📌 Chapter Snapshot
8
Parts of Speech
5
Verb Forms (V1–V5)
4
Kinds of Sentences
2
Types of Clauses
- Language is made up of Words, and Words are classified into Parts — the 8 Parts of Speech: Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Adjective, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection.
- This chapter also covers word-formation via Prefix/Suffix, the structure of Verbs (Primary vs Modal, Finite vs Non-Finite), Subject/Object/Subject Complement identification, the 4 kinds of sentences, and the difference between Phrase and Clause.
⚡ QUICK RECALL
Not even a single sentence can be made without a Main Verb (M.V.) — this is the single most tested foundational rule in this chapter.
🔤 The 8 Parts of Speech
1. Verb
Action or State of being.
Action: I read the newspaper daily.
State: She is a teacher.
Examples: go, write, play, is, am, will
State: She is a teacher.
Examples: go, write, play, is, am, will
2. Noun
Naming word.
Rahul stays in Mumbai.
Examples: Rohan, Mumbai, Table, Dog
Examples: Rohan, Mumbai, Table, Dog
3. Pronoun
Replaces a noun.
Tanu is a bibliophile. She carries a book with her everywhere.
Examples: I, We, You, Me, My, ourselves
Examples: I, We, You, Me, My, ourselves
4. Adjective
Modifies a noun/pronoun.
She has a red hat.
The southern lights are beautiful.
Examples: Big, Happy, Green, Crazy
The southern lights are beautiful.
Examples: Big, Happy, Green, Crazy
5. Adverb
Modifies a verb / adjective / adverb.
He drives carefully.
She is narrating the incident very slowly.
Examples: Slowly, very, always, never, tomorrow, here
She is narrating the incident very slowly.
Examples: Slowly, very, always, never, tomorrow, here
6. Preposition
Shows the relationship of a noun/pronoun to another word.
I live in India.
There is a box under the table.
Examples: at, in, with, near, between
There is a box under the table.
Examples: at, in, with, near, between
7. Conjunction
Joining word.
Rohan and Sahil are friends.
I did not go to work today because I was not feeling well.
Examples: and, or, but, because, since
I did not go to work today because I was not feeling well.
Examples: and, or, but, because, since
8. Interjection
Expressive word.
Ouch! That hurt.
Yo! I love to listen to rap music.
Examples: Wow!, Oh!, Yo!, Ouch!, Hurrah!
Yo! I love to listen to rap music.
Examples: Wow!, Oh!, Yo!, Ouch!, Hurrah!
Language → Words → Parts (of Speech)
⚠ EXAM TRAP
"Ad" in Adjective/Adverb signals "addition" — both ADD extra information, but an Adjective modifies nouns/pronouns while an Adverb modifies verbs/adjectives/other adverbs. Don't mix up which one modifies what.
🧩 Noun — Quick Formation Rules
Article + Word = Noun
Word + s/es = Plural = Noun
📝 Identify the Parts of Speech — Practice Examples
| Sentence | Identified Word & Part of Speech |
|---|---|
| The fast car drove around the curve. | fast → Adjective |
| The car drove fast around the curve. | fast → Adverb |
| An advance of five hundred rupees was given. | advance → Noun |
| The advance money has been returned. | advance → Adjective |
| An express runs from Amritsar to Delhi. | express → Noun |
| I have expressed my views. | expressed → Verb |
| I will catch the express train. | express → Adjective |
| She works for a multinational company. | works → Verb |
| Several works of art were stolen from the town museum yesterday. | works → Noun |
| The object of the game is to score the most points. | object → Noun |
| If nobody objects, we will postpone the meeting till next week. | objects → Verb |
⚠ EXAM TRAP
Words like "advance", "express", "object", and "works" change their Part of Speech entirely depending on position in the sentence — the SAME word can be Noun, Verb, or Adjective. This is a favourite SSC trap.
