What is a Noun? A noun is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract idea.

Nouns are usually the first words which small children learn. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all nouns: Late last year our neighbours bought a goat. Portia White was an opera singer. The bus inspector looked at all the passengers' passes. According to Plutarch, the library at Alexandria was destroyed in 48 B.C. Philosophy is of little comfort to the starving. A noun can function in a sentence as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, a subject complement, an object complement, an appositive, an adjective or an adverb. Noun Gender Many common nouns, like "engineer" or "teacher," can refer to men or women. Once, many English nouns would change form depending on their gender -- for example, a man was called an "author" while a woman was called an "authoress" -- but this use of gender-specific nouns is very rare today. Those that are still used occasionally tend to refer to occupational categories, as in the following sentences. David Garrick was a very prominent eighteenth-century actor. Sarah Siddons was at the height of her career as an actress in the 1780s. The manager was trying to write a want ad, but he couldn't decide whether he was advertising for a "waiter" or a "waitress" Noun Plurals Most nouns change their form to indicate number by adding "-s" or "-es", as illustrated in the following pairs of sentences: When Matthew was small he rarely told the truth if he thought he was going to be punished. Many people do not believe that truths are self-evident. As they walked through the silent house, they were startled by an unexpected echo. I like to shout into the quarry and listen to the echoes that return. He tripped over a box left carelessly in the hallway. Since we are moving, we will need many boxes. There are other nouns which form the plural by changing the last letter before adding "s". Some words ending in "f" form the plural by deleting "f" and adding "ves," and words ending in "y" form the plural by deleting the "y" and adding "ies," as in the following pairs of sentences: The harbour at Marble Mountain has one wharf. There are several wharves in Halifax Harbour. Warsaw is their favourite city because it reminds them of their courtship. The vacation my grandparents won includes trips to twelve European cities. The children circled around the headmaster and shouted, "Are you a mouse or a man?" The audience was shocked when all five men admitted that they were afraid of mice. Other nouns form the plural irregularly. If English is your first language, you probably know most of these already: when in doubt, consult a good dictionary. Possessive Nouns

In the possessive case, a noun or pronoun changes its form to show that it owns or is closely related to something else. Usually, nouns become possessive by adding a combination of an apostrophe and the letter "s." You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that does not end in "s" by adding an apostrophe and "s," as in the following sentences: The red suitcase is Cassandra's. The only luggage that was lost was the prime minister's. The exhausted recruits were woken before dawn by the drill sergeant's screams. The miner's face was covered in coal dust. You can form the possessive case of a singular noun that ends in "s" by adding an apostrophe alone or by adding an apostrophe and "s," as in the following examples: The bus's seats are very uncomfortable. The bus' seats are very uncomfortable. The film crew accidentally crushed the platypus's eggs. The film crew accidentally crushed the platypus' eggs. Felicia Hemans's poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron's. Felicia Hemans' poetry was once more popular than Lord Byron's. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does not end in "s" by adding an apostrophe and a "s," as in the following examples: The children's mittens were scattered on the floor of the porch. The sheep's pen was mucked out every day. Since we have a complex appeal process, a jury's verdict is not always final. The men's hockey team will be playing as soon as the women's team is finished. The hunter followed the moose's trail all morning but lost it in the afternoon. You can form the possessive case of a plural noun that does end in "s" by adding an apostrophe: The concert was interrupted by the dogs' barking, the ducks' quacking, and the babies' squalling. The janitors' room is downstairs and to the left. My uncle spent many hours trying to locate the squirrels' nest. The archivist quickly finished repairing the diaries' bindings. Religion is usually the subject of the roommates' many late night debates. Using Possessive Nouns When you read the following sentences, you will notice that a noun in the possessive case frequently functions as an adjective modifying another noun: The miner's face was covered in coal dust. Here the possessive noun "miner's" is used to modify the noun "face" and together with the article "the," they make up the noun phrase that is the sentence's subject. The concert was interrupted by the dogs' barking, the ducks' quacking, and the babies' squalling. In this sentence, each possessive noun modifies a gerund. The possessive noun "dogs"' modifies "barking," "ducks"' modifies "quacking," and "babies"' modifies "squalling."

