Word Form: Noun, Verb, Adjective & Adverb

Parts of Speech

Noun: A person, place, thing, or idea 

1. A noun often comes before a verb 

• Birds sing.

2. A noun often comes after a determiner. 

• Her cat runs.

3. A noun can come after an adjective. 

• The angry dog barked. 

4. A noun can come after a verb. 

• The girl gave cookies to her friend. 

5. A noun comes after a preposition. 

• She keeps papers in boxes. 

Verb: An action (run, call, argue) or a state (be, seem, become) 

1. A verb often comes after a noun. 

• The baby cried. 

2. A verb can come between two nouns. 

• The boy hit the ball. 

Adjective: Describes a noun 

1. An adjective often comes before a noun. 

• The red dog barked. 

2. An adjective can come after a stative verb such as be, feel or seem. 

• The dog is red. 

3. An adjective can come after a noun with causative verbs (get, have, make). 

• She made her brother angry. 

Adverb: Describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a whole sentence 

1. An adverb can come after a verb. 

• She walked slowly. 

2. An adverb can come between a helping verb and its main verb. 

• The cat is quietly chasing the rat. 

3. An adverb can come before an adjective. 

• The bag was extremely heavy. 

4. An adverb can come before another adverb. 

• She talked very quietly. 

5. An adverb can come at the beginning of a sentence. 

• Unfortunately, he lost his wallet. 

6. An adverb can come at the end of a sentence. 

• He lost his umbrella, too

Exercise 1: Recognizing parts of speech needed in a sentence 

Read the following sentences. Identify the part of speech that should go in each blank. Write N (noun), V (verb), Adj (adjective) or Adv (adverb) to identify the part of speech that should go in each blank. After choosing the part of speech, explain to your partner what clues showed you the part of speech that was needed. 

Example: The cow jumped over the              N               .

1. The ___________ left. 

2. The __________ car was going too fast. 

3. Cathy ____________ her wallet at home today. 

4. ___________, she got stopped by the police on her way to work. 

5. Henry was __________ tired after walking all afternoon. 

6. The office ________ wrote a memo to all the employees. 

7. The students ___________ their homework on time. 

8. He gave good __________ to his wife. 

9. The funny man spoke very ____________. 

10. The bad weather made everyone __________. 

11. They look almost the same. The ___________ is in their eyes. 

12. My sister sent the letter which I __________ yesterday. 

13. Paul and his sister, Helen, _________ to the airport early. 

14. She recognized the man who __________ the street. 

15. The woman became _________ when the driver in front of her stopped for no reason. 

16. They usually put the flowers on __________ in front of the store. 

17. The radio blared __________. 

18. John’s _________ broke down on the bridge. 

19. The letter _______ on Tuesday. 

20. I found a _________ envelope on the sidewalk. 

Suffixes 

Suffixes are the endings on words. For example, the underlined parts of the following words are suffixes. 

• kindness
• educative
• modernize
• quickly

The suffix controls the part of speech. For example, the following words all come from the root word 'act'. Notice the part of speech of each word. 

• act (verb)
• active (adjective)
• action (noun)
• actively (adverb)

 Like the example active, most words ending in –ive are adjectives. 

Like the example action, most words ending in –tion are nouns. 

Like the example actively, most words ending in –ly are adverbs.

By learning how suffixes change the form and meaning of a word, you can easily recognize what kind of word it is (noun, verb, adjective or adverb). This also help you learn new words, fix grammar mistakes in your writing, and understand sentences more clearly when you read.

The following exercises will help you to learn which suffixes are connected to which parts of speech in English. Because there are many suffixes, you need to practice to learn them.

Exercise 2: Using Suffixes

Below are lists of common suffixes for the four main parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective & adverb). For each suffix, do the following: 

1.  Look at the example word. Underline the ending of the example word. 
2.  Think of two more example words for each suffix and write them on the lines provided. 
3.  On another piece of paper, write a sentence using one of the example words for each ending. Circle the example word and underline the ending.

