Word Classes (KS2): Nouns, Verbs and More

If your child has come home talking about nouns, verbs and adverbs, they have been learning about word classes: the groups we sort words into, depending on the job each word does in a sentence. This friendly guide explains what word classes are, with clear examples you and your Year 6 child can practise together.

What are word classes?

A word class is a group of words that all do the same kind of job in a sentence. You might also hear them called parts of speech, which means exactly the same thing.

Think of it like sorting toys into boxes. In the same way, dog, castle and happiness all go in the "nouns" box because they all name things. The really important idea is this: a word belongs to a class because of the job it is doing, not just the word itself. The same word can do different jobs in different sentences, and we will come back to that further down.

Nouns and verbs: the building blocks

Nouns and verbs are the two most important word classes, and almost every sentence needs at least one of each.

A noun is a naming word. It names a person, a place, a thing or an idea.

• People: teacher, wizard, Aisha
• Places: school, forest, London
• Things: pencil, dragon, table
• Ideas: kindness, fear, freedom

A verb is a doing or being word. It tells you what someone or something does, or that they exist.

• Doing: The knight fought bravely.
• Being: She is happy.

Here is a simple sentence with both. The noun is in bold and the verb is in italics:

The owl swooped over the village.

If you can find the noun (who or what the sentence is about) and the verb (what is happening), you have found the building blocks of the sentence.

Adjectives and adverbs: adding detail

Once you have your nouns and verbs, adjectives and adverbs add colour and detail.

An adjective describes a noun. It tells you what something is like.

• a brave knight
• a stormy sky
• three enormous dragons

An adverb tells you more about a verb, usually how, when or where something happens.

• The fox ran quickly. (how)
• We arrived early. (when)
• She waited outside. (where)

So what is an adverb in KS2, in one line? It is a word that adds detail to a verb. Many adverbs end in -ly, such as slowly and carefully, but watch out: not all do. Words like soon, never and here are adverbs too, while -ly words such as friendly and lovely are actually adjectives. Adverbs can also tell you more about an adjective, as in very tall, or about another adverb, as in quite slowly.

The wider list: pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and determiners

Beyond the four classes above, Year 6 pupils meet several more.

Pronouns stand in for a noun so we do not have to keep repeating it: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. Instead of "Sam fed Sam's rabbit", we say "Sam fed his rabbit". His is a possessive pronoun here, showing who owns the rabbit.

Prepositions tell you where or when something is, often in relation to something else: in, on, under, before, between. For example: The cat hid under the table.

Conjunctions are joining words that link parts of a sentence: and, but, or, so, because, when. For example: We stayed inside because it was raining. Some verbs do a special job too, such as the modal verbs can, will and must.

Determiners come before a noun to tell you which one, whose, or how many: the, a, this, my, some, three. For example: My brother packed two bags. We have a whole guide to determiners if you would like to go deeper.

Here is a quick reference table for the main word classes.

How one word can change class depending on the sentence

This surprises a lot of children, and it is well worth slowing down for. A word's class depends on the job it is doing in that sentence.

Look at the word play:

• They play in the garden. (here play is a verb, an action)
• We watched a play at the theatre. (here play is a noun, a thing)

The word light can do three jobs: it is a noun in "turn on the light", an adjective in "the bag is very light", and a verb in "they light the candles".

So if your child asks "is running a verb or a noun?", the honest answer is: it depends on the sentence. In "the dogs are running" it is a verb, but in "running is good exercise" it is a noun. The trick is always to ask, "What job is this word doing here?"

Word classes and the KS2 grammar terms pupils need to know

In the Year 6 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test, pupils are often asked to find a word class in a sentence, or to choose the right one. A question might say "circle the adverb", or "tick the box where cold is used as a verb".

So which grammar terms do Year 6 pupils need to know? Alongside the word classes in the table above, they should be comfortable with: subject, object, clause, phrase, possessive pronoun, modal verb and article. These are the labels used in the National Curriculum, and recognising them quickly takes a lot of pressure off on test day. Adjectives and nouns often join up inside longer phrases too, which we explore in our guide to expanded noun phrases. If you are new to the test itself, our overview of the KS2 SPaG test explains the format simply. Exact test dates change each year, so always confirm the latest information on GOV.UK.

Practice: sort words into their classes

Have a go at sorting the bold word in each sentence by the job it does. Remember, you are asking, "What is this word doing here?"

1. The brave firefighter climbed the ladder.
2. We will leave soon.
3. She hid the box under the bed.
4. They play football every Saturday.

Answers: (1) brave is an adjective (it describes the firefighter); (2) soon is an adverb (it tells you when); (3) under is a preposition (it shows position); (4) play is a verb (it is the action).

If your child managed those, they have understood the big idea. The best way to make it stick is little and often: pick a word in a favourite book and work out its class together.

How SATS LION helps

SATS LION turns Year 6 SPaG practice into a game, so spotting word classes feels more like play than revision. Short, friendly question sets cover nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs alongside punctuation and spelling, building confidence at a gentle pace. If you would like to see how it works, take a look at the features.