IELTS Writing: Parts of Speech

In English, every word belongs to a part of speech, which determines its function in a sentence. For IELTS Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening, understanding these categories can enhance your clarity, coherence, and grammatical accuracy.

This guide will explain each part of speech in depth, highlight exceptions, and provide usage tips to help you score better in IELTS.

Grammar Overview: The Part Of Speech In English

The Eight Parts of Speech

Ever wondered how words work together to make sentences? Well, every word has a job, and these jobs fall into eight categories: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Some words name things, some describe, others show action, and a few even express emotions. Knowing these parts of speech makes writing and speaking way easier. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Part of Speech	What It Does	Examples
Noun	Names a person, place, thing, or idea	dog, New York, happiness
Pronoun	Replaces a noun to avoid repetition	he, she, they, it
Verb	Shows action or a state of being	run, jump, is
Adjective	Describes or modifies a noun	happy, blue, tall
Adverb	Modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb	quickly, very, well
Preposition	Connects nouns to the rest of the sentence	on, in, under
Conjunction	Joins words, phrases, or clauses	and, but, because
Interjection	Expresses emotion or excitement	Wow! Oh! Ouch!

Nouns

A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, idea, or concept. It is one of the main parts of speech in English grammar. Nouns can be subjects or objects in a sentence and are often the main focus of what is being talked about.

Examples:

People: student, doctor, Emma
Places: city, university, park
Things: book, phone, table
Ideas: happiness, democracy, freedom

Types of Nouns

Type	Definition	Examples
Common Noun	General names	school, teacher, country
Proper Noun	Specific names (always capitalized)	London, Shakespeare, NASA
Countable Noun	Can be counted	book, apple, car
Uncountable Noun	Cannot be counted	water, rice, happiness
Abstract Noun	Ideas or qualities	love, wisdom, strength
Concrete Noun	Physical objects	table, phone, cat
Collective Noun	Group of things or people	team, family, audience

Exceptions & Irregularities in Nouns

1. Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable:

"Paper" (uncountable: "I need some paper.")

"A paper" (countable: "I wrote a paper on climate change.")

2. Some nouns have the same singular and plural form:

Sheep, deer, aircraft, species

Example: "One sheep is in the field." / "Many sheep are grazing."

3. Plural nouns that don't end in 's':

Child → Children

Man → Men

Mouse → Mice

IELTS Tip:

Using nouns with quantifiers in IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) is a great way to show your ability to present data clearly and accurately.

✔ "The number of students increased in 2023." ✔ "There was a significant rise in the population of the city over the last decade." ✔ "The amount of rainfall declined in the region during the summer months."

In these examples, quantifiers like number, amount, and rise help describe changes in data. Quantifiers can make your writing sound more precise and formal, which is key for academic writing.

Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used to avoid repetition and make sentences clearer and smoother. They refer to people, things, or ideas that have already been mentioned or are easily understood from context.

Types of Pronouns & Examples

Type	Example
Personal Pronoun	I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Possessive Pronoun	mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
Demonstrative Pronoun	this, that, these, those
Relative Pronoun	who, which, that, whose, whom
Interrogative Pronoun	who, what, which, whose, whom
Indefinite Pronoun	some, any, nobody, everything
Reflexive Pronoun	myself, yourself, himself, herself

Exceptions & Common Mistakes

"It" vs. "They" for non-human subjects

Incorrect: "The government announced their decision."

Correct: "The government announced its decision."

"Who" vs. "Whom"

Who (subject): "Who is calling?"

Whom (object): "Whom did you call?"

Verbs

A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. Verbs are one of the core components of a sentence, as they tell what the subject is doing or what is happening.

Types of Verbs

Type of Verb	Description	Examples	Example Sentence
Action Verbs	Express physical or mental actions	run, jump, think, eat, write, swim	She runs every morning.
Linking Verbs	Connect the subject to a complement or description	am, is, are, was, were, seem, become	He is tired.
Helping Verbs	Work with the main verb to express tense, mood, or voice	be, have, do, can, could, will, would	She has finished her homework.
Modal Verbs	Express necessity, possibility, permission, or ability	can, could, may, might, should, would	You should study for the exam.
Transitive Verbs	Require a direct object to complete their meaning	eat (something), write (a letter), give (a gift)	She bought a new phone.
Intransitive Verbs	Do not require a direct object	sleep, arrive, sit, go	He arrived early.

Verbs: What Are They and How Do You Use Them? | Grammarly Blog

Exceptions & Irregularities in Verbs

1. Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow the typical pattern of adding -ed to form the past tense or past participle. Instead, their forms change in unpredictable ways. Here's a table to highlight some common irregular verbs:

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
go	went	gone
eat	ate	eaten
take	took	taken
have	had	had
be	was/were	been
see	saw	seen
come	came	come
give	gave	given
do	did	done
get	got	gotten/got

2. Irregular Forms of Verbs

Some verbs have irregularities in their forms but are only irregular in certain tenses.