Verb Endings 

1. -ate* educate ______________ ______________
2. -ed* opened ______________ ______________ 
3. -en* widen ______________ ______________ 
4. -ify classify ______________ ______________ 
5. -ing* reading ______________ ______________ 
6. -ize memorize ______________ ______________ 

Adverb Endings 

1. -ly easily _____________ ______________ 
2. -ward eastward _____________ ______________ 

Adjective Endings 

1. -able/-ible edible _____________ ______________ 
2. -al* natural _____________ ______________ 
3. -ate* accurate _____________ ______________ 
4. -ed* worried _____________ _____________ 
5. -en wooden _____________ ______________ 
6. -ent/-ant important _____________ ______________ 
7. -er* stronger _____________ ______________ 
8. -est strongest _____________ ______________ 
9. -ful hopeful _____________ ______________ 
10. -ic fantastic _____________ ______________ 
11. -ical historical _____________ ______________ 
12. -ing* amazing _____________ ______________ 
13. -ish childish _____________ ______________ 
14. -ive effective _____________ ______________ 
15. -less homeless _____________ ______________ 
16. -like childlike _____________ ______________
17. -ous/-ious curious _____________ ______________ 
18. -some tiresome _____________ ______________ 
19. -ward* westward _____________ ______________ 
20. -y* cloudy _____________ ______________

Noun Endings 

1. -age homage _____________ ______________ 
2. -al* removal _____________ ______________ 
3. -ee examinee _____________ ______________ 
4. -ence/-ance difference _____________ ______________ 
5. -ency/-ancy competency _____________ ______________ 
6. -er*/-or reader _____________ ______________ 
7. -hood brotherhood _____________ ______________ 
8. -ian physician _____________ ______________ 
9. -ing* sleeping _____________ ______________ 
10. -ism patriotism _____________ ______________
11.  -ist artist _____________ ______________ 
12. -ity/-ty ability _____________ ______________ 
13. -ment movement _____________ ______________ 
14. -ness happiness _____________ ______________ 
15. -ory laboratory _____________ ______________ 
16. -ship parternership _____________ ______________ 
17. -th truth _____________ ______________ 
18. -tion/-ion education _____________ ______________ 
19. -ure failure _____________ ______________ 
20. -y* jealousy _____________ ______________ 

Exercise 3:  Recognizing word form from suffixes

Underline the suffix in each word below. Write N (noun), V (verb), Adj (Adjective) or Adv (Adverb) beside each word. 

1. ____ darken
2. ____ friendship
3. ____ natural
4. ____ backward
5. ____ gracious
6. ____ invention
7. ____ heroism
8. ____ confident
9. ____ logical
10. ____ childhood
11. ____ loyalty
12. ____ carefully
13. ____ playfully
14. ____ equality
15. ____ gracefully
16. ____ entertainment
17. ____ simplify
18. ____ handsome
19. ____ productive
20. ____ helpless
21. ____ nutritionist
22. ____ glorify
23. ____ employee
24. ____ urgency
25. ____ celebration
26. ____ vandalize
27. ____ ownership
28. ____ normality
29. ____ selfish
30. ____ irreversible
31. ____ silently
32. ____ defensive
33. ____ alcoholic
34. ____ silly
35. ____ outrageous
36. ____ stoical
37. ____ laziness
38. ____ regional 

Exercise 4: Choosing the correct part of speech

Read each sentence and choose the correct word to put in the blank. Verbs are listed in their plain form. You may need to change the verb tense. Then check your answers with the answer key. 

1. act, active, actively, action

• a) The fire alarm prompted immediate _______________.
• b) She participates _______________ in all school activities.
• c) His lifestyle is very _______________; he’s always on the move.
• d) You need to ____________ quickly in an emergency.

2. hope, hopeful, hopefully, hopeless

• a) The team felt _______________ after losing five games in a row.
• b) We are _______________ that the weather will improve soon.
• c) She looked at him _______________, waiting for good news.
• d) We all _______________ for the best in this situation.

3. success, succeed, successful, successfully

• a) Hard work is the key to _______________.
• b) She hopes to _______________ in her career.
• c) He was very _______________ in completing the project on time.
• d) They _______________ organized the charity event.

