Grammatical class is each of the groups by which words are organized taking into account their grammatical functions.
This means that each word that exists in the Portuguese language belongs to a grammatical class, where it is "placed" depending on what it does, that is, depending on its function.
There are 10 grammatical classes, whose functions are as follows:
- Substantive - name beings in general (boy, pencil, bird);
- Verb - indicate actions, state, natural phenomena (smiling, being, raining);
- Adjective - assign characteristics (beautiful, funny, healthy);
- Pronoun - indicate the people of the speech, ownership and positions (me, mine, that one);
- Article - specify or generalize the noun (o, as, a);
- Numeral - count, indicate quantity and order in a position (one, double, third);
- Preposition - link words or sentences (coffee with milk);
- Conjunction - join sentences or terms of sentences (father and mom);
- Interjection - express feelings;
- Adverb - indicate mood, time, place, intensity, and with that modify verbs, adjectives or adverbs.
The grammatical class is also called the word class and is divided into variables and invariants.
variable words are those that undergo changes: noun, verb, adjective, pronoun, article and numeral.
invariant words are those that do not change: preposition, conjunction, interjection and adverb.
The variable words can be changed in: gender (male and female), number (singular and plural) and degree (augmentative and diminutive, comparative and superlative).
In the case of verbs, words also vary in tense (present, past and future), mood (indicative, subjunctive and imperative) and voice (active, passive and reflexive).
1. What is a noun?
Substantive it is the word that gives names to people, animals, places, objects, spiritual and mythological beings, qualities, feelings.
Nouns can be: common or proper, simple or compound, primitive or derivative, concrete or abstract and collective.
You nouns can be common or proper, depending on whether they are generic or specific people/things. When they name something in general, they are common nouns (girl, country); when they name something specific, they are proper nouns (Maria, Brazil).
You nouns can be simple or compound, according to the number of radicals that its structure presents. When formed by a radical, they are simple nouns (rain, sun); when formed by two or more radicals, they are compound nouns (umbrella, sunflower).
You nouns can be primitives or derivatives, depending on whether they are formed or not in other words. When they are not formed by another word, they are primitive nouns (house, leaf); when they are formed by another word, they are derived nouns (hovel, foliage).
You nouns can be concrete or abstract, according to its existence as a being or as an abstraction. The words that name real or imaginary beings are concrete nouns (cat, mermaid); the words that name qualities, feelings, states or actions are abstract nouns (joy, faithfulness).
You collective nouns they are those that give names to beings that belong to the same group (band - group of musicians, shoal - group of fish).
2. What is a verb?
Verb it is the word that indicates action, state, phenomenon of nature, desire, occurrence.
Verbs can be: regular, irregular, defective and abundant.
You verbs can be regular, when they are conjugated according to a paradigm. This means that there is a ending model followed by verbs, without changing its stem. For example, the stems of the verbs "sing" (cant-) and "pular" (pul-) remain the same, and they have the same endings when they are conjugated: falO, talkHey, talksand; jumpO, jumpHey, jumpsand.
You verbs can be irregular, when they do not obey a conjugation model, and both the stem and the verb ending can be changed. For example, the verbs "to be" (est-) and "to know" (sab-) undergo major changes when they are conjugated: I am, I was, I am; I know, I knew, I will know.
You verbs can be defectives, when they are not conjugated in all people, tenses or modes, that is, when they do not have complete conjugation. For example, the verbs "coloring" and "abolir" are not conjugated in the first person singular (I) of the present tense: I --, you color, he colors, we color, you color, they color; I -- you abolish, he abolishes, we abolishes, you abolishes, they abolishes.
You verbs can be plentiful, when they have a double participle, that is, when they have a regular and an irregular conjugation form. For example, the verbs "dry" and "deliver" (regular participle: secado, delivered; irregular participle: dry, delivered).
3. What is an adjective?
Adjective it is the word that gives characteristics to nouns, indicating qualities or defects, appearance, state.
Adjectives can be: primitive, derivative, simple and homeland.
You adjectives can be primitive or derived, depending on whether or not they are formed by derivation from other words. When they are not formed by derivation from another word, they are primitive adjectives (blue, good); when formed by derivation from another word, they are derived adjectives (bluish, kinda).
You adjectives can be simple or compound, according to the number of radicals that its structure presents. When formed by a radical, they are simple adjectives (Brazilian, green); when formed by two or more radicals, they are compound adjectives (Portuguese-Brazilian, emerald-green).