"Have": The verb “have” is often irregular, with "had" as the past tense and past participle. For example:

Present: I have a book.

Past: I had a book yesterday.

"Be": The verb "be" is irregular in its forms:

Present: I am (singular), we are (plural).

Past: I was (singular), we were (plural).

3. Phrasal Verbs

Some verbs change meaning when combined with prepositions or adverbs. These combinations are called phrasal verbs, and they often have irregular forms.

Example: "Break down" (stop working) vs. "Break up" (end a relationship).

"She broke down in tears."

"They broke up after two years."

4. Modal Verbs

Modal verbs, such as can, may, must, should, could, do not follow the typical verb conjugation rules. They don’t change form for different subjects (e.g., "he can", "they can") and don't have a past participle.

Example of exception:

"She can swim."

"He could swim when he was young."

5. Spelling Changes in Regular Verbs

While most verbs follow the regular pattern of adding -ed for the past tense, some regular verbs have spelling changes:

Verbs ending in "e": Simply add -d instead of -ed.

"Love" becomes "loved."

Verbs ending in consonant + "y": Drop the "y" and add -ied.

"Cry" becomes "cried."

Verbs with a single vowel + consonant: Double the final consonant and add -ed.

"Hop" becomes "hopped."

6. Exceptions to Regularity

Some regular verbs have minor irregularities, like "read", which is spelled the same in the present and past, but pronounced differently:

Present: "I read a book every day." (pronounced "reed")

Past: "I read a book yesterday." (pronounced "red")

Use modal verbs in Writing Task 2: "Governments should invest in education."

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, giving more detail about the person, thing, or idea the noun represents. They can describe qualities, quantities, or states, and they help make language more vivid and specific.

Types of Adjectives

Type	Example
Quality	beautiful, intelligent, exciting
Size	small, huge, tall
Color	red, blue, green
Number	three, many, few

Exceptions & Irregularities

Order of Adjectives:

"A beautiful small red car" (✓ Correct)
"A red small beautiful car" (✗ Incorrect)
Order: Quantity/Number→opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Color → Origin → Material → Purpose

Comparative and Superlative Forms:

Positive Degree:

Just the basic form of the adjective (e.g., "big").
The house is big.

Comparative Degree:

Used to compare two things (e.g., "bigger").
The house is bigger than the apartment.

Superlative Degree:

Used to show the highest degree among three or more things (e.g., "biggest").
The house is the biggest in the neighborhood.

Adverbs

An adverb describes how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.

Types of Adverbs & Examples

Type of Adverb	Description	Examples	Example Sentence
Adverbs of Manner	Describes how an action is done.	slowly, quickly, carefully, loudly, easily	She sings beautifully.
Adverbs of Time	Tells us when something happens or the frequency of an action.	today, tomorrow, always, never, soon, already	I will call you tomorrow.
Adverbs of Place	Indicates where an action takes place.	here, there, everywhere, nowhere, inside	She looked everywhere for her keys.
Adverbs of Frequency	Expresses how often an action occurs.	always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely	He rarely eats vegetables.
Adverbs of Degree	Tells us the extent or intensity of an action, adjective, or another adverb.	very, quite, almost, too, extremely	The movie was extremely exciting.
Adverbs of Probability	Indicates how likely something is to happen.	probably, certainly, perhaps, surely, maybe	She will probably come to the party.
Interrogative Adverbs	Used to ask questions related to time, place, manner, or reason.	when, where, how, why	Why did you leave so early?

Exceptions & Common Mistakes

Not all adverbs end in "-ly":

Fast (adjective) → Fast (adverb)

Hard (adjective) → Hard (adverb)

Adverb placement matters:

"He speaks English fluently." (✓ Correct)

"He fluently speaks English." (✓ Correct, but less natural in IELTS Speaking)

Prepositions

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. They typically express relationships involving time, place, direction, cause, manner, and other abstract connections. Prepositions often link nouns or pronouns to verbs, adjectives, or other nouns to provide more detail in the sentence.

Examples:

Time: in, on, at → "I was born in May."
Place: at, in, on → "The book is on the table."

Type of Preposition	Description	Examples	Example Sentence
Prepositions of Time	Shows the relationship of a noun with time.	at, on, in, during, before, after	We will meet at 5 PM.
Prepositions of Place	Indicates the location of something.	at, in, on, under, between, beside, next to, above	The book is on the table.
Prepositions of Direction	Shows the direction or movement of something.	to, from, into, onto, through, across	She walked to the park.
Prepositions of Cause	Expresses the reason or cause for something.	because of, due to, owing to, on account of	He was absent because of illness.
Prepositions of Manner	Describes how an action is performed.	by, with, like, as	He traveled by car.
Prepositions of Agent	Used to show who or what performs an action.	by	The book was written by J.K. Rowling.
Prepositions of Instrument	Shows the tool or means used to perform an action.	with, by	She cut the paper with scissors.
Prepositions of Time/Duration	Indicates the duration or length of an event.	for, since, during, by	He stayed for two weeks.
Prepositions of Comparison	Compares one thing with another.	than, as, like	She is taller than her brother.
Prepositions of Purpose	Expresses the reason or purpose for an action.	for, to	This tool is used for cutting.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. They help in linking ideas and showing relationships between them, allowing for smoother and more complex sentence structures.

