Nouns 

This lesson delves into the complexities of nouns, including their use in compound nouns, noun phrases, and as subjects and objects. It offers comprehensive explanations, advanced exercises, and a quiz to solidify your grasp of nouns.

What Are "Nouns" In the English Grammar?

What Are Nouns?

Nouns are the words used to name people, things, places, ideas, or concepts. They are the largest class of words in most languages, including English.

Nouns: Types

Nouns can be categorized into different groups based on various criteria. Each group has unique functions and specific characteristics.

1.

Based on Uniqueness or Commonality

2.

Based on Tangibility or Abstractness

3.

Based on Countability

4.

Based on Gender

Based on Uniqueness or Commonality

Based on whether they refer to a specific entity or not, nouns can be categorized into two groups:

Common nouns refer to a non-specific entity, while proper nouns refer to specific entities. Common nouns are not capitalized unless they come at the beginning of a sentence. Proper nouns should always be capitalized. Take a look at the following examples:

Example

They gave Alan his own show.

'Adam' is a proper noun; therefore, it is capitalized even in the middle of the sentence.

The room was full of guests.

The noun 'room' is a common noun and is not capitalized.

Based on Tangibility or Abstractness

Nouns can be categorized into two groups based on whether they refer to entities that can be perceived by the senses or not.

Abstract nouns refer to intangible entities such as concepts, ideas, or emotions. They cannot be experienced through the five senses and include words like 'love,' 'honesty,' and 'bravery.' Concrete nouns, on the other hand, refer to tangible entities that can be identified through the senses, such as 'telephone,' 'noise,' and 'car. Pay attention to the examples:

Example

The bed was covered with flowers.

Not everyone is lucky enough to find love in real life.

Based on Countability

Singular or Plural Nouns

Nouns can be categorized into two groups based on their quantity or number:

Singular nouns refer to a single entity, while plural nouns refer to multiple entities. Singular nouns are preceded by the articles 'a' or 'an,' while plural nouns are indicated by the addition of the letters 's' or 'es' at the end of the word. For example, 'bag' and 'apple' are singular nouns, while 'buses,' 'books,' and 'families' are plural nouns. Take a look at the examples:

Example

It is worth a try.

The students in the class were all wearing different colored shirts.

Collective Nouns

A 'collective Noun' refers to a group of individuals or things regarded as a single entity, such as 'team' or 'group. For example:

Example

The audience was taking notes of everything.

'Audience' are a collection of people that listen and watch a performance.

My family lives in Tokyo.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Nouns can be categorized into two groups based on whether they can be counted or not:

Countable nouns have plural forms and can be quantified with a number, such as 'one chair' or 'three chairs.' Uncountable nouns, on the other hand, cannot be pluralized or quantified with a number, such as 'water,' 'sugar,' and 'wood.' Here are some examples for clarity:

Example

The cat was drinking its milk from the bowl.

'Milk' is an uncountable noun.

There were millions of worms under the ground.

'Worm' is a countable noun, used in the plural form.

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Plural-only Nouns

Some nouns are only used in the plural form and cannot be counted or quantified with numbers.

Example

Wear your glasses. It's sunny outside.

'Eyeglasses' or 'glasses' are always used in plural form.

Your son looks cute in those shorts.

Based on Gender

A 'gender-specific noun' refers specifically to either males or females. In some languages, nouns are classified into three genders:

1.

Masculine nouns

2.

Feminine nouns

3.

Neutral nouns

Most nouns in English are considered gender-neutral. However, if a noun refers to something that is clearly male or female, its gender will be determined by its meaning and classified as masculine or feminine. For example "rooster" (Gender-specific masculine), "hen" (Gender-specific feminine), and "chicken" (neutral). Have a look:

Example

Her husband works at a hospital.

'Husband' is a masculine noun.

The queen has a diamond ring that is missing at the moment.

Nouns: Composition

Based on their composition, nouns can be categorized into three groups:

Simple nouns

Compound nouns

Derived nouns

Simple Nouns

Simple nouns, as the name suggests, are the most basic form of nouns in English. These nouns consist of a single word. For example:

Example

I bought a pencil from the store next to the gym.

Compound Nouns

'Compound Nouns' are made up of two or more words. There are three types of compound nouns in English:

The closed form (which is written as one word): basketball, wallpaper, grandmother, notebook

The open form (which is spelled as two separate words): ice cream, field hockey, distance learning, swimming pool

The hyphenated form (two or more words are joined by a hyphen): check-up, mother-in-law, commander-in-chief, self-esteem

Example

They have put a wooden drawer in their bedrooms.

John must be her son-in-low.

Derived Nouns

Derivation is the process of creating new words with a different part of speech by adding affixes, prefixes, or suffixes to an already-existing word. In English, some nouns are formed by adding these elements to other words. For example, by adding '-er/-or/-ar', '-ion/-tion', '-ment', '-ness', etc. to some verbs we can have make nouns. Pay attention to the following examples:

Example

He is a famous actor.