You homeland adjectives they are those that characterize something according to their origin (Cearense - who is from Ceará, Egyptian - who is from Egypt).
4. What is a pronoun?
Pronoun is the word that indicates people's speech, ownership, positions. It represents or refers to beings in general and can either accompany or replace nouns.
Pronouns can be: personal, possessive, demonstrative, relative, indefinite and interrogative.
You pronouns can be personal, when they indicate the people of the speech. They are divided into personal pronouns of the straight case (I, you, he/she(s), we, you) and personal pronouns of the oblique case (unatonic: me, te, o/a(s), if, him ( s), in, you); tonics: me, you, he/she(s), si, we, you). There are also the treatment pronouns (Your Majesty, Your Lordship).
You pronouns can be possessive, when they indicate possession: mine(s), mine(s), your(s), your(s), his(ies), his(ies), our(s), your(s).
You pronouns can be demonstrative, when they indicate the positions of beings: this (s), this (s), this, this (s), this (s), this, that (s), that (s), that.
You pronouns can be relative, when referring to an earlier term. There are variable and invariable relative pronouns:
- Variable relative pronouns: which, which, which, which, whose(s), whose(s), how much(s), how many;
- Invariable relative pronouns: what, who, when, how, where.
You pronouns can be undefined, when they refer inaccurately to the third person of the speech. There are undefined variable and invariable pronouns:
- Variable indefinite pronouns: some, some, some(s), none, none, none(s), all(s);
- Invariable indefinite pronouns: somebody, nobody, everything, somebody, nothing, each, something.
You pronouns can be interrogative, when they are used in direct or indirect interrogations: what, who, which, which, how much(s).
5. What is an article?
Article it is the word that comes before the noun with the function of specifying or generalizing it.
You articles can be defined or indefinite. When it specifies or particularizes something, they are defined articles (the, the, the, the: O book, The cracker, you documents, at crackers); when it generalizes, they are indefinite articles (one, one, one, one: a book, one cracker, some books, some crackers).
6. What is numeral?
Numeral is the word used to count, in addition to indicating the quantity and order occupied in a position.
The numerals can be:
Cardinals - one two Three;
Ordinals - first second Third;
Multiplications - double, triple, quadruple;
Fractional - middle, third, fourth;
Collectives - even (2 units), crack (3 units), corner (5 units).
7. What is preposition?
Preposition it is the word that has the function of making the connection between words or sentences. Establish a relationship of dependence, since the second word or sentence explains the first.
At prepositions can be essential or accidental. When words only act as prepositions, they are essential prepositions (I don't see it since the last summer; The lawyer will be available after the lunch); when words belong to other grammatical classes, but assume the role of preposition in a given context, they are accidental prepositions (All attended, except the boss; The account can only be opened through presentation of documents).
8. What is conjunction?
Conjunction is the word that joins terms in a sentence that have the same grammatical value (I go with my boyfriend and with a friend) or who joins prayers (I arrived early why I came by car).
Conjunctions can be: coordinating or subordinating.
At conjunctions can be coordinating, when they join similar terms or independent clauses (I've been through, therefore I can speak.) They are classified into: additive, adversative, alternative, conclusive and explanatory.
At conjunctions can be subordinate, when they join dependent prayers (if he goes, I will). They are classified into: integral, causal, concessive, conditional, conformative, comparative, consecutive, final, proportional and temporal.
9. What is interjection?
Interjection it is the word that expresses emotions, feelings or that serve to interact with the interlocutor.
There are interjections of: warning (Be careful!), joy (Whew!), relief (Whew!), encouragement (Let's go!), appeal (Help!), call (Shhh!), desire (Hopefully!), pain (Ouch!), astonishment (Wow!), satisfaction (Wow!), greeting (Hi!), silence (Shh!).
10. What is an adverb?
Adverb is the word that accompanies verbs, adjectives or other adverbs and modifies them by indicating mood, tense, intensity (Woke up early; I live on here; She is much responsible).
There are adverbs of: place (here), time (always), mood (good), affirmation (really), negation (not), intensity (much) and doubt (perhaps).
Read too: The 10 Word Classes or Grammar Classes and Morphology Exercises.
Bibliographic references
GRANDSON, Pasquale Cipro; INFANT, Odysseus. Grammar of the Portuguese Language. 3. ed. São Paulo: Scipione, 2009.