4. joy, joyful, joyfully, joyous

• a) Her speech was full of _______________ and positivity.
• b) We celebrated the occasion in a _______________ manner.
• c) They were _______________ singing and dancing.
• d) The wedding was a _______________ event.

5. care, careless, carefully, caring

• a) Always handle glass objects _______________.
• b) Her _______________ attitude caused the accident.
• c) He is a very _______________ person who looks after others.
• d) I don’t want to damage it; I’ll take great _______________.

6. move, movement, moving, movable

• a) The parade had a lot of colorful _______________.
• b) She gave a very _______________ speech that made everyone emotional.
• c) This furniture is lightweight and easily _______________.
• d) You need to _______________ faster to catch the bus.

7. power, powerful, powerfully, powerless

• a) The storm was so strong that we felt completely _______________ to stop it.
• b) She delivered a _______________ speech that inspired everyone.
• c) The machine runs on solar _______________.
• d) The athlete performed _______________ in the final round.

8. decide, decision, decisive, decisively

• a) His _______________ helped the company avoid a major loss.
• b) She is very _______________ and always knows what to do.
• c) We need to _______________ what to do before it’s too late.
• d) The team acted _______________ to solve the problem quickly.

9. educate, education, educational, educator

• a) She is a dedicated _______________ who loves teaching children.
• b) The new program is very _______________ and helps students learn better.
• c) Every child has the right to an _______________.
• d) They aim to _______________ children about environmental issues.

10. create, creativity, creative, creatively

• a) The artist is known for her _______________ ideas.
• b) He used his _______________ to solve the tricky problem.
• c) Let’s _______________ something amazing for the science fair.
• d) The project was done _______________, with lots of unique details.

11. build, builder, building, built

• a) The house was ______________ in just three months.
• b) The ______________ of the new school will be completed next year.
• c) My uncle is a professional _______________.
• d) They plan to ______________ a park next to the community center.

12. assist, assistant, assistance, assisted

• a) The teacher’s _______________ was very helpful during the group activity.
• b) He asked for _______________ to carry the heavy boxes.
• c) The store manager hired an _______________ to help with inventory.
• d) The librarian _______________ the students in finding the right books.

13. entertain, entertainment, entertaining, entertained

• a) The circus provided great _______________ for the children.
• b) She is very skilled at _______________ guests at her dinner parties.
• c) The movie was so _______________ that no one wanted it to end.
• d) The magician _______________ the audience with his amazing tricks.

14. examine, examiner, examination, examined

• a) The doctor _______________ the patient thoroughly.
• b) The final _______________ will take place in the main hall.
• c) The _______________ asked the students to submit their papers before leaving.
• d) The evidence was carefully _______________ by the forensic team.

15. celebrate, celebration, celebrated, celebratory

• a) The wedding was a grand _______________ with hundreds of guests.
• b) They _______________ their anniversary with a special dinner.
• c) The event had a _______________ mood with music and dancing.
• d) She is a well-known author who is widely _______________ for her work.

16. motivate, motivation, motivated, motivating

• a) The teacher’s speech _______________ the students to work harder.
• b) His main _______________ for studying abroad was to gain international experience.
• c) She is very _______________ to achieve her goals.
• d) A good leader is also a _______________ influence on the team.

17. relax, relaxation, relaxed, relaxing

• a) A warm bath is a great way to achieve complete _______________.
• b) The yoga class was very _______________ and helped ease her stress.
• c) After the long hike, they _______________ by the campfire.
• d) The beach has a calm and _______________ atmosphere.

18. educate, educational, educated, education

• a) The program is highly _______________ and teaches practical skills.
• b) Every child has the right to a good _______________.
• c) She is well _______________ and holds two university degrees.
• d) The new policy aims to _______________ children about healthy eating.

19. manage, management, manager, manageable

• a) The new _______________ is responsible for improving workplace efficiency.
• b) Time _______________ is an important skill for students.
• c) He was promoted to the position of _______________ last month.
• d) The tasks are challenging but still _______________ if you plan well.

20. perform, performance, performer, performing

• a) The actor’s _______________ in the play was outstanding.
• b) She dreams of becoming a professional _______________.
• c) The students will be _______________ their new play next week.
• d) He will _______________ a song he wrote himself.