Grammar - Word Class Flashcards
(21 cards)
STUDY CARD
How do you spot the word class (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) in tricky GL 11+ questions?
GL Trick: They test whether you understand what the word is doing in the sentence.
It’s NOT just what the word looks like:
- ‘running’ might be a verb (He is running) or noun (Running is fun)
- ‘light’ could be a noun (a light), verb (to light a fire), or adjective (a light box)
Ask yourself:
- Is it the action? → Verb
- Is it the thing? → Noun
- Is it describing something? → Adjective
- Is it how something is done? → Adverb
What is the word class of the underlined word?
She gave a brilliant answer during the interview.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: C
‘Brilliant’ describes the noun ‘answer’.
Tip: If a word describes a noun, it’s an adjective.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
Running every day helps me stay fit.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: A
Here, ‘Running’ is the subject of the sentence — it’s a thing (an activity).
Trap: It looks like a verb, but it’s actually used as a noun (called a gerund).
What is the word class of the underlined word?
He quickly packed his suitcase and left.
A. Verb
B. Adjective
C. Adverb
D. Noun
Correct answer: C
‘Quickly’ tells us how he packed — that’s an adverb.
Tip: Adverbs often describe how, when, or where something happens.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
They light the candles every evening.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: B
‘Light’ here is an action — they are doing it.
Trap: ‘Light’ could also be a noun or adjective, but here it’s a verb.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
The children enjoyed a fun game.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adverb
D. Adjective
Correct answer: D
‘Fun’ is describing the game — so it’s an adjective.
Trap: ‘Fun’ can also be used as a noun (‘They had fun’), but not here.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
The soldier stood firm despite the chaos.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: D
‘Firm’ tells us how he stood — that’s an adverb here.
Trap: It looks like an adjective but is acting as an adverb.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
She made a quick decision.
A. Adverb
B. Adjective
C. Verb
D. Noun
Correct answer: B
‘Quick’ is describing ‘decision’ — so it’s an adjective.
GL Trap: Quick can be an adverb in some cases (e.g. ‘Run quick!’), but not here.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
He gave me a look that said it all.
A. Verb
B. Noun
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: B
‘Look’ is the object — it’s a thing, not an action here.
Trap: GL hopes you confuse it with the verb ‘to look’.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
They work hard every weekend.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: B
‘Work’ is the action here — they do it.
Trap: ‘Work’ can also be a noun (‘I have work to do’).
What is the word class of the underlined word?
The early bird catches the worm.
A. Adjective
B. Verb
C. Adverb
D. Noun
Correct answer: A
‘Early’ describes the bird — that makes it an adjective.
Trap: ‘Early’ can also be an adverb (e.g. ‘arrive early’), but not in this sentence.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
Swimming is her favourite hobby.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: A
‘Swimming’ is the subject of the sentence — it’s being used as a noun (gerund).
Trap: It looks like a verb, but here it names an activity.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
The heavy rain flooded the road.
A. Adverb
B. Adjective
C. Verb
D. Noun
Correct answer: B
‘Heavy’ describes the noun ‘rain’ — it’s an adjective.
Trap: Don’t confuse it with adverbs like ‘heavily’.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
He ran very fast to catch the bus.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: D
‘Fast’ describes how he ran — so it’s an adverb here.
GL Trick: ‘Fast’ is one of the few words that looks like an adjective but works as an adverb.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
We had a great laugh at the party.
A. Verb
B. Adjective
C. Adverb
D. Noun
Correct answer: D
‘Laugh’ is used as a thing we had — it’s a noun.
Trap: GL wants you to mistake it for the verb form (‘They laugh’).
What is the word class of the underlined word?
They left early to avoid traffic.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adverb
D. Adjective
Correct answer: C
‘Early’ tells us when they left — that’s an adverb.
Trap: It can also be an adjective (‘an early train’).
What is the word class of the underlined word?
Please hand me the book.
A. Noun
B. Verb
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: B
‘Hand’ is being used as an action — to give something.
Trap: It looks like a noun (e.g. ‘my hand’), but not in this sentence.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
We watched a moving film last night.
A. Verb
B. Adjective
C. Adverb
D. Noun
Correct answer: B
‘Moving’ describes the film — it’s an adjective here.
Trap: ‘Moving’ is also a verb form, but not in this use.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
The teacher gave a strict warning.
A. Adjective
B. Noun
C. Verb
D. Adverb
Correct answer: B
‘Warning’ is the name of the thing given — a noun.
Trap: It can also be a verb (‘He was warning us’), but not here.
What is the word class of the underlined word?
They were late for the concert.
A. Verb
B. Noun
C. Adjective
D. Adverb
Correct answer: C
‘Late’ describes them (the subject) — it’s an adjective.
Trap: ‘Late’ can also be used as an adverb (‘He arrived late’).
What is the word class of the underlined word?
He spoke loudly to be heard over the noise.
A. Verb
B. Adverb
C. Adjective
D. Noun
Correct answer: B
‘Loudly’ describes how he spoke — it’s an adverb.
Tip: Adverbs often end in -ly and describe the verb.
