Introduction :
A noun is a word that refers to a person , place , thing , animal or idea . Nouns are one of the basic parts of speech and are often called the building blocks of sentences .
Examples of nouns include :
Person : Mike , Maya , doctor , teacher , etc.
Place : London , park , beach , college , etc,
Thing : Car , table , book , chair , computer , etc.
Animal : Dog , cat , monkey , etc.
Idea : Love , peace , freedom , justice , etc.
Nouns can be used as the subject of a sentence (e.g. The dog barked ) , the object of a verb (e.g. She kicked the ball ) , or as the object of a preposition (e.g. He walked to the store ) .
Nouns can also be singular or, plural , and can be further categorized into common nouns (general items) , proper nouns (specific, named items) , etc.
1. Proper noun :
A proper noun is a specific name used to identify a particular person , place , or thing . Proper nouns are always capitalized .
Examples of proper nouns include :
Person : Mike , Maya , Puja , Riya , Michael Jordan , etc.
Place : India , New York City , Paris , Mount Everest , Delhi , Mumbai , etc.
Organization : United Nations , Coca-Cola Company , Harvard University , Reliance etc.
Title : Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , Star Wars : A New Hope etc.
2. Common noun :
A common noun is a general name for a person , place , thing or idea . Common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence .
Examples of common nouns include :
Person : teacher , doctor , musician , student , etc.
Place : city , park , beach , school , etc.
Thing : book , car , chair , computer , etc.
Idea : freedom , justice , happiness , education , etc.
Note :
Common nouns are different from proper nouns , which are specific names for people , places , or things .
For example , " book " is a common noun , but " The Catcher in the Rye " is a proper noun because it refers to a specific book title .
3. Collective noun :
A collective noun is a singular noun that refers to a group of individuals , animals , or things as a single unit .
List of collective nouns :
(i) a pack of thieves , (ii) a pack of cards , (iii) a packet of letters , (iv) a wad of notes , (v) a pair of shoes , (vi) a quiver of arrows , (vii) a range of mountains , (viii) a ream of paper , (ix) a reel of film , (x) a set of clubs , (xi) a bunch of keys , (xii) a bundle of sticks ,
(xiii) a catalogue of prices , (xiv) a chest of drawers , (xv) a cluster of coconuts , (xvi) a fleet of ships , (xvii) a forest of trees , (xviii) a troop of lions , (xix) a galaxy of stars , (xx) a group of islands , (xxi) a troop of scouts , (xxii) a band of musicians , etc.
Collective nouns can be tricky because they are singular nouns that refer to a group , but they can be treated as either singular or plural in a sentence .
For example , you can say " The team is playing well " (singular) or, " The team are all wearing their uniforms " (plural) . It depends on the context of the sentence .
4. Material noun :
A material noun is a noun that refers to a substance or material out of which things are made.
Examples of material nouns include :
Wood : The table is made of wood .
Steel : The bridge is constructed with steel .
Gold : The necklace is made of gold .
Leather : The shoes are made of leather .
Material nouns are different from other types of nouns because they refer to the physical substance or material of an object rather than the object itself . They are often used when describing the composition or ingredients of an object .
5. Concrete noun :
A concrete noun is a noun that refers to a physical object or a substance that can be perceived through the five senses .
Examples of concrete nouns include :
Chair : I sat on the chair .
Dog : The dog chased the ball .
Water : I drank a glass of water .
Tree : The leaves on the tree turned red in the fall .
6. Abstract noun :
An abstract noun is a noun that refers to a concept , idea , or feeling that cannot be perceived through the five senses .
Examples of abstract nouns include :
Love : The couple's love for each other was evident in their actions .
Courage : The firefighter showed great courage in saving the child from the burning building .
Happiness : The children's laughter filled the room with happiness .
Justice : The court's decision to acquit the defendant was a triumph for justice .
Abstract nouns are different from concrete nouns , which refer to physical objects that can be perceived through the senses . Abstract nouns can be challenging to define because they represent intangible concepts or ideas , but they are important in expressing thoughts , emotions , and ideas in language .
7. Countable and Uncountable Nouns :
Countable Nouns – Countable nouns can be counted like one pen , two ladies , one chair , etc. These nouns take articles (a, an, the) with them .
Uncountable Nouns – Uncountable nouns cannot be counted . For example , water, soil, sugar, salt, etc .
Abstract nouns and Proper Noun are always uncountable while Common and Concrete nouns can be both countable and well as uncountable nouns .
8. Number nouns :
Number nouns are nouns that refer to quantities or numerical values .
There are two main types of number nouns : (i) singular and (ii) plural .
Singular number nouns refer to a single entity , while plural number nouns refer to more than one entity . The plural form of most nouns is created by adding " -s " or " -es " to the end of the singular noun .
Examples of singular number nouns include :
Cat : I saw a cat in the garden .
House : The house is painted blue .
Child : The child is playing in the park .
Examples of plural number nouns include :
Cats : There are three cats in the garden .
Houses : The houses are painted blue .
Children : The children are playing in the park .
9. Noun genders :
(i) Masculine – nouns that refer to the male classification of a person, animal or thing like man , lion , moon , etc.
