Is the word are a verb or noun

Many English words have a verb form and a noun form. This can be confusing. The verb form and the noun form are sometimes pronounced differently, which can be even more confusing!
I wrote this blog post to help ESL students use these words with confidence.

Table of Contents

  • Verb or Noun Grammar
  • Pronunciation
  • 72 verb and noun pair examples with audio
  • 150 One-syllable Verb and Noun pairs
  • 20 Nouns that you didn’t know had a verb form
  • Free 14-page PDF Download

Verb or Noun? – Grammar

Let’s start by answering a basic question.  What’s the difference between a noun and a verb?
A noun is a person, place, or thing.
A verb expresses an action or existence.
“A dog is running in the park.” – A DOG (thing) is running (action) in the PARK (place).

A basic English sentence will have this pattern. Subject – Verb – Object. The subject and object in a sentence will be nouns. DOG (Subject) is running (Verb) in the PARK (Object).

How can I tell a noun from a verb?

The sentence example above is very basic. Natural English sentences will use clauses and conjunctions to tell longer stories in a single sentence. Here is a simple way to tell if a word is a noun or a verb in a longer sentence.
Nouns often follow an article (a, an, the) or the possessive form of a noun or pronoun. (my, his/her, its, John’s, etc.)
Verbs will follow a subject and be conjugated (changed into past, present, future, continuous tense, etc.)

Noun – Happy birthday! I bought you a present.
The noun present follows the article a.
Verb – They will present their findings tomorrow at the meeting.
The verb present follows a subject – “They” – and is conjugated in the future tense. – will present

If you know the correct form, you can use the correct pronunciation.

Are all verb and noun pairs pronounced differently?

One-syllable Verb and Noun pairs

Many noun and verb pairs have only one syllable so there is no change in word stress between the verb and the noun. They all sound the same with a few exceptions. (You can find the exceptions in the one-syllable verb and noun list at the bottom of this post.)

Example:

list
noun – a series of names, items, figures, etc., especially when they are written or printed
“I wrote a shopping list this morning.”
verb – to write a list of things in a particular order
“I listed everything I need for my trip.”

List - verb and noun

Two-syllable Verb and Noun pairs

When noun and verb pairs are two syllables we pronounce them correctly by focusing on the syllable stress. English 2-syllable nouns will put stress on the first syllable. CONduct.
2-syllable verbs will put stress on the second syllable. conDUCT.

Example:

conduct
noun – CONduct – a person’s behavior in a particular place or in a particular situation
“Our school has a strict code of conduct.”
verb – conDUCT – to organize and/or do a particular activity 
“My university will conduct a survey on Friday.”

Three-syllable Verb and Noun pairs

There are a few cases where the verb and noun pair is three syllables and ends with the letters -ATE. For these examples, the sound of the last letters will change, not the stress. The stress will still be on the third syllable.

Example:

associate 
noun – asso-she-IT ~ a person that you work with, do business with, or spend a lot of time with
“Peter is a business associate of my father.” (asso-she-IT)
verb – to spend time with someone, especially a person or people that someone else does not approve of
“I try not to associate with angry or negative people.” (asso-she-ATE)

Associate audio below ↓

In this post, I will also give you 36 noun/verb pair examples with over 70 natural example sentences. Each example sentence has audio to improve your English listening skills and pronunciation. You can quickly start using the correct word stress with noun/verb pairs.

Noun and Verb Pair Vocabulary LIST

Listen to the correct pronunciation with natural example sentences below. The word definitions used in this post are from Oxford learner’s dictionaries. Links to the definitions are beside each word. N for the NOUN definition and V for the VERB definition.

*Some of the words on this list have multiple definitions, you can find other meanings at the links provided. (N V)

Verb and noun pairs examples with AUDIO

associate N V 

Noun – Peter is a business associate of my father. [asso・SHE・IT] Peter works with my dad.

Verb – ①I try not to associate with angry or negative people. [asso・SHE・ATE] I don’t like to spend time with negative people.

Verb – ② I like to associate new grammar with my own real experiences, it makes the grammar easier to remember. [asso・SHE・ATE] I connect new grammar to a real experience in my mind.


compound N V

Noun – They are building a large prison compound in my hometown. [COMpound] They are building a complex that will be surrounded by a wall.

Verb – Cutting the budget will not solve anything. Budget cuts will only compound our problems. [comPOUND] Reducing the budget will make things worse.


conduct N V

Noun – Our school has a strict code of conduct. [CONduct] We are told how to behave when we are at school.

Verb – My university will conduct a survey on Friday. [conDUCT] My university will organize a survey and ask the students some questions.


conflict N V

Noun – Sadly there are many conflicts in the world right now. [CONflict] Many places are having strong disagreements.

Verb – My experiences in Japan conflict with some of the stories I was told before I came. [conFLICT] The stories I was told are the opposite of my experience.
(I was told is the passive voice – learn this grammar HERE)


contest N V

Noun – I entered a break dancing contest when I was 12.  [CONtest] I entered a break dancing competition when I was 12.