The film crew accidentally crushed the platypus's eggs. In this example the possessive noun "platypus's" modifies the noun "eggs" and the noun phrase "the platypus's eggs" is the direct object of the verb "crushed." My uncle spent many hours trying to locate the squirrels' nest. In this sentence the possessive noun "squirrels"' is used to modify the noun "nest" and the noun phrase "the squirrels' nest" is the object of the infinitive phrase "to locate." Types Of Nouns There are many different types of nouns. As you know, you capitalise some nouns, such as "Canada" or "Louise," and do not capitalise others, such as "badger" or "tree" (unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence). In fact, grammarians have developed a whole series of noun types, including the proper noun, the common noun, the concrete noun, the abstract noun, the countable noun (also called the count noun), the non-countable noun (also called the mass noun), and the collective noun. You should note that a noun will belong to more than one type: it will be proper or common, abstract or concrete, and countable or non-countable or collective. If you are interested in the details of these different types, you can read about them in the following sections. Proper Nouns You always write a proper noun with a capital letter, since the noun represents the name of a specific person, place, or thing. The names of days of the week, months, historical documents, institutions, organisations, religions, their holy texts and their adherents are proper nouns. A proper noun is the opposite of a common noun In each of the following sentences, the proper nouns are highlighted: The Marroons were transported from Jamaica and forced to build the fortifications in Halifax. Many people dread Monday mornings. Beltane is celebrated on the first of May. Abraham appears in the Talmud and in the Koran. Last year, I had a Baptist, a Buddhist, and a Gardnerian Witch as roommates. Common Nouns A common noun is a noun referring to a person, place, or thing in a general sense -- usually, you should write it with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. A common noun is the opposite of a proper noun. In each of the following sentences, the common nouns are highlighted: According to the sign, the nearest town is 60 miles away. All the gardens in the neighbourhood were invaded by beetles this summer. I don't understand why some people insist on having six different kinds of mustard in their cupboards. The road crew was startled by the sight of three large moose crossing the road. Many child-care workers are underpaid. Sometimes you will make proper nouns out of common nouns, as in the following examples: The tenants in the Garnet Apartments are appealing the large and sudden increase in their rent. The meals in the Bouncing Bean Restaurant are less expensive than meals in ordinary restaurants.

Many witches refer to the Renaissance as the Burning Times. The Diary of Anne Frank is often a child's first introduction to the history of the Holocaust. Concrete Nouns A concrete noun is a noun which names anything (or anyone) that you can perceive through your physical senses: touch, sight, taste, hearing, or smell. A concrete noun is the opposite of a abstract noun. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all concrete nouns: The judge handed the files to the clerk. Whenever they take the dog to the beach, it spends hours chasing waves. The real estate agent urged the couple to buy the second house because it had new shingles. As the car drove past the park, the thump of a disco tune overwhelmed the string quartet's rendition of a minuet. The book binder replaced the flimsy paper cover with a sturdy, cloth-covered board. Abstract Nouns An abstract noun is a noun which names anything which you can not perceive through your five physical senses, and is the opposite of a concrete noun. The highlighted words in the following sentences are all abstract nouns: Buying the fire extinguisher was an afterthought. Tillie is amused by people who are nostalgic about childhood. Justice often seems to slip out of our grasp. Some scientists believe that schizophrenia is transmitted genetically. Countable Nouns A countable noun (or count noun) is a noun with both a singular and a plural form, and it names anything (or anyone) that you can count. You can make a countable noun plural and attach it to a plural verb in a sentence. Countable nouns are the opposite of non-countable nouns and collective nouns. In each of the following sentences, the highlighted words are countable nouns: We painted the table red and the chairs blue. Since he inherited his aunt's library, Jerome spends every weekend indexing his books. Miriam found six silver dollars in the toe of a sock. The oak tree lost three branches in the hurricane. Over the course of twenty-seven years, Martha Ballad delivered just over eight hundred babies. Non-Countable Nouns A non-countable noun (or mass noun) is a noun which does not have a plural form, and which refers to something that you could (or would) not usually count. A non-countable noun always takes a singular verb in a sentence. Noncountable nouns are similar to collective nouns, and are the opposite of countable nouns. The highlighted words in the following sentences are non-countable nouns: Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen. The word "oxygen" cannot normally be made plural.

Oxygen is essential to human life. Since "oxygen" is a non-countable noun, it takes the singular verb "is" rather than the plural verb "are." We decided to sell the furniture rather than take it with us when we moved. You cannot make the noun "furniture" plural. The furniture is heaped in the middle of the room. Since "furniture" is a non-countable noun, it takes a singular verb, "is heaped." The crew spread the gravel over the roadbed. You cannot make the non-countable noun "gravel" plural. Gravel is more expensive than I thought. Since "gravel" is a non-countable noun, it takes the singular verb form "is." Collective Nouns A collective noun is a noun naming a group of things, animals, or persons. You could count the individual members of the group, but you usually think of the group as a whole is generally as one unit. You need to be able to recognise collective nouns in order to maintain subject-verb agreement. A collective noun is similar to a non-countable noun, and is roughly the opposite of a countable noun. In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a collective noun: The flock of geese spends most of its time in the pasture. The collective noun "flock" takes the singular verb "spends." The jury is dining on take-out chicken tonight. In this example the collective noun "jury" is the subject of the singular compound verb "is dining." The steering committee meets every Wednesday afternoon. Here the collective noun "committee" takes a singular verb, "meets." The class was startled by the bursting light bulb. In this sentence the word "class" is a collective noun and takes the singular compound verb "was startled."

