what part of speech is article

Parts of Speech and Sentence Structure

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the car down the street, the man next to you
a book, an apple, a bottle
the definite article the : You use it before a singular or a plural noun when you talk about one or more specific member(s) of a group (things, places or people) that is known to you: the tall man, the big house, the man next to me ;
the indefinite articles a/an : You use them before a singular noun when you talk about any general thing : a line, a house, a kitchen, a person, an apple, an airport, an idea, an umbrella .
You use the article a before nouns/adjectives or numbers that start with a consonant : a line, a kitchen, a person, a dog, a book, a tall man, a five-year-old boy, a job interview .
You use the article an before nouns that start with a vowel : an apple, an idea, an umbrella, an egg, an hour, an eight-year-old girl, an interview .
There is --- a an airport close to the city.
Do you have --- a an armchair in your room?
She has --- an a idea!
They have --- a an female English teacher.
He eats --- an a apple.
There is --- a an school around the corner.
She has --- an a new armchair.
We will give him --- a an book for his birthday.
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Check and show solutions
He works as pilot.
I need new TV.
He is best teacher at the school.
They have eight-year-old girl.
book she bought yesterday is not so good.
She is nicest girl I know.
She is nice girl.
city that she likes the most is New York City.
time
shop
adjective
elephant
umbrella
week
opinion
number
English book
example
door
table
eagle
bike
Michael says: "I have best friend. His name is Josh. He lives in small house outside the city. They have beautiful garden behind house. house is painted blue and there is fence around garden. I love going there. It's so nice and peaceful."

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Articles in Grammar: From "A" to "The" With "An" and "Some" Between

An Introduction to Punctuation
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

In English grammar , an article is a type of determiner that precedes and provides context to a noun . A determiner is a word or a group of words that specifies, identifies, or quantifies the noun or noun phrase that follows it: There are only two types of articles in English, definite or indefinite. The three main articles in English grammar are "the," "a," and "an." This grammatical concept may sound simple, but there are some tricky rules related to using it correctly.

Definite vs. Indefinite Articles

The only definite article is "the," which specifies a particular individual or thing in a particular context . For example, in the title of a famous Sherlock Holmes story "The Hound of the Baskervilles," the first word of the sentence is a definite article because it refers to a specific case that the illustrious fictional detective tried to (and, of course, did) solve.

By contrast, Purdue Owl notes the indefinite articles—"a" and "an"—signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group, or something that cannot be identified specifically by the writer or speaker. An example of a sentence containing both the "a" and "an" indefinite articles was published in E.B. White's classic children's tale "Charlotte's Web."

"Mr. Arable fixed a small yard specially for Wilbur under an apple tree, and gave him a large wooden box full of straw, with a doorway cut in it so he could walk in and out as he pleased."

This example uses both "a," which is always used before a consonant sound , and "an," which is always used before a vowel sound .

Using "A" and "An"

The key to knowing when to use "a" or "an" depends on the sound at the beginning of the noun (or adjective) that is being modified, not whether the noun or adjective actually begins with a vowel or consonant, notes study.com :

"If the noun (or adjective) that comes after the article begins with a vowel sound, the appropriate indefinite article to use is 'an.' A vowel sound is a sound that is created by any vowel in the English language: 'a,' 'e,' 'i,' 'o,' 'u,' and sometimes 'y' if it makes an 'e' or 'i' sound."

By contrast, if the noun or adjective that comes after the article begins with a consonant that actually sounds like a consonant, use "a." "The Complete English Grammar Rules" presents some examples of when to use "a" or "an," depending on the sound of the first letter of the noun the article is modifying.

"What an u nusual discovery." - This is correct because "unusual" starts with a "u" that makes an "uh" sound.
"What a u nique discovery." - This is correct because the adjective after the article begins with a "u" that sounds like the consonant sound "yu."
I bought " a h orse." - You use the "a" here because "horse" starts with an "h" that sounds like the consonant "h."
" A h istorical event is worth recording." - Many folks think it should be "an" historic," but the article "a" is correct because the "h" is pronounced and sounds like the consonant "h."
" An h our" has passed. - In this case, you use "an" because the "h" in hour is silent, and the noun actually begins with the vowel sound "ow."

Note that in the first two sentences above, the article actually precedes the adjectives, "unusual" and "unique," but the articles actually modify the noun, "discovery" in both sentences. Sometimes the article directly precedes an adjective that modifies the noun. When this occurs, look at the first letter of the adjective when determining whether to use "a" or "an" and then use the same rules as those discussed above to determine which article to use.

Before Countable and Uncountable Nouns

When dealing with articles, nouns can either be:

Uncountable - You cannot count a specific number.
Countable - The noun does indicate a specific number.

When a noun is uncountable, it is preceded by an indefinite article—"a" or "an." Butte College gives this example to illustrate both:

I ate an apple yesterday. The apple was juicy and delicious.

In the first sentence, "apple" is uncountable because you're not referring to a specific apple; whereas, in the second sentence, "apple" is a countable noun because you are referring to one specific apple.

Another example would be:

Would you like tea? or "Would you like some tea."
"I would like the tea."

In the first instance, "tea" is uncountable because you're not referring to a specific tea, but instead, just to "some" tea (an undefinable number or amount). In the second sentence, by contrast, the speaker is referring to a specific cup or bottle of tea.

When to Omit Articles

As the first sentence in the previous example shows, you can sometimes omit the article particularly when the number or quantity is not known. Sometimes you would use the article in American English but not British English. For example:

"I have to go to the hospital." (American English)
"I have to go to hospital." (British English)

Conversely, sometimes you omit the article in American English but not in British English, as in:

"I played rugby." (American English)
"I play the rugby. (British English)

In these cases, the use, or omission, of the definite article depends on the type of English being spoken.

Pronouns, Demonstratives, and Possessives

You can also replace articles with pronouns , demonstratives , and possessives . They all work in the same way as a demonstrative article—naming a specific thing:

In English grammar, a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause. So, instead of the sentence: "Give the book to me," you would replace the definite article, "the," as well as the noun it modifies, "book," with the pronoun, "it," to yield the sentence: "Give it to me."
A demonstrative is a determiner or a pronoun that points to a particular noun or to the noun it replaces. So, instead of saying: "The movie is boring," you would replace the definite article, "the," with the demonstrative "this" or "that" to yield: "This movie is boring" or "That movie is boring."
A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that can take the place of a noun phrase to show ownership. Instead of saying: "The tale is long and sad!" you would replace the definite article, "the," to yield a sentence, such as: "Mine is a long and sad tale!" In the first sentence, the definite article, "the," modifies the noun, "tale." In the second sentence, the possessive pronoun, "mine," also modifies the noun, "tale."

High-Ranking Words

According to Ben Yagoda's book "When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It: The Parts of Speech, for Better and/or Worse," the word "the" is the most commonly-used word in the English language. It occurs "nearly 62,000 times in every million words written or uttered—or about once every 16 words." Meanwhile, "a" ranks as the fifth most commonly used word—and "an" ranks 34th.

So take the time to learn these important words—as well as their replacements, such as pronouns, demonstratives, and possessives—correctly to boost your command of English grammar, and in the process, enlighten your friends, impress your teachers, and gain the admiration of your associates.

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Knowledge Base
Parts of speech

The 8 Parts of Speech | Chart, Definition & Examples

A part of speech (also called a word class ) is a category that describes the role a word plays in a sentence. Understanding the different parts of speech can help you analyze how words function in a sentence and improve your writing.

The parts of speech are classified differently in different grammars, but most traditional grammars list eight parts of speech in English: nouns , pronouns , verbs , adjectives , adverbs , prepositions , conjunctions , and interjections . Some modern grammars add others, such as determiners and articles .

Many words can function as different parts of speech depending on how they are used. For example, “laugh” can be a noun (e.g., “I like your laugh”) or a verb (e.g., “don’t laugh”).

Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections

Other parts of speech

Interesting language articles, frequently asked questions.

A noun is a word that refers to a person, concept, place, or thing. Nouns can act as the subject of a sentence (i.e., the person or thing performing the action) or as the object of a verb (i.e., the person or thing affected by the action).

There are numerous types of nouns, including common nouns (used to refer to nonspecific people, concepts, places, or things), proper nouns (used to refer to specific people, concepts, places, or things), and collective nouns (used to refer to a group of people or things).

Ella lives in France .

Other types of nouns include countable and uncountable nouns , concrete nouns , abstract nouns , and gerunds .

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A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. Pronouns typically refer back to an antecedent (a previously mentioned noun) and must demonstrate correct pronoun-antecedent agreement . Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, places, concepts, and things.

There are numerous types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (used in place of the proper name of a person), demonstrative pronouns (used to refer to specific things and indicate their relative position), and interrogative pronouns (used to introduce questions about things, people, and ownership).

That is a horrible painting!

A verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., “jump”), occurrence (e.g., “become”), or state of being (e.g., “exist”). Verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence is doing. Every complete sentence must contain at least one verb.

Verbs can change form depending on subject (e.g., first person singular), tense (e.g., simple past), mood (e.g., interrogative), and voice (e.g., passive voice ).

Regular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participle are formed by adding“-ed” to the end of the word (or “-d” if the word already ends in “e”). Irregular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some other way.

“I’ve already checked twice.”

“I heard that you used to sing .”

Other types of verbs include auxiliary verbs , linking verbs , modal verbs , and phrasal verbs .

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be attributive , appearing before a noun (e.g., “a red hat”), or predicative , appearing after a noun with the use of a linking verb like “to be” (e.g., “the hat is red ”).

Adjectives can also have a comparative function. Comparative adjectives compare two or more things. Superlative adjectives describe something as having the most or least of a specific characteristic.

Other types of adjectives include coordinate adjectives , participial adjectives , and denominal adjectives .

An adverb is a word that can modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or sentence. Adverbs are often formed by adding “-ly” to the end of an adjective (e.g., “slow” becomes “slowly”), although not all adverbs have this ending, and not all words with this ending are adverbs.

There are numerous types of adverbs, including adverbs of manner (used to describe how something occurs), adverbs of degree (used to indicate extent or degree), and adverbs of place (used to describe the location of an action or event).

Talia writes quite quickly.

Other types of adverbs include adverbs of frequency , adverbs of purpose , focusing adverbs , and adverbial phrases .

A preposition is a word (e.g., “at”) or phrase (e.g., “on top of”) used to show the relationship between the different parts of a sentence. Prepositions can be used to indicate aspects such as time , place , and direction .

I left the cup on the kitchen counter.

A conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence (e.g., words, phrases, or clauses).

The main types of conjunctions are coordinating conjunctions (used to connect items that are grammatically equal), subordinating conjunctions (used to introduce a dependent clause), and correlative conjunctions (used in pairs to join grammatically equal parts of a sentence).

You can choose what movie we watch because I chose the last time.

An interjection is a word or phrase used to express a feeling, give a command, or greet someone. Interjections are a grammatically independent part of speech, so they can often be excluded from a sentence without affecting the meaning.

