The Eight Parts of Speech, a Poem

Nouns name people, places, and things:

As Smith, New York, potatoes, wings.

Pronouns are used in the place of nouns:

I think, she sings, they work, he frowns.

Adjectives add something to the nouns,

As old New York and little towns.

And don’t forget that many, few,

And numbers and articles are adjectives too.

Verbs come next - the words that tell

Of action, being, and state as well;

To work, become, exist, and curb -

Each one of these is called a verb.

Adverbs add something to the meaning

Of adjectives, as brightly gleaming.

To verbs they also add a thought,

As when we say “was nearly caught.”

And last, an adverb has the chore

Of making other adverbs tell us more

Than one alone could hope to tell,

As in, “She sang that very well.”

To find an adverb this test try:

Ask How? Or When? Or Where? Or Why?

Pepositions show relation,

As with affection, in our nation.

Conjunctions, as their name implies,

are joining words; they are the ties

That bind together day and night,

Calm but cold, dull or bright.

Interjections are words that show

Sudden emotion, as Alas! Ah! Oh!

Thus briefly does this jingle state

The parts of speech, which total eight.

(Anonymous)

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