Learn all 8 parts of speech (plus the determiner) with a simple Wh-question trick, fresh examples, and the rules tested in SSC, HSC, admission, and job exams. With Bengali explanations.
Every English sentence you have ever seen is built from just a handful of word types. Learn these types, called the parts of speech, and suddenly grammar stops feeling like a jungle of random rules. You start to see how a sentence is put together, which is exactly what fill-in-the-gaps questions, and half the other grammar items, are really testing.
তুমি জীবনে যত ইংরেজি বাক্য দেখেছ, তার সবই মাত্র কয়েক ধরনের শব্দ দিয়ে তৈরি। এই শব্দের ধরনগুলোকেই বলা হয় parts of speech। এগুলো একবার শিখে ফেললে গ্রামারকে আর এলোমেলো নিয়মের জঙ্গল মনে হবে না; বরং তুমি বুঝতে পারবে একটি বাক্য কীভাবে গঠিত হয়। আর fill in the gaps সহ আরও অনেক grammar item আসলে এই জিনিসটাই পরীক্ষা করে।
Parts of speech is the true foundation of English grammar, so this is the lesson to start with. In this guide we will cover all of them with a simple trick to recognise each one, plus the higher rules that come in H.S.C, admission, and job exams. Before you start, a quick look at the classifications of persons will help everything here make sense.
Parts of speech হলো ইংরেজি গ্রামারের আসল ভিত্তি, তাই গ্রামার শুরু করার জন্য এটিই প্রথম পাঠ। এই guide এ আমরা প্রতিটি part of speech শিখব, সাথে থাকবে প্রতিটিকে চেনার একটি সহজ কৌশল, আর H.S.C, admission ও job পরীক্ষায় আসা উঁচু স্তরের নিয়ম। শুরু করার আগে classifications of persons পাঠটি একবার দেখে নিলে এখানকার সবকিছু বুঝতে সুবিধা হবে। তাহলে চলো, শুরু করা যাক।
What is a Part of Speech?
A part of speech is the class or category a word belongs to, based on the job it does in a sentence. Traditionally there are 8 parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Modern grammar adds a 9th, the determiner, which we will meet later in this lesson.
Part of speech হলো একটি শব্দের শ্রেণি বা category, যা নির্ধারিত হয় বাক্যে শব্দটি কী কাজ করছে তার উপর ভিত্তি করে। প্রচলিতভাবে parts of speech ৮টি: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction এবং interjection। আধুনিক গ্রামারে একটি ৯ম part যোগ করা হয়, সেটি হলো determiner, যা আমরা পাঠের শেষের দিকে দেখব।
For Example: Mr. Sarowar likes hot coffee at breakfast.
| Mr. Sarowar | likes | hot | coffee | at | breakfast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noun | Verb | Adjective | Noun | Preposition | Noun |
The Meanings in One Line Each
Before the details, here is what each part of speech does, in one line.
বিস্তারিত পড়ার আগে প্রতিটি part of speech এর কাজ এক লাইনে দেখে নাও।
- Noun: the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Pronoun: a word used in place of a noun.
- Verb: a word that shows an action or a state.
- Adjective: a word that describes a noun or pronoun.
- Adverb: a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
- Preposition: a word that shows the relation between a noun and another word.
- Conjunction: a word that joins words, phrases, or sentences.
- Interjection: a word that expresses sudden feeling or emotion.
- Determiner: a word placed before a noun to point it out or show quantity.
The Easy Trick: WAH2ILI
WAH2ILI
Remembering the rules for all the parts of speech can feel heavy. So here is a simple trick I use with my students: WAH2ILI. It is made from the Wh-question words (who, what, how) plus a few clues. Ask the right question about a word, and the answer tells you its part of speech.
সব part of speech এর নিয়ম মনে রাখা ভারী মনে হতে পারে। তাই আমি আমার শিক্ষার্থীদের একটি সহজ কৌশল শেখাই: WAH2ILI। এটি তৈরি হয়েছে Wh-question শব্দ (who, what, how) আর কিছু সংকেত দিয়ে। কোনো শব্দ নিয়ে সঠিক প্রশ্নটি করো, উত্তরই বলে দেবে সেটি কোন part of speech।
| Letter | Ask this question | The answer is |
|---|---|---|
| W | Who / What is doing it? (কে বা কী কাজটি করছে?) | Noun / Pronoun |
| A | What is the Action word? (কাজ বোঝানো শব্দ কোনটি?) | Verb |
| H | How is the Noun/Pronoun, what kind? (noun/pronoun টি কেমন?) | Adjective |
| H | How is the Verb/Adjective done? (কাজটি কীভাবে হলো?) | Adverb |
| I | What is the Indicator between two nouns? (দুই noun এর মাঝে সম্পর্ক নির্দেশক কোনটি?) | Preposition |
| L | What is Linking two words or sentences? (দুটি শব্দ বা বাক্য যুক্তকারী কোনটি?) | Conjunction |
| I | What shows an Impression of the mind? (মনের আবেগ প্রকাশক কোনটি?) | Interjection |
Let us test it on a sentence: Hurrah! We have won a prestigious prize for Soham and Robin finally.