Written by Heather MacFadyen

NOUNS atau Kata Benda Kata benda atau dalam bahasa inggris disebut NOUNS adalah semua kata yang menunjukkan benda. Mengapa sih belajar bahasa inggris harus tahu kata benda segala? tidak langsung saja belajar berbicara, menulis atau bercakapcakap?. Ya, sebenarnya langsung praktek juga bisa, namun dengan mengerti istilah-istilahnya, dengan mengerti bagaimana komponen tata bahasa digunakan maka bahasa inggris anda akan bertambah baik, bahkan untuk mengembangkan ketrampilan bahasa inggris secara mandiri pun akan terasa jauh lebih mudah jika anda menguasai hal ini. Belajar bahasa inggris dimanapun dan dengan siapapun atau membaca buku pelajaran bahasa inggris apapun akan terasa mudah bagi Anda nanti. Percayalah pada saya, karena saya telah mengalaminya. Nanti akan terasa di pelajaran bahasa inggris yang lebih advance, ketika saya bilang NOUNS sebagai SUBJECT maka anda sebaiknya sudah punya gambaran apa itu NOUNS. Jelas, ini akan mempermudah dan mempercepat proses belajar bahasa inggris anda di level selanjutnya bukan? Ok, NOUNS dalam garis besar terdiri dari 2 bagian: Yang pertama bahasa inggrisnya CONCRETE NOUNS, atau dalam bahasa indonesia disebut kata benda konkret, maksudnya adalah benda-benda yang dapat dilihat, dapat diraba. Contohnya: meja (table), kursi (chair), phone, computer, dan sebagainya. Yang kedua adalah ABSTRACT NOUNS atau kata benda abstrak. Yaitu kata benda juga, namun tidak bisa diraba dan dilihat alias tak berwujud. Contohnya: freedom (kemerdekaan, kebebasan), happiness (kebahagiaan), education (pendidikan), competition (persaingan), action (tindakan), dan sebagainya. Tentu saja, bukan hanya dalam bahasa inggris ada kata benda abstrak tetapi juga dalam bahasa Indonesia, mungkin kita jarang mempelajarinya. Dengan pengetahuan ini, nanti kita akan bisa membuat suatu kalimat dengan subject abstract noun seperti: Action speaks louder than words. Nah, bagaimana kalau angin ? termasuk yang mana ? Concrete atau Abstract Nouns? Kita kembali pada CONCRETE NOUNS. Concrete Nouns dalam bahasa inggris ini masih dipecah-pecah lagi menjadi 4 bagian. Yaitu: Proper Nouns, Common Nouns, Material Nouns, dan Collective Nouns. Istilahnya semua masih dalam bahasa inggris. Akan saya terangkan satu per satu di bawah ini. Poper Nouns adalah kata benda tentang nama tertentu, dan diawali dengan huruf besar, seperti nama orang, nama kota, nama negara, universitas, nama gedung, nama toko, nama perusahaan, dan sebagainya. Contohnya: Joko, Mufli, John Lennon, Tokyo, Grand Hyatt, White House. Common Nouns, atau kata benda umum yaitu kata benda yang sangat umum, seperti: football (sepak bola), student (pelajar, murid), village (desa), dan sebagainya. Material Nouns, atau kata benda material, yaitu tentang kata benda yang berasal dari sumber alam atau merupakan materi lainnya, seperti gold (emas), silver (perak), plant (tanaman), iron (besi), dan sebagainya. Yang terakhir Collective Nouns atau kata benda kolektif. Tentu saja artinya kata benda yang mengandung arti kumpulan, koleksi atau yang mengandung arti majemuk. Contohnya: committee (komite, panitia), group (kelompok orang), class (kelompok murid atau siswa), audience (hadirin, penonton, majelis). Itulah macam-macam kata benda konkret atau bahasa inggrisnya CONCRETE NOUNS. Tak harus Anda hafalkan kok, tetapi sekali baca anda hendaklah punya gambaran yang jelas, dan percayalah walau kita belajar bahasa inggris secara bertele-tele seperti ini, nanti bahasa inggris anda akan sangat mantap, kecuali kalau anda tidak sabaran dan

