- Definition
Parts of speech are like different jobs words have in a sentence, such as nouns (people, places, things), verbs (actions), or adjectives (describing words). Knowing these jobs helps us understand how sentences are built and what they mean.
In the sentence 'The cat sleeps,' 'cat' is a noun because it's a thing, and 'sleeps' is a verb because it's an action.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Parts of speech are like different jobs words can have in a sentence — some words name things, and some words show action.
Ask your child: Find a 'thing' word and an 'action' word in this sentence.
Common mix-up: Kids may think all words are the same. Each part of speech has a specific job to do in a sentence, like naming a person or describing an action.
Examples
- In 'the big cat,' the word 'big' is an adjective because it describes the cat.
- In 'the cat is on the mat,' 'on' is a preposition that shows where the cat is.
parts of speech is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
