English Words List | Names List A-Z | Word Classes

Learning English is a rich and diverse language with a vast vocabulary of words that serve to express a wide range of ideas and emotions. In this article, we cover stories about words, types of words, different word classes, and word forms. The sections below help to expand your vocabulary, master some new idioms, or pick a good English name.

Word

Word Definition

A word in English refers to a unit of language that consists of one or more spoken sounds or written characters, and that act as a principal carrier of meaning. Words can be used to convey ideas, express emotions, describe objects, and communicate in various other ways.

Word Classes

In the English language, words can be categorized into different classes or parts of speech based on their grammatical function and meaning in a sentence. Understanding word classes is essential for constructing meaningful and grammatically correct sentences. Here are the eight main word classes in English:

• Nouns: words that name people, places, things, or ideas. Examples: dog, table, book, and happiness.
• Verbs: are words that illustrate an action, state, or occurrence. Examples: run, eat, sleep, think, and love.
• Adjectives: words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns by providing more information about their characteristics or qualities. Examples: happy, tall, beautiful, old, and new.
• Adverbs: these types of words are used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs by providing more information about the manner, degree, time, place, or frequency of an action or event. Examples: quickly, happily, very, here, and always.
• Pronouns: words that replace nouns to avoid repetition and provide coherence in a sentence. Examples:  I, you, he, she, it, we, they, this, that, these, those, mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, who, whom, whose, which, that.
• Prepositions: these types of words are used to show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. Examples: in, on, at, by, with, and from.
• Conjunctions: words that connect words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence. Examples: and, or, but, although, because, etc.
• Interjections: words that express strong emotions or feelings and are usually followed by an exclamation mark. Examples: wow, oh, ouch, hooray, and alas.

Word Formation

Words in English can be formed in a variety of ways, including through the process of derivation, compounding, and conversion.

1. Derivation

This is the process of forming a new word by adding a prefix or suffix to an existing word. A prefix is always added to the beginning of a word, while a suffix is always added to the end. For example, the noun ‘happy’ can be transformed into the adjective ‘unhappy’ by adding the prefix ‘un-‘, or into the adverb ‘happily‘ by adding the suffix ‘-ly’. Other examples include ‘friendship’ (suffix ‘-ship’), ‘singer’ (suffix ‘-er’), and ‘prejudice’ (prefix ‘pre-‘).

2. Compounding

This is the process of forming a new word by combining two or more words together. The resulting compound word can have a different meaning from its constituent parts. For example, ‘book’ and ‘case’ combine to form ‘bookcase’, ‘black’ and ‘board’ combine to form ‘blackboard’, and ‘sun’ and ‘glasses’ combine to form ‘sunglasses’.

3. Conversion

This is the process of converting a word from one part of speech to another without changing its form. For example, the noun ’email’ can be converted into a verb by saying ‘I’ll email you later’. Similarly, the adjective ‘deep’ can be converted into an adverb by saying ‘He breathed deeply’.

Other word formation processes in English include clipping (shortening a word, such as ‘info’ for ‘information’), blending (combining parts of two words, such as ‘brunch’ for ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’), and back-formation (creating a new word by removing a perceived affix, such as ‘editor’ from ‘editorial’).

Note! Understanding these word formation processes is essential for building a rich and varied vocabulary in English.

4. Contractions

A contraction is a shortened version of a word or a group of words that are formed by omitting one or more letters and replacing them with an apostrophe. In English grammar, contractions are commonly used in informal writing and speech to save time and to make the conversation flow more smoothly.

Here are some common examples of contractions in English:

• I’m – contraction of “I am”
• You’re – contraction of “you are”
• He’s – contraction of “he is” or “he has”
• She’s – contraction of “she is” or “she has”
• It’s – a contraction of “it is” or “it has”
• We’re – contraction of “we are”
• They’re – contraction of “they are”
• Can’t – contraction of “cannot”
• Don’t – contraction of “do not”
• Won’t – contraction of “will not”

Contractions can also be formed with the use of auxiliary verbs, such as “is”, “our”, “has”, “have”, “had”, “will”, “shall”, “would”, “should”, “could”, and “might”. For example, “I’ve” is a contraction of “I have”, “he’ll” is a contraction of “he will”, and “shouldn’t” is a contraction of “should not”.

