Content Words and Function Words

Introduction to Content/Function Words

Words are divided into two categories: Function Words and Content Words.

Content words (opened-class words or lexical words) are words that carry the content or the meaning of a sentence.  Content words are mainly nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Function words (closed-class words or grammatical words) are words which have little meaning on their own, but which show grammatical relationships in and between sentences. Conjunctions, prepositions, determiners, pronouns, auxiliary verbs, modal verbs are function words.

Function Words	examples
Prepositions	of, at, in, without, between
Pronouns	he, they, it, one
Determiners	the, a, that, my, more, much, either, neither
Conjunctions	and, that, when, while, although, or
Modal verbs	can, must, will, should, ought, need, used
Auxilliary verbs	be (is, am, are), have, got, do

Content Words	examples
Nouns	John, room, answer, teacher
Adjectives	happy, kind, large, grey
Verbs	look, grow, hold, have
Adverbs	really, completely, very, also, enough