Nouns and Verbs
Discover the two most important types of words: nouns (naming words) and verbs (doing words).
What Is a Noun?
A noun is a word that names a person, a place, or a thing. Nouns are everywhere! Look around you and everything you can name is a noun.
Person
teacher
mum
doctor
friend
Place
school
park
kitchen
beach
Thing
book
apple
ball
pencil
What Is a Verb?
A verb is a doing word. It tells us what someone or something is doing. Every sentence needs at least one verb!
run
write
sing
swim
jump
eat
look
talk
Nouns and Verbs in Sentences
Look at these sentences. The nouns are in blue and the verbs are in red.
Key Vocabulary
Noun
A naming word. It tells us the name of a person, place, or thing.
Verb
A doing word. It tells us what someone or something is doing.
Sentence
A group of words that makes sense together. It needs at least a noun and a verb.
Action
Something that someone does. Verbs describe actions like running, jumping, and eating.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Find the nouns
Sentence: "The girl ate a sandwich at school."
Answer: The nouns are girl (person), sandwich (thing), and school (place).
Example 2: Find the verb
Sentence: "The frog jumped into the pond."
Answer: The verb is jumped because it tells us what the frog did.
Example 3: Noun or verb?
Is the word "play" a noun or a verb in this sentence? "The children play in the park."
Answer: It is a verb because it tells us what the children are doing.
Knowledge Check
Test what you have learned! Pick the correct answer and click "Check Answer".
Question 1
Which of these words is a noun?
Question 2
What is the verb in this sentence? "The boy climbed the tree."
Question 3
A noun names a person, place, or thing. Which of these is a place?
Question 4
How many nouns are in this sentence? "The dog chased the cat around the garden."
Question 5
Which sentence uses the verb "flew" correctly?
Key Concepts Summary
- ● A noun is a naming word for a person, place, or thing.
- ● A verb is a doing word that tells us what someone or something is doing.
- ● Every sentence needs at least one noun and one verb.
- ● To find a noun, ask: "Can I see it, touch it, or name it?"
- ● To find a verb, ask: "Can I do it?" Try acting out the word!