Verb – After Donald passed away his youngest son contested his will. [conTEST] Donald’s youngest son opposed the will because he felt it was wrong.

verb and noun pairs example - contest

contract N V

Noun – I just signed a new 3-year contract with the high school where I teach English. [CONtract] I have an official 3-year agreement to work at the school.

Verb – The company was contracted to build a new 50,000-seat stadium. [conTRACT] The company has made an official agreement to build a stadium.


contrast N V

Noun – There is a big contrast between the customer service in Japan and the service I receive in Canada. [CONtrast] There is a big difference between the customer service at stores in these 2 countries.

Verb – I like to contrast American movies with Japanese movies. The style and pace are quite different. [conTRAST] I like to compare the 2 movie styles and show how they are different.

verb and noun pairs example - contrast

I make typos sometimes when I write my blog content. I often use voice typing which can also cause simple Grammar errors in my blog post document.
I use Grammarly to help me catch these mistakes. It saves me a lot of time! It can help your English writing too. Get Grammarly for free.

decrease N V

Noun – There was a decrease in school applications last year. [DEcrease] The number of applications was reduced.

Verb – The number of students at my school decreased last year. [deCREASE] The student population became smaller.


delegate  N V

Noun – The meeting was attended by delegates from over 100 countries. [del・ah・GIT] People who were chosen to represent their countries attended the meeting.

Verb – I’m so busy at work. I think I will delegate some tasks to my assistant. [del・ah・GATE] I will give part of my work to my assistant.


desert N V

Noun – If you travel in the desert you should bring lots of water. [DEzert] If you travel in a dry area with little water, you should bring your own.

(Be careful of the noun dessert. It is spelled with two ‘S’s.)
– I think I’ll have cheesecake for dessert.
Dessert vs Desert – Pronounce these words CORRECTLY(Audio)

Verb – I was left in the mall by myself. My friends deserted me. [deZERT] My friends left me by myself in the mall.


detail N V

Noun – Édouard Manet’s paintings are beautiful, he pays attention to every detail. [DEtail] Manet pays attention to even the small points or features in his paintings.

Verb – This brochure details all the features of the car. [deTAIL] This brochure gives a list of facts and information about this car.

Detail - Noun and Verb meaning

discount N V

Noun – If I buy one jacket I can get a 30% discount on a second jacket. [DIScount] If I buy 2 jackets there will be a 30% price reduction on the second one.

Verb – Stores usually discount their clothes at the end of the season. [disCOUNT] They take some money off the usual price.


escort N V

Noun – When leaders travel to other countries they often have police escorts. [EScort] World leaders have local police travel with them to protect them.

Verb – It’s getting dark, please let me escort you home. [esCORT] Let me take you home so you are not alone, to make sure you are safe.


export N V

Noun – Lumber is one of Canada’s main exports. [EXport] Lumber is one of the main goods that it sells to other countries.

Verb – Canada exports lots of lumber and oil to the United States. [exPORT] Canada sells some of its resources to America. 


impact N V

Noun – Many people are climbing Mt. Everest and this has had a serious impact on the environment of Nepal. [IMpact] Many tourists come to climb the mountain. This has had a powerful effect on the environment.

Verb – The value of the Canadian dollar impacts businesses that export goods. [imPACT] The value of the Canadian dollar affects companies that sell goods to other countries.


import N V

Noun – This store sells lots of exotic furniture and other imports from overseas. [IMport] The store sells furniture and other things that came from other countries.

Verb – I was surprised to learn that America imports more than half of its oil from Canada! [imPORT] More than half of The United States’ oil is brought in from Canada.

verb and noun pairs example - imports

increase N V

Noun – There has been an increase in blood donations at the clinic. People want to help after the hurricane. [INcrease] There was a rise in the number of people who donated blood after the hurricane.

Verb – I really want to find a girlfriend. If I get out more and try new things I will increase my chances of meeting a nice girl. [inCREASE] If I go out and meet more people the chance that I will meet a nice girl becomes greater.


insert N V

Noun – I bought some inserts for my shoes. They’re soft and make it easier to walk. [INsert] I bought a thin cushion to put inside my shoes.

Verb – I inserted $2.00 in the vending machine but it didn’t give me my drink! [inSERT] I put $2.00 into the money slot of the vending machine but I didn’t get a drink.

insult N V

Noun – Mike said my suit looks cheap. That’s an insult! [INsult] Mike made a remark that was trying to offend me.

Verb – Mike insulted my suit this morning. What a jerk. [inSULT] Mike’s comment about my suit offended me.


invite N V

Noun – I didn’t get an invite to Craig’s party. Maybe he is mad at me. [INvite] I didn’t get a spoken or written request to come to Craig’s party.

Verb – Craig invited many people to his party. But not me. [inVITE] Craig asked many people to come to his party, but he didn’t ask me.


misprint N V

Noun – The ad in the newspaper says the shoes are $1000.00, but I think it’s a misprint. [MISprint] There is a mistake in the (printed) advertisement.

Verb – The printing company misprinted the ad. [misPRINT] Th company printed the ad incorrectly.


object N V ~ there are 4 uses of the NOUN object. Click the N to see them all!

Noun – A basic English sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object. [OBject] One use for the noun object is the thing in a sentence (also a noun) that is affected by the verb of the sentence.

