Verbs, adjectives and nouns for beginners

When learning new vocabulary, it’s important to know what type of word you’re using; is it a noun, a verb, or an adjective? Understanding this helps you build better sentences, express yourself more clearly, and avoid common grammar mistakes.

Being able to tell whether a word is a noun, verb or adjective helps you:

• Use the word in the right way

• Build clearer and more accurate sentences

• Recognise patterns and learn related words

For example:

beauty (noun) → beautiful (adjective)
decision (noun) → decide (verb)

Here’s a full explanation of each word type, with examples to help you recognise them in action:

Noun – A Person, Place, Thing or Idea

A noun is a word that names something. This could be a person (doctor, friend), a place (London, park), a thing (table, phone), or even something more abstract like an idea, quality or event (freedom, honesty, party).

Examples of nouns:

• New York (place)
• cat (thing/animal)
• party (event)
• oil (substance)
• poverty (idea/quality)

In a sentence:

The nurse works at the hospital.

There’s a party on Friday night.

Verb – An Action or State

A verb is the part of the sentence that tells us what is happening. It can describe a physical action (run, eat, write), a state of being (be, seem, exist), or an experience or feeling (enjoy, believe, feel).

Examples of verbs:

run (physical action)

look (can be action or experience)

feel (experience or emotion)

In a sentence:

She runs every morning.
I feel tired today.

Adjective – Describing a Noun

An adjective is used to describe or give more detail about a noun. It tells us what something is like; its colour, size, shape, quality, emotion, or opinion.

Examples of adjectives:

• big (size)
• boring (opinion)
• pink (colour)
• quick (speed)
• obvious (quality)

In a sentence:

• That’s a big house.
• He gave an obvious answer.

Adjectives usually come before the noun they describe, or after linking verbs like be, seem, or feel.

• The cake is delicious.
• They bought a new car.