Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives

Words have jobs

Every word in a sentence has a job to do. Three of the first jobs to learn are the noun, the verb and the adjective. Let's meet them one by one.

Nouns name things 🏷️

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

Noun	Picture
dog	🐶
cup	🥤
school	🏫
mum	👩

Try this: point to something near you and say its name. That name is a noun!

Verbs do things 🏃

A verb is a doing word. It tells what someone or something does.

• run 🏃
• jump 🦘
• sing 🎤
• eat 🍽️

Read these: The dog can run. I like to sing. The doing word is the verb.

Adjectives describe things 📏

An adjective is a describing word. It tells us more about a noun.

• a big dog 🐶
• a red cup 🥤
• a happy girl 😀

Adjectives make sentences more fun. A dog is good. A big, happy dog is even better!

Put them together

Watch how the three jobs work in one sentence:

The big (adjective) dog (noun) can run (verb). 🐶🏃

Say it out loud. Can you spot each word's job?

Play and practise

Play the matching game to give each word the right job. Then flip the flashcards to check yourself. Say "noun", "verb" or "adjective" before you flip!

Keep going

Try these next:

• Tiny words first: First Sight Words
• Make sentences: Reading Your First Sentences
• More naming words: Animal Words

Now you know what words do. Great work! 🌟