melahap semua pelajaran bahasa inggris sekaligus kemudian hanya bisa sedikit-sedikit. Jika hanya bisa sedikit sedikit bahasa inggris ini, maka biasanya manfaatnya sangat-sangat kurang. Sekarang kita kembali pada ABSTRACT NOUNS atau Kata benda abstrak (yang tak dapat dilihat dan diraba). Baik dalam bahasa Indonesia atau bahasa inggris, kata benda abstrak ini bisa dibentuk dari kata kerja. Misalnya : bertindak (menjadi tindakan), menghayal (menjadi hayalan), belajar (menjadi pelajaran), dan sebagainya. Demikian pula dalam bahasa inggris. Nah, dalam bahasa inggris anda harus menghafalnya, itulah yang sangat mudah!, hehe.. Mengapa saya bilang itulah yang mudah? loh, buat apa bilang itulah yang susah!, toh cuma bilang saja apa susahnya kita bilang mudah, nanti jadi mudah beneran. Itulah kunci belajar bahasa inggris, jangan bilang bahasa inggis itu susah, nanti jadi susah betulan hoi!. Toh untuk bilang mudah atau susah kan sama saja waktu dan energi yang kita keluarkan, dan untuk bilang susah atau mudah juga gratis saja, namun efeknya jauh berbeda, kalau dibilang sulit nanti akan membuat kita malas dan tak bisa bahasa inggris, kalau dibilang mudah nanti akan membuat kita bersemangat dan pada akhirnya lebih mudah untuk bisa betulan bahasa inggris. Kalau begitu, bilang saja bahasa inggris itu sangat mudah. Setuju ya? Ok, kata benda abstrak yang berasal dari kata kerja dalam bahasa inggris mempunyai ciri-ciri. Contoh kata kerja yang menjadi kata benda abstract yang ditambahi akhiran -ion, -tion, -ation misalnya: inform (menjadi information), imagine (menjadi imagination), explain (menjadi explanation). Memang, rumusnya tak ada yang pasti, karena itulah saya bilang anda harus menghafal. Jika anda sering memakainya dalam ucapan atau tulisan atau sering dipraktekkan maka tentu saja bahasa inggris ini akan nempel. Sama saja dengan bahasa indonesia bukan? misalnya terbang menjadi penerbangan, meniru menjadi tiruan, dan sebagainya. Ada juga yang diakhir dengan -ment. Contohnya: agree (menjadi aggreement), pay (menjadi payment), move (menjadi movement) dan sebagainya. Ada yang diakhiri dengan -ence atau -ance seperti assist (menjadi assistance), differ (menjadi difference), enter (menjadi enterance), dan sebagainya. Masih banyak sekali akhiran-akhiran lain, seperti -s, -se-, -cy dan sebagainya. Saran saya anda membeli buku Tata Bahasa Inggris atau English Grammar, biasanya di buku Tata Bahasa Inggris yang lengkap terdapat tabel tentang abstract nouns ini. Bisa juga kata benda abstrak berasal dari kata sifat. Misalnya safe (menjadi safety), real (menjadi reality), happy (menjadi happiness), important (menjadi importance), beautiful (menjadi beauty), hungry (malah menjadi hunger), memang membingungkan keculai anda sering menggunakan kata-kata ini dalam praktek bahasa inggris. Penggunaan Kata Benda Dalam Kalimat Ingat, pelajran yang lalu tentang berbedaan kata dan kalimat ya?. Nah, jika Anda memang belajar bahasa inggris secara bertahap, maka adalah benar jika anda menguasai pelajaran sebelumnya maka pelajaran yang lebih advance setelahnya akan mudah anda mengerti, sebaliknya jika anda tidak belajar bahasa inggris secara sistematis maka akan pusing sendiri, dan karena itulah kebanyak orang tak bisa bahasa inggris dengan baik. Wah kena deh sebagian orang ya, hehehe

