Word classes: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and more
Every word has a job in a sentence. The name for that job is its word class. This page shows the eight classes children meet in primary school and how to tell them apart.
Quick answer
- Key idea
- A word class is decided by what the word does in the sentence, not by the word alone.
- Terms
- noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, determiner, preposition, conjunction
- Years
- Introduced across Years 1 to 4 and used in every test after that.
The eight classes at a glance
| Class | Its job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing or idea | teacher, Cardiff, bicycle, courage |
| Verb | Shows an action or a state of being | run, think, is, seem |
| Adjective | Describes a noun | a tiny, silver key |
| Adverb | Tells you more about a verb: how, when, where, how often | quickly, soon, here, always |
| Pronoun | Stands in place of a noun | she, they, it, mine |
| Determiner | Goes before a noun to say which or how many | the, a, this, my, some |
| Preposition | Links a noun to another word, often showing place or time | under, after, during, in |
| Conjunction | Joins words, phrases or clauses | and, but, because, when |
Same word, different job
Many English words change class depending on how they are used. That is why a list of words cannot be learnt by heart, and why test questions ask about words inside a sentence.
- light is a noun in We needed a light for the tent.
- light is an adjective in The light bag was easy to carry.
- light is a verb in Please light the candle.
The test that always works: ask what the word is doing. If it names something it is a noun. If it describes a noun it is an adjective. If it shows an action it is a verb.
Tips for telling them apart
- Noun: can you put the or a before it? The teacher works, the quickly does not.
- Adjective or adverb? An adjective describes a noun (a slow walk). An adverb describes a verb (she walked slowly). Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all: fast, soon, well.
- Pronoun or determiner? A pronoun stands alone (That one is mine). A determiner sits before a noun (my hat).
- Preposition or adverb? A preposition has a noun after it (after lunch). An adverb stands alone (Come in).
Common mistakes
- Thinking every word ending in -ly is an adverb: friendly and lovely are adjectives.
- Calling every describing word an adjective: quickly in ran quickly is an adverb.
- Forgetting that proper nouns (Priya, Wales, Monday) are nouns too.
Quick quiz
8 questions. Answer them all, then check your score.
Questions
How many word classes are there?
In primary school children learn eight main classes: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, determiner, preposition and conjunction.
Is a, an and the an article or a determiner?
Both. Articles are one kind of determiner. The national curriculum uses the word determiner from Year 4.
Related
Spelling lists and grammar terminology: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: English programmes of study, Appendices 1 and 2 (Crown copyright 2013), reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example sentences, tips, explanations and questions are by Litlings.