🔧 Identification of Parts of Speech Through Suffix
Prefix (उपसर्ग)
| Prefix | Examples |
|---|---|
| In- | Inaction, Invisible |
| Re- | React, Reappear |
| Un- | Unequal, Unusual |
🔧 Verb Suffix
| Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -ate | do | captivate, annihilate, estimate, concentrate |
| -en | do | broaden, awaken, strengthen, soften |
| -ish | do | publish, nourish, punish, accomplish |
| -fy | make | rectify, simplify, amplify, glorify, nullify |
| -ize | become | organize, socialize, legalize, realize |
Verb Suffix: -ate, -en, -ish, -fy, -ize
🔧 Noun Suffix
| Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -age | a condition | leakage, bondage, marriage, coverage |
| -ar | one who performs the action | beggar, liar, scholar |
| -cy | state / quality | urgency, emergency, accuracy, decency |
| -dom | place / state of being | kingdom, boredom, freedom, stardom |
| -ee | one who performs an action (recipient) | interviewee, internee, employee, nominee |
| -er | one who performs the action | reader, driver, painter, dancer |
| -hood | state of being | boyhood, childhood, manhood, spousehood |
| -ism | doctrine or belief | Marxism, Sufism, egotism, nepotism |
| -ist | one who is something | dentist, chemist, atheist, hedonist |
| -ice | the result of an action | service, cowardice, sacrifice, injustice |
| -logy | theory | biology, ecology, technology, mythology |
| -ment | the condition of an action | acknowledgement, punishment, agreement |
| -ness | state of being | sadness, happiness, rudeness, business |
| -on/-en/-an | doer | artisan, citizen, surgeon |
| -or | one who performs the action | creator, supervisor, sailor, traitor, dictator |
| -ship | position held | internship, partnership, kinship, friendship |
| -sion/-tion | state of being | illusion, inclusion, extension, concession, creation, information, confirmation |
| -ty | quality / state | flexibility, sensibility, severity, safety, reality |
Noun Suffix: -age, -ar, -cy, -dom, -ee, -er, -hood, -ism, -ist, -ice, -logy, -ment, -on/-en/-an, -ness, -or, -ship, -sion/-tion
🔧 Adjective Suffix
| Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -able | capable of being | readable, believable, advisable, acceptable |
| -ar | quality | familiar, regular, circular |
| -en | made of | golden, wooden, woolen |
| -ful | notable for | beautiful, wonderful, doubtful, careful |
| -ible | capable of | invincible, sensible, terrible, gullible |
| -ic | pertaining to | allergic, domestic, historic, acidic |
| -ish | belonging to | selfish, Turkish, Irish, childish |
| -istic | characterized by an attribute | fantastic, pessimistic, optimistic, sarcastic |
| -ile | having the nature of | fragile, juvenile, servile, infantile |
| -ian/-an | belonging to | Indian, American, Russian, Victorian, Italian |
| -ive | having the nature of | creative, decisive, attractive, sensitive |
| -less | without | fearless, helpless, endless, speechless |
| -ous | characterized by an attribute | studious, pious, religious, courageous |
| -al | pertaining to | essential, partial, financial, mental |
| -some | — | burdensome, handsome, troublesome, tiresome |
| -e(r)n | direction | eastern, southern, western, northern |
Adjective Suffix: -able, -ar, -en, -ful, -ible, -ic, -ish, -istic, -ile, -ian/-an, -ive, -less, -ous, -al, -some, -e(r)n
⚠ Same Suffix — Different Parts of Speech
| Suffix | As Verb Suffix (do) | As Adjective Suffix |
|---|---|---|
| -en | broaden, awaken, strengthen, soften | golden, wooden, woolen (meaning: made of) |
| -ish | publish, nourish, punish, accomplish | selfish, Turkish, Irish, childish (meaning: belonging to) |
⚠ EXAM TRAP
The SAME suffix (-en or -ish) can form either a Verb or an Adjective depending on the base word — "strengthen" (verb) vs "wooden" (adjective) both use -en. Context decides the part of speech, not the suffix alone.
🔄 Adjective ↔ Adverb ↔ Noun Conversion
Adjective + ly = Adverb
- Wise + ly = Wisely
- Nice + ly = Nicely
- Beautiful + ly = Beautifully
Noun + ly = Adjective
- Friend + ly = Friendly
- Man + ly = Manly
- Brother + ly = Brotherly
⚠ EXAM TRAP
"-ly" doesn't always make an Adverb — Adjective+ly gives an Adverb (wisely), but Noun+ly gives an Adjective (friendly). Check the base word's part of speech first.
🔨 Verb — Structure Overview
| Category | Sub-type | Forms / Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Helping Verb (H.V.) | Primary — Be | is/am/are, was/were, be/been/being |
| Primary — Have | has/have/had | |
| Primary — Do | do/does/did | |
| Modals | can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, need, dare, used to, ought to | |
| Main Verb (M.V.) | Finite | Transitive / Intransitive |
| Non-Finite (Advance Verb) | Infinitive, Gerund, Participial |
Note: Not even a single sentence can be made without a Main Verb (M.V.)