Types of interjections include volitive interjections (used to make a demand or request), emotive interjections (used to express a feeling or reaction), cognitive interjections (used to indicate thoughts), and greetings and parting words (used at the beginning and end of a conversation).

Ouch ! I hurt my arm.

I’m, um , not sure.

The traditional classification of English words into eight parts of speech is by no means the only one or the objective truth. Grammarians have often divided them into more or fewer classes. Other commonly mentioned parts of speech include determiners and articles.

Determiners

A determiner is a word that describes a noun by indicating quantity, possession, or relative position.

Common types of determiners include demonstrative determiners (used to indicate the relative position of a noun), possessive determiners (used to describe ownership), and quantifiers (used to indicate the quantity of a noun).

My brother is selling his old car.

Other types of determiners include distributive determiners , determiners of difference , and numbers .

An article is a word that modifies a noun by indicating whether it is specific or general.

The definite article the is used to refer to a specific version of a noun. The can be used with all countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., “the door,” “the energy,” “the mountains”).
The indefinite articles a and an refer to general or unspecific nouns. The indefinite articles can only be used with singular countable nouns (e.g., “a poster,” “an engine”).

There’s a concert this weekend.

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech, make sure to check out some of our language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

Common nouns
Proper nouns
Collective nouns
Personal pronouns
Uncountable and countable nouns
Verb tenses
Phrasal verbs
Types of verbs
Active vs passive voice
Subject-verb agreement

A is an indefinite article (along with an ). While articles can be classed as their own part of speech, they’re also considered a type of determiner .

The indefinite articles are used to introduce nonspecific countable nouns (e.g., “a dog,” “an island”).

In is primarily classed as a preposition, but it can be classed as various other parts of speech, depending on how it is used:

Preposition (e.g., “ in the field”)
Noun (e.g., “I have an in with that company”)
Adjective (e.g., “Tim is part of the in crowd”)
Adverb (e.g., “Will you be in this evening?”)

As a part of speech, and is classed as a conjunction . Specifically, it’s a coordinating conjunction .

And can be used to connect grammatically equal parts of a sentence, such as two nouns (e.g., “a cup and plate”), or two adjectives (e.g., “strong and smart”). And can also be used to connect phrases and clauses.

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Understanding the Parts of Speech in English

Yes, the parts of speech in English are extensive and complex. But we’ve made it easy for you to start learning them by gathering the most basic and essential information in this easy-to-follow and comprehensive guide.

White text over orange background reads "Parts of Speech."

Parts of Speech: Quick Summary

Parts of speech assign words to different categories. There are eight different types in English. Keep in mind that a word can belong to more than one part of speech.

Learn About:

Parts of Speech
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections

Using the Parts of Speech Correctly In Your Writing

Knowing the parts of speech is vital when learning a new language.

When it comes to learning a new language, there are several components you should understand to truly get a grasp of the language and speak it fluently.

It’s not enough to become an expert in just one area. For instance, you can learn and memorize all the intricate grammar rules, but if you don’t practice speaking or writing colloquially, you will find it challenging to use that language in real time.

Conversely, if you don’t spend time trying to learn the rules and technicalities of a language, you’ll also find yourself struggling to use it correctly.

Think of it this way: Language is a tasty, colorful, and nutritious salad. If you fill your bowl with nothing but lettuce, your fluency will be bland, boring, and tasteless. But if you spend time cultivating other ingredients for your salad—like style, word choice, and vocabulary— then it will become a wholesome meal you can share with others.

In this blog post, we’re going to cover one of the many ingredients you’ll need to build a nourishing salad of the English language—the parts of speech.

Let’s get choppin’!

What Are the Parts of Speech in English?

The parts of speech refer to categories to which a word belongs. In English, there are eight of them : verbs , nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

Many English words fall into more than one part of speech category. Take the word light as an example. It can function as a verb, noun, or adjective.

Verb: Can you please light the candles?

Noun: The room was filled with a dim, warm light .

Adjective: She wore a light jacket in the cool weather.

The parts of speech in English are extensive. There’s a lot to cover in each category—much more than we can in this blog post. The information below is simply a brief overview of the basics of the parts of speech. Nevertheless, the concise explanations and accompanying example sentences will help you gain an understanding of how to use them correctly.

Graphic shows the eight different parts of speech and their functions.

What Are Verbs?

Verbs are the most essential parts of speech because they move the meaning of sentences along.

A verb can show actions of the body and mind ( jump and think ), occurrences ( happen or occur ), and states of being ( be and exist ). Put differently, verbs breathe life into sentences by describing actions or indicating existence. These parts of speech can also change form to express time , person , number , voice , and mood .

There are several verb categories. A few of them are:

Regular and irregular verbs
Transitive and intransitive verbs
Auxiliary verbs

A few examples of verbs include sing (an irregular action verb), have (which can be a main verb or auxiliary verb), be , which is a state of being verb, and would (another auxiliary verb).

My little sister loves to sing .

I have a dog and her name is Sweet Pea.

I will be there at 5 P.M.

I would like to travel the world someday.

Again, these are just the very basics of English verbs. There’s a lot more that you should learn to be well-versed in this part of speech, but the information above is a good place to start.

What Are Nouns?

Nouns refer to people ( John and child ), places ( store and Italy ), things ( firetruck and pen ), and ideas or concepts ( love and balance ). There are also many categories within nouns. For example, proper nouns name a specific person, place, thing, or idea. These types of nouns are always capitalized.

Olivia is turning five in a few days.

My dream is to visit Tokyo .

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.

Some argue that Buddhism is a way of life, not a religion.

On the other hand, common nouns are not specific to any particular entity and are used to refer to any member of a general category.

My teacher is the smartest, most caring person I know!

I love roaming around a city I’ve never been to before.

This is my favorite book , which was recommended to me by my father.

There’s nothing more important to me than love .

Nouns can be either singular or plural. Singular nouns refer to a single entity, while plural nouns refer to multiple entities.

Can you move that chair out of the way, please? (Singular)

Can you move those chairs out of the way, please? (Plural)

While many plural nouns are formed by adding an “–s” or “–es,” others have irregular plural forms, meaning they don’t follow the typical pattern.

There was one woman waiting in line.

There were several women waiting in line.

Nouns can also be countable or uncountable . Those that are countable refer to nouns that can be counted as individual units. For example, there can be one book, two books, three books, or more. Uncountable nouns cannot be counted as individual units. Take the word water as an example. You could say I drank some water, but it would be incorrect to say I drank waters. Instead, you would say something like I drank several bottles of water.

What Are Pronouns?

A pronoun is a word that can take the place of other nouns or noun phrases. Pronouns serve the purpose of referring to nouns without having to repeat the word each time. A word (or group of words) that a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent .

Jessica went to the store, and she bought some blueberries.

In the sentence above, Jessica is the antecedent, and she is the referring pronoun. Here’s the same sentence without the proper use of a pronoun:

Jessica went to the store, and Jessica bought some blueberries.

Do you see how the use of a pronoun improves the sentence by avoiding repetitiveness?

Like all the other parts of speech we have covered, pronouns also have various categories.

Personal pronouns replace specific people or things: I, me, you, he, she, him, her, it, we, us, they, them.

When I saw them at the airport, I waved my hands up in the air so they could see me .

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership : mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, whose.

I think that phone is hers .

Reflexive pronouns refer to the subject of a sentence or clause. They are used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

The iguanas sunned themselves on the roof of my car.

Intensive pronouns have the same form as reflexive pronouns and are used to emphasize or intensify the subject of a sentence.

I will take care of this situation myself .

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to specific individuals or objects but rather to a general or unspecified person, thing, or group. Some examples include someone, everybody, anything, nobody, each, something, and all.

Everybody enjoyed the party. Someone even said it was the best party they had ever attended.

Demonstrative pronouns are used to identify or point to specific pronouns: this, that, these, those.

Can you pick up those pens off the floor?

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions and seek information: who, whom, whose, which, what.

Who can help move these heavy boxes?

Relative pronouns connect a clause or a phrase to a noun or pronoun: who, whom, whose, which, that, what, whoever, whichever, whatever.

Christina, who is the hiring manager, is the person whom you should get in touch with.

Reciprocal pronouns are used to refer to individual parts of a plural antecedent. They indicate a mutual or reciprocal relationship between two or more people or things: each other or one another.

The cousins always giggle and share secrets with one another .

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns, usually by describing, identifying, or quantifying them. They play a vital role in adding detail, precision, and imagery to English, allowing us to depict and differentiate the qualities of people, objects, places, and ideas.

The blue house sticks out compared to the other neutral-colored ones. (Describes)

That house is pretty, but I don’t like the color. (Identifies)

There were several houses I liked, but the blue one was unique. (Quantifies)

We should note that identifying or quantifying adjectives are also referred to as determiners. Additionally, articles ( a, an, the ) and numerals ( four or third ) are also used to quantify and identify adjectives.

Descriptive adjectives have other forms (known as comparative and superlative adjectives ) that allow for comparisons. For example, the comparative of the word small is smaller, while the superlative is smallest.

Proper adjectives (which are derived from proper nouns) describe specific nouns. They usually retain the same spelling or are slightly modified, but they’re always capitalized. For example, the proper noun France can be turned into the proper adjective French.

What Are Adverbs?

Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or entire clauses. Although many adverbs end in “–ly,” not all of them do. Also, some words that end in “–ly” are adjectives, not adverbs ( lovely ).

She dances beautifully .

In the sentence above, beautifully modifies the verb dances.

We visited an extremely tall building.

Here, the adverb extremely modifies the adjective tall.

He had to run very quickly to not miss the train.

The adverb very modifies the adverb quickly.

Interestingly , the experiment yielded unexpected results that left us baffled.

In this example, the word interestingly modifies the independent clause that comprises the rest of the sentence (which is why they’re called sentence adverbs ).

Like adjectives, adverbs can also have other forms when making comparisons. For example:

strongly, more strongly, most strongly, less strongly, least strongly

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions provide context and establish relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other words in a sentence. They indicate time, location, direction, manner, and other vital information. Prepositions can fall into several subcategories. For instance, on can indicate physical location, but it can also be used to express time.

Place the bouquet of roses on the table.

We will meet on Monday.

There are many prepositions. A few examples include: about, above, across, after, before, behind, beneath, beside, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, onto, past, regarding, since, through, toward, under, until, with, without.

Prepositions can contain more than one word, like according to and with regard to.

What Are Conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that join words, phrases, or clauses together within a sentence and provide information about the relationship between those words. There are different types of conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance: and, but, for, not, or, so, yet.

I like to sing, and she likes to dance.

Correlative conjunctions come in pairs and join balanced elements of a sentence: both…and, just as…so, not only…but also, either…or, neither…nor, whether…or.

You can either come with us and have fun, or stay at home and be bored.

Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses to independent clauses. A few examples include: after, although, even though, since, unless, until, when , and while.

They had a great time on their stroll, even though it started raining and they got soaked.

