A noun is the name of a person, place, object or quality. Names and places, known as proper nouns, are usually capitalized. Abstract nouns are things that cannot be seen or touched, such as happiness, decision, grief and inspiration. Concrete nouns, such as car, computer and chair, are things can be seen and touched. Pronouns such as we, she, you and they are substitutes for a name.
A verb, often known as a "doing word," describes an action or state. Dynamic verbs indicate an unfinished action in the present tense. To say that someone is lying on a bed or basking in the sunshine, for example, is to use dynamic verbs. Active voice uses the subject-verb-object construction. Sentences in the active voice, such as "The little girl ran home from school" and "I danced all night," make verbs immediate and compelling. Adverbs -- words such as slowly, carefully and delicately -- modify a verb.
Sentences express thoughts, statements and commands. They begin with a capital letter and end with a period, question mark or exclamation point. To be grammatically correct, sentences must contain a subject and a verb. A subject is who or what the sentence is about; a verb describes an action or state. "Close the door" is a sentence because it contains a verb (close) and subject (door) and begins with a capital letter and concludes with a period. Complex sentences are broken up with commas, colons and semicolons. Sentences that begin with linking words, such as "and" and "but," are sometimes considered clumsy and poorly constructed.
Adjectives, which describe a noun or pronoun, have three forms: positive, comparative or superlative. Positive adjectives are simple and unequivocal, such as using the word red to describe a sunset. A redder or reddish sunset is comparative; if you say the sunset is the reddest you ever saw, you are using a superlative adjective.
Conjunctions connect words and phrases. And, but and if are common conjunctions. Interjections such as "Ouch!" are inserted into speech and writing as stand-alone elements, giving them great impact.