Navigation
An introduction to the building blocks of sentences: people, places, things, and actions.
Imagine you have a magic wand that can name everything you see, and another wand that makes everything move! How would you tell a story about a dragon who loves to dance without those two powers?
Everything in the world has a name! A noun is a word that names a person, a place, or a thing. Look around you. Do you see a teacher? That is a person. Are you in a school? That is a place. Are you holding a pencil? That is a thing. Nouns help us know exactly what we are talking about. Without nouns, we wouldn't know if we were talking about a cat, a car, or a cookie!
Let's find the naming words in this sentence: 'The boy went to the park.'
1. Look for a person: boy is a person. 2. Look for a place: park is a place. 3. There are nouns in this sentence!
Quick Check
Is the word 'apple' a person, a place, or a thing?
Answer
An apple is a thing.
Now that we have names for things, let's make them move! A verb is a word that shows action. It tells us what a noun is doing. If a dog is the noun, what can it do? It can bark, run, or sleep. These 'doing' words are verbs. Every time you move your body—like when you jump or clap—you are doing a verb!
Let's find the action in this sentence: 'The small bird sings a song.'
1. Find the noun: 'bird' is the thing we are talking about. 2. Ask: 'What is the bird doing?' 3. The bird sings. 'Sings' is the verb!
Quick Check
Which word is a verb: 'Table' or 'Dance'?
Answer
Dance is a verb because it is something you can do.
Sentences are like teams. The noun is the player, and the verb is the move the player makes. To tell a full story, you usually need both. If you just say 'The cat,' your friends will ask, 'The cat did what?' If you just say 'Runs,' your friends will ask, 'Who runs?' When you put them together, like 'The cat runs,' you have a complete thought!
Look at this sentence: 'The fireman sprays water on the fire.'
1. Identify the person: fireman (Noun). 2. Identify the action: sprays (Verb). 3. Identify the thing: fire (Noun). 4. This sentence has nouns and verb!
Which of these words is a noun that names a PLACE?
In the sentence 'The fish swims,' which word is the verb?
The word 'jump' is a noun.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, look at your breakfast. Can you name one noun (the food) and one verb (what you do with it)?
Practice Activity
Play 'I Spy' with a friend. When you find something, say the noun and then add a verb to it. Example: 'I spy a car... and it drives!'