Nouns
* Name people, places, things, or ideas.
* Often answer the questions "Who?" or "What?"
* Can be the subject of a verb, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.
Examples:
* The cat sat on the mat. (Subject)
* I bought a new book. (Object of the verb "bought")
* She went to the park. (Object of the preposition "to")
Verbs
* Show action or a state of being.
* Often answer the question "What is happening?"
* Can be in different tenses (past, present, future).
Examples:
* The cat sat on the mat. (Action verb)
* She is happy. (State of being verb)
* He will run a marathon. (Action verb in future tense)
Tips to Distinguish:
* Look for articles (a, an, the) before the word: These usually precede nouns.
* Check if the word can be modified by an adjective: Adjectives usually describe nouns.
* Try replacing the word with a synonym: If the synonym is typically used as a noun or verb, that will help you identify the word's part of speech.
Sometimes, a word can function as both a noun and a verb. This is called homonyms.
Example:
* Run! (Verb)
* I had a long run this morning. (Noun)
Remember: The best way to understand the function of a word is to consider its role within the sentence.