THE EIGHT PARTS OF SPEECH
There are
eight parts of speech in the English language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective,
adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. The part of speech
indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the
sentence. An individual word can function as more than one part of speech
when used in different circumstances. Understanding parts of speech is
essential for determining the correct definition of a word when using the
dictionary.
1. NOUN
(KATA BENDA)
A noun is
the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.
man... Butte
College... house... happiness
A noun is a word for a person, place, thing,
or idea. Nouns are often used with an article (the, a, an),
but not always. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter; common
nouns do not. Nouns can be singular or plural, concrete or
abstract. Nouns show possession by adding 's. Nouns can
function in different roles within a sentence; for example, a noun can be a
subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, or object of a
preposition.
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher,
and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
2. PRONOUN
(KATA GANTI)
A pronoun
is a word used in place of a noun.
She... we... they... it
A pronoun is a word used in place of a
noun. A pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun, which is
called its antecedent. In the sentence above, the antecedent for the
pronoun she is the girl. Pronouns are further defined by type:
personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things; possessive pronouns
indicate ownership; reflexive pronouns are used to emphasize another noun or
pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause; and demonstrative
pronouns identify, point to, or refer to nouns.
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she
quickly disappeared. Oh my!
3. VERB
(KATA KERJA)
A verb
expresses action or being.
jump... is... write... become
The verb
in a sentence expresses action or being. There is a main verb and
sometimes one or more helping verbs. ("She can sing." Sing
is the main verb; can is the helping verb.) A verb must agree with
its subject in number (both are singular or both are plural). Verbs also
take different forms to express tense.
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she
quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the
TIP Sheet on "Verbs" for more information.
4. ADJECTIVE
(KATA SIFAT)
An
adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
pretty... old... blue... smart
An
adjective is a word used to modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. It
usually answers the question of which one, what kind, or how
many. (Articles [a, an, the] are usually classified as adjectives.)
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she
quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the
TIP Sheet on "Adjectives" for more information.
5. ADVERB
(KATA KETERANGAN)
An adverb
modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
gently... extremely... carefully... well
An adverb
describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but never a
noun. It usually answers the questions of when, where, how, why, under
what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly.
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then
she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the
TIP Sheet on "Adverbs" for more information.
6. PREPOSITION
(KATA DEPAN)
A
preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase
modifying another word in the sentence.
by... with....
about... until
(by the
tree, with our friends, about the book, until tomorrow)
A
preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase
modifying another word in the sentence. Therefore a preposition is always
part of a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase almost always
functions as an adjective or as an adverb. The following list includes the
most common prepositions:
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she
quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the
TIP Sheet on "Prepositions" for more information.
7. CONJUNCTION
(KATA PENGHUBUNG)
A
conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses.
and... but... or... while... because
A
conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses, and indicates the relationship
between the elements joined. Coordinating conjunctions connect
grammatically equal elements: and, but, or, nor, for, so,
yet. Subordinating conjunctions connect clauses that are not equal:
because, although, while, since, etc. There are other types of
conjunctions as well.
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she
quickly disappeared. Oh my!
See the
TIP Sheet on "Conjunctions" for more information.
8. INTERJECTION
(KATA SERU)
An
interjection is a word used to express emotion.
Oh!... Wow!... Oops!
An
interjection is a word used to express emotion. It is often followed by an
exclamation point.
The young
girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly
disappeared. Oh my!