Ok, Kata bisa merupakan kata gabung (gabungan beberapa kata) dan dalam bahasa inggris harus dibalik karena menganut sistem MD (Menerangkan Diterangkan). Tapi kalau kalimat tidak boleh dibalik loh ya, ingat lagi pelajaran tentang Perbedaan Kata dan Kalimat please. Di dalam kalimat, kata benda selalu berada di beberapa posisi, yaitu sebagai SUBJECT atau sebagai OBJECT atau object dari kata keterangan, atau object pelengkap. Ingat rumua kalimat selalu ada SUBJECT, PREDIKAT dan OBJEK/KETERANGAN. predikat bisa kata kerja, kata kerja bantu. Contohnya: Joko watches TV (Joko nonton TV). Anda lihat, Joko dan TV adalah kata benda. Perhatikan susunannya tidak dibalik, karena kalimat. Ini yang bikin bingung banyak orang. Makanya saya jelaskan ulang-ulang. Sekarang anda lihat contoh Kalimat dengan kata gabung: Joko watches new TV (Joko nonton TV baru), maksudnya TV nya yang baru. Anda lihat: Joko adalah Subject. watches (nonton) adalah Predikat. Sedangkan new TV adalah Objek kalimat tersebut. Perhatikan new TV dibalik, bukan TV new. Berikut ini contoh kata benda abstract dalam kalimat: Education is very important (pendidikan sangat penting). Action speaks louder then words (Tindakan berbicara lebih keras dari kata-kata). Ini ungkapan kok, yang artinya tindakan lebih baik dari pada ngomong doang. Dalam pelajaran bahasa inggris lainnya di website ini, kita akan banyak menggunakan istilah NOUNS atau kata benda, pastikan waktu disebut NOUNS anda punya gambaran yang jelas, seperti apa kata benda dan contohcontohnya. Misalnya ketika saya sebut Adjective adalah kata sifat, yaitu kata yang menerangkan kata benda. Lantas Anda tak mengerti apa itu kata benda, maka jadinya adalah kacau. hehe.. Pelajaran bahasa inggris topik satu ini sebenarnya cukup singkat saja, walapun tanpa terasa telah panjang. Kalau anda membacanya sampai ke bagian ini (sampai habis), itu tandanya anda akan pandai sekali bahasa inggris dan bahasa inggris anda akan mantapp, asalkan anda terus belajar dan sering praktek. he Noun Recognize a noun when you see one. George! Jupiter! Ice cream! Courage! Books! Bottles! Godzilla! All of these words are nouns, words that identify the whos, wheres, and whats in language. Nouns name people, places, and things. Read the sentence that follows: George and Godzilla walked to Antonio's to order a large pepperoni pizza. George is a person. Antonio's is a place. Pizza is a thing. Godzilla likes to think he's a person, is as big as a place, but qualifies as another thing.

Understand the functions that nouns provide in sentences. Nouns can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and subject complements. Check out these examples: Godzilla ordered a large pepperoni pizza and ate the pie in a single bite. Godzilla = the subject for the verbs ordered and ate. George offered Godzilla a ten-dollar loan to buy a second pizza. Godzilla = the indirect object of offered; loan = the direct object of offered. While eating a piece of pizza, George dripped tomato sauce onto his shirt. Shirt = the object of the preposition onto. In Godzilla's opinion, George is a slob. Slob = subject complement of the linking verb is. Know the different classes of nouns. Nouns have different classes: proper and common, concrete and abstract, count and noncount, and collective. Proper nouns name specific, one-of-a-kind items while common nouns identify the general varieties. Proper nouns always begin with capital letters; common nouns, on the other hand, only require capitalization if they start the sentence or are part of a title. Read these two versions: George and Godzilla dined at Antonio's. George, Godzilla, Antonio's = proper nouns. A boy and his monster dined at a pizza restaurant. Boy, monster, restaurant = common nouns. You classify concrete and abstract nouns by their ability to register on your five senses. If you can see, hear, smell, taste, or feel the item, it's a concrete noun. If, however, you cannot experience the item with any of your senses, it's abstract. Here are two examples: Pizza is Godzilla's favorite food. Pizza = concrete because you can see, hear, smell, feel [though you get your fingers greasy], and thankfully taste it. Godzilla never tips the delivery boy from Antonio's; politeness is not one of Godzilla's strong points. Politeness = abstract [you cannot see politeness, or hear, smell, taste, or touch the quality itself]. Many nouns can be singular or plural; these are count nouns. Noncount nouns, on the other hand, have only a singular form; to make them plural is illogical. Read the sentences that follow:

