Word in English Grammar – Definition, Kinds, and Examples

 

Capital Letters

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Use of Capital Letters

(i) A capital letter is used at the beginning of every sentence.
Example: She is going to school.

(ii) A capital letter is used for the first letter of proper nouns (names of persons, places, days, months, etc.).
Example: India, Shafiq, Srinagar, Monday, January

(iii) A capital letter is used for the word “I” wherever it occurs.
Example: I am reading a book.

(iv) A capital letter is used at the beginning of direct speech.
Example: He said, “Come here.”

(v) A capital letter is used for the names of holy books, historical monuments, festivals, and important events.
Example: Quran, Bible, Diwali, Eid, Independence Day, Red Fort

(vi) A capital letter is used for the first letter of important words in titles, headings, or books.
Example: The Merchant of Venice, Gulliver’s Travels

(vii) A capital letter is used for the first word in poetry or verse lines.
Example: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

 

Small Letters

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Use of Small Letters

(i) Small letters are used in the middle of a sentence except when a proper noun or the pronoun “I” occurs.
Example: She is going to school.

(ii) Small letters are used for common nouns that are not names of particular persons, places, or things.
Example: book, boy, pen, tree

(iii) Small letters are used for adjectives, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, and conjunctions unless they begin a sentence.
Example: The boy runs quickly and he plays well.

(iv) Small letters are used for the names of subjects of study unless they are languages.
Example: He likes history and science, but he finds English difficult.

(v) Small letters are used for days, months, or places only when they are written in short forms or as abbreviations without initial capitals. (Though normally they are capitalized, in informal writing people sometimes use small letters.)
Example: jan, feb, mon, tue, delhi

(vi) Small letters are used in articles, prepositions, and conjunctions within titles (unless they begin the title).
Example: The Merchant of Venice (here “of” is in small letters).

 

Word and its Types

What is a Word in English Grammar?

A word is the smallest meaningful unit of language that can stand alone or combine with other words to form a sentence.
It carries meaning and is used in speaking and writing.

Example: boy, run, happy, quickly, book, they

 

Kinds of Words (Parts of Speech)

In English grammar, words are classified into 8 main kinds, also called parts of speech:

(i) Noun

A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.

Examples: Ravi, school, table, honesty

Sentence: Ravi is going to school.

(ii) Pronoun

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun to avoid repetition.

Examples: he, she, it, they, we

Sentence: Ravi is my friend. He is very kind.

(iii) Adjective

An adjective is a word that describes or qualifies a noun or pronoun.

Examples: big, red, clever, tall

Sentence: She has a red dress.

(iv) Verb

A verb is a word that shows action, state, or possession.

Examples: run, eat, is, have

Sentence: Children play in the park.

(v) Adverb

An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

Examples: quickly, very, slowly, always

Sentence: He runs quickly.

(vi) Preposition

A preposition shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun with another word in the sentence.

Examples: in, on, at, under, with

Sentence: The cat is under the table.

(vii) Conjunction

A conjunction joins words, phrases, or sentences.

Examples: and, but, because, or

Sentence: I like tea and coffee.

(viii) Interjection

An interjection expresses sudden feeling or emotion.

Examples: oh!, wow!, alas!, hurrah!

Sentence: Wow! What a beautiful flower.

 

In the below paragraph, you will understand the definition and word and its kinds.

A word is the smallest meaningful unit of language. Words are divided into different kinds according to their use in sentences. A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea, as in Ravi is going to school. A pronoun is used instead of a noun, as in Ravi is my friend. He is very kind. An adjective describes a noun or pronoun, as in She has a red dress. A verb shows action, state, or possession, as in Children play in the park. An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, as in He runs quickly. A preposition shows the relation of a noun or pronoun with other words, as in this sentence; The cat is under the table. A conjunction joins words, phrases, or sentences, as in I like tea and coffee. An interjection expresses sudden feelings or emotions, as in Wow! What a beautiful flower.

 

Exercise for Students

A. Identify the Part of Speech
Underline the word in each sentence and write its part of speech.

1.  Ravi is reading a book.

2.  She sings beautifully.

3.  Oh! What a wonderful day.

4.  I like apples and oranges.

5.  The dog is under the table.

B. Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct type of word.

1.  A _______ names a person, place, thing, or idea.

2.  A _______ is used instead of a noun.

3.  A _______ describes a noun or pronoun.

4.  A _______ shows action or state of being.

5.  A _______ joins words, phrases, or sentences.

C. Choose the Correct Word
Choose the correct word from the brackets and identify its part of speech.

1.  She (run/runs) every morning.

2.  (Wow/Oops) That was amazing!

3.  The ball is (in/on) the box.

4.  He is very (happy/happily) today.

5.  I want tea (and/but) coffee.

D. Create Your Own Sentences
Write one sentence for each part of speech: noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection.