Parts of Speech
"Part of speech" is a key term in any book about grammar, and even any dictionary, for that matter. Common examples of a word's part of speech include noun, verb, adjective, and so on. Many native speakers are not at all clear on the parts of speech of the words they use on a daily basis. This is not a problem in any language, but if you're a learner that really wants to master Chinese grammar in all its subtle nuances, you'll find that classification by part of speech is a very useful tool, not just so you can instantly know the main ways a word can be used, but also so that you can cut to the chase and identify the key exceptions and special properties of a word. In Mandarin Chinese, you'll frequently encounter words that push the boundaries of their parts of speech, or subcategories of words that act like freak "hybrids." Don't worry; it's all part of the fun! We'll start by introducing the main concepts related to part of speech.