Verb – I object to your question, it’s not relevant to the discussion. [obJECT] I disagree with your question, it is not related to what we are talking about.


permit N V

Noun – You can’t camp here without a permit from the park. [PERmit] You need an official document to be allowed to camp here.

Verb – The park rangers don’t permit fires here. [perMIT] Fires are not allowed in the forest.

Permit - Noun and Verb meaning

present N V

Noun – Happy birthday! I bought you a present! [PREsent] I bought a gift for you.

Verb – They will present their findings tomorrow at the meeting. [preSENT] The company will show us what they found for us to consider.


produce N V

Noun – It’s better to buy local produce. Imported produce is not as fresh. [PROduce] It is better to buy fruits and vegetables grown on farms close to where you live.

Verb – Our goal is to produce more solar batteries than any other company in the area. [proDUCE] Our goal is to make more solar batteries than anyone else in the area.


project N V

Noun – I’m working on a project for school. It’s about renewable energy. [PROject] I am making a piece of work involving the careful study of renewable energy.

Verb – Unemployment is projected to fall next year. That’s good news. [proJECT] The number of unemployed people is expected to drop next year.


protest N V

Noun – There was a large protest in front of the government office. [PROtest] People gathered in a group to express their strong disagreement with the government.

Verb – My class protested loudly when the teacher gave us 6 pages of summer homework. [proTEST] My class told the teacher that they don’t like the summer homework that he gave us.

rebel N V

Noun – James Dean was a popular actor in the 1950s. He had the image of a rebel. [REbel] The characters he played didn’t like rules or authority.

Verb – Teenagers often rebel against their parents. [reBEL] Teenagers often fight against their parents’ rules.


refund N V

Noun – The rain shoes I bought leaked! I took them back to the store and demanded a refund. [REfund] I strongly asked for the money back that I paid for the rain shoes. I brought the leaky shoes back to the store.

Verb – The store apologized and refunded my money. [reFUND] The store returned the money I paid for the rain shoes.


reject N V

Noun – The rain shoes were rejects and shouldn’t have been at the store. [REject] The shoes couldn’t be used and should not have been sold.

Verb – My idea for the new school mascot was rejected by the students. [reJECT] My idea was not accepted.

subject N V

Noun – A basic English sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object. [SUBject] In English grammar a subject is a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun representing the person or thing that performs the action of the verb, about which something is stated, or, in a passive sentence, that is affected by the action of the verb. 

Verb – At karaoke last night I subjected everyone to my terrible singing. [subJECT] People were forced to listen to my terrible singing.


survey N V

Noun – My university will conduct a survey on Friday. They want to know how most students get to school. [SURvey] They did an investigation of how students get to school by asking questions.

Verb – The government surveyed the land so they could make a map of the area. [surVEY] The government looked at the land carefully to get an impression of it.


update N V

Noun – Will it rain tomorrow? I’ll check the weather app on my smartphone for an update. [UPdate] I will check my weather app for the most recent information about the weather.

Verb – I have to update the software on my smartphone. I hope it makes my phone faster. [upDATE] I have to make my software more modern by getting the newest version.

upgrade N V

Noun – On my flight to Canada I was given an upgrade to first-class. [UPgrade] I was given a seat of better quality.

Verb –  The airline upgraded me to first-class, [upGRADE] The airline moved me to a better seat.


upset N V

Noun – No one thought we would win the game because the other team was too strong, but we beat them easily. It was a total upset! [UPset] We beat the team that was expected to beat us.

Verb – Brenda has been crying all morning. I think something upset her. [upSET] Something happened to Brenda to make her unhappy.


One-syllable Verb and Noun pairs – List

One-syllable words rarely change sounds between the verb and noun forms, but there are a few exceptions. Below is a list of 150 common one-syllable Verb and Noun pairs, 4 word pairs with different pronunciation, and 23 uncommon word pairs that you probably didn’t know.

  • The noun and verb forms are often related in meaning. *For example ACHE and JUICE.
  • There are some examples where the meaning is totally different. The only thing that is the same is the spelling. *For example BOWL and FLY.

This is not a complete list, there are many one-syllable verb and noun pairs. I tried to include the most common words in this list with a verb and a noun form. 

