What part of speech is “now”

now is used as an adjective to denote something that is currently in effect or relevant to the present situation. It is used to express immediacy and can also serve as a substitute for the words ‘current’, ‘happening’, or ‘present’.

1. They are studying a more detailed version of the now famous painting.

2. I must use now techniques to stay ahead.

3. My now distress has been alleviated.

remember that now cannot be used to describe a past situation. There are some phrases that incorporate the word ‘now’ which can be used to indicate past events, such as 'back then' and 'in the now days'.

now is used as an adverb to indicate the current time, or a time close to the present. It is often used to describe action taking place at the same time as another event; this is usually for events that are taking place or expected to take place immediately. For example

'He left the house now' or 'She needs to start cleaning now'. It can also be used to describe an earlier event that was just mentioned, such as 'I was lonely before, but now I have found friends.'

1. He is eating dinner now.

2. Now is the time to act.

3. Now I understand why you did that.

the adverb form of now takes a stress/emphasis when verbally speaking; this is different than how attention is paid to the word in written sentences. Remember that now cannot typically replace other adverbs (such as'll soon, immediately, etc.).

now is used as a conjunction to indicate that something happened after something else happened or to connect two events that occurred at the same time. It is used to express the idea of ‘after this happens’, ‘at this moment’ or ‘simultaneously’. For example

'She was about to cry, but now she is laughing.' or 'It snowed, now the roads are icy.'

1. He was sad but now he is happy.

2. He left home, and now he is in the city.

3. I was hesitant before, now I am sure.

now should not be used to connect two events that have already happened and are distant from one another in time. Now is used to connect two events that are happening at the same moment in time or those events that are immediately following one another in sequence.