Conjunctive adverbs are adverbs that function as conjunctions, connecting independent clauses or sentences. Examples of conjunctive adverbs are also, anyway, besides, however, meanwhile, nevertheless, otherwise, similarly, and therefore .

I really wanted to go to the party. However , I was feeling sick and decided to stay in.

I really wanted to go to the party; however , I was feeling sick and decided to stay in.

What Are Interjections?

Interjections are words that express strong emotions, sudden reactions, or exclamations. This part of speech is usually a standalone word or phrase, but even when it is part of a sentence, it does not relate grammatically to the rest of .

There are several interjections. Examples include: ahh, alas, bravo, eww, hello, please, thanks, and oops.

Ahh ! I couldn’t believe what was happening.

When it comes to improving your writing skills, understanding the parts of speech is as important as adding other ingredients besides lettuce to a salad.

The information provided above is indeed extensive, but it’s critical to learn if you want to write effectively and confidently. LanguageTool—a multilingual writing assistant—makes comprehending the parts of speech easy by detecting errors as you write.

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Parts of Speech

What are the parts of speech, a formal definition.

Table of Contents

The Part of Speech Is Determined by the Word's Function

Are there 8 or 9 parts of speech, the nine parts of speech, (1) adjective, (3) conjunction, (4) determiner, (5) interjection, (7) preposition, (8) pronoun, why the parts of speech are important, video lesson.

You need to dig a well . (noun)
You look well . (adjective)
You dance well . (adverb)
Well , I agree. (interjection)
My eyes will well up. (verb)
red, happy, enormous
Ask the boy in the red jumper.
I live in a happy place.
I caught a fish this morning! I mean an enormous one.
happily, loosely, often
They skipped happily to the counter.
Tie the knot loosely so they can escape.
I often walk to work.
It is an intriguingly magic setting.
He plays the piano extremely well.
and, or, but
it is a large and important city.
Shall we run to the hills or hide in the bushes?
I know you are lying, but I cannot prove it.
my, those, two, many
My dog is fine with those cats.
There are two dogs but many cats.
ouch, oops, eek
Ouch , that hurt.
Oops , it's broken.
Eek! A mouse just ran past my foot!
leader, town, apple
Take me to your leader .
I will see you in town later.
An apple fell on his head .
in, near, on, with
Sarah is hiding in the box.
I live near the train station.
Put your hands on your head.
She yelled with enthusiasm.
she, we, they, that
Joanne is smart. She is also funny.
Our team has studied the evidence. We know the truth.
Jack and Jill went up the hill, but they never returned.
That is clever!
work, be, write, exist
Tony works down the pit now. He was unemployed.
I will write a song for you.
I think aliens exist .

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

Video for Each Part of Speech

The Most Important Writing Issues

The top issue related to adjectives.

Don't write...	Do write...
very happy boy	delighted boy
very angry	livid
extremely posh hotel	luxurious hotel
really serious look	stern look

The Top Issue Related to Adverbs

Extremely annoyed, she stared menacingly at her rival.
Infuriated, she glared at her rival.

The Top Issue Related to Conjunctions

Burger, Fries, and a shake
Fish, chips and peas

The Top Issue Related to Determiners

The Top Issue Related to Interjections

The top issue related to nouns, the top issue related to prepositions, the top issue related to pronouns, the top issue related to verbs.

Unnatural (Overusing Nouns)	Natural (Using a Verb)
They are in agreement that he was in violation of several regulations.	They agree he violated several regulations.
She will be in attendance to present a demonstration of how the weather will have an effect on our process.	She will attend to demonstrate how the weather will affect our process.

Crack the parts of speech to help with learning a foreign language or to take your writing to the next level.

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Collaboration, information literacy, writing process.

English has three articles: a , an , and the . These little words are used to introduce certain nouns, but there are specific rules regarding the use of each one.

When do I use an article?

“ A ” is used before a general noun that has not been introduced to the reader.

A cat walked by my door. (Note: I don’t know this cat, so it is referred to as a generic cat.)

“ An ” is used before a general noun that has not been introduced to the reader and also begins with a vowel (or a vowel sound).

I found an umbrella leaning against the wall in the hallway. (Note: I don’t know whose umbrella this is, so it is generic.)

“ The ” is used before a specific item, something you mentioned before, or something unique.

I noticed the cat rubbing up against the umbrella in the hallway. (Note: I already introduced these items before!)

The sun rose in the east. (Note: If there were more than one sun rising, this could become “A sun rose in the east.”)

The women played tennis. (Note: Here, the sentence refers to specific women, so the article is needed!)

When do I not use an article?

Do not use an article before a plural count noun that refers to general items/groups.

Men and women both enjoy sports. (Note: it is not “The men” because this is a general category, not a specific one.)

Do not use an article before a noncount noun, unless it names specific representatives of a general category.

Love grows stronger every year.

The love between us grows stronger every year. (Note: Here, the love is specifically between us.)

Do not use an article before a proper noun.

How can I revise my article usage?

Ask yourself:

Is the article necessary?
Is the noun general or specific?

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Featured Articles

Student engrossed in reading on her laptop, surrounded by a stack of books

When studying English grammar, you may have come across the article. We are going to take a look at what an article is, how it is used and the rules surrounding it. We are going to do this by taking a look at some examples and exercises of articles in use within a sentence, this way we will be able to gain a greater understanding of its function.

What Is An Article?

What Is An Article in English? A An The

In English grammar, there are two different types of article, the definite article and the indefinite article. In the most simple terms an article is a way of letting the listener or speaker know that a noun is either unspecific or specific. The words which are used as articles are the, an and a.

Let’s take a look at some examples to clarify the meaning of an article.

During the long journey, the family played car games.

You can see that when we use the article ‘the’ that we are showing that we are talking about a specific day and also a specific family. However, if we change the article, we can show that we are not talking about a specific journey or family. Take a look at the example now:

During a long journey, a family can play car games.

Simply by changing the article, we have made the sentence a more general statement and not about a specific thing or person.

Quick note:

Articles are small but important words in the English language.
Articles are considered adjectives because they modify or help describe nouns.
Articles always come before or precede the nouns they describe.

There are only three articles in English: a, an and the .

There are two types of articles indefinite ‘a’ and ‘ an ‘ or definite ‘the’ . You also need to know when not to use an article.

In many languages, articles are a special part of speech which cannot be easily combined with other parts of speech .

Article Grammar: A An The – Image 1

English Articles | A Complete Grammar Guide

Different Types Of Article

As we mentioned, in English there are two different types of article, the definite article and the indefinite article. They are each used for their own purpose and we are now going to take a look at these in a little more depth.

Definite Article

The best way to remember what a definite article is, is to remember that the word ‘the’ is the definite article. As we have briefly seen in our earlier examples, the word the can be used to demonstrate that the speaker is referring to something specific and not talking in a general sense.

When using a definite article, it can be combined with either a plural, a singular or an uncountable noun. We are now going to take a look at some examples of the definite article being used within a sentence.

Please show me the photo.
Can I see the blue dress, I do not like the red one.
Are we going to watch the football game?
I need the long wire, it is the only wire which will reach the plug socket.

Indefinite Article

When we are talking about the indefinite article , we are referring to the words ‘a’ and ‘an’ and depending on which word they are referring to, will depend on which one you use.

If the noun begins with a vowel, you should use ‘an.’
If the nouns begins with a consonant, you should use ‘a.’

We use the indefinite article as a way of demonstrating that we are not referring to a specific item or person but rather talking a more general sense. Let’s take a look at some examples of the indefinite article being used within a sentence.

I need to read a book, do you have a good one?
I am going to watch a movie, I am not sure which one.
There is an animal in the garden.
Sally has an invention she is working on.

How to Use Articles in English Grammar? (A An The)

Rules for using an article.

There are a variety of rules when it comes to using either a definite or an indefinite (did you notice the use of ‘a’ and ‘an’ in this sentence?) Let’s now take a look at the rules surrounding this grammatical element in order that we use it correctly.

Rule #1. We mentioned that depending on whether the noun begins with a consonant or a vowel will depend on which form of the indefinite article you will use, however like many times in the English language, there are some exceptions to this rule. The best example of this is with the word ‘honour’ which begins with a consonant, however this letter is not pronounced so you would not use the word ‘a’ in this instance, you would say:

It is an honour to meet the Queen.

The same rule applies when a word begins with a vowel which is pronounced as though it were a consonant. An example of this would be:

He is an United Nations representative.

Rule #2. If you are using a noun which has been modified by an adjective, then the article should come before the adjective and should correspond to the adjective rather than the noun. For example, the noun ‘igloo’ would usually take the article ‘an’ however if you wanted to describe it as being large, you would create a sentence as follows:

The inuit people traditionally lived in a large igloo.

Another example of this would be if you were going to refer to the noun ‘book’ which would usually take the article ‘a’ however if you wanted to describe the book as being amazing, then you would create a sentence as follows:

Last week I read an amazing book.

Rule #3. When you are using an uncountable noun (this is a noun which cannot be counted or is infinite or intangible. Some examples of these might be sand, wine, soda, air, information etc) you should never use the indefinite article. The reason for this is that this form of article is only used for singular nouns. You may, however use words such as some when talking about these uncountable nouns. Let’s take a look at some examples.

If you were to say the following sentence, it would not make any sense.

Please give the dog a water.

Because the noun is uncountable, the use of the indefinite article does not sound correct, however if you were to use the definite article, this would not make sense either as you would be asking for a specific thing, consider the following sentence:

Please give the dog the water.

Unless there is a specific bowl of water waiting to be given to the dog, this sentence would not be correct. If you wish to refer to an uncountable noun in this way, the correct sentence would be as follows:

Please give the dog some water.

Rule #4. If you are using an article with a possessive pronoun, the rules change once again. In actual fact, the use of these two together does not make much sense. Look at the following sentence:

Have you got the my coat?

This is not correct as you cannot use an article with a possessive pronoun, therefore the article should be omitted.

Rule #5. Finally, there may be times where an article can be left out, as it is not necessary to refer to the noun. A good example of this would be the sentence ‘I like to play football.’ Whilst football is a noun, using the before it would be unnecessary and so the article is not included.

Indefinite Articles | A and An

Indefinite Article Definition

The words A and An are called indefinite articles. We can use them with singular nouns to talk about any single person or thing.

Deciding which indefinite article to place in front of a word depends upon the initial sound of the word, not the first letter of the word.

When to use ‘a’

‘ A ’ is used before words beginning with a consonant sound .

E.g. A usual, a student, a doctor, a hotel.

When to use “an”

The article ‘ an ’ should be placed before words that begin with a vowel sound.

The initial sound should be a , e , i , o , or u .

E.g. An hour, an elephant, an actor, an ice-cream.

Definite Article | The

Definite Article Definition

The Definite Article ‘ THE ‘ generally specifies and identifies. It answers the question: ‘ Which one? ’ Is specifies a person, place, or thing already mentioned.

The definite article ‘ the’ means this, that. It answers the question which one?. It can be used with both singular and plural nouns. A noun is first introduced with the indefinite article and the definite article is used to refer to it again .