📐 Five Verb Forms
| V1 | V2 | V3 | V4 (-ing) | V5 (-s/-es) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Be / am / are (Base — plural) | was / were (Past form) | been (Past participle) | being (Present participle) | is (Base — singular) |
| Have | had | had | having | has |
| Do | did | done | doing | does |
- V1 → Base form (plural)
- V2 → Past form
- V3 → Past participle
- V4 (-ing) → Present participle
- V5 (-s/-es) → Base form (singular)
🧪 H.V. + M.V. Combination Examples
| Sentence | Breakdown |
|---|---|
| She writes letters. | M.V.-5 only |
| He played hockey. | M.V.-2 only |
| I am going to Shimla. | H.V. + M.V.-4 |
| He is going to Shimla. | H.V. + M.V.-4 |
| They have gone to Shimla. | H.V. + M.V.-3 |
| I am an architect. | M.V.-1 only |
| I am teaching. | H.V. + M.V.-4 |
| She was a dancer. | M.V.-2 only |
| She was dancing. | H.V. + M.V.-4 |
| She has a beautiful home. | M.V.-5 only |
| She has eaten food. | H.V. + M.V.-3 |
Be / Have / Do → either (H.V. + M.V.) OR (M.V. alone)
⚠ EXAM TRAP
"Be", "Have", and "Do" can each function as EITHER a Helping Verb OR the Main Verb of the sentence — the same word's role changes based on whether another verb follows it.
↔ Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs
| Type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Transitive Verb | Always takes an object | She ate mangoes. | I like you. |
| Intransitive Verb | Doesn't take any object | She cried loudly. | I am going to Shimla. |
🎯 Object
Object = Noun / Pronoun
- Verb + Object → find object by asking Verb - what/whom = Object
- Preposition + Object
| Sentence | Object Identified |
|---|---|
| She plays football. | football (Noun) |
| Karan threw the ball. | the ball (Noun) |
| Could you call the neighbours? | the neighbours (Noun) |
| I like you. | you (Pronoun) |
| We talked for hours. | hours (Noun, via preposition "for") |
| Kajal kicked Karan under the table. | Karan (Object of verb); the table (Object of preposition "under") |
👤 Subject
Subject = Noun / Pronoun that performs the verb's action
| Sentence | Subject Identified |
|---|---|
| The baby is crying. | The baby |
| She is a brilliant writer. | She |
| Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. | Beauty |
| A wise man knows his skills. | man |
| Dead men tell no tales. | men |
🔗 Subject Complement
Sub + Linking Verb + Sub Complement
- Linking Verbs: Look, Sound, Smell, Feel, Taste, Appear, Seem, Get, Grow, Remain, Become, Be (as main verb)
- Sub Complement = Noun / Pronoun / Adjective
- Rule: Subject = Subject Complement (they refer to the same entity)
| Sentence | Subject Complement |
|---|---|
| I am a teacher. | a teacher (Noun) |
| We are friends. | friends (Noun) |
| She is beautiful. | beautiful (Adjective) |
| She will become a great mother. | a great mother (Noun) |
⚠ EXAM TRAP
Subject Complements are NOT the same as Objects. "She married a teacher" → "a teacher" is an OBJECT (Sub ≠ Obj). "She became a teacher" → "a teacher" is a SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (Sub = Sub. Comp). The verb type (action vs linking) decides which one it is.
📄 Sentence — Definition
- A group of words which gives complete sense is called a sentence.
- Example: Rahul is going to Shimla.
Kinds of Sentences
- Assertive
- Interrogative
- Imperative
- Exclamatory
✅ Assertive Sentence
- To give information.
| Affirmative (+ve) | Negative (-ve) |
|---|---|
| Sub + H.V. + M.V…. e.g. Karan has completed the work. | Sub + H.V. + not + M.V…. e.g. Karan has not completed the work. |
❓ Interrogative Sentence
- To ask a question.
| Direct Interrogative | Indirect Interrogative |
|---|---|
| What are your hobbies? | I want to know what your hobbies are. |
Direct Interrogative — Two Types
| Yes/No Questions | Wh-Questions |
|---|---|
| H.V. + Sub + M.V. + Obj? e.g. Are you playing football? | Wh-word + H.V. + Sub + M.V. + Obj? e.g. Where are you playing football? |
Indirect Interrogatives do NOT follow interrogative word order — no H.V. before subject, no question mark at the end (structure becomes assertive-like within the sentence).