Here by adding 'or' to the verb act we made the noun actor.

Children often have a very active imagination, which can lead to playfulness.

Gerunds

Gerunds are words derived from verbs that function as nouns. In English, all gerunds end in the suffix '-ing.' Examples include 'playing,' 'singing,' and 'drawing'. Take a look at the examples below:

Example

Swimming is the hardest thing I have ever learned.

I went hiking with my friends.

Nouns: Function

Nouns can function as:

As a subject

As an object (direct, indirect, retained, object of prepositions)

As a subject and object complement

Nouns as Subjects

Nouns can serve as the subject of a sentence, indicating that the sentence is either about the noun or that the noun is performing the action of the verb. In declarative sentences, the subject typically appears at the beginning of the sentence.

Example

Claudia is a Russian dentist that lives in Italy.

The organization is considered one of the best ones in this area.

Nouns as Objects

As 'objects,' nouns can be direct object, indirect object, retained object, and object of prepositions. Let us explain them one by one to avoid any confusion.

Direct Object & Indirect Object

The 'direct object' of a verb is a noun or a noun phrase that receives the action of a transitive verb.
An indirect object is a noun or pronoun in a sentence that identifies to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed. The indirect object usually comes between the verb and the direct object (if there is one).Take a look at the examples below:

Example

Can you please pass me the keys?

Here, 'the keys' is the direct object, and 'me' is the indirect object for whom the action is performed.

I made my sister a cup of tea.

Object of Preposition

The 'object of a preposition' is a noun or a noun phrase that is used after a preposition as an object. Have a look:

Example

We talked about the upcoming trip.

It depends on what you decide.

Retained Object

A retained object is a noun or noun phrase used as the direct or indirect object in a passive sentence. Look at these examples:

Example

She was given the key to their beach house.

I was shown the picture.

Nouns as Subject or Object Complements

A subject complement is a noun or noun phrase used in a sentence to rename or define the subject. It's important to note that subject complements can also be adjectives.
An object complement, on the other hand, provides more information about the object of a sentence. For example:

Example

That girl standing over there is Hanna.

They named their baby Liam.

In this sentence, "their baby" is the object and "Liam" is the object complement naming it.

Nouns as Appositives

Noun can also follow and modify another noun. Appositive nouns provide more information about the noun the modify, but can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Example

His present, the coffee cup, has been sent to Emily two days ago.

Tonight's dinner, chicken soup, was really disgusting.

Nouns: Uses

Noun Phrase

In English, a noun is often accompanied by a modifier or article ('a/an' or 'the'), forming what is called a noun phrase. A noun phrase is a word or group of words that functions as a noun and can serve as a subject, object, complement, or object of a preposition in a sentence.Take a look at the following example:

Example

The campus of the university was crowded.

She called the driver of the car.

Noun Clause

A 'noun clause' is a group of words that functions as a noun. Unlike a noun phrase, a noun clause contains both a subject and a verb. Noun clauses are always dependent clauses and do not form a complete sentence on their own. Have a look:

Example

He can invite whomever he wants.

Whether he invites Jack or not is his business.

Review

Nouns are categorized into different groups based on different criteria. Here are the most important categories of nouns.

countable and uncountable nouns

abstract and concrete nouns

singular and plural nouns

common and proper nouns

Nouns can be used as:

subjects

objects

subject or object complements

appositives

Quiz:


1.

Fill the blanks with the correct type of noun based on the lesson content. (There are two extra options.)

nouns are used to name general items, rather than specific people, places, or things.

A noun that refers to something you cannot see, touch, hear, smell, or taste is called an

noun.

The noun "team" is an example of a

noun because it refers to a group considered as a single unit.

The word "ice cream" is an example of an open

noun.

A

noun is one that specifically refer to a male or female.

common
abstract
collective
compound
gender-specific
proper
plural-only
2.

Match each item in Column A with the correct word from Column B.

Concrete noun
Abstract noun
Uncountable noun
Plural-only noun
Proper noun
trousers
laziness
window
water
Emma
3.

Choose all compound nouns from the list. (Choose four.)

happiness

information

papercut

clothes

freedom

sunflower

hurricane

equipment

notebook

firework

4.

Which sentence contains a derived noun?

A

The boys were running in the yard.

B

I bought a toothpaste at the market.

C

The brightness of the sun hurt my eyes.

D

They watched a documentary on whales.

5.

Complete the table by identifying the function of the underlined noun in each sentence.

His sister travels a lot for work.

They appointed her team leader.

The teacher handed the students their test results.

Her dog, a golden retriever, is very friendly.

The winner was Jake.

We watched the stars from the rooftop.

Subject
Object Complement
Indirect Object
Appositive
Subject Complement
Direct Object

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