When Not to Use an English Article

1. We usually use no article to talk about things in general.

2. We do not use an article when talking about sports and games.

3. Do not use article before the names of countries unless the name suggests that the country is made up of smaller units or constituent parts.

Use the – the UK (United Kingdom ), the USA (United States of America), the Irish Republic… (Kingdom, state, republic and union are nouns, so they need an article.)

4. Do not use article before the name of language.

5. Do not use article before the names of railway stations when they are also place names.

6. Do not use article before the names of meals if they refer to the meals generally, as a part of the daily routine.

7. Do not use article before noun + number.

Articles with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Learn how to use articles with countable and uncountable nouns in English.

You need to categorize the noun as count or noncount to choose the correct article.

Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. which can be counted.

Examples: an apple, a school, 1 picture, 2 pictures, 3 pictures, 2 men, 4 men, 8 men.

Uncountable nouns are materials, concepts, information, etc. which are not individual objects and can not be counted.

Examples: information, water, understanding, wood, cheese.

How to Use Articles (a/an/the) | Video

An article is a very important part of English grammar and how they are used always depends on the noun that they are referring to, unless that noun in being modified by an adjective, in this case the article will correspond with the adjective. There are various rules surrounding the use of articles, yet these are simple and easy to learn.

Parts of Speech: A Guide to Learning English Grammar

By: Author English Study Online

Posted on Last updated: December 27, 2023

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In this page, we will break down each part of speech and provide examples to help you understand their usage. We will also discuss how to identify the different parts of speech in a sentence and provide tips on how to use them correctly. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced English learner, this article will provide valuable insights into the parts of speech and improve your language skills. Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Overview of Parts of Speech

In this section, we will provide a brief overview of the eight parts of speech in English. Understanding the parts of speech is essential for anyone learning the English language, as it enables them to construct meaningful sentences and communicate effectively.

The eight parts of speech are:

Prepositions

Conjunctions, interjections.

Each part of speech has a specific function in a sentence. For example, nouns are used to name people, places, things, or ideas, while verbs are used to describe an action or state of being. Adjectives are used to describe nouns, while adverbs are used to describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Pronouns are used to replace nouns in a sentence, while prepositions are used to indicate the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. Conjunctions are used to connect words, phrases, or clauses, while interjections are used to express emotions or feelings.

Parts of Speech: A Guide to Learning English Grammar

Nouns are words that represent people, places, things, or ideas. They are one of the most important parts of speech in English and are used in nearly every sentence. In this section, we will explore the different types of nouns and their functions.

Common Nouns

Common nouns are general names for people, places, or things. They are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.

Examples of common nouns include “book,” “city,” and “teacher.”

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are specific names for people, places, or things. They are always capitalized.

Examples of proper nouns include “Harry Potter,” “New York City,” and “Ms. Johnson.”

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are names for ideas, concepts, or emotions. They are intangible and cannot be seen, heard, or touched.

Examples of abstract nouns include “love,” “happiness,” and “freedom.”

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are names for groups of people or things. They can be singular or plural, depending on the context.

Examples of collective nouns include “team,” “family,” and “herd.”

In this section, we will discuss the different types of pronouns used in English grammar. Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence. They help to avoid repetition and make sentences more concise.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns refer to specific people or things. They can be used as the subject or object of a sentence. Here are the personal pronouns in English:


I	me	my	mine
you	you	your	yours
he	him	his	his
she	her	her	hers
it	it	its	its
we	us	our	ours
they	them	their	theirs

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific people or things. They can be used to indicate distance or location. Here are the demonstrative pronouns in English:


this	refers to something nearby
that	refers to something farther away
these	refers to multiple things nearby
those	refers to multiple things farther away

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They are typically used at the beginning of a sentence. Here are the interrogative pronouns in English:


who	refers to a person
whom	refers to a person (object of a verb)
whose	refers to possession
what	refers to a thing or idea
which	refers to a specific thing or idea

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific people or things. They can be used as the subject or object of a sentence. Here are the indefinite pronouns in English:


anybody	refers to any person
anyone	refers to any person
anything	refers to any thing or idea
each	refers to individual members of a group
either	refers to one of two things
everybody	refers to every person
everyone	refers to every person
everything	refers to every thing or idea
neither	refers to none of two things
nobody	refers to no person
no one	refers to no person
nothing	refers to no thing or idea
one	refers to a singular person or thing
some	refers to an unspecified number or amount
somebody	refers to some person
someone	refers to some person
something	refers to some thing or idea

Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech in English. They are used to describe an action, state, or occurrence. In this section, we will cover the three types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.

Action Verbs

Action verbs are used to describe an action that is being performed by the subject of the sentence. They can be used in the present, past, or future tense. Here are a few examples of action verbs:

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs are used to connect the subject of the sentence to a noun, pronoun, or adjective that describes it. They do not show action. Here are a few examples of linking verbs:

Helping Verbs

Helping verbs are used in conjunction with the main verb to express tense, voice, or mood. They do not have a meaning on their own. Here are a few examples of helping verbs:

In conclusion, verbs are an essential part of English grammar. Understanding the different types of verbs and how they are used in a sentence can help you communicate more effectively in both written and spoken English.

In this section, we will discuss adjectives, which are an important part of speech in English. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They provide more information about the noun or pronoun, such as its size, shape, color, or quality.

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are the most common type of adjectives. They describe the physical or observable characteristics of a noun or pronoun. For example, in the sentence “The red car is fast,” “red” is a descriptive adjective that describes the color of the car, and “fast” is another descriptive adjective that describes its speed.

Here are some examples of descriptive adjectives:

Quantitative Adjectives

Quantitative adjectives are used to describe the quantity or amount of a noun or pronoun. They answer the question “how much” or “how many.” For example, in the sentence “I have two apples,” “two” is a quantitative adjective that describes the number of apples.

Here are some examples of quantitative adjectives:

Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out or indicate a specific noun or pronoun. They answer the question “which one” or “whose.” For example, in the sentence “This book is mine,” “this” is a demonstrative adjective that indicates the specific book that belongs to the speaker.

Here are some examples of demonstrative adjectives:

In conclusion, adjectives are an important part of speech in English. They provide more information about nouns and pronouns, and they help to make our language more descriptive and precise. By understanding the different types of adjectives, we can use them effectively in our speaking and writing.

In this section, we will discuss adverbs, which are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adverbs give more information about the action, manner, place, time, frequency, degree, or intensity of a verb.

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner describe how an action is performed. They answer the question “how?” and usually end in “-ly”, but not always. Here are some examples:

She sings beautifully.
He speaks softly.
They ran quickly.
The dog barked loudly.

Adverbs of manner can also be formed by adding “-ly” to some adjectives. For example:

She is a quick learner. (adjective: quick)
He is a careful driver. (adjective: careful)

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place describe where an action takes place. They answer the question “where?” and usually come after the verb or object. Here are some examples:

She looked everywhere.
He lives nearby.
They went outside.
The cat hid underneath the bed.

Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of time describe when an action takes place. They answer the question “when?” and can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Here are some examples:

She wakes up early every day.
He arrived yesterday.
They will leave soon.
The concert starts tonight.

Adverbs of time can also be used to show the duration of an action. For example:

She studied for hours.
He worked all day.
They talked for a long time.

In this section, we will discuss prepositions and their usage in English. Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. They usually indicate the position or direction of the noun or pronoun in relation to other elements in the sentence.

Prepositions of Time

Prepositions of time are used to indicate when an action took place. They include words such as “at,” “in,” and “on.”

“At” is used for specific times, such as “at 2 pm” or “at midnight.”
“In” is used for longer periods of time, such as “in the morning” or “in October.”
“On” is used for dates, such as “on Monday” or “on July 4th.”

Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place are used to indicate where something is located. They include words such as “in,” “on,” and “at.”

“In” is used for enclosed spaces, such as “in the house” or “in the car.”
“On” is used for surfaces, such as “on the table” or “on the floor.”
“At” is used for specific locations, such as “at the park” or “at the beach.”

Prepositions of Direction

Prepositions of direction are used to indicate movement. They include words such as “to,” “from,” and “towards.”

“To” is used to indicate movement towards a specific destination, such as “I am going to the store.”
“From” is used to indicate movement away from a specific location, such as “I am coming from the park.”
“Towards” is used to indicate movement in the direction of a specific location, such as “I am walking towards the museum.”

In this section, we will discuss the different types of conjunctions and their functions in English grammar. Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence. They are essential in creating complex sentences and conveying relationships between ideas.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses that are of equal importance. They are easy to remember using the mnemonic device FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Here are some examples:

I like pizza and pasta.
She is neither tall nor short.
He wanted to go to the beach, but it was raining.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions connect dependent clauses to independent clauses and establish a relationship between them. They are used to show cause and effect, time, condition, and contrast. Some examples of subordinating conjunctions are:

Here are some examples:

Because it was raining, we stayed inside.
Although she was tired, she stayed up to finish her work.
While I was studying, my roommate was watching TV.

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that work together to connect words, phrases, or clauses. They are used to show a relationship between two elements. Here are some examples:

both…and
either…or
neither…nor
not only…but also
Both my sister and I like to read.
Either you come with us or you stay here.
Not only was he late, but he also forgot his homework.

In conclusion, conjunctions are important in creating complex sentences and conveying relationships between ideas. By understanding the different types of conjunctions and their functions, you can improve your writing and communication skills.

In English grammar, interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotions or feelings. They are also known as exclamations and are one of the eight parts of speech in English. Interjections are grammatically independent from the words around them, and they can often be removed from a sentence or context without affecting its basic meaning.

Interjections can be used to express a wide range of emotions, including surprise, joy, anger, frustration, and pain. Some common examples of interjections include “ wow ,” “ ouch ,” “ yay ,” “ oh no ,” and “ oops .” They can be used to add emphasis to a sentence or to convey a particular tone or mood.

It is important to note that interjections do not have any grammatical function in a sentence. They are not nouns, verbs, adjectives, or any other part of speech. Instead, they simply stand alone as a way to express emotion.

When using interjections in writing, it is important to consider the context in which they are being used. While they can be a useful tool for adding emphasis or conveying emotion, they can also be overused or misused, which can detract from the overall effectiveness of the writing.

Articles/Determiners

In English grammar, articles and determiners are words that are used with nouns to provide more information about them. They help us to understand the context and meaning of a sentence.

There are three articles in the English language: “ the ,” “ a, ” and “ an. ” “The” is known as the definite article because it refers to a specific noun that has already been mentioned or is known to the reader. For example, “The cat is sleeping on the sofa.” In this sentence, “the” refers to a specific cat that has already been mentioned or is known to the reader.

“A” and “an” are known as indefinite articles because they refer to any member of a group or class of nouns. “A” is used before words that begin with a consonant sound, while “an” is used before words that begin with a vowel sound. For example, “I need a pen” and “She ate an apple.”

Determiners

Determiners are words that come before a noun to provide more information about it. They can include articles, as well as words like “ this ,” “ that ,” “ these ,” and “ those .”