  • ache
  • act
  • age
  • air
  • back
  • bat
  • belt
  • bet
  • bite
  • bowl
  • call
  • block
  • book
  • box
  • brush
  • buzz
  • dance
  • dare
  • dip
  • dot
  • drive
  • drum
  • dye
  • end
  • face
  • fall
  • fan
  • feast
  • fence
  • fight
  • file
  • fire
  • fish
  • flame
  • flash
  • flow
  • fly
  • fool
  • frame
  • front
  • grid
  • glaze
  • glow
  • grill
  • grow
  • growl
  • grunt
  • guard
  • guess
  • hail
  • hand
  • harm
  • help
  • hit
  • hope
  • hug
  • itch
  • jam
  • judge
  • juice
  • jump
  • kick
  • kiss
  • lace
  • lap
  • laugh
  • lie
  • limp
  • link
  • list
  • look 
  • love
  • mark
  • match
  • milk
  • mop
  • nail
  • nap
  • need
  • nest
  • nurse
  • oil
  • ooze
  • pain
  • paint
  • park
  • play
  • pat
  • pen
  • pet
  • pick
  • pin
  • pitch
  • plan
  • plug
  • pose
  • press
  • price
  • punch
  • quack
  • quilt
  • quote
  • race
  • rain
  • raise
  • rat
  • rise
  • rock
  • rope
  • run
  • rust
  • rest
  • sail
  • saw
  • scale
  • set
  • shave
  • shop
  • show
  • ship
  • sign
  • ski
  • sleep
  • smoke
  • snow
  • spill
  • spray
  • spring
  • stamp
  • stand
  • strike
  • string
  • sweat
  • tack
  • talk
  • tax
  • team
  • test
  • tie
  • tip
  • toast
  • train
  • trap
  • trip
  • view
  • visit
  • vote
  • walk
  • work
  • wrap
  • yawn
  • zone

Thanks to https://www.linguasorb.com/ for help making this list.

Four one-syllable Verb and Noun pairs with different pronunciations

use N V

Noun – In Tokyo, I have no use for a car. The public transportation is awesome. [YOU•S] For me a car has no purpose in Tokyo. I don’t need one because public transportation is very convenient.

Verb – If I need a car I can use my friend Kentaro’s, he said I can borrow it anytime. [YUUZ] I can do something {in this case DRIVE my friend Kentaro’s car} anytime. (Learn how to use the verbs LEND and BORROW HERE)

house N V

Noun – I just bought a new house. [HAUS] I just bought a new building to live in.

Verb – People whose homes were flooded were temporarily housed in community centers. [HOWZ] People whose homes were affected by the flood were given a place to live.

lead N V

Noun – Exposure to lead can make you sick. [LED] Lead is a chemical element and a heavy grey metal.

Verb – We hired a tour guide to lead us around Singapore. [LEED] A tour guide showed us around Singapore.

wind N V

Noun – The wind was strong today. It was perfect for sailing. [WIN・D] The air was moving quickly today.

Verb – I have to wind my watch all the time. It’s a pain. [WINE・D] I have to turn the small gear on the side of my watch to make it work.

Noun and Verb pair 14-page PDF E-guide

Download your printable PDF E-guide below. (It’s FREE!)↓

Find more helpful blog posts below.

  • How to use Adjectives as Nouns (20 examples, PDF + video)January 30, 2023
  • What Are Possessive Nouns? (43 Examples, Video, PDF Guide)January 4, 2023
  • 3 Adverbs of Probability – Definitely, Probably, and MaybeNovember 4, 2022
  • Past tense of READ and Past Participle of READ (Audio, Quiz, and PDF)October 21, 2022
  • Third-Person Singular – Your best Guide (Free 24-page eBook)October 14, 2022
  • Singular and Plural nouns – 50 examples (worksheet PDF)October 7, 2022
  • Present Perfect Continuous Grammar Guide (w/ Audio and PDF)October 4, 2022

Noun or verb?

Some words can be either nouns or verbs. Read each set of sentences and decide if the underlined words are nouns or verbs. Indicate with a N or V.

1.

___ Don’t cut your finger!
___ Put some medicine on the
cut.
___
Cut this piece of rope, please.

2.

___ My cat scratches the furniture.
___ He has
scratches on his face.
___ This medicine is for
scratches.

3.

___ We made a camp in the woods.
___ We
camp here every year.
___ Let’s
camp near the creek.

4.

___ Why do you photograph birds?
___ This is a
photograph of my aunt.
___ Where is your class
photograph?

5.

___ They plan to go to the mountains.
___ That’s not a good
plan.
___ I
plan to visit her tomorrow.

6.

___ We heard a cheer from the crowd.
___ They always
cheer for their team.
___ We all gave a loud
cheer.

7.

___ Dad went out to milk the cows.
___ I drink some
milk every day.
___ Our cows give a lot of
milk.

8.

___ Big planes can’t land here.
___ My family owns a lot of
land.
___ Cars and trains go on
land.

9.

___ Don’t spill that syrup!
___ The baby will
spill his milk.
___ An oil
spill was reported.

10.

___ A mailman delivers the mail.
___ Don’t
mail those letters yet.
___ Is there any
mail for me?

11.

___ They charge a lot in that shop.
___ He works in a flower
shop.
___ I have to
shop in the drugstore.

12.

___Are you going to the dance?
___ Are you going to
dance with me?
___ Those boys
dance very well.

13.

___ Give me a bite of your sandwich.
___ Did the dog
bite the mailman?
___ He took a
bite out of the apple.

14.

___ They joke about it a lot.
___ She played a
joke on me.
___ That’s a pretty funny
joke.

15.

___ He got a job as a cook.
___ Did you
cook dinner tonight?
___ The
cook burned the roast.

16.

___ I’ll race you to the corner.
___ Who is going to win the
race?
___ She won first prize in the
race.

17.

___ Many people fish in that lake.
___ Zoe caught four
fish here.
___ I like to eat
fish for dinner.

18.

