Nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs — what they are and how to recognize them. Prepositions have their own lesson (Lesson 2).
You probably know most of these already. This is a quick overview. If any section needs more explanation, a quick internet search for that term will give you plenty of resources.
Nouns (n)
Nouns make up the largest class of words in English. A noun is "something, anything, and everything."
Specifically, a noun is a word that refers to:
a thing (book)
a person (Noah Webster)
an animal (cat)
a place (Omaha)
a quality (kindness)
an idea (justice)
an action (swimming)
pronouns: he, she, we, it, they, them, these, those
Adjectives (adj)
Adjectives describe or modify nouns.
huge dog
red car
angry farmer
bright star
delicious meal
elegant dress
mysterious stranger
quiet library
fierce competition
charming village
heavy suitcase
joyful celebration
Two or more adjectives for one noun
You can stack adjectives in front of a noun.
bright red apple
delicious, homemade chocolate cake
rusty old bicycle
quiet, peaceful library
sunny, tropical beach
charming little village
bumpy dirt road
joyful family celebration
Nouns used as adjectives
A noun can act like an adjective when it appears directly before another noun.
coffee shop
book club
car engine
garden hose
football team
music festival
mountain trail
fire truck
fashion magazine
swimming pool
train station
The general order of adjectives
There is a general order, but it is not a hard rule. Don't worry if you get it wrong. Just do your best — and always put quantity (how many) first.
Order
quantity → quality → size → age → shape → color → qualifier → noun
Model sentence (worth memorizing):
Some delicious large square golden fresh French toast.
Shorter examples:
Three large rectangular wooden boxes.
Several beautiful red roses.
Five delicious fresh French pastries.
A comfortable black leather chair.
Several antique Persian vases.
Verbs (v)
There are two main types of verbs in English:
Be-verbs
am ·
is ·
are ·
was ·
were ·
be ·
been ·
being …
Action verbs
run ·
jump ·
sing ·
swim ·
make ·
take ·
offer ·
give …
Adverbs (adv)
Adverbs tell more about verbs — how, when, where, or to what degree an action is done.
quietly speaks
always remembers
quickly runs
often forgets
happily sings
slowly walks
seldom speaks
never quits
nervously waits
patiently listens
somewhat hesitates
suddenly jumps
almost laughs
clearly explains
Adverbs are highlighted in the same color as verbs here because in our system an adverb sitting right next to its verb is usually grouped with it as a single unit — e.g. eagerly baked.
Adverbs can also modify adjectives or other adverbs
a verytall building
She speaks incrediblyquickly.
He was completelyexhausted.
In traditional grammar these are called "degree adverbs" or "intensifiers" — but you don't need to remember that.