Nouns
Nouns are among the first lessons when studying a new language. In other words, we have to be able to name things first, then make sentences with them.
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.
A noun is a word that refers to:
- A Person: Adam, doctor, sister, student
- A Place: home, New York, office, village
- An Object: chair, stair, hammer
- An Animal: snake, mouse, fish, bear
- An Idea: confusion, kindness, joy
- A Quality: softness, darkness, roughness
- An Action: cooking, playing, swimming
Types of Nouns
Nouns can be categorized into different groups based on various criteria. Each group has unique functions and specific characteristics.
- Based on Uniqueness or Commonality
- Based on Physicality or Abstractness
- Based on Countability
- Based on Word-Formation Processes
- Based on Gender
- Based on Grammatical Functions
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 noun, while proper nouns refer to specific nouns. Common nouns are not capitalized unless they come at the beginning of a sentence. Proper nouns should
They gave
'Adam' is a proper noun therefore is capitalized even at the middle of the sentence.
The
The noun 'room' is a common noun and is not capitalized.
Based on Physicality or Abstractness
Nouns can be categorized into two groups based on whether they are tangible or visible 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:
The
Everyone is not lucky enough to find
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
It is worth a
The
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:
The
'Audience' are a collection of people that listen and watch a performance.
My
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:
The cat was drinking its
'Milk' is an uncountable noun.
There were millions of
'Worms' are countable nouns.
Using Nouns in a Sentence
Plural-only Nouns
Some nouns are only used in the plural form and cannot be counted or quantified with numbers.
Wear your
'Eyeglasses' or 'glasses' are always used in plural form.
Your son looks cute in those
Based on Word-Formation Processes
Compound Nouns
'Compound Nouns' are made up of
- The closed form (which are written as one word): basketball, wallpaper, grandmother
- The open form (which are spelled as two separate words): ice cream, field hockey, distance learning
- The hyphenated form (two or more words are joined by a hyphen): long-term, mother-in-law, check-in
They have put a wooden drawer in their
John must be her
Derivation
Derivation is the process of creating new words with a different word class by adding affixes, prefixes, or suffixes. 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 different nouns. Pay attention to the following examples:
He is a famous
Here by adding 'or' to the verb act we made the noun actor.
Children often have a very active
Based on Gender
A 'gender-specific noun' refers specifically to either males or females. In some languages, nouns are classified into three genders:
- Masculine nouns
- Feminine nouns
- 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:
Her
'Husband' is a masculine noun.
The
Based on Grammatical Functions
Verbal Nouns
'Verbal Nouns' or 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:
I was busy
Appositive Nouns
'Appositive noun' (also called attributive noun adjunct, qualifying noun, noun modifier), is a noun that immediately follows and modifies another noun. The first noun serves as a modifier for the second noun, but can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.
His present, the
Tonight's dinner,
The Function of Nouns
Nouns are categorized into three main groups based on their functions:
- 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 affirmative sentences, the subject typically appears at the beginning of the sentence.
The
Nouns as Objects
As 'objects,' nouns can be direct object, indirect object, retained objects, and the objects of the 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:
Can you please pass me the
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:
Take a look! Maybe it is on the
Put the books in the small
Retained Object
A retained object is a noun or noun phrase used as the direct or indirect object in a passive sentence, where the verb is in the passive voice. Look at these examples:
She was given the
They were invited to the
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:
That girl standing over there is
I found him
Here, 'him' is the object and 'reading' is the object complement.
Flexibility of Words!
Remember, some words can function as multiple parts of speech, such as being both a noun and a verb. For example, 'run', 'cook', 'travel', etc.
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:
They were in
She called
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
He can invite
Positions of Nouns
Most often, nouns follow a determiner or an adjective. While it is not always the case, usually there is a determiner or an adjective before the noun. Here are some examples :
She has a nice
I love the beautiful
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
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Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are formed when two or more words are joined together to create a new word that has an entirely new meaning.
Proper and Common Nouns
Did you know there are two kinds of noun: common nouns and proper nouns. Common nouns refer to general nouns and proper nouns refer to specific nouns.
Singular and Plural Nouns
Anything that is just one in quantity is singular. But what if there is more than one? Nouns that are two or more are called plurals! Simple, yes? Let's see!
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
It's important to know if a noun is countable or uncountable. This is going to help us to use the correct article. Let's learn more.