___ That name means “goats”.
___ He’ll
name his dog after Columbus.
___ That boy’s
name is Carlos.

19.

___ The air was filled with smoke.
___ She knows how to
smoke fish.
___ The
smoke hurt his eyes.

20.

___ Put the leaves in a pile.
___ They’ll
pile the stones here.
___ We made a big
pile of dirt.

21.

___ The blast made a loud noise.
___ There was a
blast of explosives.
___ We’ll
blast here.

22.

___ Draw a circle around the word.
___ The design has a small
circle in it.
___ Does the river
circle the island?

23.

___ They heard a clap of thunder.
___ Did they
clap for the trick?
___ They didn’t
clap very loudly.

24.

___ I had a terrible dream last night!
___ Did you
dream about a dragon?
___ She didn’t
dream about money.

25.

___ Do you want a drink of water?
___ Why did you
drink all the juice?
___ The cat likes to
drink milk.

26.

___ The float was lied to the net.
___ Dried reeds will
float.
___ A
float won’t sink under water.

27.

___ Were the soldiers in a big fight?
___ Don’t
fight with your brother!
___ Those children like to
fight.

28.

___ She likes to play in the snow.
___ Is it going to
snow tomorrow?
___ The
snow looks soft and cold.

29.

___ Please help me fix this.
___ The boy gave me a lot of
help.
___ She’ll
help you tomorrow.

30.

___ When did the movie end?
___ Hold the
end of the string.
___ I didn’t like the
end of the book.

Recently, I have received a number of questions about the word is. Is is a verb? Is it a preposition? Is it a noun? What exactly is its function in a sentence?

In this post, I will cover everything you need to know about this word and its function in the English sentence. After reading this article, you won’t ever again wonder to yourself, “Is the word is a verb?”

To see the various kinds of verbs in English, see here.

The State of Being Verbs

Is is a verb? Is is what is known as a state of being verb. State of being verbs do not express any specific activity or action but instead describe existence. The most common state of being verb is to be, along with its conjugations (is, am, are, was, were, being, been).

is is a verb or prepositionAs we can see, is is a conjugation of the verb be. It takes the third person singular present form.

  • I am. First person singular present.
  • You are. Second person singular present.
  • He is. Third person singular present.

It can take a bit of practice to spot state of being verbs because they aren’t action oriented and they are wildly irregular in their conjugations. By comparison, look at the verb hit.

  • I hit the ball.
  • You hit the ball.
  • He hit the ball.

Look at how much easier that is than the verb be.

  • I am.
  • You are.
  • He is.

Despite the confusing nature of the verb to be, it is incredibly important to understand how it works with all of its conjugations because it is probably the most common verb in the English language.

Think about how many times you say, I am hungry, I am happy, We are ready to go, etc. To be is a very popular verb that is used all of the time.

Don’t Verbs Describe Action?

is it a verbNow, you might be thinking to yourself, “I thought verbs described action.”

  • John hit the ball.
  • Suzy drives the car.
  • She ran across the finish line.

These are all words that describe an action; they describe something that a person can do. I can drive the car. I can hit the ball.

So, how can is be a verb? What action is taking place?

Verbs describe more than just action: While it’s true that verbs can describe action, they can also describe existence or occurrence, where there might not be any action taking place.

As I said above, verbs can describe a state of being, or mere existence. There is no overt or positive action taking place when you say I am or He is.

These verbs are describing your mere existence, but they are verbs nonetheless.

Is as a Helping Verb

common english verbs isIs is a helping verb? The verb be and its conjugations, is, am, are, etc., are primary helping verbs. This means that they can stand alone in a statement, and they can be used as a helping verb. For example,

  • He is.

This statement has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. In this example, is is the main verb.

But, if we look at another sentence, we can see that is can also be a helping verb.

  • He is running a marathon.
  • The All England Club also announced Tuesday that it is increasing spending to fight match-fixing and doping, although it provided no figures. –The New York Times

In this example, is is paired with the verb running and is working as a helping verb.

Is can be paired with all kinds of verbs to act as a helping verb.

  • Is running.
  • Is singing.
  • Is laughing.
  • Is writing.

For more information on helping verbs, see our full helping verbs page.

Summary: Is is a verb?

Is is a verb or a noun? Is it a preposition? In this post, we have learned that the word is a verb and functions solely as a verb to describe a state of being or existence.

  • Is is a verb.
  • Is can also be a helping verb.

Contents

  • 1 The State of Being Verbs
  • 2 Don’t Verbs Describe Action?
  • 3 Is as a Helping Verb
  • 4 Summary: Is is a verb?

Содержание

  1. Имя существительное
  2. Имя прилагательное
  3. Глагол
  4. Наречие
  5. Местоимение
  6. Числительные
  7. Cоюз
  8. Предлоги
  9. Артикли
  10. Частицы
  11. Междометия
  12. Сводная таблица частей речи в английском языке

Так уж сложилось, что издавна во всех языках словообразование играло одну из первостепенных ролей. Обозначение разных частей речи и их название стало неким этапом в эволюции языка и языкознания.

Также как и в современном русском языке, каждое слово в английском принадлежит определенной части речи (part of speech), то есть категории слов, обладающих своими характерными признаками.

