The competitive government exams of India have some common subjects in their respective syllabus. English, daily current affairs, general awareness, and reasoning are some of the common subjects that aspirants need to attempt in the various government exams.
English is the most common and mandatory subject that a candidate needs to appear in while attempting these exams. Grammar, vocabulary, proverbs, comprehension, parts of speech, and more are the basic concepts that are asked in the competitive government exams.
Parts of speech are the base of English. If an aspirant has a stronghold on parts of speech, he or she will surely be able to better attempt the English section. Edureify, therefore, brings to all some important features about parts of speech to better assist the students in their preparation.
What are the Parts of a Speech?
Parts of speech are the various words that construct a complete sentence and have a particular purpose to serve grammatically. These words are assigned to categories according to their syntactic functions.
There are 8 main parts of speech in English which are-
- Pronouns
- Nouns
- Verbs
- Adverbs
- Conjunctions
- Adjectives
- Interjections
- Adverbs
These eight parts of speech are further classified into two categories, namely Open Classes and Closed Classes.
The Open Classes consist of- Verbs, Nouns, Adverbs, and Adjectives.
The Closed Classes consist of- Pronouns, Prepositions, Interjections, and Conjunctions.
The Parts of Speech with Example
Following is a table that explains the eight parts of speech with examples.
| Parts of Speech | Definition | Examples |
| Nouns | Nouns help in naming a person, thing, or place. Nouns are further classified as Proper Noun and Common Noun. | Proper Noun- New York, Timothee, Tuesday, etc.
Common Noun- Woman, Building, Tree, etc. |
| Pronouns | Pronouns are words that replace the noun in a sentence. | She, he, they, them, us, we, who, etc. |
| Verbs | Verbs help in defining an action or the status of a being. | Eat, drink, sleep, walk, etc. |
| Adverbs | Adverbs help restyle a verb, adjective, or another adverb. | Quickly, happily, often, etc. |
| Adjectives | Adjectives help define the quality or modify a noun. | Black, fast, silly, warm, etc. |
| Prepositions | Prepositions are words or groups of words that help explain the relationship between a noun, pronoun, and other words in a sentence. | On, at, inside, apart from, to, etc. |
| Conjunctions | Conjunctions are words that join parts of a sentence, clauses, or phrases. | And, but, or, etc. |
| Interjections | Interjections are words that are grammatically independent and stand-alone words that express some kind of feelings rather than meaning. | Nice, good, ouch, etc. |
Types of each part of speech
The eight parts of speech further have certain categories or types. Here are each part of the speech with their types-
1. Noun-
Nouns serve the role of subject, direct or indirect object, subject or object complement, adjective, and appositive. The different types of nouns are as follows-
- Proper Noun
- Collective Noun
- Materialistic Noun
- Abstract Noun
- Common Noun
2. Pronoun-
The pronoun has 8 further categories. They are-
- Personal Pronoun
- Reflexive and Emphatic Pronoun
- Indefinite Pronoun
- Demonstrative Pronoun
- Reciprocal Pronoun
- Distributive Pronoun
- Relative Pronoun
- Interrogative Pronoun
3. Verbs-
Verbs further have three categories. They are-
- Finite and Infinite Verbs
- Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
- Regular and Irregular Verbs
4. Adverbs-
Depending on the quality expressed by the adverbs, adverbs are classified in to nine types. They are-
- Time
- Place
- Manner
- Degree or Quantity
- Frequency or Number
- Reason
- Focus and Viewpoint
- Affirmation
- Negation
5. Adjectives-
Adjectives are of the following types-
- Adjectives of Quality
- Adjectives of Quantity
- Adjectives of Number
- Demonstrative Adjectives
- Interrogative Adjectives
- Exclamatory Adjectives
- Possessive Adjectives
6. Prepositions-
Prepositions are of the following types-
- Simple Prepositions
- Compound Prepositions
- Double Prepositions
- Participle Prepositions
- Prepositional Prepositions
7. Conjunctions-
There are commonly three types of conjunctions. They are-
- Coordinating Conjunctions
- Correlative Conjunctions
- Subordinating Conjunctions
8. Interjections-
Interjections as such do not have any particular categories. Interjections do not have any particular grammatical purpose, relation, or even add meaning to a sentence. They are standalone words that express emotions, feelings, and exclamations in a sentence.
Some FAQs regarding Parts of Speech
1. How many broad categories of parts of speech are there?
Broadly speaking they are eight main categories of parts of speech. They are-
- Noun
- Pronoun
- Verbs
- Adverbs
- Adjectives
- Preposition
- Conjunction
- Interjection
2. Give an example of the parts of speech-
Example I-
Radhey went for a walk in the forest after she saw the beautiful warm weather.
In the above sentence:
Radhey- Noun (Proper Noun)
Walk- Verb
In- Preposition
She- Pronoun
Warm- Adjective
Beautiful- Interjection
Example II-
Meera went to the market and brought a blanket.
In the above sentence:
Meera- Noun (Proper Noun)
Went- Verb
To- Preposition
And- Conjunction
Brough- Verb
3. Name a book to study parts of speech from?
Wren and Martin is the ideal book to learn basic grammar. Parts of speech are also beautifully explained in the book.
4. From where can I practice parts of speech?
Edureify! Yes, we have got the best quizzes, flashcards, mock tests, and doubt solving content that will perfectly aid students to practice parts of speech till they feel confident by themselves. Check out Edureify to get all the fun and interactive contents that will help you to improve your weaknesses in parts of speech.