Godzilla ate three pizzas, two delivery boys, and six parked cars. Pizzas, boys, and cars = count nouns. Godzilla didn't have to be such a pig; he could have eaten only one pizza, one delivery boy, and one car. After overindulging at Antonio's, Godzilla got severe indigestion. Indigestion = noncount. You cannot write, "Godzilla got eleven indigestions." Collective nouns name groups. Although the group is a single unit, it has more than one member. Some examples are army, audience, board, cabinet, class, committee, company, corporation, council, department, faculty, family, firm, group, jury, majority, minority, navy, public, school, society, team, and troupe. Collective nouns are especially tricky when you are trying to make verbs and pronouns agree with them. The reason is that collective nouns can be singular or plural, depending on the behavior of the members of the group. For example, if the members are acting as a uniteveryone doing the same thing at the same timethe collective noun is singular and requires singular verbs and pronouns. Read this example: Despite the danger to its new van, the SWAT team pursues the pizza-eating Godzilla through the streets of Miami. In this sentence, the members of the collective noun team are acting in unison; each officer is engaged in the same activity at the same time. Thus, its, a singular pronoun, and pursues, a singular verb, are required. Now read the next example: After getting their butts kicked by Godzilla, the team change into their street clothes and sob in their cars on the way home. Here, the team members are acting individually. They are not putting on one giant set of street clothes that covers them all. They are not in unison pulling on their left socks first, then their right socks second. Instead, each member is dressing as he wishes, driving his own car to his own home. In cases like this, the collective noun is plural and requires plural pronouns [like their] and plural verbs [like change]. Keep in mind that a single noun can fall into more than one class. Here is an example: Godzilla has known five Georges in his life. Georges = proper, concrete, and count. Uses of nouns In English sentences, nouns can be used as a subject, object, or complement. They often come after prepositions, as the 'object of preposition'. Nouns can sometimes describe other nouns (such as a soccer ball). When they do this, they are called modifiers. There are also verb forms that can be used in the same way as nouns (such as 'I like running.) These are called verbals or verbal nouns, and include participles (which can also be adjectives) and infinitives. [change] Kinds of nouns

Nouns are grouped into common nouns, and proper nouns. There are also pronouns. These have commonly been considered a different part of speech from nouns, but in the past some grammars have included them as nouns[1] as do many modern linguists[2]. [change] Proper nouns A proper noun (also called proper name) is a name given to individual people, places, companies, or brands. Some examples of proper nouns are: London, John, God, October, Mozart, Saturday, Coke, Mr. Brown, Atlantic Ocean Proper nouns begin with an upper case (capital) letter in English and many other languages that use the Roman alphabet. (However, in German, all nouns begin with an upper case letter.) The word "I" is really a pronoun, although it is capitalized in English, like a proper noun. Some common nouns (see below) can also be used as proper nouns. For example, someone might be named 'Tiger Smith' -- even though he is not a tiger or a smith. [change] Common nouns Common nouns are all other nouns that are not proper nouns. Sometimes the same word can be either a common noun or a proper noun, depending on how it is used; for example: y y there can be many gods, but there is only one God. there can be many internets (two or more networks connected together), but the largest internet in the world is the Internet.

[change] Number and countability In English and many other languages, nouns have 'number'. But some nouns are only singular (such as furniture, physics) and others are only plural (such as clothes, police). Also, some nouns are 'countable' (they can be counted, for example, one piece, two pieces) but others are not (for example, we do not say one furniture, two furnitures to change. [change] Possessives Nouns are words for things, and since things can be possessed, nouns can also change to show possession in grammar. In English, we usually add an apostrophe and an s to nouns to make them possessive, or sometimes just an apostrophe when there is already an s at the end, like this: y y y This is Sam. This is Sam's cat. The woman's hair is long. There are three cats. The cats' mother is sleeping.

[change] How adjectives become nouns Most adjectives become nouns by adding the suffix ness. Example: Take the adjective 'natural', add 'ness' to get 'naturalness', a noun. To see a list of 100 adjectives used in Basic English, click

1.1) EXERCISE - COMMON NOUNS

Identify the Common Nouns in the following sentences. y 1. We arrived early at the station.

Click here for the answer We arrived early at the station. y 2. There are different species of fish.

Click here for the answer There are different species of fish. y 3. The man was trying to steal his car.

Click here for the answer The man was trying to steal his car. y 4. They have gone to the zoo.

Click here for the answer They have gone to the zoo. y 5. The baby is crying.

Click here for the answer The baby is crying. y 6. My mother is in the kitchen.

Click here for the answer My mother is in the kitchen. y 7. He threw some nuts to the monkeys.

Click here for the answer He threw some nuts to the monkeys. y 8. The children are playing in the field.

Click here for the answer The children are playing in the field. y 9. That temple was built before I was born.

Click here for the answer That temple was built before I was born. y 10. He has bought a new car.

Click here for the answer He has bought a new car.

11. My father likes to swim.

Click here for the answer My father likes to swim. y 12. She won a trophy in a competition.

Click here for the answer She won a trophy in a competition. y 13. I like to ride on a camel.

Click here for the answer I like to ride on a camel. y 14. Do birds eat meat?

Click here for the answer Do birds eat meat? y 15. He went to visit his uncle.

Click here for the answer He went to visit his uncle. y 16. My brother wants to play with us.