Part of speech — one of the grammatical groups, such as noun, verb, and adjective, into which words are divided depending on their use

Английские части речи классифицируются по синтаксической функции, грамматическому значению и форме. Следовательно, существуют самостоятельные (notional) и служебные (functional) части речи. Но в отличие от русского языка, в английском есть «переходные зоны» между частями речи. То есть одно и то же слово может выступать в роли разных частей речи. И в данном случае опорой служит сам контекст, а не форма слова.

Распознавание или предугадывание частей речи по контексту очень важный навык, если вы готовитесь к сдаче ЕГЭ или международных экзаменов. Понимание частей речи, безусловно, облегчит выполнение заданий в разы, а хорошая система подготовки определенно сыграет свою роль. В качестве помощи команда онлайн-школы Инглиш Шоу разработала курсы по подготовке к разнообразным экзаменам, начиная с ЕГЭ и заканчивая TOEFL или IELTS. Узнать, как это работает очень просто – стоит только записаться на бесплатный пробный урок и проверить эффективность обучения с преподавателем на себе!

Самостоятельные части речи в английском языке

Если у слова есть свое собственное лексическое значение, то его без сомнений можно отнести к самостоятельным частям речи. Произнося его, сразу становится понятен смысл слова. К самостоятельным частям речи в английском языке относятся:

Имя существительное (Noun)

Грамматика и теория русского языка даёт нам следующее определение существительного: оно называет людей, животных, места, абстрактные понятия, предметы. И для него характерно отвечать на вопросы: «Кто?» или «Что?».

В английском существительные бывают разные:

  • Common – нарицательные
    Например: person – человек, teacher – учитель, log – бревно
  • Proper – собственные
    Например: Stephen, Italy, America, Saturn
  • Compound – составные (состоящими из двух корней)
    Например: post office – почтовое отделение, car park – парковка, textbook – учебник, bookcase – книжный шкаф
  • Abstract – абстрактные
    Например: beauty – красота, intelligence – ум, democracy – демократия
  • Collective – собирательные
    Например: family – семья, flock — стая, herd – стадо

Кроме этого, в английском есть четкое разделение на исчисляемые (countable) и неисчисляемые (uncountable). Исчисляемые они потому что их можно посчитать поштучно и все они имеют форму как единственного, так и множественного числа. И перед существительным в единственном числе мы ставим артикль (a/an).

Например:

  • I have got an orange and a banana.
    У меня есть апельсин и банан.
  • There are a lot of cookies in this bowl.
    В этой тарелке много печенья.

Стоит отметить, что к неисчисляемым существительным в основном относятся жидкости, сыпучие продукты, абстрактные понятия или те, которые существуют либо только в единственном, либо во множественном числе.

Например:

  • I don’t have much money.
    У меня немного денег.
  • I like listening rock music.
    Я люблю слушать рок музыку.
  • There is some rice in the bowl.
    В тарелке есть немного риса.
  • Give me some information upon this case.
    Предоставь мне информацию по этому случаю.

Существительные в английском образуются с помощью определенных суффиксов, по которым вы легко сможете определить эту часть речи:

  • ance: disturbance, relevance
  • ence: reference, occurrence
  • ity: complexity, scarcity
  • ment: disappointment, achievement
  • acy/cy: accuracy
  • age: percentage, breakage
  • an: Russian, American
  • dom: kingdom, freedom
  • hood: motherhood, brotherhood

В предложении эта часть речи может выполнять функции как подлежащего (subject), дополнения (object) или функцию complement (дополнения) внутри именного сказуемого.

Например:

  • We have accepted the invitation for the party.

    (We – subject; invitation – object)
    Мы приняли приглашение на вечеринку.

Вне всяких сомнений, существует ещё множество других нюансов, которые необходимо знать о существительных. Например, важно правильно образовывать множественное число. Об этом мы рассказывали в ролике:

Имя прилагательное (Adjective)

Мы используем прилагательные для описания существительных, то есть они характеризуют признаки предмета, человека или события. И отвечают на вопросы: «Какая?», «Какие?» и т.д.

В английском прилагательные подразделяются по степеням сравнения и бывают:

  • Положительной степени (Positive form)
  • Сравнительной степени (Comparative form)
  • Превосходной степени (Superlative form)

Например:

  • large – larger – the largest
    большой – больше – самый большой

Более подробно со всеми правилами эта тема разобрана в нашей статье 👉 Степени сравнения прилагательных

Очень часто в предложении можно встретить описание из нескольких прилагательных, в таком случае они расположены в определенном порядке:

judgement – size – shape – age – colour – origin – material – purpose – noun
суждение – размер – форма – возраст – цвет – происхождение – материал – цель – существительное

💡 Чтобы было легче запомнить, ловите подсказку: чем прилагательное субъективнее, тем дальше оно от самого существительного.

Например:

  • There is a small, old, blue, plastic table.
    Это маленький, старый, голубой, пластиковый стол.
  • I am a short, young, blue-eyed person.
    Я молодой человек среднего роста с голубыми глазами.

Глагол (Verb)

Как мы помним со школьной скамьи, глагол – это слово «действие», которое характеризуется вопросами: «Что делать?», «Что сделать?» и так далее.

