Did You Know These Words Are Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives!

When speaking any language, the majority of the  words can be broken down into the categories of  

nouns, verbs and adjectives. There are, of course,  other categories too like adverbs and conjunctions  

but today I’d like to focus  on those 3 core categories. 

We talk a lot about the English language here, in  fact, this whole channel is dedicated to it and  

I often find myself reading out definitions which  will hopefully help you to widen your vocabulary.  

The trouble with that is that so many words in  the English language have multiple definitions so  

I just have to choose whichever is more relevant  in the context but that got me thinking. I wonder  

if there are any words in the English language  which are nouns, verbs and adjectives all at once. 

Before we get into my list, let’s recap the  meaning of a noun, a verb and an adjective.  

A noun is a word which names a person,  place or thing. Names like ‘Anna’ are nouns.  

Place names like ‘London’ or ‘England’ are  nouns. Objects like ‘cloud’ or ‘book’ are nouns. 

Adjective is a describing word. A word we  use to describe something. For example,  

‘red’, ‘tall’, ‘cute’, ‘cold’ are  all simple examples of adjectives. 

And lastly, a verb is a ‘doing’ word. A word  we use to describe an action. For example  

‘run’, ‘want’, ‘eat’ and ‘sing’  are all simple examples of verbs. 

So now we are looking for words which  can be used for all three categories:  

as a noun, as an adjective and as a verb. The first example I have found is the word:  

Fast.
As an adjective, ‘fast’ means: moving or  capable of moving at a high speed. 
“This train is  

fast and comfortable.”
As a verb, the word ‘fast’  means: to abstain from all or some kinds of food  

or drink, particularly as part of a religious  ritual.
“During the month of Ramadan, Muslims  

are obligated to fast every day from sunrise the  sunset as an act of worship, and a way to become  

more compassionate to those in need.”
Lastly,  ‘fast’ can also be used as a noun referring to the  

time in which you are fasting.
“24 hours before  the operation, you need to begin your fast.” 

Another example is the word: Well.
As  an adjective, ‘well’ means healthy.
“I  

don’t feel well.”
As a noun, a ‘well’ is a hole  made in the earth to reach water. Here is a photo  

of an old English well.
“Throw a penny in the  well and make a wish and it might come true!”  

We do have some strange superstitions, don’t  we?
Lastly, as a verb, we can use ‘well’  

to describe a pooling of water. 
“Tears well in  my eyes just thinking about chopping onions!” 

Yet another example is the word: Firm.
As an  adjective, ‘firm’ means having a solid, almost  

unyielding surface or structure.
“To support your  back, the bed should be firm but not too hard.”
It  

can also be used to describe a person who is  determined and confident.
“Some students find the  

teacher scary, but I think she’s nice. She’s just  very firm”
As a verb, to ‘firm’ something means to  

make it more solid or resilient. This is usually  part of the separable phrasal verb to ‘firm up’,  

meaning the act of making something more  firm.
“The plans still have to be firmed  

up but I think we’re going to go for coffee  on Saturday morning.”
Lastly, as a noun, the  

word ‘firm’ can be used to describe a for-profit  business organisation. It’s usually paired with  

the name of the industry to be more specific,  for example a law firm or an insurance firm. 

Another example of a word that is a noun,  a verb and an adjective is: Sport.
‘Sport’  

as a noun refers to an activity involving  exercise and competition.
“At this school,  

we offer team sports including football, rugby  and netball.”
As a verb, to ‘sport’ something  

means to wear or display it.
“Here a photo of  me proudly sporting my school uniform.”
And  

the word ‘sport’ can also be used as an adjective,  meaning ‘of or relating to sport’.
“She got  

into the school on a sport scholarship!” And lastly, the final example is: Last.
As  

an adjective, the word ‘last’ means  final. This is the last example.
As  

a noun, ‘the last’ is the final one.
“Of all  my siblings, I was the last to move out.”
And  

as a verb, to ‘last’ means to continue  for a specified period of time.
“I  

know it’ll be difficult, but I’m  determined to last the whole race.” 

So there we have 5 examples of words which  can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective  

in the English language, but I’m sure there  are plenty more. We have: fast, well, firm,  

sport and last. Can you think of any more? Your homework today is to choose one of the  

words we’ve discussed today or one you’ve thought  of yourself and use it in a sentence 3 times:  

first as a noun, then as a verb and then as  an adjective, and if that’s too easy and you’d  

like a challenge, try having all 3 meaning in the  same sentence! I can’t wait to read your answers.