In addition to these, there are other types of determiners such as possessive determiners (e.g. “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their”), demonstrative determiners (e.g. “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”), and quantifying determiners (e.g. “some,” “any,” “many,” “few,” “several,” etc.).

Determiners can also be used with adjectives to provide more information about a noun. For example, “She ate the delicious apple” and “I saw that beautiful sunset.”

Understanding articles and determiners is crucial for mastering English grammar. By using them correctly, you can convey your thoughts and ideas more clearly and effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 8 parts of speech in English?

In English, there are eight parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Each part of speech serves a different function in a sentence and helps to convey meaning.

What are some examples of different parts of speech?

Here are a few examples of different parts of speech:

Noun: dog, cat, book, table
Pronoun: he, she, it, they
Verb: run, jump, sing, dance
Adjective: happy, sad, tall, short
Adverb: quickly, slowly, loudly, softly
Preposition: in, on, at, under
Conjunction: and, but, or, so
Interjection: wow, oh, ouch, hooray

What is the difference between a noun and a verb?

A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. A verb is a word that represents an action, occurrence, or state of being. In other words, a noun is a subject or object in a sentence, while a verb is the action or occurrence that takes place.

What are the different types of nouns?

There are several different types of nouns, including:

Common nouns: refer to general, non-specific people, places, things, or ideas (e.g. dog, city, book)
Proper nouns: refer to specific people, places, things, or ideas and are always capitalized (e.g. John, Paris, The Great Gatsby )
Concrete nouns: refer to tangible, physical objects (e.g. table, chair, car)
Abstract nouns: refer to intangible concepts or ideas (e.g. love, happiness, freedom)
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Parts of speech

The 8 Parts of Speech | Definition & Examples

A part of speech (also called a word class ) is a category that describes the role a word plays in a sentence. Understanding the different parts of speech can help you analyse how words function in a sentence and improve your writing.

Many words can function as different parts of speech depending on how they are used. For example, ‘laugh’ can be a noun (e.g., ‘I like your laugh’) or a verb (e.g., ‘don’t laugh’).

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Prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, other parts of speech, frequently asked questions.

Ella lives in France .

Other types of nouns include countable and uncountable nouns , concrete nouns , abstract nouns , and gerunds .

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That is a horrible painting!

A verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., ‘jump’), occurrence (e.g., ‘become’), or state of being (e.g., ‘exist’). Verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence is doing. Every complete sentence must contain at least one verb.

Verbs can change form depending on subject (e.g., first person singular), tense (e.g., past simple ), mood (e.g., interrogative), and voice (e.g., passive voice ).

Regular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participle are formed by adding’-ed’ to the end of the word (or ‘-d’ if the word already ends in ‘e’). Irregular verbs are verbs whose simple past and past participles are formed in some other way.

‘I’ve already checked twice’.

‘I heard that you used to sing ‘.

Other types of verbs include auxiliary verbs , linking verbs , modal verbs , and phrasal verbs .

An adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be attributive , appearing before a noun (e.g., ‘a red hat’), or predicative , appearing after a noun with the use of a linking verb like ‘to be’ (e.g., ‘the hat is red ‘).

Adjectives can also have a comparative function. Comparative adjectives compare two or more things. Superlative adjectives describe something as having the most or least of a specific characteristic.

Other types of adjectives include coordinate adjectives , participial adjectives , and denominal adjectives .

An adverb is a word that can modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or sentence. Adverbs are often formed by adding ‘-ly’ to the end of an adjective (e.g., ‘slow’ becomes ‘slowly’), although not all adverbs have this ending, and not all words with this ending are adverbs.

Talia writes quite quickly.

Other types of adverbs include adverbs of frequency , adverbs of purpose , focusing adverbs , and adverbial phrases .

A preposition is a word (e.g., ‘at’) or phrase (e.g., ‘on top of’) used to show the relationship between the different parts of a sentence. Prepositions can be used to indicate aspects such as time , place , and direction .

I left the cup on the kitchen counter.

A conjunction is a word used to connect different parts of a sentence (e.g., words, phrases, or clauses).

You can choose what movie we watch because I chose the last time.

Ouch ! I hurt my arm.

I’m, um , not sure.

Determiners

A determiner is a word that describes a noun by indicating quantity, possession, or relative position.

My brother is selling his old car.

Other types of determiners include distributive determiners , determiners of difference , and numbers .

An article is a word that modifies a noun by indicating whether it is specific or general.

The definite article the is used to refer to a specific version of a noun. The can be used with all countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., ‘the door’, ‘the energy’, ‘the mountains’).
The indefinite articles a and an refer to general or unspecific nouns. The indefinite articles can only be used with singular countable nouns (e.g., ‘a poster’, ‘an engine’).

There’s a concert this weekend.

A is an indefinite article (along with an ). While articles can be classed as their own part of speech, they’re also considered a type of determiner .

The indefinite articles are used to introduce nonspecific countable nouns (e.g., ‘a dog’, ‘an island’).

In is primarily classed as a preposition, but it can be classed as various other parts of speech, depending on how it is used:

Preposition (e.g., ‘ in the field’)
Noun (e.g., ‘I have an in with that company’)
Adjective (e.g., ‘Tim is part of the in crowd’)
Adverb (e.g., ‘Will you be in this evening?’)

As a part of speech, and is classed as a conjunction . Specifically, it’s a coordinating conjunction .

And can be used to connect grammatically equal parts of a sentence, such as two nouns (e.g., ‘a cup and plate’), or two adjectives (e.g., ‘strong and smart’). And can also be used to connect phrases and clauses.

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What Is an Adjective? | Definition, Types & Examples

Parts of Speech - Definition, 8 Types and Examples

In the English language , every word is called a part of speech. The role a word plays in a sentence denotes what part of speech it belongs to. Explore the definition of parts of speech, the different parts of speech and examples in this article.

Parts of speech definition, different parts of speech with examples.

Sentences Examples for the 8 Parts of Speech

A Small Exercise to Check Your Understanding of Parts of Speech

Frequently asked questions on parts of speech, what is a part of speech.

Parts of speech are among the first grammar topics we learn when we are in school or when we start our English language learning process. Parts of speech can be defined as words that perform different roles in a sentence. Some parts of speech can perform the functions of other parts of speech too.

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines parts of speech as “one of the classes into which words are divided according to their grammar, such as noun, verb, adjective, etc.”
The Cambridge Dictionary also gives a similar definition – “One of the grammatical groups into which words are divided, such as noun, verb, and adjective”.

Parts of speech include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections.

8 Parts of Speech Definitions and Examples:

1. Nouns are words that are used to name people, places, animals, ideas and things. Nouns can be classified into two main categories: Common nouns and Proper nouns . Common nouns are generic like ball, car, stick, etc., and proper nouns are more specific like Charles, The White House, The Sun, etc.

Examples of nouns used in sentences:

She bought a pair of shoes . (thing)
I have a pet. (animal)
Is this your book ? (object)
Many people have a fear of darkness . (ideas/abstract nouns)
He is my brother . (person)
This is my school . (place)

Also, explore Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns .

2. Pronouns are words that are used to substitute a noun in a sentence. There are different types of pronouns. Some of them are reflexive pronouns, possessive pronouns , relative pronouns and indefinite pronouns . I, he, she, it, them, his, yours, anyone, nobody, who, etc., are some of the pronouns.

Examples of pronouns used in sentences:

I reached home at six in the evening. (1st person singular pronoun)
Did someone see a red bag on the counter? (Indefinite pronoun)
Is this the boy who won the first prize? (Relative pronoun)
That is my mom. (Possessive pronoun)
I hurt myself yesterday when we were playing cricket. (Reflexive pronoun)

3. Verbs are words that denote an action that is being performed by the noun or the subject in a sentence. They are also called action words. Some examples of verbs are read, sit, run, pick, garnish, come, pitch, etc.

Examples of verbs used in sentences:

She plays cricket every day.
Darshana and Arul are going to the movies.
My friends visited me last week.
Did you have your breakfast?
My name is Meenakshi Kishore.

4. Adverbs are words that are used to provide more information about verbs, adjectives and other adverbs used in a sentence. There are five main types of adverbs namely, adverbs of manner , adverbs of degree , adverbs of frequency , adverbs of time and adverbs of place . Some examples of adverbs are today, quickly, randomly, early, 10 a.m. etc.

Examples of adverbs used in sentences:

Did you come here to buy an umbrella? (Adverb of place)
I did not go to school yesterday as I was sick. (Adverb of time)
Savio reads the newspaper everyday . (Adverb of frequency)
Can you please come quickly ? (Adverb of manner)
Tony was so sleepy that he could hardly keep his eyes open during the meeting. (Adverb of degree)

5. Adjectives are words that are used to describe or provide more information about the noun or the subject in a sentence. Some examples of adjectives include good, ugly, quick, beautiful, late, etc.

Examples of adjectives used in sentences:

The place we visited yesterday was serene .
Did you see how big that dog was?
The weather is pleasant today.
The red dress you wore on your birthday was lovely.
My brother had only one chapati for breakfast.

6. Prepositions are words that are used to link one part of the sentence to another. Prepositions show the position of the object or subject in a sentence. Some examples of prepositions are in, out, besides, in front of, below, opposite, etc.

Examples of prepositions used in sentences:

The teacher asked the students to draw lines on the paper so that they could write in straight lines.
The child hid his birthday presents under his bed.
Mom asked me to go to the store near my school.
The thieves jumped over the wall and escaped before we could reach home.

7. Conjunctions are a part of speech that is used to connect two different parts of a sentence, phrases and clauses . Some examples of conjunctions are and, or, for, yet, although, because, not only, etc.

Examples of conjunctions used in sentences:

Meera and Jasmine had come to my birthday party.
Jane did not go to work as she was sick.
Unless you work hard, you cannot score good marks.
I have not finished my project, yet I went out with my friends.

8. Interjections are words that are used to convey strong emotions or feelings. Some examples of interjections are oh, wow, alas, yippee, etc. It is always followed by an exclamation mark.

Examples of interjections used in sentences:

Wow ! What a wonderful work of art.
Alas ! That is really sad.
Yippee ! We won the match.

Sentence Examples for the 8 Parts of Speech

Noun – Tom lives in New York .
Pronoun – Did she find the book she was looking for?
Verb – I reached home.
Adverb – The tea is too hot.
Adjective – The movie was amazing .
Preposition – The candle was kept under the table.
Conjunction – I was at home all day, but I am feeling very tired.
Interjection – Oh ! I forgot to turn off the stove.

Let us find out if you have understood the different parts of speech and their functions. Try identifying which part of speech the highlighted words belong to.

My brother came home late .
I am a good girl.
This is the book I was looking for.
Whoa ! This is amazing .
The climate in Kodaikanal is very pleasant.
Can you please pick up Dan and me on your way home?

Now, let us see if you got it right. Check your answers.

