Parts of Speech: Verb, Adjective and Adverb | Edwin Ogie Library
Parts of Speech: Verb, Adjective and Adverb
A comprehensive web book with clear explanations, 10 worked examples, and 20 exercises for practice.
Understanding Verbs, Adjectives and Adverbs
Verb is a word that shows action, state or occurrence. Examples: run, eat, is, become.
Adjective is a word that describes a noun or pronoun. Examples: tall, beautiful, bright.
Adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb. Examples: quickly, very, carefully.
Verb
Shows action or being.
Adjective
Describes a noun.
Adverb
Describes how, when, where or to what extent.
Verb
A verb is a word used to show action, state of being or occurrence. Without a verb, a sentence cannot express what the subject is doing or what is happening.
Types of verbs
Action verbs: run, write, sing.
Linking verbs: is, am, are, was, were.
Helping verbs: has, have, do, will, can.
10 Worked Examples
Example 1
Sentence: The boy runs to school.
Verb: runs
It shows action.
Example 2
Sentence: The girls sing beautifully.
Verb: sing
It shows action.
Example 3
Sentence: She is happy.
Verb: is
It links the subject to a description.
Example 4
Sentence: They were late.
Verb: were
It shows state of being.
Example 5
Sentence: I will go tomorrow.
Verb: will go
It shows future action.
Example 6
Sentence: He has finished his work.
Verb: has finished
It is a helping verb plus main verb.
Example 7
Sentence: The baby cries at night.
Verb: cries
It shows action.
Example 8
Sentence: The water flows quickly.
Verb: flows
It shows action.
Example 9
Sentence: We do our homework daily.
Verb: do
It shows action.
Example 10
Sentence: The teacher was angry.
Verb: was
It shows state of being.
Adjective
An adjective is a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun. It answers questions like: what kind? which one? how many?
What adjectives do
They describe size, colour, shape, age, quality, quantity and origin.
10 Worked Examples
Example 1
Sentence: She wore a red dress.
Adjective: red
It describes the dress.
Example 2
Sentence: He lives in a big house.
Adjective: big
It describes the house.
Example 3
Sentence: They bought three books.
Adjective: three
It tells quantity.
Example 4
Sentence: The young boy smiled.
Adjective: young
It describes age.
Example 5
Sentence: I saw a beautiful flower.
Adjective: beautiful
It describes quality.
Example 6
Sentence: The square table is new.
Adjective: square
It describes shape.
Example 7
Sentence: A cold drink is refreshing.
Adjective: cold
It describes the drink.
Example 8
Sentence: The class has many students.
Adjective: many
It tells quantity.
Example 9
Sentence: We visited an ancient building.
Adjective: ancient
It describes age.
Example 10
Sentence: The Nigerian flag is green, white, green.
Adjective: Nigerian
It describes origin.
Adverb
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It often answers how? when? where? and to what extent?
Types of adverbs
Manner: quickly, slowly, carefully
Time: now, later, yesterday
Place: here, there, everywhere
Degree: very, quite, too, almost
10 Worked Examples
Example 1
Sentence: She ran quickly.
Adverb: quickly
It tells how she ran.
Example 2
Sentence: He arrived early.
Adverb: early
It tells when he arrived.
Example 3
Sentence: The children played outside.
Adverb: outside
It tells where they played.
Example 4
Sentence: She is very happy.
Adverb: very
It modifies the adjective happy.
Example 5
Sentence: The baby slept soundly.
Adverb: soundly
It tells how the baby slept.
Example 6
Sentence: We will meet tomorrow.
Adverb: tomorrow
It tells when.
Example 7
Sentence: He answered carefully.
Adverb: carefully
It tells how he answered.
Example 8
Sentence: The bird flew high.
Adverb: high
It tells where/how high.
Example 9
Sentence: The soup is too hot.
Adverb: too
It modifies the adjective hot.
Example 10
Sentence: She speaks softly.
Adverb: softly
It tells how she speaks.
20 Exercises
Try the exercises first, then reveal the answers to check your work.
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