What Part of Speech is “ABOUT”
In the English language, the word “about” has multiple purposes. It can be used as a preposition, an adverb, or an adjective.
- Preposition
This word can be categorized as a preposition when it is used to indicate movement to a specific location, or, the subject of something written or spoken. For example, in the sentence below:
I read a book about decoupage.
The word “about” is used to indicate the subject of the “book” that is being talked about in the sentence.
Definition:
a. on the subject of; concerning
- Example:
- I was thinking about her.
b. used to indicate movement within a particular area
- Example:
- He looked about the room.
- Adverb
The word “about” can be considered as an adverb if it is used to modify a verb or another adverb. For instance, in the sample sentence below:
I saw the kid floundering about in the water.
The word is categorized as an adverb because it modifies the verb “floundering.”
Definition:
a. used to indicate movement in an area
- Example:
- There were snakes crawling about in the grass.
b. almost or nearly
- Example:
- He was about to join the army.
- Adjective
In some cases, the word “about” is also categorized under adjectives if it tells something about a noun or a pronoun. Take for example, the sentence below:
Shane’s up and about again, but he may still not be able to drive for months.
In this example, the word “about” serves as an adjective that describes the noun “Shane.”
Definition:
a. being out of bed
- Example:
- He’s always up and about at 5 in the morning.