My – Pronoun, Home – Noun, Late – Adverb
Am – Verb, Good – Adjective
I – Pronoun, Was looking – Verb
Whoa – Interjection, Amazing – Adjective
Climate – Noun, In – Preposition, Kodaikanal – Noun, Very – Adverb
And – Conjunction, On – Preposition, Your – Pronoun

What are parts of speech?

The term ‘parts of speech’ refers to words that perform different functions in a sentence in order to give the sentence a proper meaning and structure.

How many parts of speech are there?

There are 8 parts of speech in total.

What are the 8 parts of speech?

Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections are the 8 parts of speech.

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Parts of Speech – What is an Article?

What is an article.

While we typically use words such as “the,” “a,” and “an,” without giving them much thought, they actually have a special name, articles, and there are some very specific details that define when you use these words.

What is an article, you ask? Articles are a part of speech used to express whether something is specific or unspecific. Still confused? Sit up, pay attention, and get ready for a grammar lesson.

Using “the”

This is the article that is used to define something specific.

For example: “This is the house,” or “this is the new car.”

Used in this way, it presumes that the house or car were already previously mentioned and made known to the audience or reader. In other words, the article makes reference to a specific house and car, not a generic one. Because of this, “the,” is known as the definite article.

Using “a,” or “an”

Conversely, if the reader or audience has not been made aware of the subject, you would use “a,” or “an.” In these cases, the subject is unspecified, and as such these articles are known as the indefinite articles.

For example: “This is a house,” or “this is a new car.”

Things to Remember

For example, use “an” for both of these sentences: “We are going to an appointment.” “I will be there in an hour.”
Articles precede adjectives (as shown above with “the new car” ).
For example, you wouldn’t say “play me a music,” you would say, “ play me music,” or “play me some music.”
Articles are not used with possessive adjectives or possessive nouns, such as my , yours , his or hers .

While you have been using these words for most of your life, now you can brush up on your article speaking skills and know just when (and when not!) to use each one!

Love learning about Language and Grammar? Check out our other posts on the subject, and make sure to play some Language quizzes on Sporcle!

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Donald Trump on Heritage’s Kevin Roberts, who oversees Project 2025: “He’s going to be so incredible”

Trump gushed over Heritage and Roberts in a 2022 speech. Trump now claims not to know who is behind Project 2025, which is led by Roberts and Heritage.

Written by Matt Gertz

Published 07/08/24 2:58 PM EDT

Donald Trump is trying to distance himself from Project 2025, the radical takeover of government created as a blueprint for the next Republican presidential administration, now that it’s become a toxic election issue. But in addition to the numerous Project 2025 authors and leaders who previously served in Trump’s administration, the former president has offered gushing praise for Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, the right-wing think tank leading that effort.

Trump gave the keynote address at the Heritage Foundation’s annual leadership conference on April 21, 2022, just a few months after Roberts took the reins of the organization.

“He’s going to be so incredible,” Trump said of Roberts. “I know that for a fact, because I know what he did and where he came from, and he’s going to be outstanding, and congratulations to his very exciting new role and a very important role.”

Citation From an April 21, 2022, speech by Donald Trump

Trump, who had just been introduced by Roberts, went on to praise Heritage board co-Chair Barb Van Andel-Gaby as well as several Heritage officials who had advised his campaign or served in his administration.

The former president then touted Heritage itself, saying, “For nearly 50 years, this legendary institution, which is what it is, has been at the forefront of the conservative movement, helping lead the fight to defend our cherished American history, culture, and traditions.”

Roberts drew press scrutiny last week for stating on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s War Room show that “we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” He reportedly doubled down on those comments in a Monday speech at the National Conservatism Conference.

Almost exactly one year after Trump’s Heritage keynote, The New York Times broke the news that Heritage was leading the “so-called Project 2025,” an effort to staff the next Republican presidential administration which the paper described as “part of a $22 million presidential transition operation at a scale never attempted before in conservative politics.”

The Times further reported in its April 20, 2023, article that according to Roberts, “Heritage and its project partners have already briefed Mr. Trump” on the plan.

The next day, Heritage announced that Project 2025 had published Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise , a nearly 900-page book laying out the right’s sprawling, extreme agenda-in-waiting . The framework would roll back civil rights enforcement, dramatically curtail access to abortion, shred environmental protections, and much more.

Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025 over the past week as it gained increased public interest and notoriety.

“I know nothing about Project 2025,” he wrote Friday on Truth Social. “I have no idea who is behind it.”

But Trump is lying.

Popular Information’s Judd Legum reported that Project 2025’s leaders and writers are deeply entwined with Trump’s circle. “All told, of the 38 people responsible for writing and editing Project 2025, 31 were appointed or nominated to positions in the Trump administration and transition,” he wrote. “In other words, while Trump claims he has ‘nothing to do’ with the people who created Project 2025, over 81% had formal roles in his first administration.”

At least one of those authors also has a formal role helping to put together the GOP’s 2024 platform. Russ Vought, who served as Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget and authored a chapter of the Project 2025 book, is now the policy director for the Republican National Committee’s 2024 Committee on the Platform.

Another key figure, Project 2025 senior adviser John McEntee, previously served as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office in the Trump administration — and before that , as Trump’s “longtime personal aide.” McEntee, who now works for Heritage on the “Presidential Personnel Database,” explained in April that Project 2025 “is in charge of staffing the next administration should Trump win.”

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What Part of Speech Is the Word 'The'?

General Education

When you start breaking it down, the English language is pretty complicated—especially if you're trying to learn it from scratch! One of the most important English words to understand is the.

But what part of speech is the word the, and when should it be used in a sentence? Is the word the a preposition? Is the a pronoun? Or is the word the considered a different part of speech?

To help you learn exactly how the word the works in the English language, we're going to do the following in this article:

Answer the question, "What part of speech is the ?"
Explain how to use the correctly in sentences, with examples
Provide a full list of other words that are classified as the same part of speech as the in the English language

Okay, let's get started learning about the word the !

What Part of Speech Is the Word The?

In the English language the word the is classified as an article, which is a word used to define a noun. (More on that a little later.)

But an article isn't one of the eight parts of speech. Articles are considered a type of adjective, so "the" is technically an adjective as well. However, "the" can also sometimes function as an adverb in certain instances, too.

In short, the word "the" is an article that functions as both an adjective and an adverb, depending on how it's being used . Having said that, the is most commonly used as an article in the English language. So, if you were wondering, "Is the a pronoun, preposition, or conjunction," the answer is no: it's an article, adjective, and an adverb!

While we might think of an article as a story that appears in a newspaper or website, in English grammar, articles are words that help specify nouns.

The as an Article

So what are "articles" in the English language? Articles are words that identify nouns in order to demonstrate whether the noun is specific or nonspecific. Nouns (a person, place, thing, or idea) can be identified by two different types of articles in the English language: definite articles identify specific nouns, and indefinite articles identify nonspecific nouns.

The word the is considered a definite article because it defines the meaning of a noun as one particular thing . It's an article that gives a noun a definite meaning: a definite article. Generally, definite articles are used to identify nouns that the audience already knows about. Here's a few examples of how "the" works as a definite article:

We went to the rodeo on Saturday. Did you see the cowboy get trampled by the bull?

This (grisly!) sentence has three instances of "the" functioning as a definite article: the rodeo, the cowboy, and the bull. Notice that in each instance, the comes directly before the noun. That's because it's an article's job to identify nouns.

In each of these three instances, the refers to a specific (or definite) person, place, or thing. When the speaker says the rodeo, they're talking about one specific rodeo that happened at a certain place and time. The same goes for the cowboy and the bull: these are two specific people/animals that had one kinda terrible thing happen to them!

It can be a bit easier to see how definite articles work if you see them in the same sentence as an indefinite article ( a or an ). This sentence makes the difference a lot more clear:

A bat flew into the restaurant and made people panic.

Okay. This sentence has two articles in it: a and the. So what's the difference? Well, you use a when you're referring to a general, non-specific person, place, or thing because its an indefinite article . So in this case, using a tells us this isn't a specific bat. It's just a random bat from the wild that decided to go on an adventure.

Notice that in the example, the writer uses the to refer to the restaurant. That's because the event happened at a specific time and at a specific place. A bat flew into one particular restaurant to cause havoc, which is why it's referred to as the restaurant in the sentence.

The last thing to keep in mind is that the is the only definite article in the English language , and it can be used with both singular and plural nouns. This is probably one reason why people make the mistake of asking, "Is the a pronoun?" Since articles, including the, define the meaning of nouns, it seems like they could also be combined with pronouns. But that's not the case. Just remember: articles only modify nouns.

Adjectives are words that help describe nouns. Because "the" can describe whether a noun is a specific object or not, "the" is also considered an adjective.

The as an Adjective

You know now that the is classified as a definite article and that the is used to refer to a specific person, place, or thing. But defining what part of speech articles are is a little bit tricky.

There are eight parts of speech in the English language: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. The thing about these eight parts of speech in English is that they contain smaller categories of types of words and phrases in the English language. A rticles are considered a type of determiner, which is a type of adjective.

Let's break down how articles fall under the umbrella of "determiners," which fall under the umbrella of adjectives. In English, the category of "determiners" includes all words and phrases in the English language that are combined with a noun to express an aspect of what the noun is referring to. Some examples of determiners are the, a, an, this, that, my, their, many, few, several, each, and any. The is used in front of a noun to express that the noun refers to a specific thing, right? So that's why "the" can be considered a determiner.

And here's how determiners—including the article the —can be considered adjectives. Articles and other determiners are sometimes classified as adjectives because they describe the nouns that they precede. Technically, the describes the noun it precedes by communicating specificity and directness. When you say, "the duck," you're describing the noun "duck" as referring to a specific duck. This is different than saying a duck, which could mean any one duck anywhere in the world!

When "the" comes directly before a word that's not a noun, then it's operating as an adverb instead of an adjective.

The as an Adverb

Finally, we mentioned that the can also be used as an adverb, which is one of the eight main parts of speech we outlined above. Adverbs modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, but never modify nouns.

Sometimes, the can be used to modify adverbs or adjectives that occur in the comparative degree. Adverbs or adjectives that compare the amounts or intensity of a feeling, state of being, or action characterizing two or more things are in the comparative degree. Sometimes the appears before these adverbs or adjectives to help convey the comparison!

Here's an example where the functions as an adverb instead of an article/adjective:

Lainey believes the most outrageous things.

Okay. We know that when the is functioning as an adjective, it comes before a noun in order to clarify whether it's specific or non-specific. In this case, however, the precedes the word most, which isn't a noun—it's an adjective. And since an adverb modifies an adjective, adverb, or verb, that means the functions as an adverb in this sentence.

We know that can be a little complicated, so let's dig into another example together:

Giovanni's is the best pizza place in Montana.

The trick to figuring out whether the article the is functioning as an adjective or an adverb is pretty simple: just look at the word directly after the and figure out its part of speech. If that word is a noun, then the is functioning as an adjective. If that word isn't a noun, then the is functioning like an adverb.

Now, reread the second example. The word the comes before the word best. Is best a noun? No, it isn't. Best is an adjective, so we know that the is working like an adverb in this sentence.

