##  [The parts of speech: Introduction](/hypergrammar-2/the-parts-of-speech)

##  Avertissement

Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.

Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight <a id="partsofspeech">parts of speech</a>: the [verb](what-is-a-verb), the [noun](what-is-a-noun), the [pronoun](what-is-a-pronoun), the [adjective](what-is-an-adjective), the [adverb](what-is-an-adverb), the [preposition](what-is-a-preposition), the [conjunction](what-is-a-conjunction) and the [interjection](what-is-an-interjection).

Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used. In fact, the same word can be a noun in one [sentence](subject-and-predicate#sentence) and a verb or adjective in another. The next examples show how the part of speech of a word can change from one sentence to the next. Following these examples is a series of sections on the individual parts of speech and an exercise.

| Example | Explanation |
|---|---|
| *Books* are made of ink, paper and glue. | In this sentence, *books* is a noun, the [subject](subject-and-predicate#subject) of the sentence. |
| Joe waits patiently while Bridget *books* the tickets. | Here *books* is a verb and its subject is *Bridget*. |
| We *walk* down the street. | In this sentence, *walk* is a verb and its subject is the pronoun *we*. |
| The letter carrier stood on the *walk*. | In this example, *walk* is a noun that is part of a [prepositional phrase](the-function-of-phrases#prepositionalphrase) describing where the letter carrier stood. |
| The town council decided to build a new *jail*. | Here *jail* is a noun, which is the [object](objects-and-complements#objects) of the [infinitive phrase](the-function-of-phrases#infinitivephrase) *to build*. |
| The police officer told us that if we did not leave immediately he would *jail* us. | Here *jail* is part of the [compound verb](compound-verbs#verbcmp) *would jail*. |
| The parents heard high-pitched *cries* in the middle of the night. | In this sentence, *cries* is a noun acting as the [direct object](objects-and-complements#directobject) of the verb *heard*. |
| Their colicky baby *cries* all night long and all day long. | Here *cries* is a verb that describes the actions of the subject of the sentence, i.e. the *baby*. |

The next sections explain each of the parts of speech in detail. When you have finished looking at them, you might want to test yourself by trying the exercise.

##  The details

- [Verb - Next Page](what-is-a-verb)
- [Noun](what-is-a-noun)
- [Pronoun](what-is-a-pronoun)
- [Adjective](what-is-an-adjective)
- [Adverb](what-is-an-adverb)
- [Preposition](what-is-a-preposition)
- [Conjunction](what-is-a-conjunction)
- [Interjection](what-is-an-interjection)
- [Review exercise: Parts of speech](review-parts-of-speech)

##  Avis de droit d’auteur pour l’outil HyperGrammar 2

© Département d’anglais, Faculté des arts, Université d’Ottawa
Un outil mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada

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- [Grammar and syntax](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Adjectives](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A477#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Adverbs](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A478#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Conjunctions](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A480#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Nouns](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A482#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Pronouns](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A486#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)
- [Verbs](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A488#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results)

## Liens connexes

- [HyperGrammar 2](/fr/hypergrammar-2/index-fra) (page d’accueil)
- [Outils d’aide à la rédaction](/fr/outils-tools/index-fra)
- [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques)
- [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra)
- [Communiquer avec le Portail linguistique du Canada](/fr/apropos-about-fra#a8)