Parts of Speech for the Assam Police Constable (AB & UB) Exam
Every word in a sentence belongs to one of eight classes called the parts of speech, and knowing these classes is the foundation on which the whole of English grammar stands. In the General English paper the part of speech is tested in two ways: a word is underlined in a sentence and its class has to be named, or a sentence is given and the words of a particular class have to be picked out. There is no long passage to read; the answer depends on how the word is used in that very sentence, because the same word may belong to different classes in different sentences. The difficulty is that a word such as light may be a noun, a verb or an adjective, and that a word such as fast may be an adjective or an adverb, so the candidate must look at the work the word does and not merely at its shape. This page explains the eight classes with examples, shows how to decide the class of a word in a sentence, and lists the high-yield identifications that repeat in the paper. The material follows the standard grammar reference books used for Assam recruitment examinations and is reviewed before it is published.
How This Portion Is Set
The examiner usually gives a sentence, underlines one word and asks whether it is a noun, a pronoun, an adjective, a verb, an adverb, a preposition, a conjunction or an interjection. Sometimes four words are given and the odd class has to be found. In every case the class depends on the work the word does in the sentence, so the candidate should first find what the word names, describes, replaces or joins. A candidate who asks this question answers faster and with fewer mistakes.
The Eight Parts of Speech
- Noun: the name of a person, place, thing or idea.
- Pronoun: a word used in place of a noun.
- Adjective: a word that describes a noun or a pronoun.
- Verb: a word that shows an action or a state.
- Adverb: a word that describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
- Preposition: a word that shows the relation of a noun or pronoun to another word.
- Conjunction: a word that joins words, phrases or clauses.
- Interjection: a word that expresses a sudden feeling.
Noun
A noun names a person, place, thing or idea, and it may be proper, common, collective, material or abstract. In the sentence the dog barked loudly, the word dog is a noun. Honesty, kindness, courage, beauty, childhood and laughter are abstract nouns. A bunch, a flock, a herd, a team and a jury are collective nouns. A noun usually answers the question who or what, and it can be the subject or the object of a verb.
Pronoun
A pronoun is used in place of a noun so that the noun need not be repeated. I, we, you, he, she, it and they are personal pronouns. Him, her, me and them are in the objective case, and myself, himself and herself are reflexive. Who, whom, whose, which and that are relative pronouns, while this, that, these and those are demonstrative. Someone, everything, nobody, none and each are indefinite or distributive pronouns.
Adjective
An adjective describes a noun or a pronoun and tells which one, what kind or how many. In a red ball the word red is an adjective. Beautiful, honest, tall, sweet and brave are adjectives of quality, and this, that, my and our are adjectives of number or possession when placed before a noun. An adjective may come before the noun, as in a brave soldier, or after a linking verb, as in the soldier is brave.
Verb
A verb shows an action or a state, as in he runs, she sings and they are happy. Verbs may be transitive, taking an object, as in he wrote a letter, or intransitive, taking no object, as in he slept. Helping verbs such as is, was, has and will join the main verb to form tenses. A verb changes its form for tense, person and number, and this change is what the tense questions test.
Adverb
An adverb describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb, and tells how, when, where or how often an action happens. He runs quickly, she came yesterday, they live here and he always smiles are examples. Many adverbs end in ly, but not all words ending in ly are adverbs and not all adverbs end in ly. Fast, hard and late may be used as adverbs without any change of form.
Preposition and Conjunction
A preposition shows the relation of a noun or pronoun to another word, as in the book is on the table and he came with his friend. A conjunction joins words, phrases or clauses, as in tea and coffee, small but strong, and I stayed because it was raining. And, but, or, for, so, because, although and while are common conjunctions.
Interjection
An interjection expresses a sudden feeling such as joy, sorrow, surprise or anger, as in hurrah, alas, oh and wow. It stands apart from the rest of the sentence and is usually followed by an exclamation mark. It is the least common class in the examination, but it is asked from time to time.
How to Identify the Part of Speech in a Sentence
- Ask whether the word names something; if it does, it is a noun.
- Ask whether it stands in place of a noun; if it does, it is a pronoun.
- Ask whether it describes a noun; if it does, it is an adjective.
- Ask whether it shows an action or a state; if it does, it is a verb.
- Ask whether it describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb; if it does, it is an adverb.
- Ask whether it shows a relation or joins clauses; then it is a preposition or a conjunction.
- Ask whether it expresses a sudden feeling; then it is an interjection.
Traps That Cost Marks
- Naming a word by its usual class instead of its class in the given sentence.
- Calling an abstract noun such as honesty an adjective because it names a quality.
- Calling a word an adjective when it describes a verb and is therefore an adverb.
- Treating every word ending in ly as an adverb, as in friendly, which is an adjective.
- Confusing a preposition with an adverb, as in he came in.
- Mistaking a conjunction for a preposition, as in before in two different sentences.
High-Yield Identifications to Memorise
- Honesty, kindness, courage and beauty are abstract nouns.
- She, they, it, this and whom are pronouns.
- Red, beautiful, tall, sweet and brave are adjectives.
- Quickly, yesterday, here and always are adverbs.
- And, but, or, because and although are conjunctions.
- Hurrah, alas, oh and wow are interjections.
A Revision Plan for This Block
- Learn the eight classes with two examples each, in the order given above.
- Learn the question each class answers, so that identification becomes a habit.
- Take ten sentences a day and name the class of one word in each.
- Keep a list of words that can belong to more than one class, such as light and fast.
- Revise the whole list twice a week and test yourself with mixed sentences.
Parts of Speech Used in Sentences
The paper tests the part of speech inside a sentence, and the candidate must name the class by the work the word does. A sentence may speak of a dog that barked loudly, honesty that is the best policy, or a crowd that cheered the players. Reading the sentence first, and asking what work the underlined word does, answers the question more safely than recalling a list without looking at the context.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the eight parts of speech?
The eight parts of speech are the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the verb, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction and the interjection.
How do we find the part of speech of a word?
Find the work the word does in the sentence. If it names something it is a noun, if it replaces a noun it is a pronoun, if it describes a noun it is an adjective, and so on.
Is honesty an adjective or a noun?
Honesty is an abstract noun, because it names a quality. It is not an adjective even though it names a quality.
Can one word belong to more than one part of speech?
Yes. A word such as light may be a noun, a verb or an adjective, and fast may be an adjective or an adverb. The class depends on how the word is used in the sentence.
What is an interjection?
An interjection is a word that expresses a sudden feeling, such as hurrah, alas, oh and wow. It stands apart from the rest of the sentence.