8 Parts of Speech Definitions For Kids

There are 8 parts of speech definitions for kids: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections.

It is important to understand that every word in a sentence has a function. When we learn and master the skill of identifying the function of words in sentences, we will develop our writing and speaking gifts!.

8 Parts of Speech List – Table of Content

One way to learn the 8 parts of speech is to visualize and memorized the list.

Nouns
Pronouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Interjections

What are the 8 Parts of Speech With Examples?

Some quick examples of the 8 parts of speech for kids!

Rachel is my best friend. (Noun)
You are very talented. (Pronoun)
The storm destroyed the barn (Verb)
Rachel is a beautiful person. (Adjective)
The children are very restless. (Adverb)
James and Candice are very talented. (Conjunction)
The children went to the playground after school. (Preposition)
Oops, I left my keys in the car! (Interjection)

8 Parts of Speech Definitions With Examples

Let’s look at these 8 parts of speech individually.

1. What are Nouns?

Definitions of Nouns With Examples

Nouns are words that name persons, places, things, ideas, animals, feelings, events, qualities and actions.

Jennifer is my best friend. (Naming a Person)
I went to Africa over the summer. (Naming a Place)
The bicycle was stolen. (Naming a Thing)
We fought for freedom. (Naming an Idea)
My dog had a trip to the vet. (Naming an Animal)
He is always sad! (Naming a Feeling)
The wedding was beautiful. (Naming an Event)
It took great courage to admit he was wrong. (Naming a Quality)
The landing of the aircraft was dangerous. (Naming an Action)

Types of Nouns With Examples

Nouns generally have 8 types. Here are the 8 types of nouns: proper nouns, common nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, compound nouns, countable nouns and non-countable nouns.

David is a biblical name. (Proper Noun)
Where is the toy? (Common Noun)
The car was stolen. (Concrete Noun)
All we need is love! (Abstract Noun)
The class of 2021 has graduated. (Collective Noun)
The rainwater filled the concrete tank near the barn. (Compound Noun)
I have several songs (Countable Noun)
The information is in the book on the shelf. (Non-Countable Noun)

Types of Noun Functions With Examples

Nouns generally have 8 functions. The 8 types of noun functions are: noun functions as subject, direct object, indirect object, predicate nominative, object of preposition, appositive, object of complement and direct address.

James penned a book in the Bible. (Noun Functions as Subject)
Tony cleaned the car before the football game. (Noun Functions as Direct Object)
Colin gave Jennifer the mobile phone so she could call her mother. (Noun Functions as Indirect Object)
Peter is king of the castle. (Noun as Predicate Nominative)
The students listened quietly during the lecture. (Noun Functions as Object of Preposition)
John, my brother, is also my best friend. (Noun Functions as an Appositive)
She named her dog boo boo! (Noun Functions as Objective Complement)
Students, you need to listen quietly! (Noun functions as Noun of Direct Address)

When using a noun of direct address, it is important to place the commas in the right place. For more information about comma placement, click on – 8 Basic Comma Rules

2. What are Pronouns?

Definition of Pronouns With Examples

Pronouns are words that replace nouns in order to avoid the repetition of the same noun again and again.

Dad, will you help me with my work? (You Replaces Dad)
The electrician fixed the problem and he was very professional in the process. (He replaces Electrician)
Jenny is a great mother and she helps her children the best she can. (She Replaces Jenny)
The boss appreciated his workers and he gave them the day off. (He Replaces Boss and Them Replaces Workers)
James is my younger brother and he is very talented. (He Replaces James)

Types of Pronouns With Examples

Pronouns generally have 8 types. They are: personal pronouns, interrogative pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, relative pronouns, reflexive pronouns and intensive pronouns.

The ladies went shopping and they bought some new clothing. (Personal Pronoun)
What is your favorite sport? (Interrogative Pronoun)
The car that was damaged was his. (Possessive Pronoun)
That is yours! (Demonstrative Pronoun)
Some became sick during the pandemic. (Indefinite Pronoun)
The caravan that was in the backyard belongs to our friends. (Relative Pronoun)
The dog saw himself in the window. (Reflexive Pronoun)
I myself fixed the problem. (Intensive Pronoun)

3. What are Verbs

Definition of Verbs With Examples

Verbs are words that show action or state-of-being. Every sentence requires a verb.

Action verbs show action or ownership; whereas, state-of-being verbs renames the subject.

Jimmy rode his new bike to school. (Action Verb)
Jimmy is the most popular boy in school. (State-of-being Verb)
Mary gave her money to charity. (Action Verb)
Mary is very generous with her money. (State-of-being Verb)

Types of Verb Functions With Examples

Verbs have two functions. They can function as transitive verbs or intransitive verbs.

Transitive verbs carry action from the doer to the receiver; whereas, intransitive verbs do not carry the action to the receiver.

Reverend David writes sermons for his congregation. (Transitive Verb)
Reverend David spoke elegantly during his sermon. (Intransitive Verb)
Rachel sang the songs with ease during the concert. (Transitive Verb)
Rachel sang beautifully during the concert. (Intransitive Verb)
Peter watched movies with his friends over the weekend. (Transitive Verb)
Peter watched with excitement with his friends. (Intransitive Verb)
Jimmy ran the ball across the field to score a goal. (Transitive Verb)
Jimmy ran across the field to avoid the other players. (Intransitive Verb)

Types of Verb Voices With Examples

Verbs have voice but keep in mind that only transitive verbs have voice!

