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Word classes: the building blocks of sentences

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Every word in a sentence has a job. Knowing the word classes lets you talk precisely about how writers use language, and it helps you write more accurately.

The main word classes

Words can change class

The same word can do different jobs: 'I went for a run' (noun); 'I run every day' (verb). Look at the job the word is doing in that sentence.

Why it matters

Writers choose word classes for effect. Strong verbs like 'slammed' or 'crept' can do more work than lots of adjectives. At GCSE you will be asked to comment on word choices using these terms.
Worked example

Label the word classes in: 'The old dog slept peacefully under the table.'

  1. 'The' and 'the': determiners. 'old': adjective.
  2. 'dog' and 'table': nouns. 'slept': verb.
  3. 'peacefully': adverb. 'under': preposition.

Answer: The (determiner) old (adjective) dog (noun) slept (verb) peacefully (adverb) under (preposition) the (determiner) table (noun).

Key idea

Nouns name, verbs do or are, adjectives describe nouns, adverbs add to verbs, pronouns replace nouns, prepositions show position, conjunctions join and determiners point to nouns.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

Check you have got it

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