(ii) Feminine – nouns denoting a female class of a person , animal or thing like nature , tigress , woman , etc.
(iii) Neuter – nouns that denote a thing without life , either female or male , like pen , room , book , etc.
10. Functions of Nouns – Cases :
Case in a grammatical category which reflects the grammatical function performed by a noun or a pronoun in a phrase , clause or sentence .
In English grammar, there are four cases of nouns :
(i) Nominative case , (ii) Objective case , (iii) Possessive case and (iv) Dative case .
(i) Nominative case : Nouns in the nominative case are used as the subject of a sentence or clause , or as a predicate nominative (a noun or pronoun that renames or explains the subject) . Nouns in the nominative case are generally not preceded by a preposition .
Example : The dog chased the ball ( In this sentence , " dog " is the subject of the sentence and it is in the nominative case )
(ii) Objective case : Nouns in the objective case are used as the object of a verb or preposition . There are two types of objective case – (i) direct object and (ii) indirect object .
Example : She gave the book to him ( In this sentence , " book " is the direct object of the verb " gave " and " him " is the indirect object of the verb )
(iii) Possessive case : Nouns in the possessive case show ownership or possession . In the possessive case , an apostrophe and the letter " s " are added to the end of the noun ( or just an apostrophe if the noun already ends in "s" )
Example : The cat's tail was fluffy ( In this sentence , " cat's " is the possessive form of the noun " cat " and it shows ownership of the tail )
Important points :
(a) If a plural noun ends in " s / es " , " s " is not added while apostrophe with the plural form .
Example : Boys’ , Girls’ , etc.
But if plural form is different from singular form " s " comes with both the forms .
Example : Child’ s , children’ s etc.
(b) When nouns end with hissing sound , s is not added after apostrophe .
Example : For peace’ shake (For peace’s shake is wrong) , Ganesh idol etc.
(c) Apostrophe is not used with non-living things .
Example : " Table’s leg " is not correct , it is " Leg of the table " .
(d) Do not use double apostrophe in a sentence .
Example : " My wife’s secretary’s mother is ill " is wrong , it is "Mother of my wife’s secretary is ill " .
(e) " ’s " is used with anybody / nobody / everybody / somebody / anyone / someone / no one / everyone , e.g. Everyone’s concern is no one’s concern .
If " else " is used with anybody / somebody / no one etc. then " ’s " is used with " else " , e.g. I can rely on your words not somebody else’s .
(iv) Dative case : We use this case when we need to say something by pointing someone or addressing someone .
Example :
(a) Ram , you are a very nice person .
(b) Rai , go there .
(c) Mantu , read loudly .
(d) Piya , stop talking .
*** Some basic questions on nouns for better understanding –
1. Which of the following is an example of a proper noun ?
a) book
b) car
c) London
d) table
2. Which of the following is an example of a common noun ?
a) Statue of Liberty
b) Coca-Cola
c) Television
d) United States
3. Which of the following is an example of a concrete noun ?
a) love
b) freedom
c) tree
d) courage
4. Which of the following is an example of an abstract noun ?
a) book
b) music
c) chair
d) car
5. Which of the following is an example of a collective noun ?
a) team
b) house
c) mountain
d) river
6. Which of the following is a countable noun ?
a) water
b) air
c) milk
d) chair
7. Which of the following is an example of an uncountable noun ?
a) book
b) furniture
c) bottle
d) pencil
8. Which of the following is an example of a compound noun ?
a) house
b) car
c) snow
d) greenhouse
9. Which of the following is an example of a possessive noun ?
a) cat
b) dog's
c) house
d) car
10. Which of the following is an example of a concrete collective noun ?
a) family
b) herd
c) team
d) flock
Answers :
1. Answer : c) London
Explanation : Proper nouns are specific names of people , places or things . "London" is a specific city and a proper noun .
2. Answer : c) Television
Explanation : Common nouns are general names for people , places , or things . " television " is a general name for a device used for watching programs or movies .
3. Answer : c) tree
Explanation : Concrete nouns are physical objects that can be perceived through the senses . " tree " is a physical object that can be seen , touched and smelled .
4. Answer : b) music
Explanation : Abstract nouns are ideas, emotions, or concepts that cannot be perceived through the senses . " music " is an abstract noun as it represents an intangible concept or feeling .
5. Answer : a) team
Explanation : Collective nouns are names for groups of people , animals or things . " team " is a collective noun as it refers to a group of people working together towards a common goal .
6. Answer : d) chair
Explanation : Countable nouns are objects that can be counted , and " chair " is an object that can be counted as one , two , three and so on .
7. Answer : b) furniture
Explanation : Uncountable nouns are objects that cannot be counted and " furniture " is a category of objects that cannot be counted individually .
8. Answer : d) greenhouse
Explanation : A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words and " greenhouse " is a compound noun made up of " green " and " house " .
9. Answer : b) dog's
Explanation : A possessive noun shows ownership or possession and " dog's " is a possessive form of the noun " dog " .
10. Answer : b) herd
Explanation : A concrete collective noun is a name for a group of physical objects that can be counted and " herd " is a concrete collective noun used for a group of animals such as cows , sheep or elephants .