How to Use The Correctly in Sentences

An important part of answering the question, "What part of speech is the word the ?" includes explaining how to use the correctly in a sentence. Articles like the are some of the most common words used in the English language. So you need to know how and when to use it! And since using the as an adverb is less common, we'll provide examples of how the can be used as an adverb as well.

Using The as an Article

In general, it is correct and appropriate to use the in front of a noun of any kind when you want to convey specificity. It's often assumed that you use the to refer to a specific person, place, or thing that the person you're speaking to will already be aware of. Oftentimes, this shared awareness of who, what, or where "the" is referring to is created by things already said in the conversation, or by context clues in a given social situation .

Let's look at an example here:

Say you're visiting a friend who just had a baby. You're sitting in the kitchen at your friend's house while your friend makes coffee. The baby, who has been peacefully dozing in a bassinet in the living room, begins crying. Your friend turns to you and asks, "Can you hold the baby while I finish doing this?"

Now, because of all of the context surrounding the social situation, you know which baby your friend is referring to when they say, the baby. There's no need for further clarification, because in this case, the gives enough direct and specific meaning to the noun baby for you to know what to do!

In many cases, using the to define a noun requires less or no awareness of an immediate social situation because people have a shared common knowledge of the noun that the is referring to. Here are two examples:

Are you going to watch the eclipse tomorrow?

Did you hear what the President said this morning?

In the first example, the speaker is referring to a natural phenomenon that most people are aware of —eclipses are cool and rare! When there's going to be an eclipse, everyone knows about it. If you started a conversation with someone by saying, "Are you going to watch the eclipse tomorrow?" it's pretty likely they'd know which eclipse the is referring to.

In the second example, if an American speaking to another American mentions what the President said, the other American is likely going to assume that the refers to the President of the United States. Conversely, if two Canadians said this to one another, they would likely assume they're talking about the Canadian prime minister!

So in many situations, using the before a noun gives that noun specific meaning in the context of a particular social situation .

Using The as an Adverb

Now let's look at an example of how "the" can be used as an adverb. Take a look at this sample sentence:

The tornado warning made it all the more likely that the game would be canceled.

Remember how we explained that the can be combined with adverbs that are making a comparison of levels or amounts of something between two entities? The example above shows how the can be combined with an adverb in such a situation. The is combined with more and likely to form an adverbial phrase.

So how do you figure this out? Well, if the words immediately after the are adverbs, then the is functioning as an adverb, too!

Here's another example of how the can be used as an adverb:

I had the worst day ever.

In this case, the is being combined with the adverb worst to compare the speaker's day to the other days . Compared to all the other days ever, this person's was the worst... period . Some other examples of adverbs that you might see the combined with include all the better, the best, the bigger, the shorter, and all the sooner.

One thing that can help clarify which adverbs the can be combined with is to check out a list of comparative and superlative adverbs and think about which ones the makes sense with!

3 Articles in the English Language

Now that we've answered the question, "What part of speech is the ?", you know that the is classified as an article. To help you gain a better understanding of what articles are and how they function in the English language, here's a handy list of 3 words in the English language that are also categorized as articles.


			laundry. concert?
			concert?
			arcade?

What's Next?

If you're looking for more grammar resources, be sure to check out our guides on every grammar rule you need to know to ace the SAT ( or the ACT )!

Learning more about English grammar can be really helpful when you're studying a foreign language, too. We highly recommend that you study a foreign language in high school—not only is it great for you, it looks great on college applications, too. If you're not sure which language to study, check out this helpful article that will make your decision a lot easier.

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Biden, campaigning in Wisconsin, defies calls to drop out: "Completely ruling that out"

By Kathryn Watson , Melissa Quinn

Updated on: July 6, 2024 / 4:33 PM EDT / CBS News

President Biden had a message on Friday for Democrats and others who are calling on him to drop his reelection bid after last week's debate: "I am going to run and I'm going to win again."

Speaking to supporters in the battleground state of Wisconsin on Friday, the president reiterated that he won't be forced out as the Democratic presidential nominee amid a chorus of criticism and concern sparked by his startling debate performance . After a week of working to assuage concerns about his fitness for a second term, Mr. Biden stood his ground.

"Now, you probably heard we had a little debate last week," the president said after taking the stage in Madison. "Can't say it was my best performance. But ever since then, there's been a lot of speculation. What's Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out, what's he going to do? Well, here's my answer: I am going to run and I'm going to win again."

The president cited the results of the primary process, which was tightly controlled by the Democratic Party and featured no serious challengers to his renomination.

"I'm the nominee of the Democratic Party," the president said. "You voted for me to be your nominee, no one else. You, the voters, did that. And despite that, some folks don't seem to care who you voted for. Well, guess what: they're trying to push me out of the race. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm staying in the race."

President Biden speaks during a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 5, 2024.

Despite his much stronger voice compared to last week's debate, the president still fumbled.

"I'm staying in the race. I'll beat Donald Trump. I will beat him again in 2020," the president said, before realizing his error and correcting himself to say "2024."

Behind the president, among the group of energetic supporters holding signs was one young man with a sign that read, "Pass the torch, Joe." Someone else in the stands covered up his sign, and the young man crumpled it.

At the airport following the speech, a reporter asked the president if he's still considering dropping out of the race, or if he's completely ruling that out.

"Completely ruling that out," Mr. Biden said, insisting the media class was "wrong" about politics in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

The president said he's spoken to "at least 20" members of Congress since the debate. He also told reporters he's "confident" he can serve another four years in office.

A crucial stretch for Biden

Mr. Biden's public appearances are under renewed scrutiny following his halting debate performance against former President Donald Trump, and the rally in Wisconsin kicked off what could be a critical weekend for his hopes to reassure Democrats that he can stay in the race.

In Wisconsin, Mr. Biden taped an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, which aired in full Friday night. In the interview, Mr. Biden stressed his belief that he has the mental fitness to remain in the presidential race and lead the nation for four more years.

"Look, I have a cognitive test every single day," Mr. Biden said in response to whether he would undergo an independent cognitive or neurological assessment. "Every day, I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world."

The president will also head to Philadelphia for another campaign event on Sunday, capping the July 4 holiday weekend with a visit to a second battleground state.

Democrats who spoke before the president in Madison alluded to the challenging political environment.

"What a week," said Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. "What a week. First, let's acknowledge it — rough debate. One guy needed a lozenge, the other guy needed a lie detector and a conscience and a reminder that he's not running for dictator of North Korea."

"It's going to come down to a few states, and Wisconsin is one of those states," Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan said. "And don't think for a second that this is going to be easy. Just in the last week, some say that the snow globe of the election has been shaken. But you know what hasn't been shaken? The resolve of the people."

In a pair of radio interviews that aired Thursday, Mr. Biden admitted he had a "bad debate" and that he "screwed up."

Mr. Biden's campaign and the White House sought to brush off concerns about his lackluster performance by insisting he had a cold and that the debate fiasco was simply a "bad night." As part of efforts to quiet concerns about Mr. Biden and his age, he and Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a call with campaign staff on Wednesday, and they met with 20 Democratic governors at the White House later that evening. Mr. Biden also spoke with the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, as well as other key allies on Capitol Hill.

One of the governors who attended the White House meeting, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, praised Mr. Biden for his work over the last four years and reiterated that she is committed to defeating Trump in November. But Healey also urged the president to examine the path forward, while stopping short of saying he should step aside.

"The best way forward right now is a decision for the president to make," she said in a statement. "Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump."

The president has maintained the same message throughout the outreach, according to participants: he is in the race to defeat Trump and will not be pushed out.

"I learned from my father, when you get knocked down, just get back up, get back up," Mr. Biden told "The Earl Ingram Show," which airs in Wisconsin, in the radio interview Thursday. "And you know we're going to win this election, we're going to just beat Donald Trump."

Amid the assurances, a handful of House Democrats have openly called on Mr. Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, including Reps. Lloyd Doggett, Raul Grijalva, Seth Moulton, Mike Quigley and Angie Craig. Others, meanwhile, have publicly urged the president to take steps to prove to voters, elected Democrats and party donors that he is fit for a second term in the White House.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia has been speaking with Democratic colleagues about finding ways to convince Mr. Biden to step aside and let others seek the nomination, a senator who has been contacted by Warner told CBS News Thursday.

The senator says Warner's outreach "is nothing formal. There's no formal plan, at least not yet."

When asked by Stephanopoulos about that report Friday, Mr. Biden responded that Warner "is a good man" who previously "tried to get the nomination," but that "Mark and I have a different perspective. I respect him."

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.

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Kevin Roberts, president of the group that has coordinated the Project 2025 policy plan, said it could be “bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

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The president of the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank that has developed a prominent series of policy plans to overhaul the federal government under a Republican president, said on Tuesday that the country was “in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

The group’s president, Kevin D. Roberts, made the comments in an interview on “The War Room,” the Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon’s show on the network Real America’s Voice. (Mr. Bannon himself did not host the show on Tuesday, because he reported to prison the day before to serve a sentence for contempt of Congress.)

Mr. Roberts was discussing the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday that presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for what they do in office, a ruling that upended the criminal case against former President Donald J. Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and that removes a potential barrier to the most radical elements of his second-term agenda if he is elected again.

“We ought to be really encouraged by what happened yesterday, and in spite of all of the injustice — which of course friends and audience of this show, of our friend Steve, know — we are going to prevail,” Mr. Roberts said, alluding to Mr. Bannon’s imprisonment.

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Published: 01 July 2024

Speech and language classification in the human phenotype ontology

Angela T. Morgan ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1147-7405 1 , 2 ,
Ben Coleman ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4422-1708 3 ,
Adam P. Vogel ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3505-2631 2 ,
Alisdair McNeill 4 &
Peter N. Robinson ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0736-9199 3 , 5

European Journal of Human Genetics ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Gene ontology
Human behaviour

Introduction

Communication is a critical skill, not only for daily survival but also for leading a successful and fulfilled life. Speech and language skills are supported by widespread, complex brain networks. Ergo, communication disorders are common in neurogenetic conditions and may appear even with relatively subtle perturbations of brain development [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Speech and language difficulties frequently co-occur but are distinct and dissociable skills. In simple terms, speech is the perception and motor production of sounds; and language the ability to understand and produce a message using vocabulary and grammar, in spoken or written form.

The human genetics literature is currently restricted by conflation of the terms speech and language, and by a lack of specificity of the sub-phenotypes of these domains. This is reflected in the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) which has grown organically with speech and language terms inputted by experts working across multiple conditions, rather than being developed with a pre-determined framework. The HPO provides a standardized vocabulary of phenotypic abnormalities of human disease, with each term describing a specific feature, such as ‘language impairment’. The HPO contains over 16,000 terms and over 156,000 annotations to hereditary diseases. The HPO is a flagship of the NIH-supported Monarch Initiative; dedicated to semantic integration of biomedical and model organism data with a view to improve research. Software has been developed by the HPO project and others to support this goal, facilitating phenotype-driven differential diagnostics, genomic diagnostics, and translational research.

