Grammar: Word classes

Overview

What are the different word classes in English?

You will find slight differences when comparing different grammars in the number of word classes they recognise, and in the names they use for different classes. In taking a functional approach to grammar, we recognise nine major word classes, (some of which can also be broken down into sub-classes):

	nouns
	pronouns
	adjectives
	determiners
	number words
	verbs
	adverbs
	prepositions
	conjunctions

We will now outline nouns, pronouns, adjectives, determiners and number words.

Nouns

Nouns name a person, animal, thing or place. Nouns can be divided into proper nouns, common nouns, and pronouns.

Proper nouns can name an individual person (Miss Lee, Granny Gong, Kitty), a particular place (Aberdeen, Wanchai, Hong Kong) or an institution (Hong Kong University, Hang Seng Bank, City Hall).

Common nouns name classes of people (men, children, teachers), animals (mice, birds, fish), things (cup, rug, money) as well as abstract things (love, wealth, happiness).

Common nouns and proper nouns form open word classes. This means that we can keep adding new words to the language, as is the case with such additions as vitamin, radar, CD-ROM, ghetto blaster and Internet.

Pronouns

Pronouns (I, you, we, he, she, it, they) are also a sub-class of noun. They are like nouns in that they can function as the Head of a noun group, and they can be singular or plural, ie their form is like that of nouns. But they differ from nouns in that they do not represent a person or thing in their own right. We interpret pronouns not in terms of their own content but in terms of what they are referring to:

We interpret the pronoun they with reference to what it refers to in this text, while the common noun mice is interpreted in terms of the class of small animals it names.

Pronouns form a closed word class. We cannot create new pronouns.

Adjectives

Adjectives express qualities: old, small, sleepy, happy, grumpy, married, female. They have two main functions. 

They can be used to describe things in noun groups:

Or to describe things in clauses:

Adjectives are an open word class.

Determiners

Determiners are a class which includes the definite article (the) and indefinite article (a/an). This class also includes demonstratives (this, that, these, those) and possessive pronouns (my, his, their).

Determiners function in the noun group. They function to specify which individual of the class represented by the noun is being talked about (the mouse in the corner).

Determiners form a closed word class.

Number words

As a word class, these include cardinal numbers (two, three, four) and ordinal numbers (first, second, third). Numerals typically function in the noun group to tell us the 'quantity' or 'order' of the thing in question (three blind mice, the third mouse). Words specifying an inexact number (several, many, few) also belong to this word class.

Number words also form a closed word class. Although there may be infinitely many numbers, we do not create new numerals as far as language is concerned.

Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, determiners, numerals are all types of nominal words since these words all have a function or role to play in the structure of the noun group. 

For more information on the noun group, see    Grammar: Groups & phrases: Noun group: Overview