What Is Are In Parts Of Speech | Fast Class Checks

If you’ve ever stared at a worksheet and thought, “Wait—what part of speech is is? And where does are fit?” you’re not alone right away. These two tiny words carry a lot of weight in English sentences. They can show up as the main verb, help build verb phrases, or connect a subject to a noun or adjective that tells us what that subject is.

This guide clears it up with plain tests you can run on any sentence. You’ll also get quick patterns, common traps, and a mini checklist you can use when you’re labeling parts of speech for class.

Parts Of Speech Snapshot For “Is” And “Are”

Before you zoom in on is and are, it helps to see the whole system. Parts of speech are word categories based on how a word works in a sentence, not just what the word means. A single word can shift categories when its job changes. Britannica sums up parts of speech as classes of words identified by the ideas they express and how they function in a sentence.

Part Of Speech	What It Does	Quick Signal
Noun	Names a person, place, thing, or idea	Can take a/the or be plural
Pronoun	Stands in for a noun	I, you, he, she, it, they
Verb	Shows action or state	Can change for tense
Adjective	Describes a noun or pronoun	Answers “which one?” or “what kind?”
Adverb	Describes a verb, adjective, or adverb	Often answers “how/when/where?”
Preposition	Shows relationship (time, place, direction)	Starts a phrase: in class, after lunch
Conjunction	Joins words or clauses	and, but, or
Interjection	Shows a quick feeling	hey, wow, oh
Article/Determiner	Points to or limits a noun	a, an, the, this, some

Now for the main point: is and are sit in the verb slot. Most of the time they are forms of the verb be. Purdue OWL lists verbs as one of the core parts of speech and treats forms of be as verbs in sentence structure. (If you want a clean overview page to cite in school, see Purdue OWL Parts Of Speech Overview.)

What Is Are In Parts Of Speech In Plain Terms

In parts of speech, is and are are verbs. They’re present-tense forms of be. The simplest way to say it: they tell what something is or what people/things are.

One more small detail that helps in tests: is pairs with singular third-person subjects (he, she, it, one student), while are pairs with plural subjects (they, many students). When you’re labeling, agreement is a clue, not the label itself. The part of speech stays “verb,” even when the sentence feels like it’s just giving a description.

If your teacher’s prompt is “what is are in parts of speech,” write “verb,” then add the job label that fits.

“Is” And “Are” As Linking Verbs

A linking verb connects the subject to a word or phrase that renames it or describes it. It does not show an action like run or build. It acts like an equals sign.

• My brother is a pilot. (pilot renames brother.)
• The soup is salty. (salty describes soup.)
• Those shoes are mine. (mine identifies ownership.)

When you see a noun, adjective, or pronoun sitting after is/are, you’re usually looking at a linking verb pattern: subject + be + complement.

“Is” And “Are” As Helping Verbs

Is and are can also help another verb. In that case, they still count as verbs, but they’re part of a verb phrase.

• She is running. (is helps form the present progressive.)
• They are being careful. (are helps form the progressive with being.)

When a verb ends in -ing and sits right after is or are, you’re often seeing the progressive form. The action is in progress, not finished.

“Is” And “Are” In Passive Voice

Passive voice uses a form of be plus a past participle (often a verb ending in -ed, though not always). Again, is/are are verbs inside the verb phrase.

• The homework is graded on Friday.
• The tickets are sold online.

A quick check: if you can add “by someone” after the verb phrase and it still makes sense, you’re probably in passive voice: “The homework is graded by the teacher.”

Quick Tests To Identify The Job Of “Is” And “Are”

Labeling parts of speech gets easier when you stop guessing and start testing. Use these fast checks in order.

Test 1: Replace With Another Form Of “Be”

Swap is with was, or swap are with were. If the sentence still works, you’ve got a verb form of be.

• “The movie is long.” → “The movie was long.”
• “The cards are on the desk.” → “The cards were on the desk.”

Test 2: Look Right After It

What comes right after the word often reveals its role.

• If the next word is an adjective or noun, is/are are usually linking verbs.
• If the next word ends in -ing, is/are are usually helping verbs in a progressive form.
• If the next word is a past participle (graded, known, built, eaten), you may be seeing passive voice.

Test 3: Ask “What’s Being Said About The Subject?”

If the sentence tells you what the subject equals or what it’s like, you’re in linking-verb territory.

