectives describe nouns

• Mostly they are formed by adding –ly to the ends of adjectives

Pronouns These are words that take the place

of nouns

There are 7 main types of pronoun…

Personal pronouns

• These replace the subject or object of the subject, for example me and him which refer to the object

I drove him homeHe thanked me for the lift

Possessive pronouns

• These show possession

• Instead of saying ‘this is Sarah’s wedding’ we might say ‘this is hers’

Reflexive pronouns• These indicate that the object of a

verb is the same as its subject:He congratulated himself

• They end in –self or –selves

Personal pronouns Possessive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns

Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural

First person

I, me We, us Mine Ours Myself Ourselves

Second person

You You Yours Yours Yourself Yourself

Third person

He, she, it, him, her

They, them

His, hers, its

Theirs Himself, herself, itself

Themselves

Demonstrative pronouns

• These have a sense of pointing at something or someone:

this, that, these, thoseThose shoes are ugly

I wish I knew that

Indefinite pronouns

• These do not refer to specific persons or things

For example:someone, anything, no one, everything

Relative pronouns• These act as linking words in a

sentence• They are always placed

immediately after the noun they refer to:

A city that has many tourist attractions

• The relative pronouns are who, whom and whose (referring to people) and which and that (referring to things)

Interrogative pronouns

• These are used when asking a question

who, whose, which, what

Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions• These include the

words and, but and or

• They are used when the parts of a sentence to be joined are of equal value:

• I went to the party and met Tony there

Subordinating conjunctions• These connect a

subordinate clause to a main clause

• Examples include because, although, unless, until

These are joining words. They join together the different parts of a sentence

Prepositions • These usually indicate in some way how one

thing is related to something else

• Examples include prepositions relating to position (at, on, opposite), direction (into, past, to) and time (before, during, after)

• A preposition shows the relationship between the noun that comes after it and something else in the sentence

I spoke to the man at the reception desk

Determiners • These words precede nouns and refer directly

to them• The most common determiners are the (known as

the definite article) and a/an (known as the indefinite article)

• Other determiners include possessive determiners (my, our, you, his, her, its, their) and demonstrative determiners (this, that, these, those)

• Determiners can also refer to quantity – either specifically (one, two, three) or more vaguely (some, few, many)

TIP: determiners precede nouns, pronouns replace nouns