| Word | Part of Speech | Why (using WAH2ILI) |
|---|---|---|
| Hurrah! | Interjection | shows an impression of the mind (মনের আবেগ প্রকাশ করছে) |
| We | Pronoun | stands in place of a noun (noun এর পরিবর্তে বসেছে) |
| have won | Verb | the action word (কাজ বোঝাচ্ছে) |
| a | Determiner | points out the noun ‘prize’ (‘prize’ কে নির্দিষ্ট করছে) |
| prestigious | Adjective | how is the prize? (‘prize’ টি কেমন তা বোঝাচ্ছে) |
| prize | Noun | the name of a thing (একটি বস্তুর নাম) |
| for | Preposition | the indicator between ‘prize’ and ‘Soham’ (‘prize’ ও ‘Soham’ এর সম্পর্ক বোঝাচ্ছে) |
| Soham | Noun | the name of a person (একজন ব্যক্তির নাম) |
| and | Conjunction | links ‘Soham’ and ‘Robin’ (‘Soham’ ও ‘Robin’ যুক্ত করছে) |
| Robin | Noun | the name of a person (একজন ব্যক্তির নাম) |
| finally | Adverb | how / when was it won? (কখন জেতা হলো তা বোঝাচ্ছে) |
1. Noun
A noun is the name of a person, a place, a thing, an animal, or an idea.
Noun হলো কোনো ব্যক্তি, স্থান, বস্তু, প্রাণী বা ভাবের নাম।
- Honesty is a rare quality these days.
- The Padma is a mighty river.
- Our team won the final match.
- She poured the milk into a glass.
Example in context: Every morning, Rahim leaves his village and walks to the school beside the river. He carries his books in an old bag, greets his friends, and dreams of becoming a doctor who serves his country.
Read the full lesson: Noun: Definition, Types, and Examples in English Grammar.
2. Pronoun
A pronoun is used in place of a noun, so we do not repeat the same noun again and again.
Pronoun noun এর পরিবর্তে বসে, যাতে একই noun বারবার বলতে না হয়।
- She is the captain of our team.
- I hurt myself while cooking.
- Everybody loves a sincere worker.
- The bag on the desk is mine.
Example in context: I met Rahim yesterday, and he told me that his brother had hurt himself. We helped him, and they all thanked us. Nobody expected such kindness, but everyone was grateful for it.
Read the full lesson: Pronoun: Types, Rules, and Examples (incl. Unclear Pronoun).
3. Verb
A verb is a word that shows an action or a state of being. Without a verb, there is no sentence.
Verb হলো এমন শব্দ যা কোনো কাজ বা অবস্থা প্রকাশ করে। Verb ছাড়া কোনো বাক্য হয় না।
- The farmers plough their fields at dawn.
- She has finished her homework.
- The soup smells wonderful.
- They were playing in the rain.
Example in context: The sun rises early, and the farmers go to their fields. They plough the land, sow the seeds, and water the crops. By noon they rest, eat their lunch, and talk about the coming harvest.
Read the full lesson: Verb: Types (Finite, Non-Finite, Auxiliary) with Examples.
4. Adjective
An adjective describes or adds meaning to a noun or a pronoun. It answers “what kind?”, “how many?”, or “which one?”.
Adjective কোনো noun বা pronoun কে বর্ণনা করে বা তার সম্পর্কে বাড়তি তথ্য দেয়। এটি “কেমন?”, “কতগুলো?”, বা “কোনটি?” প্রশ্নের উত্তর দেয়।
- She wore a beautiful dress to the party.
- We have enough time before the train leaves.
- He is an honest and hard-working man.
- This is the tallest building in the city.
Example in context: The old man lived in a small, quiet house at the far end of a narrow street. He had a kind heart, a gentle voice, and a wise mind that many young villagers deeply admired.
Read the full lesson: Adjective: Types, Order, and Usage Rules with Examples
5. Adverb
An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It usually answers “how?”, “when?”, “where?”, or “to what extent?”.
