Courseversity

Parts of speech

Primary EducationGrade 4English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G04-ELA-U06-L0145–60 min

You will learn

  • Name the parts of speech.
  • Explain their jobs.
  • Find them in sentences.
  • Use them to improve writing.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Read the sentence.
  2. Ask what each word does.
  3. Label it.
  4. Check by substitution.

Words to know

noun
a word for a person, place, thing or idea
verb
a word for an action or state
adjective
a word that describes a noun
adverb
a word that tells how, when or where something happens

1. Discover: One sentence, eight jobs

Yesterday the tired farmer slowly carried his basket to the market and sold it. Tolu labels: farmer, basket, market are nouns; carried, sold are verbs; tired is an adjective; slowly, yesterday are adverbs; his and it are pronouns; to is a preposition; and is a conjunction.

Think: What would happen if the adjectives and adverbs were removed?

2. Understand: What each word does

Idea 1: Naming and action

A noun names (farmer, market). A verb shows action or state (carried, was).

Idea 2: Describing

An adjective describes a noun (tired farmer). An adverb tells how, when or where (slowly, yesterday).

Idea 3: Linking

A pronoun replaces a noun (his, it). A preposition shows position or direction (to). A conjunction joins (and).

Remember: Each part of speech has a job: name, act, describe, replace, show relationship or join.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Noun

Name a noun.

  1. Person, place, thing.

Answer: farmer (or basket/market)

Example 2 (We do it together): Adverb

Name an adverb.

  1. How or when.

Answer: slowly (or yesterday)

Example 3 (You try): Conj

Name the conjunction.

Show the steps and answer
  1. Joining word.

Answer: and

Did you know?

The same word can be different parts of speech; run can be a verb or a noun.

Why this matters

Knowing parts of speech helps you write and edit clear sentences.

4. Explore: Label it

Label a sentence.

  1. Write a sentence of ten words.
  2. Label each part of speech.
  3. Swap one word for a better one.
  4. Read aloud.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can label parts of speech.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • ___ is a noun because ___.
  • The verb is ___.
  • ___ describes ___.
  • ___ tells how.

Guided practice

Question 1. A word for a person, place or thing is a ___.

noun

Question 2. A word for an action is a ___.

verb

Question 3. A word that describes a noun is an ___.

adjective

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. A word for a person, place or thing is a ___.
  2. A word for an action is a ___.
  3. A word that describes a noun is an ___.
  4. A word that tells how is an ___.
  5. A word that replaces a noun is a ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Which word is an adjective?
  2. Which word is a preposition?
  3. Which word is a conjunction?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Is “farmer” a noun?
  2. Is “slowly” an adverb?
  3. Is “and” a verb?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Write three sentences and label each word’s part of speech.

Show a sample answer

a labelled sentence set

Another one. Write a sentence with a noun, verb, adjective and adverb and label them.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can name the parts of speech.
  • I can explain their jobs.
  • I can find them in sentences.
  • I can use them to improve writing.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. A noun names a person, place, thing or ___.

2. A verb shows an ___ or state.

3. An adjective describes a ___.

4. An adverb tells how, when or ___.

5. Which word is a noun?

6. Which word is a verb?

7. Which word is an adjective?

8. Which word is an adverb?

9. Which word is a pronoun?

10. Which word is a preposition?

11. Which word is a conjunction?

12. Why know parts of speech?

Challenge 1. In The brave girl ran quickly, which word is an adverb?

Challenge 2. In She ate the mango, which word is the pronoun?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Read the sentence.
  • Ask what each word does.
  • Label it.
  • Check by substitution.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Verb tense consistency. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is a noun? Give an example. [2 marks]
  2. What is a verb? Give an example. [2 marks]
  3. What is an adjective? Give an example. [2 marks]
  4. What is an adverb? Give an example. [2 marks]
  5. Explain how to find the part of speech of a word. [3 marks]

Total: 11 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. names a person, place, thing or idea [1]; e.g. market [1]
  2. an action or state [1]; e.g. carried [1]
  3. describes a noun [1]; e.g. tired [1]
  4. tells how, when or where [1]; e.g. slowly [1]
  5. read the sentence [1]; ask what job the word does [1]; label and check by substitution [1]

Score guide: 10 to 11 = secure. 7 to 9 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 7 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. A word for a person, place or thing is a ___.
  2. A word for an action is a ___.
  3. A word that describes a noun is an ___.
  4. A word that tells how is an ___.
  5. A word that replaces a noun is a ___.
  6. Which word is an adjective?
  7. Which word is a preposition?
  8. Which word is a conjunction?
  9. Is “farmer” a noun?
  10. Is “slowly” an adverb?

Homework

Write a sentence with a noun, verb, adjective and adverb and label them.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. A word for a person, place or thing is a ___. noun 1
2. A word for an action is a ___. verb 1
3. A word that describes a noun is an ___. adjective 1
4. A word that tells how is an ___. adverb 1
5. A word that replaces a noun is a ___. pronoun 1
6. Which word is an adjective? tired 1
7. Which word is a preposition? to 1
8. Which word is a conjunction? and 1
9. Is “farmer” a noun? yes 1
10. Is “slowly” an adverb? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 noun; 2 verb; 3 adjective; 4 adverb; 5 pronoun. Level 2: 1 tired; 2 to; 3 and. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 no.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Name the parts of speech Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Explain their jobs Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Find them in sentences Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Use them to improve writing Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: name the parts of speech; explain their jobs; find them in sentences; use them to improve writing.

Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 3 grammar.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 11-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 4 » Language. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core L.4.1a (use relative pronouns and relative adverbs) and L.4.1; Cambridge Primary English Stage 4 (grammar). These sources informed the lesson.

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