Sub-word classes

Most word classes can also be further examined and broken down into sub-classes. This is useful because it helps you both to understand some subtle differences within the broad word class categories and to fine-tune your identification of a particular feature in order to explain how and why it operates in a text.

Word class	Sub-class	Description	Example
Nouns	Proper	Refer to names of people or places	James, England
	Abstract	Refer to states, feelings and concepts that do not have a physical existence	love, anger
	Concrete	Refer to objects that have a physical existence	countable (can be pluralised, e.g., cup)
			non-countable (do not take a plural form, e.g., furniture)
Verbs	Material	Show actions or events	hit, jump, wash, build
	Relational	Identify properties or show states of being	be, appear, seem, become
	Mental	Show internal processes such as thinking	think, believe, wish
	Verbal	Show external processes of communicating through speech	say, shout, scream, whisper
Adjectives and adverbs	Base	The basic form of an adjective or adverb, modifying another word	big, interesting, carefully
	Comparative	A form used to compare two instances either adding ‘-er’ or using ‘more’	The parcel was bigger. That was a more interesting game. He read more carefully.
	Superlative	A form used to compare more than two instances, identifying a best example	That was the biggest parcel. The most interesting game. It was the most carefully he had ever read.
Pronouns	Personal	Refer to people and are differentiated in terms of person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular or plural) and gender (male or female)	I (first person singular), you (second person singular/plural), she (third person, singular, feminine), they (third person, plural)
	Demonstrative	Orientate the reader or listener towards a person, object, or idea either nearby or further away	this, these, that, those
	Indefinite	Refer to a person, object or idea that is non-specific	someone, anybody, everything
Determiners	Articles	Show that something is definite or indefinite	the (definite), a/an (indefinite)
	Possessives	Show ownership	my, your, her, our
	Quantifiers	Show either specific or non-specific quantities of a noun	one, two (specific), some, any, a few (non-specific)
Conjunctions	Co-ordinating	Link words or larger structures such as phrases and clauses together where they are equal (see also Unit 6)	and, but, or, yet
	Sub-ordinating	Link clauses together to show one is dependent on another (see also Unit 6)	because, although, while, for

All information from Cambridge Elevate.