Click here for the answer My brother wants to play with us. y 17. Let me have a look at your puppy.

Click here for the answer Let me have a look at your puppy. y 18. The taxi broke down.

Click here for the answer The taxi broke down. y 19. The boys are playing noisily.

Click here for the answer The boys are playing noisily. y 20. She is hanging out the clothes to dry.

Click here for the answer She is hanging out the clothes to dry.

( 1.2) EXERCISE - PROPER NOUNS Use capital letters for Proper Nouns in the following sentences. y 1. paris is the capital of france.

Click here for the answer Paris is the capital of France. y 2. william shakespeare is a famous english author.

Click here for the answer William Shakespeare is a famous English author. y 3. war and peace' was written by leo tolstoy.

Click here for the answer War and Peace' was written by Leo Tolstoy y 4. The universities of oxford and cambridge offer degree courses at the highest level.

Click here for the answer The universities of Oxford and Cambridge offer degree courses at the highest level. y 5. john's two dogs are named rover and boxer.

Click here for the answer John's two dogs are named Rover and Boxer. y 6. david will travel to france to do a degree course on the french revolution.

Click here for the answer David will travel to France to do a degree course on the French Revolution. y 7. suez canal joins the red sea and the mediterranean sea.

Click here for the answer Suez Canal joins the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. y 8. republic of liberia is on the west coast of africa.

Click here for the answer Republic of Liberia is on the west coast of Africa. y 9. mick jagger is the lead singer of rolling stones

Click here for the answer

Mick Jagger is the lead singer of Rolling Stones. y 10. mount kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in africa.

Click here for the answer Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa.

( 1.3) EXERCISE - ABSTRACT NOUNS Form Abstract Nouns from the following. man know long brother scholar sell strong lose king think wise great

Click here for the answer man - manhood know - knowledge long - length brother - brotherhood

scholar - scholarship sell - sale strong - strength lose - loss

king - kingdom think - thought wise - wisdom great - greatness

( 1.4) EXERCISE - COLLECTIVE NOUNS Fill in the blank s with suitable collective nouns. y 1. A _____ of birds flew high in the sky.

Click here for the answer flock / flight y 2. They saw a _____ of lions at the zoo.

Click here for the answer pride / troop y 3. The farmer has a _____ of cattle on his farm.

Click here for the answer herd / drove y 4. He ate a _____ of grapes today.

Click here for the answer bunch y 5. Our friend shows us a _____ of stamps.

Click here for the answer collection y 6. We saw a _____ of sheep on our way home.

Click here for the answer flock y 7. Police have arrested a _____ of thieves.

Click here for the answer pack / gang y 8. She bought a _____ of bananas from the market.

Click here for the answer bunch / comb y 9. The _____ of pupils are listening attentively to their teacher.

Click here for the answer class y 10. You can put the _____ of tools in that box.

Click here for the answer set

( 1.5) EXERCISE - COUNTABLE & UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS Complete each sentence by choosing the correct word. y 1. There is so (many, much) smoke coming out of the chimney.

Click here for the answer

much y 2. There are (plenty of, a large amount of) fish in the pond.

Click here for the answer plenty of y 3. (A little, A few) minutes is all it takes for him to shave.

Click here for the answer A few y 4. The postman put (a great deal of, a lot of) letters into the bag.

Click here for the answer a lot of y 5. He threw (a little, some) nuts to the monkeys.

Click here for the answer y 6. She uses only (a few, a little) cooking oil in her cooking.

Click here for the answer y 7. My hens lay (a large amount of, several) eggs very day.

Click here for the answer several y 8. (A great deal of, A large number of) dust has collected on the desk.

Click here for the answer A great deal of y 9. We saw (a large amount of, many) cows grazing in the field.

Click here for the answer many y 10. The butcher sells (a large amount of, a large number of) meat.

Click here for the answer a large amount of

( 1.6) EXERCISE - GENDER Change the nouns in bold from the feminine to the masculine. y 1. My aunt visits her niece every week-end.

Click here for the answer My uncle visits his nephew every week-end. y 2. The lady has several mares on her farm.

Click here for the answer The gentleman has several stallions on his farm. y 3. The daughter is more talkative than her mother.

Click here for the answer The son is more talkative than his father. y 4. Does any actress like to play the role of the princess?

Click here for the answer Does any actor like to play the role of the prince? y 5. Their queen is a widow.

Click here for the answer Their king is a widower. y 6. The manageress is still a spinster.

Click here for the answer The manager is still a bachelor. y 7. In the movie, the tigress was killed by the heroine.

Click here for the answer In the movie, the tiger was killed by the hero. y 8. His daughter-in-law is a postmistress.