Adverb একটি verb, adjective অথবা আরেকটি adverb কে বর্ণনা করে। এটি সাধারণত “কীভাবে?”, “কখন?”, “কোথায়?”, বা “কতটা?” প্রশ্নের উত্তর দেয়।
- The child answered the question politely.
- She will arrive tomorrow.
- He drives very carefully.
- I have almost finished the report.
Example in context: She spoke softly but confidently, answering almost every question correctly. The teacher quietly smiled, because the girl had clearly studied hard. Later, she walked home slowly, thinking deeply about the exam she would soon face.
Read the full lesson: Adverb: Types, Position, and Examples in English Grammar
6. Preposition
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word in the sentence. It often shows place, time, or direction.
Preposition একটি noun (বা pronoun) এবং বাক্যের অন্য একটি শব্দের মধ্যে সম্পর্ক দেখায়। এটি প্রায়ই স্থান, সময় বা দিক বোঝায়।
- The cat is hiding under the table.
- We will meet after the class.
- She walked towards the gate.
- The letter came from Dhaka.
Example in context: The cat jumped onto the table, ran across the room, and hid behind the curtain. The children searched under the bed, inside the box, and near the door, but finally found it beside the window.
Read the full lesson: Preposition: Rules and Common Uses with Examples
7. Conjunction
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or whole sentences together.
Conjunction শব্দ, phrase বা সম্পূর্ণ বাক্যকে একসাথে যুক্ত করে।
- Rahim and Karim are close friends.
- She was tired, but she kept working.
- Wait here until I come back.
- He failed because he did not study.
Example in context: Rahim and Karim wanted to play, but it was raining. They waited until the sky cleared, and then they went out. They played happily because the weather was cool, although the ground was still wet.
Read the full lesson: Conjunction: Types and Rules with Examples
8. Interjection
An interjection is a word or short phrase that expresses a sudden emotion, such as joy, sorrow, or surprise. It is usually followed by an exclamation mark.
Interjection হলো এমন শব্দ বা ছোট বাক্যাংশ যা হঠাৎ কোনো আবেগ প্রকাশ করে, যেমন আনন্দ, দুঃখ বা বিস্ময়। এর পরে সাধারণত একটি বিস্ময়সূচক চিহ্ন (!) বসে।
- Hurrah! We have won the match.
- Alas! The poor man has lost everything.
- Wow! What a beautiful sunset.
- Oh! I forgot my keys at home.
Example in context: Hurrah! Our team has won the final match. Alas! The other side played well but lost. Wow! What a thrilling game it was. Oh! I almost missed the last goal. Bravo! Everyone cheered for the champions.
Read the full lesson: Interjection: Meaning and Uses with Examples
The 9th Part: Determiner (Modern Grammar)
Here is something your older textbooks may not mention. Modern grammar adds a 9th part of speech: the determiner. A determiner sits before a noun to point it out or to show quantity. This includes the articles (a, an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your), and quantifiers (some, many, few).
এখানে এমন একটি বিষয় বলছি যা তোমার পুরনো বইয়ে না-ও থাকতে পারে। আধুনিক গ্রামারে একটি ৯ম part of speech যোগ করা হয়েছে: determiner। Determiner একটি noun এর আগে বসে সেটিকে নির্দিষ্ট করে বা তার পরিমাণ বোঝায়। এর মধ্যে আছে article (a, an, the), demonstrative (this, that), possessive (my, your), এবং quantifier (some, many, few)।
- The teacher praised my answer.
- Please give me some water.
- This book belongs to that girl.
- Many students failed, but few passed.
Example in context: The teacher gave each student some advice before the exam. My friend forgot his pen, so another student lent him one. Many questions were hard, but a few were easy, and every answer counted.
Note for the exam: traditional grammar treats articles and words like ‘this’ and ‘many’ as adjectives. Modern grammar calls them determiners. For SSC and HSC, either view is usually accepted; for admission and job exams, it is safer to know the modern term ‘determiner’.
পরীক্ষার জন্য নোট: প্রচলিত গ্রামার article এবং ‘this’, ‘many’ এর মতো শব্দকে adjective ধরে। কিন্তু আধুনিক গ্রামার এদের determiner বলে। SSC ও HSC তে সাধারণত দুটোই গ্রহণযোগ্য; তবে admission ও job পরীক্ষার জন্য determiner শব্দটি জানা নিরাপদ।
The Most Important Rule: The Same Word Can Change Its Part of Speech
This is the point that separates a good student from an average one, and it is tested heavily in admission and job exams. A word does not have a fixed part of speech. Its part of speech depends on the job it does in that particular sentence. So the same word can be a noun in one sentence and a verb in another.
