8 Forms of Speech in a Nutshell: Grammar the Simple Way

When writing, it’s handy to have an idea of how to create proper, fluid sentences. Although all writers
have an individual tone or style, it’s important that you are conscious of some basic grammatical
principals.

Let’s take a simple look at the eight parts of speech:

1. Nouns: generally referred to as a person, place or thing. However, intangible feelings and ideas are
also considered nouns.
• Common Nouns: objects
ie.) chair, apple, love, fear, etc.
• Proper Nouns: names, people, places, organizations, etc.
ie.) Harry Potter, UNESCO World Heritage Site, North Africa, etc.

2. Verb: an action word or one that describes a state of being.

ie.) walk, surf, sing, cry, etc.

3. Pronouns: words that can replace nouns after the original noun has been referred to in a sentence.
ie.) he, she, they, it, etc.

4. Adverbs: modify verbs.

ie.) He walked quietly towards the door. In this case "quietly" would be the adverb modifying the verb,
“walking.”

5. Adjectives: describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.

ie.) Harry Potter was a talented wizard. In this case, "talented" would be the adjective describing Harry
Potter’s character.

6. Prepositions: showcases direction, something spacial or temporary.

ie.) Harry flew his broom down the Quidditch pitch. In this sentence, “down” would be the preposition
describing the direction he is flying.

7. Conjunction words: connect different sections (clauses) of a sentence together.

• Coordinating conjunctions: used to connect similar clauses.
ie.) for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, etc.
• Subordinating conjunctions: to oppose two clauses.
ie.) although, because, otherwise, furthermore, however, etc.

8. Interjection: this is a one-word statement added to convey emotion. These should be avoided when
possible and do not appear in many formal articles.
ie.) Ouch!, Wow!, etc.

For more info, visit the Aims Community College website here. If you’re interested in getting some quick
tips on comma usage, how to use semicolons and more, click here.

Jacqueline Langen
Content Project Manager
Slack: @jacqueline.langen