Parts of Speech

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2025

English

In our younger days, we were taught that there are eight parts of speech in the English language.

A Noun is a name of a person, place, thing, or concept.
A noun may be classified as Proper noun, Common noun, Collective noun or Abstract noun.

A Verb usually describes an action or a process.
A verb may be Transitive or Intransitive.

Instead of repeating a noun several times, we may use Pronouns.
A pronoun stands for a Noun.
Grammar books will give classification such as Person and Number of a Pronoun.
When we speak, the first person is the one who speaks; the second person is the one being spoken to, and the third person is some other being referenced.
If there is only one person, we say it is singular. If there is more than one, we say it is plural.
In English, the term “You” may be both singular and plural.

There are Modifiers.
An Adjective usually modifies a Noun or Pronoun.
An Adverb usually modifies a Verb.

There are Connectors.
A Conjunction (such as And or But) connects two parts of a Sentence (which is constructed using the parts of speech, and makes “complete sense”.)
A Preposition adds information such as position (e.g. in, on, upon, under) and time (e.g. before, after).

There are words to express Mood (e.g. surprise).
They are also called Exclamation or an Interjection.

Notes

There are two techniques :
Synthesis (combining the parts of speech)
and
Analysis (breaking down into the parts of speech).

Pali language has only four parts of speech.