Вместе с подлежащим он представляет главные члены предложения и образует грамматическую основу.

Классификация глаголов в английском:

  • Semi-auxiliary – служебные
  • Auxiliary — вспомогательные
  • Notional – смысловые

Также очень важным моментом является то, что в английском глаголы подразделяют на:

  • Transitive – переходные (за которым следует объект или дополнение)
    She is cooking the dinner.
    Она готовит обед.
  • Intransitive – непереходные (которые не требуют после себя какого-либо дополнения, они просто характеризуют само действие)
    He slept late this morning.
    Он спал допоздна этим утром.

Ну и конечно же глаголы могут быть разных форм:

  • Infinitive – инфинитив или неопределенная форма глагола, в английском используется с частичкой to. Если без неё, то это будет форма bare infinitive (голый инфинитив).

    Например: to go – идти, to cry – плакать, to unearth – раскопать

  • Base form – первоначальная форма, это тот же инфинитив, но используемый уже без частички to.
  • Past Simple form – форма прошедшего времени

    И здесь стоит сказать, что существуют правильные (regular) и неправильные (irregular) глаголы.

    Неправильные глаголы собраны в таблицу и их просто нужно выучить для правильного употребления в речи. А правильные глаголы образуют форму прошедшего времени путем добавления -ed.

  • Past Participle – причастие прошедшего времени, это третий столбик в таблице неправильных глаголов.

    Примеры: beaten – побитый, broken — сломанный

    Или если глагол правильный, то он образует вторую и третью формы с помощью окончания -ed.

    Примеры: play — played, study — studied, watch — watched

  • Present Participle – причастие настоящего времени, это глагол с -ing или как его ещё называют — герундий.

    Например: hoping- надеющийся, studying – обучающийся

Наречие (Adverb)

В целом, наречия в отличие от прилагательных характеризуют действия или глаголы и отвечают на вопросы: «Как?», «Где?», «Когда?», «Почему?», «Каким образом?».

Классификация наречий:

  • Manner – наречие образа действия:
    Well – хорошо, slowly — медленно
  • Place – места:
    Above – над, here – здесь
  • Time – времени:
    Now – сейчас, then – тогда, soon – вскоре
  • Degree – степени:
    Very – очень, really – реально, quite – достаточно
  • Frequency – частоты:
    Once – однажды, twice – дважды

В основном наречия образуются с помощью суффикса -ly, который так сказать «определитель» для этой части речи, но, как вы заметили, исключения всегда имеют место быть.

Местоимение (Pronoun)

Судя по названию, местоимения мы используем вместо имён, то есть вместо имён собственных, предметов или качеств предмета.

В английском языке существуют следующие классы местоимений:

  • Object pronouns – личные, выступающие в роли объекта: me, him, her, it, us, you, them
    He met me at the park yesterday.
    Он встретил меня вчера в парке.
  • Subject pronouns – личные, выступающие в роли субъекта: I, he, you, she, we, it, they
    They used to play tennis 10 years ago.
    Они имели обыкновение играть в теннис 10 лет назад.
  • Reflexive pronouns – возвратные: himself, herself, ourselves, myself
    We decided to do it by ourselves.
    Мы решили это сделать сами.
  • Demonstrative pronouns – указательные: those, this, that, these
    These are your pieces of equipment.
    Вот это твоё оборудование.
  • Possessive pronouns – притяжательные: hers, his, mine, yours
    These shoes are mine!
    Это мои туфли!
  • Relative pronouns – относительные: who, which, that, whose
    This was the man who stole your wallet.
    Это тот мужчина, который украл у тебя кошелёк.

Числительные (Numerals)

Числительные показывают порядок предметов при счете и их количество. Для них характерными являются вопросы: «Сколько?» или «Который по счету?». Также, как и в русском языке, они бывают:

  • Cardinal numbers – количественными:

    one, six, thirty, one hundred
  • Ordinal numbers – порядковыми:

    first – первый, second – второй, third – третий, fourth – четвертый

Образование порядковых числительных происходит с помощью окончания -th, начиная с числа 4, а первые три числа нужно просто запомнить.

Служебные части речи в английском языке

Исходя из названия можно догадаться, что служебные части речи выполняют вспомогательную функцию и, так сказать, служат самостоятельным частям речи.

Служебных частей речи не так уж много:

  • Article – артикль
  • Conjunction – союз
  • Preposition – предлог
  • Paticles — частицы
  • Interjections — междометия

Cоюз (Сonjunction)

Союзы служат соединительными словами-связками, это своего рода взаимодействие однородных членов предложения. Или же они выполняют роль соединения предложений между собой.

