free tool, no sign-up
Parts of Speech Identifier
Color words from a classroom parts-of-speech list, and place a subject, verb, and object on a Reed-Kellogg line.
Colors come from a word list, not from a grammar engine. A word such as can might be a verb or a noun.
Known words are colored from the list. Other words are marked not in the list.
Examples
Type a sentence to color the words that are on the list.
Word list colors
Select a part to dim the others. Select it again to show every word.
Reed-Kellogg line
Type the subject, verb, and object yourself. The line does not choose them.
Subject
—
Verb
—
Object
—
The horizontal line is the baseline. The vertical line between subject and verb crosses the baseline. The vertical line between verb and object stops on the baseline. Empty boxes show a dash.
This parts of speech identifier checks each word against a built-in list of common classroom words and colors a match as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, article, or interjection. It is not a grammar engine: a word that is missing is marked not in the list, and a word stored with more than one use, such as can, keeps every tag instead of a guessed single label. You can also type a subject, a verb, and an object to see them on a simple Reed-Kellogg line, which shows only the labels you enter.
Color a sentence from a word list
Type a sentence and each word is checked against a fixed list of common classroom words. A word on the list is colored and named as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction, article, or interjection. A word that is not on the list is marked not in the list. The tool does not guess from endings, so a made-up word that happens to end in ly stays unmarked. If the list records more than one everyday use, every one of those tags is shown. The word can is stored as a verb and as a noun. The word to is listed as a preposition, including in to run, because the list has no separate infinitive label.
Under the sentence is a simple Reed-Kellogg line for a subject, a verb, and an object. You type the three parts yourself. The horizontal line is the baseline. The vertical line between the subject and the verb crosses the baseline, and the vertical line between the verb and the object stops on the baseline. The line does not read the sentence or choose the parts. It only shows the words you entered, so a longer sentence still needs you to decide what belongs in each box. Empty boxes show a dash until you type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this diagram a sentence for me?
No. The colors come from a word list, not from a grammar engine, and the Reed-Kellogg line uses the subject, verb, and object you type. It will not diagram a clause, a compound sentence, or a modifier on its own. Words missing from the list stay marked not in the list.
Why does a word say not in the list?
Only words stored in the classroom list are colored. Names, technical words, and plenty of ordinary words are left off on purpose, rather than assigned a guess. In The pupils studied photosynthesis, pupils and studied are on the list, and photosynthesis is marked not in the list. Punctuation and numbers stay plain and are not counted as missing words.
Why is can both a verb and a noun?
Can is stored twice: as a verb, as in I can open it, and as a noun, as in a tin can. Both tags are shown because the list does not decide which use you mean. The same thing happens with other listed words that have more than one common part of speech, such as play, watch, and light. A word with two tags is counted once under each tag.
How do I read the subject, verb, and object line?
Read across the baseline from left to right: subject, then verb, then object. For The small birds quickly eat seeds, you might type birds, eat, and seeds. The taller vertical line crosses the baseline and divides the subject from the verb. The shorter vertical line stops on the baseline and divides the verb from the object. The sample buttons fill both the sentence and the three boxes so you can see the pattern.