Wh Question Words

Wh question words are words that are used to ask questions in English. These words typically start with “wh-” and are used to inquire about specific information. Here are the most common Wh question words:

• What – asks for information about a thing or an idea, such as “What time is it?” or “What’s your favorite food?”
• Who – asks for information about a person, such as “Who is that?” or “Who won the game?”
• Where – asks for information about a location or place, such as “Where are you going?” or “Where is the nearest restaurant?”
• When – asks for information about a time or date, such as “When is the meeting?” or “When were you born?”
• Why – asks for the reason or purpose of something, such as “Why are you late?” or “Why did you choose that book?”
• How – asks for information about a method or process, such as “How do you cook rice?” or “How did you get here?”
• Which – asks for information about a specific choice or option, such as “Which movie do you want to see?” or “Which color do you prefer?”
• Whose – asks for the possession or ownership of something, such as “Whose book is this?” or “Whose car are you driving?”
• Whom – asks for information about the object of a sentence, such as “Whom did you invite to the party?” or “To whom should I address the letter?”
• Whichever – asks for information about any choice or option, such as “Whichever you prefer, I’ll go with it.”

Using Wh question words is essential for effective communication in English, as they help to clarify and obtain specific information

Core Vocabulary Words

100 most common words in English

• the
• of
• and
• to
• a
• in
• that
• is
• for
• it
• with
• was
• on
• be
• by
• as
• he
• at
• from
• his
• an
• are
• have
• has
• or
• one
• had
• this
• but
• not
• can
• all
• their
• your
• if
• they
• her
• she
• what
• there
• we
• do
• him
• out
• up
• said
• about
• who
• them
• then
• into
• no
• its
• now
• my
• than
• these
• other
• some
• time
• could
• only
• see
• any
• day
• first
• two
• like
• use
• made
• after
• our
• most
• into
• back
• such
• through
• over
• many
• where
• must
• before
• great
• long
• little
• own
• too
• same
• old
• as
• between
• those
• down
• both
• even
• because
• well
• without
• made
• made

50+ Daily Used English Words

Here are 50+ commonly used English words that are used in daily conversations:

• Hello
• Goodbye
• Please
• Thank you
• Sorry
• Yes
• No
• Okay
• Maybe
• Really
• Sure
• Awesome
• Amazing
• Great
• Wonderful
• Fantastic
• Excellent
• Perfect
• Happy
• Sad
• Angry
• Tired
• Hungry
• Thirsty
• Busy
• Relax
• Enjoy
• Understand
• Need
• Want
• Like
• Love
• Hate
• Try
• Plan
• Meet
• Talk
• Listen
• Watch
• Read
• Write
• Learn
• Study
• Practice
• Work
• Play
• Exercise
• Travel
• Explore
• Discover
• Create
• Share

40+ Most Frequently Used Words in English with Meaning

• the – used to indicate a specific person or thing that has already been mentioned or is already known about
• and – its purpose is to connect phrases, words, or clauses
• a – used to refer to one person or thing that is not specifically known or mentioned
• to – it is used to express motion in the direction of a particular location
• in – It is used to express the surrounded by something
• that –  identify a specific person
• it – easily identified
• of – it expresses the relationship between a part and a whole
• for – intended to benefit or be used by
• I – used to refer to oneself as a speaker or writer
• was – the past tense of “be”
• on – it refers to physically in contact with and supported by (a surface)
• with – its meaning is accompanied by another person or thing
• he – used to refer to a male person or animal that is being talked about
• as – used to indicate the function or character of a person or thing
• you – it is used to refer to the person
• his – belonging to or associated with a male person previously mentioned or easily identified
• at – expressing the location or arrival of someone or something
• but – its purpose is to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned
• we – one or more other people considered together
• from – it indicates the point in space at which a journey, motion, or action starts
• have – possess, own, or hold
• an – used instead of “a” when the next word begins with a vowel sound
• were – the past tense of “are”
• or – used to connect words or phrases that are alternatives
• not – used to express the negative of an auxiliary verb, a following auxiliary verb, or a word that reverses or denies
• are – second person singular and plural and the first and third person plural present indicative of “be”
• my – associated with the speaker
• all – used to extent of a particular group or thing
• their – belonging to or associated with a group of people or things previously mentioned or easily identified
• she – used to refer to a female person or animal that is being talked about
• been – past participle of “be”
• if – introducing a conditional clause
• would – used to indicate the future tense of a verb
• will – expressing the future tense
• can – be able to
• her – belonging to or associated with a female person previously mentioned or easily identified
• said – past tense of “say”
• could – indicating the possibility or ability
• an – used instead of “a” when the next word begins with a vowel sound

English Words List

Weird Words in English