Click here for the answer His son-in-law is a postmaster. y 9. The countess has one sister.

Click here for the answer The count has one brother. y 10. The authoress is writing a book about the empress.

Click here for the answer The author is writing a book about the emperor.

Change the nouns in bold from the masculine to the feminine. y 11. The bridegroom thanked the priest.

Click here for the answer The bride thanked the priestess. y 12. His brother works as a waiter.

Click here for the answer His sister works as a waiteress. y 13. The dog barked at the milkman.

Click here for the answer The bitch barked at the milkmaid. y 14. A cock was killed by a fox.

Click here for the answer A hen was killed by a vixen. y 15. The manservant has worked many years for the duke.

Click here for the answer The maidservant has worked many years for the duchess. y 16. Her husband is a conductor.

Click here for the answer His wife is a conductress. y 17. He was a postman before he became a postmaster.

Click here for the answer She was a postwoman before she became a postmistress. y 18. The lad wants to be a monk.

Click here for the answer The lass wants to be a nun. y 19. The sultan owns a stallion.

Click here for the answer The sultana owns a mare. y 20. Her father-in-law is a landlord.

Click here for the answer Her mother-in-law is a landlady.

( 1.7) EXERCISE - FORMING NOUNS FROM NOUNS Fill in the blanks with abstract nouns from the nouns in brackets. y 1. I had a very happy ______ (child).

Click here for the answer I had a very happy childhood. y 2. I forgot to renew my _____ (member) in the sailing club.

Click here for the answer I forgot to renew my membership in the sailing club. y 3. We formed a deep and lasting _____ (friend).

Click here for the answer We formed a deep and lasting friendship. y 4. He hopes to take over the _____ (leader) of the party.

Click here for the answer He hopes to take over the leadership of the party. y 5. There are lots of nice people in the _____ (neighbour).

Click here for the answer There are lots of nice people in the neighbourhood. y 6. In the _____ (king) of Thailand, the king commands the respect of every citizen.

Click here for the answer In the kingdom of Thailand, the king commands the respect of every citizen. y 7. She seems to be enjoying _____ (mother).

Click here for the answer

She seems to be enjoying motherhood. y 8. He had barely reached _____ (man) when he married.

Click here for the answer He had barely reached manhood when he married. Point out the nouns in the following sentences and say whether they are common, proper, collective or abstract. 1. Always speak the truth. 2. Honesty is the best policy. 3. King Solomon was famous for his wisdom. 4. A committee of five was appointed. 5. We saw a fleet of ships in the harbour. 6. He gave me a bunch of grapes. 7. London is on the river Thames. 8. Cleanliness is next to godliness. 9. Wisdom is better than riches. 10. Winston Churchill was one of the greatest Prime Ministers of England. 11. I recognized his voice at once. 12. Our team is better than theirs. Answers 1. truth: abstract noun 2. honesty: abstract noun, policy: abstract noun 3. King: common noun, Solomon: proper noun, wisdom: abstract noun 4. committee: collective noun 5. a fleet: collective noun, ships: common noun, harbour: common noun 6. a bunch: collective noun, grapes: common noun 7. London: proper noun, river: common noun, Thames: proper noun 8. cleanliness: abstract noun, godliness: abstract noun

9. wisdom: abstract noun, riches: abstract noun 10. Winston Churchill: proper noun, Prime Ministers: common noun, England: proper noun 11. voice: abstract noun 12. team: collective noun Notes A proper noun is the name of a particular person, place or thing. A common noun is a name given in common to every person or thing of the same class or kind. A collective noun is the name of a collection of people or things taken together and spoken of as a whole. An abstract noun is the name of a quality, action or state which we cannot see or touch. Decide whether these nouns are countable (C) or uncountable (U) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. The children are playing in the garden. C I don't like milk. U I prefer tea. Uncountable Scientists say that the envirenment is threatened by pollution. C My mother uses butter to prepare cakes. U There are a lot of windows in our classroom. C We need some glue to fix this vase. U The waiters in this restaurant are very professional. C My father drinks two big glasses of water every morning. C

10. The bread my mother prepares is delicious. U 11. Drivers must be careful; the road is slippery. C 12. Some policemen are organizing road traffic to avoid any accidents. C 13. I bought three bottles of mineral water for our picnic. C 14. I'd like some juice please! U 15. Successful condidates will join the camp later this year. C 16. A rise in oil prices is inevitable since there is more and more worl demand for energy. U 17. The exercises on this website are interesting. C 18. Dehydrated babies must drink a lot of water. U 19. Adult illiterates learn through a special government programme. C 20. I met some nice people when I was walking along the beach. C