How much do you remember from your English classes of days gone by? See how well you can identify nouns, verbs, adverbs, and more!

What part of speech is “originality”?

adjective

noun

verb

pronoun

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Abstract nouns abound. Originality! Courage! Kindness! You may not be able to perceive them through your five senses, but they are nouns nonetheless.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Abstract nouns abound. Originality! Courage! Kindness! You may not be able to perceive them through your five senses, but they are nouns nonetheless.

What part of speech is “tire” in this example?

You tire me out.

adjective

noun

verb

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

“Tire” describes an action here.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

“Tire” describes an action here.

What part of speech is “very” here?

She is very uninclined to read the manuscript.

adjective

adverb

preposition

pronoun

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Not all adverbs end in ly. “Very” works the same way that “extremely,” another adverb, would have worked in that sentence: It tells degree. Some adverbs modify verbs, some modify adjectives, and some modify other adverbs. In this example, the adverb “very” modifies an adjective: “uninclined.”

That’s correct! Here’s why:

What part of speech is “friendly”?

adverb

adjective

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Not all ly words are adverbs. “Friendly” describes nouns (or pronouns), as in “the friendly professor”; that means it is an adjective.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Not all ly words are adverbs. “Friendly” describes nouns (or pronouns), as in “the friendly professor”; that means it is an adjective.

What part of speech is “oh,” as in “Oh, I didn’t know that”?

conjunction

interjection

preposition

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

To help you remember what interjections are, think of utterances in comic books that are followed by exclamation points. “Kerpow!” “Oh” is a calmer interjection, but it’s still an interjection.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

How many pronouns are there in the following sentence?

They don’t think I have a chance of beating them in this crossword competition.

zero

one

two

three

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The three pronouns are “they,” “I,” and “them.”

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The three pronouns are “they,” “I,” and “them.”

In order, please identify all the parts of speech in the sentence below.

Serena was writing poems.

noun verb adjective noun

noun verb noun noun

noun verb noun adjective

noun verb verb noun

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Serena is a noun. “Was writing” are verbs (past continuous). “Poems” is a noun.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Serena is a noun. “Was writing” are verbs (past continuous). “Poems” is a noun.

How many prepositional phrases does this sentence contain?

Ogden found his wallet beneath an old cabinet in the shed near the river.

zero

one

two

three

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Here is the sentence with the prepositional phrases marked in parentheses:

Ogden found his wallet (beneath an old cabinet) (in the shed) (near the river).

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Here is the sentence with the prepositional phrases marked in parentheses:

Ogden found his wallet (beneath an old cabinet) (in the shed) (near the river).

What part of speech is “too”?

pronoun

adjective

adverb

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

“Too” is an example of an adverb that doesn’t end in ly. In the phrase “too kind,” it modifies “kind,” which is an adjective. Words that modify adjectives (or adverbs, or verbs) are adverbs.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

What part of speech is “because” in the example below?

Because the floor had just been mopped, Allan and Elaine slipped and fell as they ran to the meeting.

preposition

interjection

conjunction

adverb

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

“Because” is a subordinating conjunction.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

“Because” is a subordinating conjunction.

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Book cover: Rebel with a Clause by Ellen Jovin (US edition)

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