Lesson 4: Parts of Speech – The Foundation of English Grammar

📚 Introduction

Imagine building a house without bricks, wood, or cement.
Would it stand? 🏚️ No way!

In the same way, parts of speech are the building blocks of English.
Every word you say or write belongs to a group called a part of speech.

In this lesson, we’ll break down these important groups — nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more — so you can build strong, correct sentences easily and confidently!

Ready to become a master builder of the English language? 🏗️ Let’s go!

🧠 Key Concepts and Explanations

1. What Are Parts of Speech?

Parts of speech are the categories that words are grouped into based on their function in a sentence.
There are eight main parts of speech you need to know for BECE and real-life English.

2. The Eight Parts of Speech Explained

Let’s go through each part carefully:

1. Noun – Naming Words

• Definition: Names of people, places, things, or ideas.

• Examples:

  • dog, Accra, happiness, book

2. Pronoun – Words That Replace Nouns

• Definition: Words that take the place of nouns.

• Examples:

  • he, she, it, they, you, we, I

3. Verb – Action or Being Words

• Definition: Words that show action or state of being.

• Examples:

  • run, jump, is, are, write, eat

4. Adjective – Describing Words

• Definition: Words that describe or qualify nouns.

• Examples:

  • beautiful, tall, red, quick

5. Adverb – Words That Describe Verbs, Adjectives, or Other Adverbs

• Definition: Words that tell how, when, where, or to what extent.

• Examples:

  • quickly, very, tomorrow, outside

6. Preposition – Words Showing Position or Relationship

• Definition: Words that link nouns or pronouns to other words.

• Examples:

  • on, under, over, in, with

7. Conjunction – Joining Words

• Definition: Words that connect words, phrases, or sentences.

• Examples:

  • and, but, or, because, although

8. Interjection – Words Showing Strong Feelings

• Definition: Words that express sudden emotion.

• Examples:

  • Wow!, Oh!, Ouch!, Hurray!

3. Quick Table: Parts of Speech Summary

📝 Step-by-Step Walkthroughs of Sample Problems

Sample 1
Question: Identify the parts of speech of the underlined word:

“The happy child sang loudly.”

👉 Step 1: Find the underlined word: happy
👉 Step 2: “Happy” describes the noun “child.”
👉 Step 3: A word that describes a noun is an adjective.

✅ Final Answer:
happy = Adjective

Sample 2
Question: Choose the correct part of speech for the word “under”:

• A) Noun

• B) Preposition

• C) Adverb

👉 Step 1: “Under” shows position — like “under the table.”
👉 Step 2: Position words = prepositions.

✅ Final Answer:
B) Preposition

Sample 3
Question: Correct the following sentence by adding a conjunction:

“I like mangoes. I like oranges.”

👉 Step 1: Find where the sentences can join.
👉 Step 2: Use a conjunction like “and.”
✅ Final Answer:
“I like mangoes and oranges.”

🎯 Practice Exercises

Practice A: Match each word to its correct part of speech.

Practice B: Fill in the blanks with the correct type of word.

1. The _______ (noun) barked loudly.

2. She sang _______ (adverb).

3. We stayed indoors _______ it was raining (conjunction).

4. My mother bought a _______ dress (adjective).

5. The ball rolled _______ the chair (preposition).

Practice C: Identify the parts of speech of the underlined word.

1. “He walked quickly to the station.”

2. “Wow! That was amazing.”

3. “She is beautiful.”

📝 Practice Answers

Practice A:

Practice B:

1. dog

2. beautifully

3. because

4. red

5. under

Practice C:

1. quickly = Adverb

2. Wow! = Interjection

3. beautiful = Adjective

🔁 Recap

In this lesson, you learned:

• Parts of speech are the building blocks of English.

• There are eight main parts: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.

• Each part has its own role to play in making sentences clear, rich, and correct.

When you know your parts of speech, writing and speaking become super easy and powerful!

🪞 Reflection Prompt

📝 Write a short paragraph about your best friend.
After writing, underline and label at least:

• 2 nouns

• 2 verbs

• 1 adjective

• 1 adverb

• 1 conjunction

🌟 How many different parts of speech did you use without even thinking about it? Reflect on how they all work together!