Analisi grammaticale

How to Do Grammatical Analysis: Parts of Speech with 5 Solved Sentences

Grammatical analysis means labelling every word in a sentence with its part of speech and its features. A step-by-step guide to the parts of speech, plus five solved sentences from easy to hard.

Recommended for: Grade 6 · Grade 7 · Grade 8

Grammatical analysis (also called parsing) means labelling every single word in a sentence with the part of speech it belongs to (noun, verb, adjective…) and adding its features, such as number, person or tense. You work through the sentence one word at a time, in order.

The parts of speech

In English, words fall into eight main classes: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection. Articles (a, an, the) are a type of determiner, which many books add as a ninth class.

Naming the class is only half the job. You also add the details: for a noun, whether it is common or proper, and its number; for a verb, its tense, person and number; for a pronoun, its person and type.

How to do it

Read the sentence and look at each word in turn. Ask yourself: what is this word doing? Is it naming something (noun), replacing a noun (pronoun), describing an action (verb)? Then add the features and move on. Do not skip the small words like “the”, “to” or “not”: each of them still has a part of speech.

The five solved sentences below get harder step by step, from a bare subject + verb sentence up to one packed with adverbs and an interjection. Check the answer after each one and try to spot where you would have hesitated.

Solved exercises

1. Do the grammatical analysis of: The dog runs. base

Show solution
  1. Take one word at a time, in the order it appears, and give its part of speech and features.
  2. The -> definite article (a type of determiner).
  3. dog -> common noun, singular, concrete.
  4. runs -> verb, base form 'to run', present simple, third person singular, active voice.

Answer: The = definite article; dog = common noun, singular; runs = verb (to run), present simple, 3rd person singular.

2. Do the grammatical analysis of: Sarah reads an interesting book. base

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  1. Sarah -> proper noun, singular.
  2. reads -> verb, base form 'to read', present simple, third person singular.
  3. an -> indefinite article (determiner), used before a vowel sound.
  4. interesting -> adjective (it describes 'book').
  5. book -> common noun, singular, concrete.

Answer: Sarah = proper noun; reads = verb (to read), present simple, 3rd sing.; an = indefinite article; interesting = adjective; book = common noun, singular.

3. Do the grammatical analysis of: We often walk to school. intermedio

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  1. We -> personal pronoun, first person plural, subject.
  2. often -> adverb of frequency (a kind of adverb of time).
  3. walk -> verb, base form 'to walk', present simple, first person plural.
  4. to -> preposition.
  5. school -> common noun, singular.

Answer: We = personal pronoun 1st pl.; often = adverb of frequency; walk = verb (to walk), present simple 1st pl.; to = preposition; school = common noun, singular.

4. Do the grammatical analysis of: My friends arrived yesterday. intermedio

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  1. My -> possessive adjective (determiner), first person.
  2. friends -> common noun, plural.
  3. arrived -> verb, base form 'to arrive', past simple, third person plural.
  4. yesterday -> adverb of time.

Answer: My = possessive adjective; friends = common noun, plural; arrived = verb (to arrive), past simple 3rd pl.; yesterday = adverb of time.

5. Do the grammatical analysis of: Wow, unfortunately I haven't studied enough! avanzato

Show solution
  1. Wow -> interjection (it expresses surprise or emotion).
  2. unfortunately -> adverb (a comment/sentence adverb).
  3. I -> personal pronoun, first person singular, subject.
  4. haven't studied -> verb, base form 'to study', present perfect, negative, first person singular ('have not' + past participle).
  5. enough -> adverb of degree (it modifies the verb 'studied').

Answer: Wow = interjection; unfortunately = adverb; I = personal pronoun 1st sing.; haven't studied = verb (to study), present perfect negative 1st sing.; enough = adverb of degree.

FAQ

What is the difference between grammatical analysis and sentence (logical) analysis?

Grammatical analysis labels each word on its own (which part of speech it is and its features). Logical analysis looks at the job that groups of words do in the sentence: subject, verb (predicate) and objects or complements.

How many parts of speech are there in English?

Most grammars list eight: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection. Articles (a, an, the) are usually counted as determiners, which some books add as a ninth class.

How do I tell an adjective from an adverb?

An adjective describes a noun (a fast car), while an adverb usually describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb (she runs fast). Many adverbs, but not all, end in -ly.