Speech and language classification in the HPO has detailed descriptors in some areas, and in others, a blunt selection of phenotypes which fail to dissociate speech and language features across genotypes, where presentations are in fact, different. A common example of this occurs in neurodevelopment where a catch-all-term of Delayed speech and language development HP:0000750 is commonly applied across conditions, even those that are strikingly different in the clinic, e.g. individuals with FOXP2 -only disorder are typically verbal communicators with a relatively homogeneous presentation of childhood apraxia of speech [ 5 ], in comparison to individuals with KAT6A syndrome where around 75% of individuals remain minimally verbal and rely on aided communication even into adulthood [ 6 ]. Documenting the natural history of specific speech and language phenotypes for distinct conditions paves the way for application of targeted therapies at an early age [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]; critical for optimising communication, wellbeing, and life outcomes. A final challenge of the current limited speech and language classification in the HPO is an inability to capitalise on rich electronic medical record data to drive knowledge discovery across diagnosis, prognosis or therapies in the speech and language genetics field. Here we specify core challenges to be addressed and suggest an approach to improve the specificity and efficiency of speech and language ontologies with the HPO.

Current speech and language phenotyping in the HPO

The HPO successfully incorporates a broad range of speech and language phenotypes across the ontology. Yet inconsistencies of the system contribute to clinical confusion and poor application of terms. There are currently three core pathways by which to reach speech and language phenotypes (see Fig. 1 ). Two pathways stem from Abnormality of the nervous system HP:0000707, Abnormal nervous system physiology HP:0012638 . One pathway branches to Abnormality of mental function HP:0011446 and Abnormal communication HP:0034434 where six further communication sub-phenotypes are denoted. The second pathway from Abnormal nervous system physiology HP:0012638 branches to Neurodevelopmental abnormality HP:0012759 , Neurodevelopmental delay HP:0012758 and Delayed speech and language development HP:0000750 which results in three further language and non-verbal sub-phenotypes. The third and final pathway branches from Abnormality of the voice HP:0001608 under which there are nine further categories largely focused on speech, voice and resonance phenotypes. There are also further pathways focused on social language which we will not discuss in detail here. These multiple pathways, all resulting in different end descriptors, lead to confusion for busy clinicians who tend to find their own most efficient, yet arguably not always most specific, pathway for their conditions of interest.

Blue boxes denote examples of the broad and often overlapping phenotyping options related to speech and language phenotyping in the HPO. Not all options are presented here.

A further challenge regards inconsistent application of medical terminology. One example is the use of a- versus dys-, the former denoting a complete absence of a skill and the latter a relatively less impaired presentation. There are inconsistencies in application of terms a-phasia, dys-phasia, a-narthria, dys-arthria, a-graphia, dys-graphia across the medical literature and these terms are reflected in the HPO. For example, the term a-phasia is now unanimously used in the adult language literature, not dys-phasia. Further, aphasia was originally defined as an acquired language impairment following stroke, but it is now also used to categorise language in neurodegenerative diseases such as primary progressive aphasia, not just acquired conditions. Hence there is a need for all these synonymous or confusing terminological issues to be refined in a clear framework with transparency of approach and definitions to best support their clinical application.

Refining classification of speech and language in the HPO

Speech and language and associated disorders can be classified in myriad ways. Further to the HPO, core medical classifications with speech and language terms include the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Disease’s (ICD-11) and the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). These classification systems are, necessarily, exceptionally broad and as a result they have a relatively limited specificity for speech and language diagnoses (e.g., just five diagnostic categories under communication disorder for children across both domains of speech and language in the DSM-V) and often focus on literacy as a separate domain without the ability to consider links between speech, language, and literacy. The other challenge for adoption of some existing large-scale systems is the common division of paediatric and adult populations, as currently also occurs in the HPO, with age-related terminology commonly applied in each case. For example, use of the term ‘language’ in children in contrast to the term ‘aphasia’ (traditionally applied to acquired language disorders) used for adults. Failure to take a ‘lifespan approach’ to terminology wherever possible, particularly in the context of neurogenetic developmental disorders, results in complexities when collating data to gain further insights into the genetic condition of interest, e.g. if one were to attempt to map the language abilities of individuals with an EBF3- neurodevelopmental disorder longitudinally from birth into adulthood using HPO terms mined from electronic medical records. Arguably a parsimonious approach has been adopted by leading clinically related speech and language organisations or peak bodies, such as the American Speech and Hearing Association, Speech Pathology Australia, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and the World Health Organisation. A classification adapted from these established clinically relevant frameworks includes core domains of speech as well as spoken and written language and their sub-phenotypes (Fig. 2 , Supplementary Tables ).

Adapted from American Speech Hearing Association, World Health Organisation, Royal College of Speech Language Therapists, International Association for Communication Disorders and Sciences, Speech Pathology Australia, DSM-5, ICD-11, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Speech involves perception of speech sounds as well as the use of the articulators, namely lips, larynx, soft and hard palate, tongue, jaw and cheeks, to produce a speech signal, made up of the sounds of one’s language. Speech also requires adequate airflow from the lungs to pass through the larynx with enough force to produce voicing and to control the loudness and prosodic aspects of speech. The size, placement and configuration of an individual’s larynx also impacts pitch for speech, whether too high, low or sex or age appropriate. The velum or soft palate must move quickly and rapidly to produce oral or nasal (m, n, ng in the case of English) sounds. Speech challenges can result due to speech perception difficulties (e.g., hearing loss), structural deficits (e.g., cleft palate, macroglossia, malocclusion) or neurological deficits (e.g., hypotonia of face, tongue etc, soft palate poor function, vocal fold palsy, cerebellar disease). Numerous pathologies of speech are already encapsulated within the HPO, yet these could arguably be better organised under an easy to apply framework which guides the clinician and encourages specificity in use of the terms speech and language as a constructive first step.

Language, by contrast to speech, is a higher-level cognitive construct and can be divided further into spoken and written modalities, with the latter also encompassing literacy. Spoken and written language both involve imparting and receiving a message – that is they involve both expressive and receptive channels of communication. Beyond expressive and receptive sub-domains, language can be further categorised into sub-phenotypes affecting syntactic or semantic domains, minimally verbal presentations or even regression/disease progression. Language features across children and adults are highly similar, yet different terminology has been historically used, which could also be better addressed in a new system to better fit the many lifelong neurogenetic conditions that exist in our society. It is important to note that we are not advocating for an immediate change to use of such a classification system as shared here in Fig. 2 . Rather we are using this viewpoint article to highlight current challenges and to advocate for positive change. The current authorship team are leading a working group to carefully consider and revise the HPO speech and language classification and branching of terms using a consensus-based approach with other international experts in the field.

Here we propose a revision and simplification of the speech and language hierarchy and sub-phenotypes. Application of an over-arching framework with clarification of the differences between speech and language domains and their sub-phenotypes will transform current communication phenotyping. In turn, increased phenotypic precision will improve individual clinical care, enable a more sensitive understanding of similarities and differences across genetic conditions to drive efficiencies of treatment and provide a solid platform for data driven discovery in the speech and language genetics field.

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National Human Genome Research Institute (5U24HG011449) awarded to PR; National Health and Medical Research Council Australia (2015727; 1195955) awarded to AM. PR and BC are funded by the National Institutes of Health Monarch Initiative. AV is funded by the Australian Research Council. Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions.

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Angela T. Morgan

Speech Pathology, School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Angela T. Morgan & Adam P. Vogel

The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

Ben Coleman & Peter N. Robinson

Division of Neuroscience & Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

Alisdair McNeill

Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

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AM wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors made additional contributions and approved the final version of the paper.

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Morgan, A.T., Coleman, B., Vogel, A.P. et al. Speech and language classification in the human phenotype ontology. Eur J Hum Genet (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-024-01635-6

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But an article isn't one of the eight parts of speech. Articles are considered a type of adjective, so "the" is technically an adjective as well. However, "the" can also sometimes function as an adverb in certain instances, too. In short, the word "the" is an article that functions as both an adjective and an adverb, depending on how it's being ...
Trump disavows Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, despite MAGA ...
Former President Trump on Friday disavowed the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which has sparked widespread news coverage about policy plans for a potential second Trump administration.. Why it matters: Project 2025 has long annoyed Trump and his top campaign officials, despite the deep links and allies shared by the two entities. Lately, Democrats have been attacking Project 2025 as a ...
Biden, campaigning in Wisconsin, defies calls to drop out: "Completely
"Let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm staying in the race," President Biden said during a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday.
Heritage Foundation Head Refers to 'Second American Revolution'
The president of the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank that has developed a prominent series of policy plans to overhaul the federal government under a Republican president, said on ...
Mike Johnson details conservative vision for U.S. foreign policy
House Speaker Mike Johnson targeted China, Russia, Iran and what he called weak leadership under Democrats in his first extensive remarks on national security.
Speech and language classification in the human phenotype ontology
The HPO successfully incorporates a broad range of speech and language phenotypes across the ontology. Yet inconsistencies of the system contribute to clinical confusion and poor application of terms.

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Articles in Grammar: From "A" to "The" With "An" and "Some" Between

Definite vs. Indefinite Articles

Using "A" and "An"

Before Countable and Uncountable Nouns

When to Omit Articles

Pronouns, Demonstratives, and Possessives

High-Ranking Words

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The 8 Parts of Speech | Chart, Definition & Examples

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Other parts of speech

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Understanding the Parts of Speech in English

Parts of Speech: Quick Summary

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Using the Parts of Speech Correctly In Your Writing

What Are the Parts of Speech in English?

What Are Verbs?

What Are Nouns?

What Are Pronouns?

What Are Adjectives?

What Are Adverbs?

What Are Prepositions?

What Are Conjunctions?

What Are Interjections?

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Parts of Speech

The Part of Speech Is Determined by the Word's Function

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The Top Issue Related to Conjunctions

The Top Issue Related to Determiners

The Top Issue Related to Interjections

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Table of Contents

When do I use an article?

When do I not use an article?

How can I revise my article usage?

Brevity - Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence - How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow - How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity - Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style - The DNA of Powerful Writing

Recommended

Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community

Structured Revision – How to Revise Your Work

Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World

Credibility & Authority – How to Be Credible & Authoritative in Research, Speech & Writing

Citation Guide – Learn How to Cite Sources in Academic and Professional Writing

Page Design – How to Design Messages for Maximum Impact

Other Topics:

Citation - Definition - Introduction to Citation in Academic & Professional Writing

Collaboration - What is the Role of Collaboration in Academic & Professional Writing?

Information Literacy - Discerning Quality Information from Noise

Rhetoric: Exploring Its Definition and Impact on Modern Communication

The Writing Process - Research on Composing

Writing Studies

Featured Articles

What Is An Article?

Different Types Of Article

Definite Article

Indefinite Article

How to Use Articles in English Grammar? (A An The)

Indefinite Articles | A and An

Definite Article | The

When Not to Use an English Article

How to Use Articles (a/an/the) | Video

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Parts of Speech: A Guide to Learning English Grammar

Overview of Parts of Speech

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