4.2 Parts of speech
In describing the grammar of written Latin, the best method is to use the traditional classical grammar, as worked out by the Greeks and Romans themselves. As a preliminary exercise, it may be useful to be familiar with the ‘parts of speech’ in English.
Table 4 below gives a very brief explanation of the eight parts of speech which are found in both Latin and English. A fuller discussion of the most important terms follows.
| Part of speech | Explanation | Latin derivation of the term |
|---|---|---|
| noun | a naming word | nomen, a name |
| pronoun | a word used in place of a noun | pro, instead of; nomen, a name |
| adjective | a 'describing' word | adiectum, thrown at, added |
| verb | a 'doing' or 'being' word | verbum, a word |
| adverb | a word added to a verb, adjective or another adverb | ad, to; verbum, a word |
| preposition | a word placed before a noun or pronoun | prae, in front of; positum, placed |
| conjunction | a joining word | coniunctum, joined |
| interjection | an exclamation | interiectum, thrown between, insert |