  • Conjunctions for words of the same class (Союзы для однородных частей речи):

    and, but, or, nor, yet
  • Conjunctions for clauses of sentences (Союзы для частей предложения):
    as soon as, before, since, until, when, because, although, unless, so, where

Предлоги (Prepositions)

Как правило, предлоги показывают отношение существительного или местоимения к другим словам в предложении. Существуют такие категории, как:

  • Place – предлоги места:

    in, at, on, by, above, over
  • Movement – предлоги движения:

    from, to, in, into, on, onto, by, out, through
  • Time – предлоги времени:
    at, on, by, before, in, from, since, during, until

Сложность выбора предлогов заключается в том, что нет строгой однозначности в их использовании. Поэтому хорошим советом здесь будет: Practise, practise & practise! Подробнее про предлоги места и времени читайте в нашей статье: predlogi-mesta-i-vremeni

Артикли (Аrticles)

В английском существует всего лишь два типа артиклей, по сравнению с другими романо-германскими языками, в которых их гораздо больше.

  1. Definite article – определенный артикль – the

    Используется в том случае, если субъект или объект являются определенными по ситуации или единственными в своем роде.

    Например:

    The football is blue.
    Мячик является голубым. (Именно конкретный мячик)

    The sun is shining brightly.
    Солнце ярко светит. (Единственное в своем роде – the sun)

  2. Indefinite article – неопределенный артикль – a/an

    Данный артикль может употребляться только с исчисляемыми существительными и в единственном числе. То есть он просто служит неким обозначением предмета в единственном числе. Поэтому нужно быть предельно внимательными при его использовании.

    Например:

    A lotus is a flower.
    Лотус – это цветок.

Более подробно про артикли читайте в нашей следующей статье: artikli-v-anglijskom-jazyke

Частицы (Paticles)

Частицы имеют свойство придавать словам дополнительные оттенки, значение. Они не имеют грамматических категорий, а также не являются членами предложения. Давайте посмотрим, какие же существуют классификации частиц:

  • Limiting — выделительно-ограничительные:

    even, only, merely, solely, just, but, alone
  • Intensifying particles – усилительные:
    simply, just, all, still, yet
  • Negative particle — отрицательная частица:

    not
  • Additive particle — дополняющая частица:

    else

Междометия (Interjections)

Междометия на самом деле не относятся ни к самостоятельным, ни к служебным частям речи, так как они не имеют особого смысла. Они лишь передают наши чувства и эмоции.

Например:

oh, eh, alas, er, hey, uhm

Сводная таблица частей речи в английском языке

PARTS OF SPEECH DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES
NOUNS Name people, animals, places, things Chair, sparrow, school, Greece
VERBS Name action or activity Be, seem, smell, jump
ADJECTIVES Describe nouns such as people or things Clean/dirty, expensive/cheap, light/dark
ADVERBS Describe verbs (actions) Well, quickly, sometimes
PRONOUNS Used instead of nouns He, we, they, their, my
NUMERALS Name numbers Fifty, eighty, thirty-first
CONJUNCTIONS Join words or clauses of sentence And, but, as soon as, unless, although
PREPOSITIONS Show the relationship between a noun and other words At, on, by, before, since
ARTICLES Show if the noun is definite or indefinite The, a/an
PARTICLES Give additional meaning to words Not, yet, else
INTERJECTIONS Describe feelings and emotions Oh, eh, alas, er, hey, uhm

Эта таблица поможет вам определять части речи. Также, используя русско-английский словарь, вы можете посмотреть принадлежность слова к той или иной части речи. Но, чтобы начать лучше разбираться в грамматических аспектах, лучше начать изучение последовательно, к примеру, с глаголов и потом постепенно переходить к другим самостоятельным или служебным частям речи. Тогда вы сможете с легкостью выдохнуть — у вас не будет никакой каши в голове и сложностей в использовании на практике.

Также не стоит забывать, что построение английского предложения начинается с прямого порядка слов, о чем многие забывают при переключении с русского на английский. Как раз для подобного рода практики команда Инглиш Шоу разработала курс Разговорный Марафон. Каждый день на протяжении нескольких месяцев вы отрабатываете основные навыки, разговаривая на повседневные темы с разными преподавателями. Но это ещё не все! В течение курса вас ждёт масса сюрпризов и лайфхаков, так что после курса можете с уверенностью собираться заграницу! Записывайтесь на бесплатный пробный урок и узнайте все подробности самостоятельно.

Can a verb also be a noun? The short answer is: yes.

As we know a noun is a word that names things, such as persons, places and things, as well as feelings, ideas and acts. We also know that verbs are action words. We use verbs to describe what nouns do.  So how can a verb also be a noun.

Let’s take a look at an example:

The word: play.

I like to play in the park with my friends.
Play is a verb in this sentence.

We’re going to see a play tonight at the theater.
Play is a noun in this sentence.

There are lots of words that can be both a noun and a verb. Here are some:

  • Bait
  • Love
  • Peel
  • Bowl
  • Exit
  • Fly
  • Park
  • Ship

We’ve created some worksheets in our grade 3 grammar section for students to practice writing sentences with words that are both nouns and verbs.

Nouns that are verbs

For further practice, we also have worksheets on identifying nouns, verbs and adjectives in sentences.

Noun, adjective or verb

Become a Member

This content is available to members only.

Join K5 to save time, skip ads and access more content.
Learn More

Like this post? Please share to your friends:
  • Is the word are a pronoun
  • Is talked a proper word
  • Is the word beautiful an adjective or adverb
  • Is the word are a preposition
  • Is takeover one word