⚠ EXAM TRAP
If a Yes/No question and a Wh-question come together in a single sentence, the FIRST part stays interrogative but the SECOND part (the embedded question) must be in assertive word order. E.g. "Could you tell me where the school principal is?" — NOT "...where is the school principal?"
❗ Imperative Sentence
- To express Order, Advice, or Request.
Structure: V1, Do, Do not, Let
- Work hard.
- Do work hard.
- Do not talk to her.
- Please, finish the work.
😲 Exclamatory Sentence
- To express strong feelings, emotions, or reactions.
Structure: What/How ... ! OR Interjection ... !
- Alas! He lost the race.
- Hurrah! We won.
- What an amazing movie!
🙏 Optative Sentence
- To express Blessing, Curse, or Wish.
Structure: May + Sub + V1 (! or .)
- May God bless you!
- May you rot in hell!
📎 Phrase
- A group of words which makes sense but NOT complete sense is called a phrase.
- Examples: "This information age", "In the beginning", "Really fast", "After a rainy day"
Important Points
- A phrase is a group of words WITHOUT a Subject-Verb combination.
- A phrase cannot be a complete sentence because it does not give complete meaning.
- The purpose of a phrase is to complement the overall structure of the sentence — e.g. "He drove the car very fast."
🧷 Clause
- A clause is a group of words which gives complete meaning AND has a Subject-Verb combination.
- She is pretty. | He is going to a party today.
Note: A simple sentence can also be called one clause.
Note: Some sentences may have more than one clause.
| Sentence | Number of Clauses |
|---|---|
| The girl hugged the boy and the boy hugged the cat. | 2 |
| If you subscribe to this online service, you will need a password. | 2 |
| While Tom reads novels, Jack reads comics, but Sam reads only magazines. | 3 |
| Even though John likes golf, he played cricket at the weekend, and he enjoyed it very much. | 3 |
| Yesterday, the weather was terrible, yet today it's lovely, so we'll stay out all day. | 3 |
| I could not decide where I should work or what I should do. | 3 |
🌳 Types of Clauses
- Independent / Main / Principal Clause
- Dependent / Subordinate Clause
Independent Clause
- Same as a complete sentence and can stand alone.
- He ate dinner. | I was working.
Dependent Clause
- Cannot stand alone — has a Subject-Verb combination but cannot be a sentence by itself. It needs an Independent Clause to complete the sentence.
- "When Rahul got home" (incomplete) → "When Rahul got home, he ate dinner." (complete)
Dependent clauses often begin with: when, while, if, unless, although, as soon as, as long as, because, since, etc.
⚠ EXAM TRAP
A Dependent Clause has a Subject-Verb combination just like an Independent Clause — the difference is NOT grammatical completeness of structure, but whether it can stand alone with full meaning.
📋 Master Quick-Revision Table
| Topic | Key Fact |
|---|---|
| 8 Parts of Speech | Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Adjective, Preposition, Conjunction, Interjection |
| Noun formation | Article + Word = Noun | Word + s/es = Plural Noun |
| Verb Suffixes | -ate, -en, -ish, -fy, -ize |
| Noun Suffixes | -age, -ar, -cy, -dom, -ee, -er, -hood, -ism, -ist, -ice, -logy, -ment, -on/en/an, -ness, -or, -ship, -sion/tion, -ty |
| Adjective Suffixes | -able, -ar, -en, -ful, -ible, -ic, -ish, -istic, -ile, -ian/an, -ive, -less, -ous, -al, -some, -e(r)n |
| Adjective + ly | = Adverb (e.g. wisely) |
| Noun + ly | = Adjective (e.g. friendly) |
| Main Verb rule | Not even a single sentence can be made without a Main Verb |
| 5 Verb Forms | V1 (base-plural), V2 (past), V3 (past participle), V4 (-ing), V5 (-s/es base-singular) |
| Be / Have / Do | Can act as H.V. + M.V. OR as M.V. alone |
| Transitive Verb | Always takes an object |
| Intransitive Verb | Never takes an object |
| Object | Noun/Pronoun after Verb or Preposition |
| Subject Complement rule | Sub + Linking Verb + Sub Complement | Subject = Subject Complement |
| 4 Kinds of Sentences | Assertive, Interrogative, Imperative, Exclamatory |
| Optative Sentence | Expresses Blessing/Curse/Wish | May + Sub + V1 |
| Phrase | Incomplete meaning, no Subject-Verb combination |
| Clause | Complete meaning + Subject-Verb combination |
| Independent Clause | Can stand alone as a sentence |
| Dependent Clause | Cannot stand alone; needs an Independent Clause |