• “My plan is a mess.” → plan = mess
• “Their answer is correct.” → answer = correct

Test 4: Find The Real Action Verb

If you spot another verb that carries the action (running, singing, graded), is/are are helping that verb build meaning. If there’s no other verb, is/are are the main verb.

Why “Is” And “Are” Confuse So Many People

These words are short, common, and flexible. That combo makes them easy to overlook. Three patterns cause most mix-ups.

Pattern 1: “Be” Verbs Don’t Look Like Action

Many students learn “verbs are action words,” then meet is and think, “That’s not an action.” True. Still a verb. Verbs can show action, state, or condition.

Pattern 2: One Word, Many Sentence Jobs

Parts of speech depend on role. The same spelling can land in different categories across sentences. With be, the category stays “verb,” but the job inside the verb system shifts: main verb, linking verb, helper.

Pattern 3: Sentence Labels Get Mixed With Word Labels

People mix up “predicate” (a sentence part) with “verb” (a word class). A predicate can include verbs, objects, and more. Parts of speech label single words by function.

How “Is” And “Are” Work With Subjects

When you’re also checking grammar, subject-verb agreement helps you pick the right form. This can matter in classwork where you have to circle the verb and match it to the subject.

Singular Subjects Take “Is”

• She is ready.
• The book is on the chair.
• Each student is responsible.

Plural Subjects Take “Are”

• They are ready.
• The books are on the chair.
• Many students are responsible.

Tricky Subjects That Still Use “Is”

Some subjects look plural but act singular.

• Mathematics is hard for me.
• News is on at six.
• Ten dollars is enough.

Where “Is” And “Are” Fit In Sentence Patterns

When you diagram or label, it helps to spot the pattern the sentence is using. Here are the most common ones.

Pattern A: Subject + Be + Noun

This pattern renames the subject.

• My cousin is a nurse.
• Those kids are leaders.

Pattern B: Subject + Be + Adjective

This pattern describes the subject.

• The room is quiet.
• The rooms are quiet.

Pattern C: Subject + Be + Prepositional Phrase

This pattern often shows location or time.

• The phone is on the table.
• The phones are in my bag.

Pattern D: Be + Verb-Ing

This pattern shows an action in progress.

• I am studying.
• She is studying.
• They are studying.

Common Mix-Ups And Clean Fixes

Here’s where students most often stumble when they label parts of speech or sentence parts. Use the quick test column to settle it fast. If you want a clear explanation of word classes from a grammar reference, Cambridge Grammar lays out major word classes and shows that words can belong to more than one class depending on use; see Cambridge Grammar Word Classes And Phrase Classes.

Word In A Sentence	What It Can Be	Quick Test
is	Verb (linking or helping)	Swap with was
are	Verb (linking or helping)	Swap with were
like	Verb or preposition	Try “enjoy” (verb) vs “similar to” (prep)
fast	Adjective or adverb	Modifies noun (adj) vs modifies verb (adv)
book	Noun or verb	Can it take the? (noun)
before	Preposition or conjunction	Followed by noun (prep) vs clause (conj)
that	Pronoun, determiner, conjunction	Can it replace a noun? (pronoun)
well	Adverb or adjective	“good” fits adjective slot; “quickly” fits adverb slot
running	Verb or noun (gerund)	Can it take the? (“the running”) signals noun
up	Preposition or particle	Part of phrasal verb (“pick up”) signals particle

Mini Checklist For Homework And Tests

Use this quick routine when your assignment says “label the parts of speech,” and you hit is or are.

1. Find the subject. Who or what is the sentence about?
2. Find the verb slot. What word tells action or state?
3. Run the swap test.is → was, are → were.
4. Check the next word. noun/adjective = linking; -ing = helping; past participle = passive.
5. Label the complement. The word after be might be a noun, adjective, or phrase that completes the meaning.

Practice Set You Can Do In Two Minutes

Try these on paper. Circle is or are, label it “verb,” then add the job label: linking, helping, or passive.

1. The cat is sleepy.
2. My friends are playing outside.
3. The answers are correct.
4. The cookies are baked each morning.
5. Her idea is a good one.

When you’re done, check your reasoning, not just your labels. Ask what comes after the verb and what the sentence is saying about the subject.

One Last Clarity Check Before You Submit

If your worksheet asks, “what is are in parts of speech,” your safest answer is: verbs. Then add one line that matches the sentence you’re working with: linking verb when it connects the subject to a description, helping verb when it teams up with another verb, and passive helper when it pairs with a past participle.

That’s it. Once you treat is and are as verbs each time, the rest turns into pattern spotting, not guesswork.