এই পয়েন্টটিই একজন ভালো শিক্ষার্থীকে সাধারণ শিক্ষার্থী থেকে আলাদা করে, আর admission ও job পরীক্ষায় এটি খুব বেশি আসে। একটি শব্দের part of speech স্থির নয়। বাক্যে শব্দটি কী কাজ করছে তার উপর নির্ভর করে এর part of speech। তাই একই শব্দ একটি বাক্যে noun আবার অন্য বাক্যে verb হতে পারে।
Look at the word ‘water’ in these sentences:
| Sentence | ‘water’ is a | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Please drink some water. | Noun | it names a thing |
| Please water the plants. | Verb | it shows an action |
| I need a water bottle. | Adjective | it describes the noun ‘bottle’ |
So never decide a word’s part of speech by the word alone. Always read the whole sentence and ask what job the word is doing.
তাই কখনোই শুধু শব্দ দেখে তার part of speech ঠিক করো না। সবসময় পুরো বাক্য পড়ো এবং দেখো শব্দটি সেখানে কী কাজ করছে।
How to Analyse a Word’s Part of Speech
There are two ways to look at the words of a sentence. For structural analysis, we use subject, verb, and object (see Structure of Sentences). For functional analysis, we use the parts of speech, which is what this lesson is about.
একটি বাক্যের শব্দগুলো দুইভাবে দেখা যায়। Structural বিশ্লেষণে আমরা subject, verb, object ব্যবহার করি। আর functional বিশ্লেষণে আমরা parts of speech ব্যবহার করি, যা নিয়ে এই পাঠটি লেখা।
Practice Exercise with Answers
Name the part of speech of each bold word.
প্রতিটি bold শব্দের part of speech বলো। নিজে চেষ্টা করার পরে উত্তর মিলিয়ে নাও।
- London stands on the river Thames.
- He tried to lift himself out of poverty.
- My father is reading a newspaper now.
- We answered our teacher respectfully.
- Wow! It is a beautiful scene.
- You should work hard if you want to pass.
- He gave me a bunch of grapes.
- She sang a sweet song.
Answers
- on = Preposition
- himself = Pronoun (reflexive)
- now = Adverb
- respectfully = Adverb
- Wow! = Interjection
- if = Conjunction
- bunch = Noun (collective)
- sweet = Adjective
A Tip for the Exam
Do not memorise words as belonging to one fixed part of speech. Instead, learn the WAH2ILI trick and read each word inside its sentence. When you are unsure, ask the Wh-question that matches: “who or what?” for a noun, “action?” for a verb, “how or what kind?” for an adjective or adverb. That habit will let you label any word correctly, even words you have never seen before.
শব্দকে কোনো একটি নির্দিষ্ট part of speech হিসেবে মুখস্থ করো না। বরং WAH2ILI কৌশলটি শেখো এবং প্রতিটি শব্দকে তার বাক্যের ভেতরে রেখে পড়ো। সন্দেহ হলে মিল রেখে Wh-প্রশ্নটি করো: noun এর জন্য “কে বা কী?”, verb এর জন্য “কাজ?”, adjective বা adverb এর জন্য “কেমন বা কীভাবে?”। এই অভ্যাসই তোমাকে যেকোনো শব্দ, এমনকি আগে কখনো না দেখা শব্দও, সঠিকভাবে চিনতে সাহায্য করবে।
Related Lessons
Study these lessons to go deeper into each part of speech:
- Noun: Definition, Types, and Examples in English Grammar
- Pronoun: Types, Rules, and Examples (incl. Unclear Pronoun)
- Adjective: Types, Order, and Usage Rules with Examples
- Verb: Types (Finite, Non-Finite, Auxiliary) with Examples
- Structure and Analysis of Sentences
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 8 parts of speech?
They are noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Modern grammar adds a 9th, the determiner.
What is the easiest way to identify a part of speech?
Use the Wh-question trick (WAH2ILI). Ask “who or what?” for nouns, “action?” for verbs, “how or what kind?” for adjectives and adverbs, and so on. The answer reveals the part of speech.
Can one word be more than one part of speech?
Yes. A word’s part of speech depends on its job in the sentence. For example, ‘water’ is a noun in “drink water” but a verb in “water the plants”.
Is ‘the’ an adjective or a determiner?
Traditional grammar calls a, an, and the adjectives (specifically articles). Modern grammar calls them determiners. Both are accepted at the school level, but ‘determiner’ is the more current term.
Why are parts of speech important?
They are the foundation of grammar. You need them to build correct sentences and to answer fill-in-the-gaps, transformation, and many other exam items.