Nouns

(Part II)
Going beyond noun classifications of people, places, things
or ideas and common or proper
Introducing classifications of concrete or abstract; singular,
plural or possessive; compound; collective

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

Name_______________________________________ Per._____

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

Lets review the basics

Grammar guru:

Why hello again Stu! How wonderful to see you here in

this room again. I can not tell you what happiness your
presence brings me.

Stu Dent:

Um, hi Guru. Ive missed you too. So how long did it take
you to come up with that greeting that includes a person,
place, thing and idea?

Grammar guru:

Why Stu! How observant of you! Im glad you remember

the definition of a noun for that is why I am here today.

Stu Dent:

Not only do I remember the definition, I also remember

the difference between common and proper nouns. A
common noun________________________________________
______________________________________________________
whereas a proper noun ________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Grammar guru:

Excellent, Stu! What a fantastic student of grammar you

are. Are you ready to learn some other classifications of
nouns?

Stu Dent:

Guru, I was born ready!

Grammar guru:

Excellent! Lets make like a huddle of penguins and dive

in!

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

Part 1: Classification of Nouns

Although a noun is a person, place, thing or idea, theres more Nouns can also
be classified as:
common or proper
concrete or abstract
singular, plural, or possessive
compound
collective
Types of nouns

Examples:

Common noun (see previous page)

Proper noun (see previous page)

Concrete noun:______________________________________
___________________________________________________

Abstract noun:______________________________________
___________________________________________________

Singular noun:______________________________________

Plural noun:________________________________________

Possessive noun:____________________________________
___________________________________________________

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

Collective noun:_____________________________________
___________________________________________________

Compound noun:___________________________________
___________________________________________________
Exercise 1a: A noun or not?
Directions: Determine whether the underlined word in each of the following
sentences is a noun. If it is, write noun; if it isnt write not a noun.
1. Picture a beautiful scene in your mind, the art teacher instructed, and
then draw it.
2. A loud, ghastly shriek startled the other guests at the haunted inn.
3. My favorite picture of Georgia OKeefe may be found in New Mexico.
4. The actors dance and shriek on stage before each performance to relieve
stress.
5. The audience often demands more popcorn if the film is good.
6. The judge found the lawyers demands to be unreasonable.
7. When the child double jumped over the jump rope, the crowd went wild.
8. Love is a verb.
9. Math makes the world go round, claimed the math teacher
enthusiastically.
10. Blocking out the sunlight, the plague of locusts descended upon the crops.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

Exercise 1b: Other nouns? Now go back through the sentences and underline
any other nouns you can find.
A tip for distinguishing between nouns and verbs:_________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

1.1 Concrete and abstract nouns

Exercise 2: Concrete and abstract
Directions: Review your notes on concrete and abstract nouns. Then draw a
picture of one concrete noun and one abstract noun below (but dont label
them).

1.2 Collective nouns

A collective noun names groups of people or things.
Examples:

Jury (a group of people); herd (a group of animals)

Some additional examples of collective nouns:

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

Important note on collective nouns: A collective nounlike flock or classis

considered singular when it refers to a group as an entire unit even though a
flock is made up of multiple birds and a class is made up of multiple students.
For example:
The jury is still out. (It is . . .)
The crowd is getting rowdy. (It is)
The flock is on the move. (It is)
A collective noun is considered plural when it refers to the individual members
within the group.
For example:
The jury members are in disagreement about the case. (They are . . .)
The mob of kangaroos are lounging in the sun, scratching their ears, and feeding
their young. (They are)
The flock of tourists were wandering around the town, looking at maps,
attempting to decipher menus, and getting honked at by annoyed drivers. (They
were)

Exercise 3: Collective nouns

Directions: Underline all the nouns in the following sentences (there are twenty
total). After you have identified all the nouns, circle the five collective nouns.
Optional: for extra practice, identify all nouns as either common or proper, and
concrete or abstract.
1. A panel of scientists debated the probability of life on other planets.
2. An outlandish sketch of an imaginary Martian amused the audience.
3. The performance of the team improved tremendously after the speech
given by the coach.

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

4. Pickett led his brigade in a daring charge at Gettysburg.

5. William Shakespeare wrote his plays for one particular company of actors.

Fun with collective nouns

The names for groups of animals are amusing and intriguing. Most of us have
heard of a flock of sheep, a pride of lions, or a liter of puppies, but have you
heard of
A ___________________ of penguins.
A ____________________ of jellyfish.
A _______________________ of owls.
A ________________ of rhinoceroses.
A ________________________ of jays.
A _____________________ of tourists.
A _____________________ of locusts.
A _______________________ of ships.
A __________________ of kangaroos.
An ____________________ of ravens.

1.3 Singular, plural, and possessive nouns

Singular

Plural

Possessive

Plural possessive

book
car
walrus
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

woman

Exercise 4: Singular, plural, and possessive

Directions: After reading the following sentences, underline all of the nouns. If
the noun is singular, write SG above it. If it is plural, write PLU above it. If it
is possessive, write PS above it. Be prepared to say if the possessive nouns are
singular or plural.
1. The childs mother picked the toy off the ground for the third time and set
it on the table next to the books.
2. The coach started the boys race by blowing his whistle.
3. The people in the audience clapped their hands wildly after the childrens
outstanding performance.
4. The scientists convention met yesterday to discuss the findings.
5. The mices home was under the shed, safely away from the cat that
prowled outside.

Exercise 5: Punctuating possessive nouns

Directions: Fill in chart with the different forms of the nouns. Look out for the
irregular nouns!

Singular

Plural

Possessive
pillows

Plural possessive

planners
mans
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

lady
remote controllers

1.4 Compound nouns

A compound noun is a noun formed by two or more words. A compound noun
may be hyphenated or not. Grammatically, compound nouns are treated as a
single word. Examples: shoe lace, high school, Dell Computer Company, roller
coaster, federal court, mother-in-law.
Exercise 6: Compound nouns
Directions: What other compound nouns can you think of?

Exercise 7: Review
Directions: As an expert grammarian you have been assigned the important job
of classifying ten nouns. Complete the following table by placing an X in each
box that applies to each noun. Heres an example for roller coaster.

Word

Common

roller coaster
Word
1.

Proper

Collective Concrete

X
Common

Abstract

Compound

X
Proper

Collective

Concrete

X
Abstract

Compound

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

10

7.
8.
9.
10.

Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from a packet by Cynthia Kolanowski, 2006

11

Test: woman, women, womans, womens

Lady ladies ladies

Child children children childrens
Remote controller remote controllers remote controllers remote controlers
Planner planners planners planners
Pillow pillows pillows pillows
Abyss abysses abysss abysses
Moose moose mooses mooses
Man men mans mens

What word can be plural when a s is added to it And when an

additional s is added to the plural form it turns into a singular
again?
Prince princes princess
Keyboard, street light, parking lot, mouse trap, candy cane,
CUT
More classifications of nouns

Nouns may also be classified as concrete or abstract. A concrete noun names an object
that can be perceived by the senses, e.g., bicycle, hair, airplane. An abstract noun names
or describes an idea or a perception, those things not tangible to the senses of sight,
sound, and touch, i.e., not an object. Examples: beauty, love, strength. The final
classification of nouns is compound.
**USE AS REVIEW** add sing, plural, and possessive

Smack of jellyfish
Mob of kangaroos
Banner of knights
Unkindness of ravens
Crash of rhinoceroses
Plague of locusts
Set of mathematicians
Mischief of mice
Huddle of penguins
Armada of ships
Slither of snakes
Flock of tourists