Types of Conjunctions

1. Coordinating Conjunctions

These conjunctions join elements of equal importance, like words, phrases, or independent clauses.
Examples: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet

Conjunction	Example	Example Sentence
and	He likes ice cream and cake.	She wants to go swimming and hiking.
but	She is tall but not very strong.	I wanted to go, but I was too tired.
or	Do you want tea or coffee?	You can either take the bus or walk.
nor	She does not like tea, nor coffee.	He doesn’t play soccer, nor does he like it.
for	She was late, for she missed the bus.	I stayed home, for it was raining.
so	I was tired, so I went to bed.	He studied hard, so he passed the test.
yet	It’s raining, yet they went outside.	She is smart, yet she struggles with writing.

2. Subordinating Conjunctions

These conjunctions connect an independent clause with a dependent (subordinate) clause. They show the relationship between the two clauses.
Examples: although, because, since, unless, while, if, when, after, before, as, though, even though, until, as if

Conjunction	Example	Example Sentence
although	Although it was raining, we went outside.	I will go although I am tired.
because	I stayed home because I was sick.	He was happy because he passed the exam.
if	If it rains, we will stay inside.	I will help if you need me.
unless	You will fail unless you study hard.	I will go unless it is too late.
while	She was reading while he was cooking.	I’ll wait here while you finish your homework.
after	We left after the show ended.	After the storm, the sky cleared up.
before	He always stretches before running.	Wash your hands before eating.
since	He has been acting strangely since the event.	I haven’t seen her since last summer.
even though	Even though it’s late, I’ll call her.	He is happy, even though he is sick.
as if	She talks as if she knows everything.	He looks as if he hasn’t slept for days.

3. Correlative Conjunctions

These conjunctions come in pairs and connect equal sentence elements. They must work together in a sentence.
Examples: either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also, both...and, whether...or, such...that, as...as

Conjunction	Example	Example Sentence
either...or	You can either take the bus or walk.	Either you go now, or you stay and wait.
neither...nor	Neither the cat nor the dog is here.	Neither my mother nor my father is home.
not only...but also	He is not only a teacher, but also a coach.	Not only is she beautiful, but also talented.
both...and	Both the teacher and the students were present.	Both the car and the bike need repairs.
whether...or	I don’t know whether to go or stay.	Whether you like it or not, we have to leave.
such...that	The movie was such a hit that it broke records.	It was such a nice day that we stayed outside.
as...as	She is as tall as her brother.	This puzzle is as difficult as the last one.

Interjections

Interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotions or sudden feelings. They are often followed by an exclamation mark and stand alone in a sentence. Interjections add emotion, surprise, excitement, or emphasis to a sentence, but they don't affect the grammatical structure.

Types of Interjections

Expressing Surprise or Shock

Wow! – "Wow! That was an amazing performance!"
Oh! – "Oh! I didn't see you there."
Ah! – "Ah! That makes so much sense now."
Oh my gosh! – "Oh my gosh! Look at that view!"
Oh no! – "Oh no! I forgot my keys."

Expressing Joy or Excitement

Hooray! – "Hooray! We won the game!"
Yay! – "Yay! I finally finished the project!"
Whee! – "Whee! This rollercoaster is so much fun!"
Yippee! – "Yippee! It’s my birthday today!"

Expressing Disappointment or Regret

Oops! – "Oops! I dropped the plate."
Alas! – "Alas! It was too late to fix it."
Oh dear! – "Oh dear! That doesn’t look good."
Bummer! – "Bummer! We missed the concert."

Expressing Pain or Discomfort

Ouch! – "Ouch! That really hurt."
Ow! – "Ow! I stubbed my toe."
Ugh! – "Ugh! This is so uncomfortable."

Expressing Approval or Agreement

Yeah! – "Yeah! I totally agree with you."
Uh-huh! – "Uh-huh! I understand."
Yep! – "Yep! That sounds great."

Expressing Doubt or Hesitation

Hmm... – "Hmm... I'm not sure about that."
Uh... – "Uh... I think I forgot your name."
Er... – "Er... could you repeat that?"

Expressing Anger or Frustration

Ugh! – "Ugh! I can’t believe this is happening."
Bah! – "Bah! This is so annoying!"
Geez! – "Geez! You scared me there."

Expressing Wonder or Awe

Wow! – "Wow! That’s incredible!"
Gosh! – "Gosh! Look at those clouds!"
Good grief! – "Good grief! What’s going on here?"