Easy TwinParts of speech: a parent's guide to nouns, verbs and more
Parts of speech are the jobs words do in a sentence: nouns name things, verbs show action or being, adjectives describe nouns and adverbs describe verbs. Most kids learn nouns and verbs first, then add adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions, usually between 2nd and 4th grade.
What are the parts of speech?
Every word in a sentence has a job, and the parts of speech are the names for those jobs. The same word can do different jobs: in "We fish on Saturdays" it's a verb, and in "The fish swam away" it's a noun. That's why worksheets ask kids to look at how a word is used, not just the word itself.
In most US schools, 2nd graders work with nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs; 3rd graders explain what nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs do in a sentence and start using conjunctions; and 4th graders add prepositional phrases and relative pronouns like who and which. For the full set of grammar skills by grade, see the grammar topic guide.
What does each part of speech do?
Matching each part of speech to the question it answers makes them much easier to tell apart:
| Part of speech | Its job | Answers | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noun | names a person, place, thing or idea | Who? What? | teacher, park, kite, kindness |
| Pronoun | takes the place of a noun | Who? What? | he, she, it, we, they |
| Verb | shows action or being | What happens? | run, think, is, were |
| Adjective | describes a noun | What kind? How many? | red, tiny, three, noisy |
| Adverb | describes a verb, adjective or adverb | How? When? Where? | quickly, soon, outside, always |
| Preposition | shows where or when, compared with something else | Where? When? | under, after, between, on |
| Conjunction | joins words or ideas | — | and, but, or, because |
| Interjection | shows strong feeling | — | Wow! Oops! Hey! |
Three quick tests catch most worksheet words. Noun: can you put a or the in front of it? Verb: can you put I or they in front of it? Adjective: does it fit in "the ___ dog"? The tests aren't perfect, but they're a good first check.
What does a parts of speech twin question look like?
Finding the noun · Multiple choice
OriginalWhich word in the sentence is a noun? The happy dog ran fast. (a) happy (b) dog (c) ran (d) fast
TwinWhich word in the sentence is a noun? The tall girl jumped high. (a) tall (b) girl (c) jumped (d) high
Finding the adjective · Short answer
OriginalWrite the adjective in this sentence: The tiny frog sat on a log.
TwinWrite the adjective in this sentence: The striped cat slept on the rug.
Finding the adverb that tells how · Short answer
OriginalWrite the adverb that tells how: The turtle walked slowly across the road.
TwinWrite the adverb that tells how: The children whispered quietly in the library.
One word, two jobs · Multiple choice
OriginalIs "play" a noun or a verb in this sentence? We went to see the school play.
TwinIs "watch" a noun or a verb in this sentence? Grandpa wears a gold watch.
Illustrative examples of how Easy Twin mirrors a question. The app writes brand-new questions from your own worksheet each time.
What parts of speech mistakes do kids make most?
Labeling the word instead of its job
A child marks run as a verb in "She went for a run" because run is "an action word." Here it's a noun: you can put a in front of it. Ask "What is this word doing in this sentence?" every time.
Mixing up adjectives and adverbs
A child writes "The turtle walked slow" or labels slowly an adjective. Ask which word it describes: if it tells how the turtle walked, it's an adverb. Many adverbs end in -ly, but not all (fast, soon, very), so the question works better than the spelling.
Not seeing forms of "be" as verbs
Asked to find the verb in "The puppy is tiny," a child says there isn't one, because nothing happens. Am, is, are, was and were are verbs too; they show being instead of action. Keep that short list on a sticky note.
How can you practice parts of speech at home in 10 minutes?
Make it a game where words have to switch jobs.
- Minutes 1–3: color the sentence. Pick a sentence from a book. Your child underlines nouns in blue, verbs in red and adjectives in green.
- Minutes 4–7: silly sentences. Call out a pattern (adjective, noun, verb, adverb) and your child fills it in: "Grumpy penguins dance loudly." Take turns making the silliest one.
- Minutes 8–10: one word, two jobs. Give a word that can be a noun or a verb (fish, light, play, watch) and have your child say a sentence for each job.
Next time, use a new sentence and new words so your child is thinking about jobs, not memorizing a list.
Which grades practice parts of speech?
How can Easy Twin help with parts of speech?
Scan the grammar worksheet your child brought home and Easy Twin makes a twin that practices the same parts of speech with new words and sentences. Each question has two hints and worked steps, and your child can play it as a quest or you can print it with an answer key.
Frequently asked questions
How many parts of speech are there?
Most elementary worksheets teach eight: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection. Some programs count articles (a, an, the) or determiners separately, so the number can vary.
What grade learns parts of speech?
Kids usually meet nouns and verbs in kindergarten and 1st grade and adjectives and adverbs by 2nd grade. In most US schools, 3rd graders are expected to explain what nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs do in a sentence.
What is an easy way to remember the parts of speech?
Link each one to a question: nouns answer "who or what?", verbs "what happens?", adjectives "what kind?" and adverbs "how, when or where?" Color-coding words while reading together helps too.
Are "a", "an" and "the" adjectives?
In many elementary programs, yes: a, an and the are taught as a special kind of adjective called articles. Other programs call them determiners, so follow whatever your child's teacher uses.
Topic guide
Related skills
Guides for parents
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How to Help With Math Homework When It's Taught Differently Than You Learned It
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Fractions practice at home: a parent's guide by grade
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Try Easy Twin on tonight's worksheet
Download free and get 3 free scans. Scan a page and your kid gets a quest to play with their Stuffy, or print the twin with an answer key.
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