Voice tells whether the subject of a sentence performs the action or receives the action.

Voice can be either active (subject performing the action) or passive (the subject receiving the action).

Leigh played the piano during the school concert. (Active Voice)
The piano was played by Leigh during the school concert. (Passive Voice)
Dad drove the tractor on the farm during the summer holidays. (Active Voice)
The tractor was driven by dad on the farm during the summer holidays (State-of-being Verb)
Jimmy repaired the bike with the new parts. (Active Voice)
The bike was repaired by Jimmy with the new parts. (Passive Voice)

Types of Verb Tenses

Verbs have three tenses: past, present and future.

I walked to school this morning. (Past Tense)
I walk to school every day. (Present Tense)
I will walk to school tomorrow. (Future Tense)
They drove to work yesterday. (Past Tense)
They drive to work every day. (Present Tense)
They will drive to work tomorrow. (Future Tense)

4. What are Adjectives?

Definition of Adjectives With Examples

Adjectives are words that modify or describe nouns or pronouns.

Rebekah painted a beautiful landscape. (Adjective Modifying Noun)
She is generous. (Adjective Describing Pronoun)

Types of Adjectives With Examples

There are generally 8 types of adjectives in English grammar. The eight types of adjectives are: proper, descriptive, interrogative, possessive, numeral, demonstrative, distributive and quantitative.

English grammar is learned at school. (Proper Adjective)
The weary traveler stayed overnight. (Descriptive Adjective)
What type of song should I play at the concert? (Interrogative Adjective)
The boys played football in their backyard. (Possessive Adjective)
He had three pizzas for lunch. (Numeral Adjective)
Those players were suspended for violent behavior. (Demonstrative Adjective)
Every singer was asked to arrive on time for the concert. (Distributive Adjective)
Dad doesn’t get enough exercise these days. (Quantitative Adjective)

5. What are Adverbs?

Definition of Adverbs With Examples

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.

Mum thoughtfully prepared our Christmas lunch. (Modifying a Verb)
It was a very interesting experience to meet the President. (Modifying an Adjective)
Brad played the game extremely well for his age. (Modifying an Adverb)

Types of Adverbs With Examples

There are several types of adverbs in English grammar. These types of adverbs are: adverbs of time, manner, place, degree and frequency.

My parents will be home soon. (Adverb of Time)
The builders worked carefully on the building site. (Adverb of Manner)
She put her keys there. (Adverb of Place)
Rebekah’s painting was very beautiful. (Adverb of Degree)
Jimmy never works on the weekends these days. (Adverb of frequency)

Also, there are interrogative adverbs. Interrogative adverbs ask questions about time, manner, place, degree and frequency.

When will the new office open?
Where are you going for your holidays?
How did you take such beautiful photographs?
Why is your sister angry?
How often do you go to the park to walk your dog?

6. What are Prepositions?

Definition of Prepositions With Examples

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between words in sentences.

Peter found his keys under the newspaper.
Jennifer was born on Sunday, December 31, 2002.
Brad went to the park to play ball with his friends.

Types of Prepositions With Examples

There are generally 8 types of prepositions in English grammar. These 8 types of prepositions are: prepositions of time, place, movement, manner, measure, source, possession and agent or instrument.

He graduated before his trip Europe. (Preposition of Time)
Emma left her keys on the table in the spare room. (Preposition of Place)
Bailey ran across the field to get to his friends. (Preposition of Movement)
The children went to the concert by bus. (Preposition of Manner)
I bought several kilograms of potatoes at the market. (Preposition of Measure)
He received a generous gift from his mother for Christmas. (Preposition of Source)
I helped a friend with a learning disability. (Preposition of Possession)
He cut the wood with his electric saw. (Preposition of Agent or Instrument)

7. What are Conjunctions?

Definition of Conjunctions With Examples

Conjunctions are words that join words, phrases and clauses together.

Peter and James are best friends. (Joining Words Together)
We went to the beach today but it turned out to be a disaster (Joining Clauses Together
I went to the hardware store and to the markets. (Joining Phrases Together)

Types of Conjunctions With Examples

There are generally 4 types of conjunctions in English grammar. The 4 types of conjunctions are: coordinating, subordinating, correlative and adverbial conjunctions.

David and Jonathan fixed the tractor. (Coordinating Conjunction)
Dad fixed the bike before going to work. (Subordinating Conjunction)
Mum is both patience and loving. (Correlative Conjunction)
James went to the hardware store; however, he could not find what he was looking for. (Conjunctive Adverb)

8. What are Interjections?

Definition of Interjections With Examples

Interjections are words that express or show feelings and emotions.

Oops, I left my money on the table!
I won the prize, wahoo!.
Ouch, that really hurt!
Yippee, we are finally going to the game today!

When using interjections, it is important to place the commas in the right place. For more information about comma placement, click on – 8 Basic Comma Rules