Term What it is Examples
Noun A person, place, thing, or idea dog, city, happiness,
teacher
Proper noun The specific name of a person, London, Maria,
place, or thing — always capitalised Tuesday, Amazon
Common A general name for any member of a city, woman, river,
noun group company
Abstract A noun you cannot touch or see — freedom, love,
noun an idea, feeling, or quality courage, beauty
Collective A word for a group of things or team, family, flock,
noun people treated as one unit government
Pronoun Replaces a noun to avoid repetition he, she, it, they, we,
you, I
Relative Introduces a relative clause that The woman who
pronoun gives more information about a called me… / The
noun. Main ones: who, whom, which, book that I read…
that, whose
Reflexive Refers back to the subject of the himself, herself,
pronoun clause themselves, itself
Demonstrativ Points to specific things this, that, these,
e pronoun those
Verb An action, event, or state run, think, be, seem,
have
Auxiliary A "helping" verb used alongside a be, have, do; will,
verb main verb to form tenses, questions, can, must
and negatives
Modal verb An auxiliary verb that expresses can, could, may,
ability, possibility, obligation, or might, must, shall,
permission. Never changes form should, will, would
Linking verb Connects the subject to a be, seem, appear,
description (adjective or noun) become, feel, look,
rather than expressing an action sound, taste
Transitive A verb that needs a direct object to She kicked the ball.
verb complete its meaning He wrote a letter.
Intransitive A verb that does not take a direct She arrived. He
Noun A person, place, thing, or idea dog, city, happiness,
teacher
Proper noun The specific name of a person, London, Maria,
place, or thing — always capitalised Tuesday, Amazon
Common A general name for any member of a city, woman, river,
noun group company
Abstract A noun you cannot touch or see — freedom, love,
noun an idea, feeling, or quality courage, beauty
Collective A word for a group of things or team, family, flock,
noun people treated as one unit government
Pronoun Replaces a noun to avoid repetition he, she, it, they, we,
you, I
Relative Introduces a relative clause that The woman who
pronoun gives more information about a called me… / The
noun. Main ones: who, whom, which, book that I read…
that, whose
Reflexive Refers back to the subject of the himself, herself,
pronoun clause themselves, itself
Demonstrativ Points to specific things this, that, these,
e pronoun those
Verb An action, event, or state run, think, be, seem,
have
Auxiliary A "helping" verb used alongside a be, have, do; will,
verb main verb to form tenses, questions, can, must
and negatives
Modal verb An auxiliary verb that expresses can, could, may,
ability, possibility, obligation, or might, must, shall,
permission. Never changes form should, will, would
Linking verb Connects the subject to a be, seem, appear,
description (adjective or noun) become, feel, look,
rather than expressing an action sound, taste
Transitive A verb that needs a direct object to She kicked the ball.
verb complete its meaning He wrote a letter.
Intransitive A verb that does not take a direct She arrived. He
