1. Grammar and syntax are a part of every sentence, but they are not necessarily the same thing. Find out how syntax relates to grammar, and how grammar includes much more than syntax, with helpful examples and explanations.
2. In a command there is still the subject–verb–object relationship with the subject and object understood. Voice exclamations: What a great school! Most grammatical features within the sentence cluster around the noun and the verb. The words which build sentences describe the nouns (adjectivals) and the verb.
3. In a command there is still the subject–verb–object relationship with the subject and object understood. Voice exclamations: What a great school! Most grammatical features within the sentence cluster around the noun and the verb. The words which build sentences describe the nouns (adjectivals) and the verb (adverbials).

In the world of grammar, some words do double-duty by serving as more than just one part of speech. Though we often spend a good deal of time drilling students on the big differences between nouns and verbs, some words can actually be both. In fact, it happens more often than you might think, and once you start to notice this phenomenon, you’ll see these special words everywhere.

Nouns and verbs are both required to create a complete sentence. This makes nouns and verbs a good place to start when introducing parts of speech to your child. Help her gain a solid understanding of sentence structure by clarifying the difference between a noun and a verb and learning about both. A sentence structure of noun+verb+noun is very common in English. Typically, the first noun is the subject of the sentence and the second noun is a direct object of the verb.

The Difference Between Nouns and Verbs

A quick refresher: Nouns are words that represent a person, place, thing or idea. They often serve as the subject of a sentence; that is, the thing that performs an action. For example:

The girl hugged the cat.

In this sentence, the girl is a noun that stand for a person, and the person is performing the act of hugging.

Notice that there’s another noun in the sentence, too: cat. This noun is not performing the action but is instead being acted upon. This noun is the object.

Verbs, on the other hand, are the action words in a sentence. In the above example, hugged is the verb, or the action the girl performs. Verbs come in all sorts of tenses,but their function is always the same: to show what’s happening in the sentence.

When Nouns and Verbs Collide

Noun Verb Noun Sentence Examples

Some words can be used as both nouns (things) and verbs (actions). Their usage may sometimes change their pronunciation, but it’s often simply context clues that make all the difference in your understanding. For example:

In this sentence, the first use of “attack” is a noun; the second is a verb. “Attack” is pronounced the same in both cases.

Basic Sentence Structure

Though the boy tried to use his broken alarm clock as an excuse, the teacher would not excuse his absence on the day of the final exam.

In the sentence above, the first use of “excuse” is a noun; the second is a verb. Note that the pronunciation of the word changes depending on its usage. As a noun, “excuse” uses a softs “s” sound, but as a verb it uses a “z” sound instead.

A List of Verbs That Are Also Nouns

Though it’s hardly a complete list, you can share hundreds of examples of words that are both nouns and verbs with your students. Try these on for size:

Want to print a practice worksheet? Nouns that are also verbs worksheet

Practice Sentence Structure Online

Additional Articles you May Like: