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Myriora English › Grammar and punctuation › Chapter 1: Word classes

One word, many jobs

Ages 9–11Chapter 1 · Lesson 9

In this lesson

Your turn

What job does the word train do in this sentence? We train every Saturday.

Show the answer

It's a verb. Training is something we do, so train is an action here.

The common mistake

Here's a common mistake. Lots of people decide from the word on its own. They think light is always a noun. But you can't tell until you see the sentence. Look at the job the word is doing.

Try it at home

Three-job challenge: pick a word like light, paint, fish or clean and make up three sentences where it is a noun, a verb and then an adjective (if it can be). Say which job it does each time.

Read the whole lesson

Hello, and welcome to Myriora English! Some words can do more than one job. Look at the word light in these three sentences.

Turn on the light. Here, light is a thing, so it's a noun. Light the candle. Here, light is an action, so it's a verb. This bag is light. Here, light describes the bag, so it's an adjective.

So how can you tell? After the, a or my, it's usually a noun: the light. If someone is doing it, it's a verb. And if it describes a noun, it's an adjective.

Let's try one together. What job does fish do here? We fish in the river. Say it out loud!

It's a verb! We are doing it, so fish is an action here. But in I ate a fish, it's a noun.

Here's a common mistake. Lots of people decide from the word on its own. They think light is always a noun. But you can't tell until you see the sentence. Look at the job the word is doing.

Your turn! What job does the word train do in this sentence? We train every Saturday. Pick the right card. You've got eight seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! It's a verb. Training is something we do, so train is an action here.

Quick review. One word can do different jobs. A noun names a thing. A verb is an action. An adjective describes a noun. Look at the job, not just the word. See you next time!